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When Californians approved Proposition 13 in 1978, critics of the landmark ballot measure say voters did not foresee many of the unintended consequences of capping property taxes on both residential and commercial land: lower school funding, cash-strapped cities, major corporate tax benefits. Forty-two years later, Californians are about to vote on Proposition 15, which proponents say will solve many of those problems by raising taxes on commercial properties. But opponents, and even some supp

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Email it to hoa@ivn.us Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled President Donald Trump illegally diverted $3.6 billion from military funds to accelerate border wall construction along the U.S. border with Mexico. Trump declared a national emergency on February 15, 2019 to sidestep Congress after it denied Trump’s request for billions of dollars. Eleven border wall projects could be affected under the injunctio

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ October is the last chance for most Americans to register if they want to vote for president this year. But 86 million eligible Americans, or one-third of the national total, can even sign up — and then proceed to cast a ballot — on Election Day. That's because they live in the 19 states (plus D.C.) that allow what's known as same-day registration. Eligible res

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Write it! Email it to hoa@ivn.us Although the pandemic presents many new risks for organizations, this can also be a good time to adopt strategies to reduce harassment and prevent conflict and violence now and over the long term as we continue to shift into the new world of work. During the times immediately following the pandemic, more attention will be paid to getting as many employees as possible back into the physical workplace. Theref

This story was updated at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Apps and software platforms are built based on profit motives. Anybody with a technology budget — a bank, retailer, or even a home-services provider (like a plumber or an electrician) — can buy industry-specific software to manage their business affairs. Capitalism rules. However, software platforms do exist that can e-manage homelessness. Counting the number of people experiencing homelessness in a region has traditionally called for clipbo

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ Almost every state has opted to make voting by mail easier in light of the coronavirus pandemic, but the shift toward early and remote voting has not been uniform across the country. States that had primarily vote-by-mail systems in place before this year were better positioned for such a shift, whereas other states struggled to adapt to the surge in absentee v

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Email it to hoa@ivn.us In this unprecedented year, a global pandemic, deep recession and nationwide demonstrations have all reinforced the persistent, systemic racial inequities that continue to afflict our society. These unusually challenging times have accentuated significant racial disparities in economics, health care, housing, education and police violence. Numerous previously-uninvolved community members have begun to acknowledge a res

Editor's note: This piece originally appeared on The Free and Equal Elections Foundation's website and has been republished on IVN with permission from the authors. ‍ Last week’s showdown between the sitting U.S. President and his opponent was an exhausting production that played into the divisiveness of our country, rather than focusing on solutions. Since 2008, we have been sounding the alarm on the two party system’s control of Presidential debates, while creating alternative platforms tha

West San Ysidro Boulevard in San Diego has an extra pop of color. Creatives have added fresh street art along the high-traffic thoroughfare — less than four miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Vacant buildings, alleyways and businesses serve as canvases for a series of commissioned murals. One of the murals is the work of a self-taught cartoonist. The vibrant narrative reflects the artist’s comic strip background. It’s the first public mural created by Fifi Martinez. "It's on the abstract and o

This story was originally published by ProPublica. Monday morning, Sept. 28, California woke up sweaty, devastated, even shocked to find the state burning again. But if we’re honest, and to our great shame, no one was surprised. We’d seen this horror movie in this town. Three years ago, wildfire killed 25 people in Sonoma County. Now the Glass Fire was there, again, burning toward Santa Rosa. At 12:30 a.m., a string of seniors stood in line, many in pajamas, waiting to board an evacuation bus f