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The annual California grape harvest is in full swing and so far field reports are positive, with few weather related issues. Raisin grape growers are picking their produce at its peak this week. Wine grapes and table grapes have already started moving to market earlier this month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that at least 85 million cartons of navel oranges are sitting on trees in the Central Valley. Over 95 percent of the state's navel orange crop is grown in the region. Produ

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

A few years ago, at the height of his popularity, Tiger Woods had become the beige template for humanity.  His fall from grace has done little to push that idea into the background as racially-mixed athletes, performers, academics and executives seem omnipresent in our lives.  The malevolence of what used to be called "mongrelization" has transmuted itself into the vigor of diversity. Another of those transformations -- long underway in our society -- was kicked well past the "apparent" role in

In  addition to the Democrats and Republicans, there are four other ballot-qualified political parties in California, and over a dozen smaller  political bodies which are formally attempting to gain ballot access  ahead of the 2012 presidential election.  At least one of the latter is already well on its way. According  to the most recent report on voter registration from the Secretary of  State’s office, there are currently over 17 million registered voters in  California. With 23.6 million el

An amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill offered by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) that would have banned funds from being "used in contravention of war powers resolution" was narrowly defeated on Thursday. The closer than expected 213-208 vote struck down a ban on congressional funding of the White House's Libyan war effort, which many view as illegal. Strong bipartisan support for ending U.S. involvement in Libya was feared by Republican leadership in the House who, on Wednesday, s

PG&E fought against it, but Marin Clean Energy prevailed and now residents there can choose renewable energy via Community Choice Aggregation. Under Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), communities can choose what type of power they want with distribution left to the big utilities.  It recently received a huge boost from the state legislature under a new law which allows CCAs to count customers as participating unless they specifically opt out. The Marin CCA now offers two types of renewable ene

It turns out Ross Perot had not fallen off his rocker when he, as a 1992 3rd party presidential candidate, predicted that signing NAFTA would lead to the loss of American jobs to trade partners amid a “giant sucking sound.” An Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report says that California leads the nation in job-loss due to the treaty signed by former president Bill Clinton. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), in combination with the Great Recession, has resulted in 692,900 lost jobs

Michelle Alexander is the author of the bestseller,  The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Speaking at a book event organized last week by the Pasadena Public Library and the Flintridge Center, she informed a standing-room only crowd that: “More African American men are in prison or jail, on probation or parole than were enslaved in 1850, before the Civil War began.” This was the first of many shocking facts elucidated by the Ohio State law professor, who has exper

According to an MSNBC poll, 96 percent of respondents strongly favor the labeling of genetically modified foods. Over 40,000 people participated in the survey which is the latest in a series of national polls showing that a vast majority of Americans still want to exercise the right of informed consumer choice when it comes to nutrition. Blogger Rady Ananda offers a review of opinion polls conducted since 1994 to show that the numbers have always heavily favored GMO labeling. Here are some exam

For eight years following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, the singular narrative and driving issue behind public policy in America was national defense and the Global War on Terrorism. In the final months of the Bush Administration, however, disillusioned from body counts and slow progress in two wars that were supposed to be short and decisive, the American people turned their attention to the fiscal disaster happening in Washington and many of America's state capitols. The advent of the Tea Party