GUEST COLUMNS
Friday, November 26, 2021
In 2013, California’s system of financing public schools was overhauled in an effort to close the “achievement gap,” but we still don’t know whether it’s working.
California’s future depends on sustained investment in forest health and community protection from wildfires.
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
One way: Doing something about the state's $20-plus billion debt to the federal government for unemployment insurance payments during the recession. By Dan Walters
I urge California officials to make it economically viable for commercial boat owners to go zero-emission.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Oil companies are investing in the development of hydrogen – a fuel that can scale up clean energy production to meet global demand.
People who leased their cars before the pandemic can probably buy their vehicles at the end of the lease for much less than the going market price.
Monday, November 22, 2021
Environmental, social and governance factors have pushed to the forefront of the Securities and Exchange Commission's attention in recent years.
On October 28, the Biden administration released the text of the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act — also referred to as the human infrastructure bill. Designed to expand the nation's social safety net and also help fight climate change, about $1 trillion of the act would be financed by higher taxes on wealthy Americans.
One complicating factor is that inflation is a fact of life, and it can result in meaningfully higher expenses over time.
“Island of the Blue Dolphins” is an influential part of California’s literary history, but it should not be promoted without context.
Studies show that transitioning to an electricity grid powered by 100% clean energy can lock in lower utility bills.
Friday, November 19, 2021
California Gov. Gavin Newsom could continue to govern by decree indefinitely, eroding the American concept of democracy.
The addition of a community solar program can help drive the most efficient grid for all, while meeting climate goals.
Community colleges need the resources to provide the important rungs in the ladders to success for California students.
Under the America Invents Act, a party may ask the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to review and potentially cancel claims in an already-issued patent that the PTO finds to be unpatentable in light of prior art.
Thursday, November 18, 2021
California’s unemployment rate, 7.5%, is the nation’s highest, but may vastly understate Californians’ true economic distress.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
For many decades, the decennial chore of redrawing California's congressional and legislative districts was relatively simple.
If you feel our country is slowly coming apart, you may be right. We are divided by religion, political party, race, gender and wealth. If ignored, these divisions weaken our democracy and leave our children a dysfunctional government and a society that demonizes anyone who doesn't agree with us.
California has established itself as a global leader in the fight against climate change. It has set ambitious, economy-wide emission reduction targets and mandated that all of the state's electricity come from carbon-free sources by 2045.
Countries across the world are coming together in Glasgow for COP26 to discuss how the world will address our climate crisis. I have joined with 537 legislators from 47 states and territories calling on the federal government to raise our ambition and strengthen our national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Seven in 10 Californians say the gap between rich and poor is getting larger, according to a statewide survey released Tuesday.
As we discussed in our previous article, "New California Workplace Law, Part One," employers must be aware of a number of new California employment laws. Below is a brief summary of Part Two.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
2021 brought employers an avalanche of new laws and ever-changing COVID-19 obligations. The good news is that the California Legislature gave employers a bit of a break this session, and the changes for 2022 are not too overwhelming.
A recent opinion by the 3rd Circuit clarified the standard for pleading a trade secret misappropriation claim under the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act. The precedential decision could have implications for future DTSA claims both within and outside of the 3rd Circuit.
Monday, November 15, 2021
The U.S. Department of Justice last month announced a refocused and reinvigorated enforcement effort to address corporate crime. The initiative reinstates Obama-era policies the Trump administration had rescinded that focus on holding individuals accountable for corporate misdeeds.
The new law, recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, allows a city council — if two-thirds of its members agree — to rezone urban, transit-accessible parcels for up to 10 units of housing, notwithstanding any restrictions on development previously approved by the city's voters.
The juxtaposition of two California events Tuesday could not have been more ironic.
The global supply chain crisis is daunting. Congestion and bottlenecks across the West Coast have left large cargo vessels stranded at anchor for weeks on end. Across the country, our supply chain has faced major disruptions, driving up costs for consumers and inevitably causing major delays on delivery of essential goods.
