California is not only the nation’s most populous state; it’s also the nation’s most economically, ethnically, culturally and geographically diverse state. That uniqueness has its virtues, but it makes governing
The shortage and costs of housing are, by any rational standard, one of California’s most pressing issues, which is why several thousand advocates of affordable shelter gathered in Sacramento this
Two years ago, a hotly contested law imposing a $20-per-hour minimum wage on franchised fast food outlets took effect. Assembly Bill 1228 emerged from months of intense political conflict, pitting
On March 1, an immigrant from Senegal, apparently angry over the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, donned a T-shirt that said “Property of Allah,” grabbed a Koran, a pistol and a
Last week, the New York Times published Daryl Hannah’s op-ed “How Can ‘Love Story’ Get Away with This?” Hannah was referring to the FX made-for-TV series that focused on the
Ayn Rand was a Russian-born writer who immigrated to the U.S. in 1926, worked as a screenwriter and playwright and wrote several novels expressing an individualistic philosophy she called “objectivism.”
YouTube and other internet media sites are loaded with videos in which self-proclaimed truth tellers claim to have uncovered some startling facts that mainstream journalists have either ignored or purposely
This week — as the conflict between the U.S. and Iran raged and gasoline prices soared due to disruption in the global oil trade — a political war erupted in
Years ago, when I first started to handle asylum cases, I had a consultation with a man from Iran who managed to get tourist visas for himself, his wife and
This is the moment when total war meets the fog of war. Not in tiny steps but in one great leap, the United States has triggered, and itself soon will
After months of potential governors playing coy, dropping in and dropping out, we finally have a field of eight Democrats and two Republicans, none of whom registers more than 14%
When the Public Policy Institute of California released a new poll late last month, media coverage mainly focused on how the 11 candidates for governor were faring with voters. However,
On conservative media outlets like Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove is omnipresent. George W. Bush’s former senior advisor and deputy chief of staff can hardly be
Turmoil within the California Democratic Party over this year’s election for governor and fallout from the party’s naked grab of congressional seats could have long-term effects, undoing two important political
For many years in the 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s, discussions of the use of U.S. military force suffered from an effect known as Vietnam Syndrome. Many Americans simply
The state Capitol’s longest running political conflict — going at least a half-century and still counting — pits business interests against a quartet of left-leaning groups. Specifics vary, but the
This year California voters will choose a new governor, fill other statewide offices, elect 100 state legislators and 52 members of Congress and weigh an array of knotty ballot measures.
A few years ago, I hired a young man who lived nearby to chainsaw some trees on my property. He used the money I paid him to buy drugs —
Looking for a good movie the other evening, I came across one that I’d missed when it was out in theaters about a decade ago: “The Mighty Macs.” This was
The wildfires that swept through Los Angeles 13 months ago destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, with almost incalculable financial losses, and they killed at least 31 people. Recovery has