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On Monday, Secretary of State Debra Bowen officially certified Americans Elect to appear on California's ballots for the 2012 elections.  The addition brings the number of qualified political parties in the state to seven, including the American Independent, Democrat, Green, Libertarian, Peace and Freedom and Republican parties.  It is the first time a new political entity has been certified by the state since 1995. There are two ways in which a political body can achieve ballot access in the G

His inspiring personal story, penetrating charisma, and soaring rhetoric rallied his party's base. Throughout his presidential campaign, he spoke of the need for sweeping reforms, the plight of the working class, and the fundamental lack of justice in the status quo, but as president there can be no mistaking the powerful influence of corporate interests, especially those of the financial sector, in the administration of Barack Obama. This election cycle, Republicans are likewise enamored by th

In the wake of the debt ceiling crisis, there has been an astonishing wave of criticism directed at the two-party state and duopoly system of government.  For many Americans, the debt debacle appears to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.  But, will their anger translate into action? Sometimes it seems as if not a day goes by without a new survey or poll measuring the depth and breadth of the nation's frustration with its elected representatives, as well as underscoring the exodus

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has announced several biofuel projects for Pacific states that he says will eventually create thousands of jobs and break the nation's dependence on foreign oil. Farmers in 17 California counties and 18 in Washington state will be given the chance to grow camelina – an oilseed usually planted as a rotation crop for wheat – for conversion into a jet fuel substitute. Oregon farmers in 5 counties and Washington's Whitman County will be able to grow camelina

Political pundits and news commentators continue to speculate about the possibility of a strong third party or Independent political movement arising as we approach the 2012 presidential elections. But, in doing so, they overlook the third party and Independent political movements taking shape across the country right now, in 2010. In his Sunday column for the New York Times, Thomas Friedman predicted the rise of a serious third party threat to the Democratic-Republican political duopoly in the

Line up the supporters of Proposition 23 and you’ll get an idea what’s at stake in the battle to repeal California’s pioneering anti-global warming legislation.  Most of the money targeting the repeal of AB-32 – legislation that would require dramatic reductions in the use of greenhouse gases in the state by 2020 – is from big, out-of-state oil companies such as refiners Valero and Tesoro.  Thus far, Big Oil has poured more than $8 million into the Yes on 23 campaign. A New York Times editorial

Black Rock City, Nevada - I'm reporting from the fifth largest city in Nevada, although you won't find it on any AAA map or GPS setting. BRC, as it is often referred to by its 45 to 50,000 "citizens," is a community that could best be described as evanescent. Alive with activity for a single week in late summer, it disappears without a trace from its desert location right after Labor Day. But in the minds of those who attend the annual Burning Man Festival, Black Rock City lives on throughout th

The most heated debate in Sacramento during the past two years hasn’t been budget cuts depriving poor children of health care or awarding billion-dollar tax breaks to corporations.  It hasn’t even been California’s massive multi-billion dollar budget shortfalls. Generating far more public outcry is the mandatory spaying and neutering of cats and dogs. In 2008, unsuccessful spay/neuter legislation logged some 32,000 letters and e-mails either in support or opposition -- many thousands more th

While the effect of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases was originally called ‘global warming', the name soon got changed to ‘climate change’ as it better explains the actual process. True, some places get warmer. But other areas get cooler.  Or the amount of rainfall starts to fluctuate.  If snowfall in the Sierras or Rockies drops, then the southwest and California will have droughts.  It’s just that simple. Moreover, we just had the bizarre spectacle of Washington D.C. getting recor