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A thrilling victory by a young insurgent candidate, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, against a 20-year incumbent and party boss, US Rep. Joseph Crowley, in the June 26 New York primary seems to be reverberating over state and national politics. Pundits are posing the question of whether a national anti-establishment wave within Democratic Party politics is in the making. Many activists -- myself among them -- hope so, but don't shout too soon. Remember how in 2004 a young upstart, newly-elected senat

Over the next century San Diego’s population will double to 3 million in the city and 7 million in the county. How will all these people — our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren — enjoy our most sacred natural resource — our waterfronts — if we continue to wall them off from public access? San Diego Bay is now almost completely inaccessible. Think about it: where can you dangle your feet in the bay? Mission Bay is rapidly following suit. California’s tidelands are legally protec

The odds are stacked dramatically in your favor that your child does not have Jordan’s Syndrome. The exception to that is if your child has unexplained developmental disabilities. And if your child has developmental disabilities, you would like her to be diagnosed with Jordan’s Syndrome. Because that would put Joe Lang on your team. A Determined Father Joe Lang has the "Father of the Year" award nailed down. Frankly, he probably has little credible competition for Lifetime Achievement Award f

DENVER, CO. - The state of Colorado's first open primary since the reform passed in 2016 was a massive success for independent voters and the state's county clerks. The Associated Press reports that of the 293,153 ballots cast by unaffiliated voters in the primary this year, only 2.4 percent of the ballots were rejected as invalid because the voter cast one for both the Republican and the Democratic Party's primary. The result stunned state officials, who expected a higher number of rejected b

I miss Anthony Kennedy already. Other people have written eloquently about Kennedy’s contributions to the Supreme Court. After the retirement of Sandra Day O’Connor (whom I miss, too), Kennedy became the swing vote in case after case. When a seminal case was argued before the high court, Kennedy was the justice who had to be persuaded. When a 5-4 decision came down, Kennedy was usually that crucial fifth vote. Sometimes he voted with the more liberal wing of the court; sometimes he voted with t

Democracy advocates recently celebrated a victory in Maine, where voters used ranked-choice voting in their statewide primaries — the first state ever to do so. In that election, voters also approved a referendum to keep the ranked-choice system for future elections. They will use it this November in the elections for U.S. Senate and U.S. House.ALSO READ: Independents Made the Difference in Maine’s Ranked Choice VotingAdvocates say this method of voting opens up the system to third parties and i

I am writing from a spot nestled in the woods in Washington County in rural New York, listening to the chatter of the morning birds and looking forward to a walk along the Battenkill River later today. It is summer vacation and that means summer reading, somehow especially delicious done by the sea, or in a hammock, or a shady spot under a tree. How did reading become so identified with the summer lexicon? In a 2012 Boston Globe article, author Craig Fehrman posits that the idea of summer readi

RANCHO SANTA FE, CALIF. – While small town parades, backyard barbecues and fireworks displays may be what many people associate with the 4th of July, Independence Day deserves far greater respect. Fifty-six men signed a single piece of parchment on this day in 1776 that contained 1,338 words that changed the history of the world for the better. That hallowed document claimed independence not only for a Nation but for a People. Unfortunately, 242 years later, we are in danger of surrendering to

Being born in America is like winning the lottery of life. Being able-bodied and able-minded on top of that, in good health and of average or better intelligence, is just a big 'ole cherry right on top of the biggest, best bowl of pure ice cream there ever was. Where to even begin? 1. I'm lucky to be an American because when we change governments it isn't violent. The peaceful transfer of power from one government to the next, the quadrennial bloodless revolutions has kept the most powerful c

San Diego, CA- The scramble to make sure the Full Voter Participation Act (FVPA) makes it onto the November General election ballot continues with new twists. The measure would do for the county what Measure K did for the city, eliminate the 50%+1 rule and ensure voters make the most important decisions when the most voters participate. But a snafu with the initiative language, drafted in Sacramento by the legislative counsel, has brought 11th hour drama to the equation. The counsel originall