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If all sides are declaring victory in the California Supreme Court’s pension ruling on Monday, it’s because the decision had a little something for all the combatants in the state’s pension wars. In a much-anticipated decision, the high court upheld a major rollback initiated during Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration—a reform that rescinded a long tradition that had allowed public employees to collect bigger pensions by inflating their years of service. Brown put an end to that tradition—known i

San Diego, Calif.- After more than 25 years of political and communications strategy, Jason Cabel Roe has confirmed to IVN that he is all but leaving politics. Roe says he "does not plan to be active in 2020 except for Gaspar," a reference to San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar, who will be on the 2020 November ballot. The nationally recognized strategist has won numerous awards for his work on campaigns and advising candidates for President, Congress, Governor, and state and local offi

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about the debt ceiling. Here are 12 things every American should know about it and what hitting it means.

Since Howard Schultz announced that he was considering running for president as an independent, there has been much speculation about how his potential entry might affect the race in 2020. Specifically, howls of Schultz “spoiling” the race have been heard from Democratic candidates and operatives. The attacks on Schultz are eerily reminiscent of the recent attacks on Greg Orman during his 2018 run for Kansas governor as an independent. Orman’s race could provide important insight into how third

Since Howard Schultz announced that he was considering running for president as an independent, there has been much speculation about how his potential entry might affect the race in 2020. Specifically, howls of Schultz “spoiling” the race have been heard from Democratic candidates and operatives. The attacks on Schultz are eerily reminiscent of the recent attacks on Greg Orman during his 2018 run for Kansas governor as an independent. Orman’s race could provide important insight into how third

The lead story in Wednesday’s Washington Post, was written by two reporters telling us what might happen to Democratic candidates running for president, in a race that doesn’t end until November 3, 2020 — a mere 615 days away. You might say I’m a political junkie, but I’m not reading speculative junk by two reporters about a subject I may know more about than they — if being in and around politics for 53 years counts for anything. As I’ve written, let the Democratic candidates run, and let med

“The establishment of democracy on the American continent was scarcely as radical a break with the (European) past as was the necessity, which Americans faced, of broadening the concept to include black men.”-  James Baldwin, "Notes of a Native Son" From the founding onward, race has been the American fulcrum, the nexus by which the country is united or divided, with the African American community pivotal in the long struggle for a broad-based inclusive American democracy. Race and place perpet

It’s like déjà vu all over again: City Hall insiders asking politicians to leap before they look. This time it’s proposals backed by the YIMBY (“yes in my back yard”) movement to lift height limits and eliminate parking requirements in order to promote even more high-density residential development, beyond what the law already allows. Due consideration has not been given to the YIMBY proposals’ potential negative consequences, and there certainly has not been sufficient community input.  No se

I'm quite sure there are few things in this world Chicago Police superintendent Eddie Johnson has not seen, which makes his news conference this week on the Jussie Smollett case all the more remarkable. In a time when over-the-top, inaccurate reports in the news and entertainment media are commonplace, Johnson's pointed comments on the latest manufactured hate hoax not only stood out, they will stand the test of time. “Why would anyone — especially an African-American man — use the symbolism o

There is only one thing that can counter-balance the nefarious forces and entrenched special interests that have compromised our democracy and now threaten the very institutions that have defined our country for almost two and a half centuries. That one thing is the collective voice of We the People. But where and when can that collective voice be heard? It’s become painfully obvious, over many decades, that as soon as one national election is over, the campaigns for the next election two year