When the majority of Californians get together to attack democratic safeguards in the name of preserving a balance, we aren’t really getting a compromise. Instead, it’s a loud, blatant signal that the system is eating itself. Proposition 50’s passage signifies that political polarization has gotten to the point that people on both sides of the […]
Tag: California
Solar and Storage, The Answer to California’s Climate Goals
California’s Energy History For decades, California has faced a series of existential challenges related to energy. From rolling blackouts and utility bankruptcies to volatile prices and infrastructure strain, the state’s dependence on an increasingly unstable electrical grid has proven unsustainable. To balance the persistent mismatch between supply and demand, California has sought new energy solutions […]
Soft Secession: California’s Antidote to Trump
Sending ICE to raid workplaces and schools, separating families, and deporting both undocumented immigrants and U.S. citizens. Federalizing the National Guard and deploying it to Los Angeles, using military-style force against protesters. Cutting federal funding and withholding aid during the L.A. fires. These are just some of the federal government’s attacks on California over the […]
Living in Fear: The Human Cost of Trump’s Deportation Agenda
“My biggest fear is seeing her one morning and not knowing if she’ll come back.” This fear and daily uncertainty is a sentiment shared by the 5.8 million households in the United States that are home to at least one undocumented immigrant, amidst the second term of President Donald Trump. As of 2023, California had […]
California’s Unlearned Lesson From Germany
In the post-World War II era, German bureaucrats tallied billions in reparations owed to Holocaust survivors. Every Deutsche Mark and carefully handwritten ledger was a confession in numbers, a recognition that words alone could never undo the crimes of the past. Germany sought not only to compensate victims but also to educate a nation and […]
Seizing the Means of Electrification in California
The typical scheme for electric utilities places customers in one of two bins: investor-owned or city-owned. There is a perennial debate over utility ownership. Should we rely on investor-owned utility companies or should cities manage their own utilities? The answer is simple: neither. Both are fundamentally flawed. Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) are inefficient and today’s Public-Owned […]
Carceral Muscle Memory: How LA Has Failed Its Pursuits of Criminal Justice
The LA County Sheriff’s Department has over a decade of reported “gangs” that physically abuse inmates. In 2011, ACLU Southern California released a report that found deputy gangs “thrive” inside LA County jails. In 2023, the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission released a report making the same allegations, saying: “The Department currently contains several active groups […]
Caught in the Crossfire: UC Berkeley and the Federal War on Higher Education
At the crossroads of politics and pedagogy, the Department of Education has become a focal point of national controversy under the Trump Administration. Since 1867, the Department of Education has widely administered and funded state-run education in the United States. Along with this function, it also operates investigations on the grounds of racial preferences, and […]
AB 260 Protects Reproductive Freedom Amid State Crackdowns
“California stands for a woman’s right to choose,” affirmed Gov. Newsom as he signed Assembly Bill 260, a sweeping California law designed to protect reproductive care in the state. His message to the rest of the nation is unmistakable: when Washington turns its back on women, California will stand in their defense. Just months ago, […]
The Case for a Metrolink Land Trust
The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), or Metrolink, has been serving Los Angeles and its surrounding counties for decades, moving millions of passengers a year. Founded in 1991, the commuter rail network is one of the largest in the nation at 437 miles of track. Size is not enough to attract riders, though. Over […]