Search query: california

In a time of ecological, political and social crises, it isn’t easy to command attention. Yet, occasionally, a simple image can cut through the noise. Last week, a photo of two children outside a Taco Bell captured this disgraceful moment in California history. The students, seated on the sidewalk and hunched over a pair of laptops, weren’t deciding between a seven-layer burrito and a nacho supreme. Instead, they were trying to latch onto Taco Bell’s wireless network so they could get an educat

Progressive Democrats were fighting an uphill battle as they pushed for a new law allowing more Californians to take time off from work to care for a baby or sick family member. With business groups lobbying hard against it, the proposal had split Democrats and, as Monday’s conclusion of the legislative year drew closer, appeared at risk of failure. Assembly member Buffy Wicks didn’t want to let that happen. An Oakland Democrat who campaigned as a multitasking mom, sometimes bringing her toddle

This is an independent opinion. Want to respond? Write your own commentary! Email hoa@ivn.us. For a week in August, Californians were exhorted to conserve electricity during the extreme heat wave, and subjected to rolling blackouts for the first time since 2001. While residents conserved, the non-essential business of live horse racing continued with the blessing of the California Horse Racing Board. Horse racing didn’t just continue — it happened during the peak usage times of 2 p.m. to 9 p.m

This is an independent opinion. Want to respond? Write your own commentary! Email hoa@ivn.us. The California Common Sense Party is attempting to be officially recognized, so that it can participate in helping independent-minded candidates running for the state legislature this November. The COVID-19 virus shut down all signature-gathering operations in the state, so we had to stop short of the required 68,000 registrations. However, as of March 8, when we had to stop gathering registrations in

California renters financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic will be protected from eviction until at least next February, while small landlords will be offered some foreclosure protections, under a measure approved by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom late Monday night. The deal was passed by supermajorities in both state legislative chambers, with both Democrats and a handful of Republican lawmakers supporting the bill while pleading for additional federal intervention. A two-

This is an independent opinion. Want to respond? Write your own commentary! Email hoa@ivn.us. It has become abundantly clear to most Americans over the past 20 years that the United States is a representative democracy in which not all votes count the same. Per capita, individual voters in Wyoming and North Dakota have a far greater impact on the results of the electoral college or decisions in the Senate than, say, voters in California. This is not an accident. Representative democracies are s

This is an independent opinion. Want to respond? Write your own commentary! Email hoa@ivn.us. We are constantly being told there is a housing crisis in California, and particularly so in San Diego. Developers march under this banner to demand incentives from the government to allow them to maximize the value of their land. The reality is we have an affordable housing crisis. Developers are building homes for the top 30% of prospective buyers. It is the rest that are being left behind – first r

Working groups from both houses of the California Legislature last month proposed a $100 billion joint stimulus plan to put the state on a path toward an equitable and resilient economic recovery by raising revenues without raising taxes by authorizing the state Treasurer to generate revenues by issuing vouchers for future taxes. As the 2020 legislative session comes to a close, TPR shares the working group’s announcement and outline of the plan, which proponents assert will protect Californians

This spring, as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted campus life for college students across California, UC San Diego sophomore Kayla Monnette had trouble sleeping at night. The stress of moving to online classes, figuring out how to safely buy food during quarantine, and worrying about the well-being of her immunocompromised family manifested in what Monnette described as persistent anxiety. Not knowing how many students on campus might have contracted coronavirus, she said, added to her fears t

Yonas Paulos, who is visually impaired, relies on Fresno’s buses to reach his doctor appointments. But now, during the pandemic, only 10 riders are allowed on each bus to allow for social distancing. That means Paulos, 49, sometimes has to wait an extra half hour at a bus stop. The wait, he said, can be brutal in the heat. “It’s very hard to get on a bus at certain intersections,” Paulos said. “I try to target all of my appointments in the morning, so I have a change of life now.” Along with