Diana Zuñiga: Jerry Brown’s “plan” keeps California on the same road we’ve been down for 30 years: more money going to corrections and even more allocated to prison expansions.
Pushing Budget Reform State by State
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Randy Shaw: While progressives debate whether President Obama could have used his “bully pulpit” to overcome GOP opposition to reviving the nation’s economy, let’s accept that in 2013-14 activists can more effectively address economic justice measures at the state level.
Gov. Brown Can Release Prisoners Early Without Compromising Public Safety
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Lizzie Buchen: Keeping low-risk inmates behind bars does not enhance public safety; in fact, doing so may endanger the public, as excessive prison terms hamper reentry, damage families, and weaken communities.
Why Jerry Brown Bucks Prison Realignment
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Gov. Brown’s recent actions show that it is not just the most visible partisans of the “prison industrial complex,” who we must persuade or overcome, but unfortunately the political establishment of the State.
Can Democrats Fix California?
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Dotty Lemieux: All is not gloom and doom for the Golden State after all. And if we tackle the inequities in Proposition 13, especially the ones favoring the largest corporate abusers, the outlook could become all the more rosy.
Kudos to Jerry Brown
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Joseph Palero: Working hand-in-hand with California’s teachers, nurses, students of all ages, and the state’s labor unions, Governor Brown rallied the troops, and in doing so helped save from fiscal ruin not only the state’s public schools but also the nation’s biggest and most important system of public higher education.
Russell Means: Truth-Teller
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Tom Hayden: Russell was a reminder that the wars against indigenous people, and the conquest of their resources, are far from over, and that we cannot be fully human until remorse with our eyes wide open allows the possibility of reconciliation.
Will AB 2530 Unshackle Childbirth in California?
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Angola 3 News: With Governor Brown’s decision expected anytime, local activists are urgently mobilizing to stop him from vetoing this important bill once again. AB 2530 supporters have created a webpage for the public to contact the Governor.
California TRUST Act Awaits Governor’s Signature
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Michele Waslin: Passage of the TRUST Act would be an important step toward mitigating the harmful impact of the Secure Communities Program (S-Comm). Immigrant advocates from across the country are calling on Gov. Brown to sign the bill into law.
California State Parks Director Resigns Amid $54 Million Scandal
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Dan Bacher: For at least 12 years, the Department underreported tens of millions of dollars to the state Department of Finance, according to a statement from the Natural Resources Agency.
California Gives Struggling Homeowners a “Fighting Shot”
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Steve Mikulan: The new law sounds like a textbook example of how government can and should help its citizens, especially during a time of economic upheaval.
The Millionaires Tax and Jerry Brown’s Terrorizing Tactic
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Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer: Jerry Brown to resort to his terror tactic, intended to strike fear in the hearts of the public. He has told the people of California that if they do not support this new compromise tax proposal, then automatic trigger cuts will go into effect that will brutally slash the budget of public education on all levels.
ACLU Asks, More Jails or Better Sentencing?
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Dick Price & Sharon Kyle: California’s 58 counties must deal with a sudden influx of state prison inmates, straining their jails and requiring innovative sentencing and supervisory programs.
California Tax Measure Compromise a Victory for Progressives
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Paul Hogarth: When it comes to crafting state budget policy, Sacramento’s leadership never bothers to consult the grass-roots – cutting deals with big business and a small handful of unions, and then expecting the rest of us to take our marching orders.
Another California Knightmare
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Carl Matthes: Steve Knight comes by his prejudice naturally as the youngest son of William “Pete” Knight, the man who, in 2000, successfully brought Proposition 22 to stop same-sex marriage.
State Convention Snubs Osborn; Avoids Fight on Millionaire’s Tax
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Paul Hogarth: The California Democratic Convention this weekend was not a good one for Party insurgents hoping to push for progressive change and hold its leaders accountable.
After Redevelopment: Creating Real Investment in Our Cities
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Madeline Janis: While the death of California’s redevelopment agencies is a blow to cities, this could also be a moment of opportunity to create a more vibrant, equitable and sustainable future for all Californians and a model for the country.
Prisoner Reintegration: Helping Those Trying to Help Themselves
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Ron Kaye: The conversation that started in Pasadena is long overdue. The failure of locking people for long sentences in overcrowded conditions without effective rehabilitation and support programs was clear a long time ago.
Ruling in Alex Sanchez Case Expected Soon
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The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is close to ruling on key portions of the Alex Sanchez case involving prosecution conflicts-of-interest and double jeopardy issues. Meanwhile, two-and-one-half years after the initial arrests, the top lawyers for both sides are leaving the case. Sanchez has been out on bail since January 2010 after the 9th [...]
Hope and Change: Landmark Human Rights Victories
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Julie Gutman: As the international community prepares to mark the 61st annual Human Rights Day on December 10, here is a short list of some of the best human rights developments of 2011 outside the Middle East.
Tech Tip Tuesday: Brown OK’s Search of Cell Phones
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Tech Tip Tuesday: Today’s Tech Tip: Don’t leave anything on your cell that you wouldn’t want to see in court. Until the law changes, erase questionable texts as soon as you have read them.
Governor Jerry Brown Signs Immigration Bills that Help, Not Hurt, California’s Economy
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Seth Hoy: With an increasing unemployment rate of more than 12%, California legislators concluded that it “must pursue all avenues in facilitating and incubating job development and economic growth.”
Labor Occupies Wall Street, But Democrats Go in Reverse
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As the grassroots campaign against Wall Street grows, Democratic politicians are moving in the opposite direction. President Obama has secured the House Republican support necessary to pass three trade bills strongly opposed by organized labor and most Democrats. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who like Obama was elected with huge labor funding and ground support, [...]
California Legislature Passes Bill to Study State-Owned Bank
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Ellen Brown: California, like North Dakota, is resource-rich. A state-owned bank will allow it to capitalize on its resources to full advantage, by providing the credit needed to realize its potential.
Another Victory for Campaign Consultants!
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Steve Ybarra: New citizens and Latinos may have to again face the Orange County fascists with their voter intimidation methods because of a lack of spine in the Governor’s office. In addition, we lost $200 million of real money.
California’s Dangerous Docs Undisciplined
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Marian Wang: More than 700 doctors in California sanctioned for wrongdoing by hospitals and other health care organizations haven’t faced any disciplinary action from the California medical board.
Jerry Betrays Cesar, UFW, and His Own Legacy
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Randy Shaw: Brown’s alignment with wealthy growers against indigent workers picking crops in the fields surely has Chavez turning over in his grave, and shows that the Governor views the UFW as just another group he is willing to betray.
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It’ll Be an All-Cuts Budget “Deal” (Just Like California)
Joseph Palermo: The debt ceiling gambit that Republicans in the House of Representatives have used to tie the U.S. government in knots in recent months is simply the California GOP’s tactic writ large.