California voters have resoundingly approved tens of billions of dollars in state school construction bonds over the last two decades. But a new survey suggests that voters have yet to similarly warm up to the latest and heftiest proposal to come before them: a $15 billion state bond for public schools, community colleges...
Voters Decide on Sanctuary City, Airbnb Rentals
Voters in the West took a dim view of taxes, while New Yorkers backed a new way to elect some of their leaders and a New Jersey city cracked down on Airbnb. Tucson voters seemed uninterested in becoming a sanctuary city, and those in Washington weighed whether to roll back...
Lyft, Uber Will Ask California Voters to Block New Law
SACRAMENTO — Some of the country's largest ride-sharing companies announced a ballot initiative Tuesday that would let them continue to treat drivers as independent contractors while also guaranteeing them a minimum wage and money for health insurance. The Legislature enacted AB 5 this year requiring ride-sharing companies to treat drivers...
Republicans Stumbling Over Question at Heart of Impeachment
DENVER — A simple yes-or-no question keeps tripping up Senate Republicans: Should the president ask foreign countries to investigate political rivals? A month ago the question was a legal and constitutional no-brainer. It's illegal to accept foreign help in a political campaign, an action that also raises questions about U.S....
New California Law Expands Same-Day Voter Registration
SACRAMENTO — California will allow voters to register on Election Day at all polling places in 2020. Legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom expands conditional voter registration in the state. Voters who register conditionally on Election Day will not have their ballots counted until their registration has been verified....
Opinion: On Oct. 3, Happy Deficit Day
Imagine that the federal government received all the revenue it will receive for the year in a lump sum on Jan. 1, and then proceeded to spend that money at a constant rate. If the federal government’s budget were balanced, the money would last until the stroke of midnight on...
Walters: An Ethical Double Standard
A political scandal that erupted in San Diego 16 years ago indirectly established a peculiar — and unseemly — ethical double standard regarding local ballot measures. Simply put, while it may be legal for public officials to mislead the public in seeking approval of bond and tax measures — which...
Debate Offers Harris Chance to Regain Momentum in 2020 Race
LONDONDERRY, N.H. — Seven months after Kamala Harris burst into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination with a flag-draped launch rally and the confidence of a front-runner, the California senator is facing persistent questions about whether she can recapture the energy of her campaign's opening days. Harris' next best opportunity comes...
Biden: Racism in US Is Institutional, 'White Man's Problem'
WASHINGTON — Racism in America is an institutional "white man's problem visited on people of color," Vice President Joe Biden said, arguing that the way to attack the issue is to defeat President Donald Trump and hold him responsible for deepening the nation's racial divide. Taking aim at incendiary racial appeals by...
Walters: A Resurrection for Redevelopment?
Voters and elected officials adopt policies on assurances of beneficial impacts, but they often interact with other decrees to produce what are called “unintended consequences.” Redevelopment has been a classic example for nearly seven decades, and it may be on the verge of another twist. Redevelopment, authorized in the early...