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The partisan tides are clearly beginning to shift in California's 4th Congressional District, a trend that is more visible under the state's nonpartisan, top-two open primary. No Party Preference candidate Jeffrey Gerlach ran in the 2014 primary election with approximately one percent of the money incumbent U.S. Representative Tom McClintock (R) raised and nearly garnered enough support to secure the second spot in the general election. He lost out to National Guard Major Art Moore, also a Repu

1. Sacramento Bee Editorial Board says top-two primaries are the best hope for politics in California and nationwide. "The real change is being felt in legislative and congressional races in districts that are reliably red or blue, but have enough voters from the other side that a moderate has a shot at beating an extremist from the same party. That’s what’s happening to Democratic Rep. Mike Honda in San Jose and Republican Rep. Tom McClintock, who lives in Elk Grove but represents part of Plac

Three states -- Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state -- have all-mail voting systems in place, but if recent history is any guide, they will soon be joined by other states like California, Arizona, Montana, Hawaii, Utah, and New Jersey. The all-mail system is relatively new; Oregon was the first state to institute it after a referendum in 1998. Washington followed in 2011 and Colorado soon after in 2013. All three states introduced all-mail locally and its popularity led to its widespread use

1. Op-ed in The Salt Lake Tribune says 2014 will be a year for independent voters in Utah. "Primary elections are pivotal in the democratic process and are often the most competitive. But in Utah, independents are compelled to affiliate with a party or accept an abridged ballot. We could stand pat and limit ourselves to voting on issues and ancillary races, but that is acquiescing to an abridged ballot – one largely devoid of candidates — for the simple reason that we would not join a pre-appro

The Roberts Court, which began in 2005 and has been altered by two replacements — Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 and Elena Kagan in 2010 — has been asked to clarify the precise nature of the church-state relationship on several matters. One topic the court addressed is whether religious symbols may be displayed on public property: * In 2009, the court handed down a 9-0 decision in Pleasant Grove City v. Summum allowing a town in Utah to keep its display of the Ten Commandments in a public park. The

Several states are adopting an alternative approach to measure their citizens' well-being and shape public policy. In 2012, Vermont became the first state to pass a law mandating the use of the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI). The metric – which has been used in academic circles for years – looks at 26 indicators to measure the social, economic, and environmental costs and benefits of development. One of the law's major proponents, Eric Zencey from the University of Vermont's Gund Institute,

In June, Wisconsin witnessed both enormous highs and distressing setbacks for those who are battling for gay rights. On June 6, 2014, District Judge Barbara Crabb overturned Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban, asserting that the case “is about liberty and equality, the two cornerstones of the rights protected by the United States Constitution.” That weekend, various county clerk offices around the state extended their hours to allow couples to exercise their right to marry. While each county of

There is a shift in the types of candidates and campaigns that will win general elections in California and current contenders are not in a place where they can do what they may have done in previous elections. In 2014, as a result of California’s nonpartisan, top-two open primary system, Republicans are seeing tossups in areas of the state usually considered easy-wins for GOP candidates, while Democratic candidates have to re-strategize for intra-party campaigns. Under the new primary system,

Two federal district courts are expected to rule on the constitutionality of ag-gag laws, laws which make it illegal for undercover investigators -- often from established animal rights groups -- to enter agricultural operations under false pretenses and make audio or video recordings documenting animal abuse. A coalition of animal rights groups, including the Center for Food Safety and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, joined the American Civil Liberties Union and nearly a dozen other litigants i

Today is the two-month anniversary of the disappearance of  Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared on March 7 about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur and heading to Bejing. The plane, with its 241 passengers, has been missing ever since. Just this morning, I got a push notification from CNN on my cell phone letting me know that there would be a press conference today to discuss the most recent developments in the case of the missing plane. It's funny how the world's attention