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Disclaimer: Chad Peace is an attorney for the Independent Voter Project and represents 6 of the individual plaintiffs in this case. ‍ SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - If we said that citizens have religious freedom, as long as they joined a state-sanctioned church, that argument would roundly be dismissed as absurd. But when it comes to the right to vote in California’s presidential primary, that is exactly the argument of the state of California. Earlier this year, the Independent Voter Project and seven

This is Part One of a two-part series on racism and the education system. Part Two will be published on Monday, Sept. 28. The education system is “particularly effective at reproducing racial inequality” and is one of the best examples of structural racism in our society, said author Robin DiAngelo, in a recent talk presented by San Diego’s National Conflict Resolution Center. DiAngelo, author of “White Fragility,” was featured with Ibram X. Kendi, author of “How to be an Antiracist,” in the A

IVN San Diego Editor's Note: This Supreme Court ruling could have a big effect on San Diego. A proposed hotel tax increase came just short of winning a two-thirds vote in March. Supporters will likely seek a court ruling on the measure. The following is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Email it to hoa@ivn.us. In a roundabout, passive way, the California Supreme Court last week handed a big victory to the advocates of higher taxes. Without comment, the justices declined to take up

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Write it! Email it to hoa@ivn.us When the COVID-19 crisis forced schools across California to physically close in March, the San Diego Unified School Board moved quickly to make sure that students who depend on school breakfasts and lunches would continue to receive daily meals. In order to prioritize where to first establish distribution sites for school meals, the school board identified the neighborhoods where the highest percentage of st

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Write it! Email it to hoa@ivn.us This November, San Diegans will vote on Measure C titled, "Charter Amendment: District-Only Elections for School Board Members." Measure C seeks to correct a decades-long battle for voter rights in San Diego Unified elections, establishing district-only contests for school board candidates, which will be consistent with all other San Diego elected positions. It will also bring the City Charter into compliance

Public education is failing communities of color. It's time to address the issue and stop defending the indefensible.

With more than 3 million people, California’s K-12 Latino student population could be its own country. In fact, there are more Latinos studying in our public schools than there are people in the oil-rich country of Qatar. But while Qatar boasts the highest income per capita in the world, Latino youth have been hamstrung due to decades of disinvestment in their local schools and communities. This November, Californians have an opportunity to rectify these inequities at the ballot box by passing

ORLANDO, FLA. - Amendment 3 in Florida, the ballot measure that would adopt nonpartisan top-two open primaries for state executive and legislative elections, received a major endorsement from the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday. The newspaper focused on the point that Amendment 3 is opposed by both major parties and that alone is ample reason to support the amendment. “The bosses want you to vote against constitutional amendment No. 3 this fall,” the paper writes. “They’re worried it might loosen

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Write it! Email it to hoa@ivn.us Three of the largest wildfires ever to scorch California are burning right now. Millions are choking on ash up and down the coast, after suffering from record breaking heat storms and rolling blackouts. Amidst a global pandemic, these disasters are just the opening salvo of human caused climate change that are only getting worse. For a state that prides itself as a climate leader—setting lofty goals for zero

Before he was hospitalized with COVID-19, before his roommates kicked him out of their shared apartment because of his illness, before he found himself unhoused for the first time in his life, Francisco Tzul noticed people at his downtown Los Angeles garment factory start to cough. In a few days, they would disappear. Tzul, 56, is an undocumented worker in the city’s massive garment industry, one that relies on men and women like him to produce shirts, blouses and skirts for major fashion brand