Ismael Patia and his family arrived at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in downtown Fresno on a recent Saturday afternoon. His decision to get vaccinated had been a difficult one. But he finally was persuaded by an interpreter who talked to him in his native language, Mixteco, and eased his fears.
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Well, that was awkward. Gov. Gavin Newsom stalled for weeks on attending last week's global conference on climate change in Glasgow, then announced at the last moment that he would, only to just as suddenly announce that he wouldn't "due to family circumstances" which were never explained.
Will California's strict vaccine rules help bring an end to the pandemic that has disproportionately ravaged communities of color — or further entrench and widen those longstanding disparities?
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
The annual open enrollment for Affordable Care Act health insurance plans is underway, and consumers not only have more time to sign up, they are also likely to see more plan options and lower premiums for next year.
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Officially, California has 1.4 million unemployed residents, but a new study that takes into account people who can't find jobs that pay above poverty level says the number of "functionally unemployed" is three times higher at 4.8 million.
Californians learned last month that a number of foster youth were being sheltered in a county office because no other safe options were available.
As the country recovers from the pandemic, rising prices have become a worry for many Americans. But inflation has also driven up rates on some government savings bonds, creating an opportunity for people seeking a safe haven for their cash.
Monday, November 8, 2021
In 1911, California adopted the direct initiative and referendum process. In 1913, California adopted the public primary system. These two reforms were the greatest achievements of "the great progressive era," long before voter-centric election reforms like "Ranked Choice Voting" have become part of the national conversation.
Even people who are financially secure can fall into money traps that put their future at risk or miss out on opportunities to further strengthen their financial position.
Friday, November 5, 2021
For years, California politicians have talked about cracking down on local governments that arbitrarily reject much-needed housing projects and have even passed some laws to that effect.
While California schools have implemented programs to help keep kids in class while keeping COVID-19 out, these new programs and the protocols in place may be confusing.
Millions of Californians rely on check-cashing outlets to cash their paychecks and benefit checks. A family who earns $20,000 a year and utilizes a check-cashing outlet will pay fees up to $600 a year. This fee to cash checks is too high.
As president of a San Mateo County school board, Maybelle Manio had the privilege of delivering some lighthearted remarks at her son Jake Cruz's 8th grade graduation.
Apple is facing a new class-action lawsuit in the Western District of New York alleging that its use of the "buy" button is "false and misleading." The suit claims that when Apple offers consumers the right to "buy" content, it doesn't always mean what it says.
Thursday, November 4, 2021
The most important battleground in California's perpetual war over water is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
For generations, people have come to California for the promise of a better life. Our state has every imaginable resource to ensure a quality standard of living for all, but the California Dream is threatened by a housing supply shortage that has resulted in exorbitant housing costs and far too many people living on the streets.
This past week, Democrats entertained a new sort of tax to pay for their spending plans. It would have specifically targeted billionaires, taxing unrealized capital gains on their stocks, bonds and cash.
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Three decades later, has anything changed? The short answer: no really.
Wouldn't you know it? Just like washing your car, almost the moment I finished writing this article, the skies opened up.
As the fight against climate change becomes more urgent, focus has increased on methane emissions, with U.S. climate envoy John Kerry tweeting that cutting methane is "the single most effective strategy we have to reduce global warming in the near term" to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Why?
Imanni Wright, a sophomore resident adviser at Chapman University, had recently handled an incident involving students in her dorm when she heard some disturbing news: The people she'd met with had all tested positive for COVID-19.
Carrying credit card debt isn't just bad for your budget. It may also affect your health.
Monday, November 1, 2021
On Oct. 8, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published for public comment an expansive 918-page notice of proposed rulemaking to implement changes to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act made by Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
A recent 9th Circuit ruling upheld the EPA's discretion to consider economic impacts when determining whether the grant a variance from established water-quality standards.
The 1928 collapse of the dam unleashed a flood that killed almost 500 people in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. It is regularly listed as one of the nation's worst civil engineering disasters, yet is largely unknown to today's Californians.
Criticizing the California Legislature is, to use an old saying, as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.
Millions of Americans in the workforce are heading back to school to further their education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, college students over the age of 25 are projected to increase 11% by 2026.
U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar
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