Hey California, the Peafowl Isn’t Your Scape-Bird

These ‘Foreign Invaders’ Have as Much a Claim on the State as Anyone

Why don’t you just fly my pride and me to Martha’s Vineyard?

Because we peafowl are tired of being California’s leading scapegoat—I mean, scape-bird.

You Californians like to pretend you’re more humane and inclusive than the Floridians and Texans you denounce, for their cruelty to immigrant neighbors and others who might not look or sound the same as they do. But when it comes to how you treat your blue and feathery neighbors, you Californians are no better than Ron DeSantis.

From the San Joaquin to the San Gabriel valleys, property owners and …

More In: Connecting California

Los Angeles Doesn’t Need a City Council | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Los Angeles Doesn’t Need a City Council

Resignations Won’t Fix a Broken System. Instead, Let Everyday Citizens Take Charge

Please! Pretty please! With azúcar on top! I beg you—Kevin de León and Gilbert Cedillo—not to resign your seats on the Los Angeles City Council like Nury Martinez did. Instead, …

tktk | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

California’s Prop 30 Is So Bad It Might Be Good

The Contest Over the Measure—and Others to Follow—Will Determine Whether the Climate Crisis Can Be Addressed Within the Current System

Will the fight against climate change finally force the replacement of California’s broken governing system?

That’s the most interesting question posed by the most interesting measure on this November’s statewide ballot. …

Newsom Isn’t Pursuing His Presidential Ambitions. He’s Trashing Them | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Newsom Isn’t Pursuing His Presidential Ambitions. He’s Trashing Them

Why Is the California Governor Sacrificing His Chances at the White House?

If former President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and their followers are going to create space for hate and human rights violations, then why should anyone complain about California Gavin …

Can Fighting Money with Money Create Fairer Elections? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Can Fighting Money with Money Create Fairer Elections?

Less Than 1 Percent of the Population Donates to Local Races. In Oakland, Giving Voters ‘Democracy Dollars’ Might Even the Playing Field

Would our democracy work better if all of us were campaign donors?

That’s the proposition posed by democracy vouchers, an idea with Seattle origins that has reached the Golden State.

This fall, …