The Governor Should Move to the Delta

Building a Mansion in California’s Water Hub Would Kill Two Birds With One Stone

When you’re faced with two different thorny problems, sometimes the best way to make progress is by combining them. I’m talking to you, Jerry Brown.

Your first problem involves water. Residents of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta—California’s most vital estuary and source of water—fiercely oppose Brown’s plan to build tunnels that will divert water from north of the Delta to provide more reliable supplies to San Joaquin Valley farmers and Southern California. Their opposition is based on fear. In the short term, they fear construction of the tunnels will disrupt their lives. …

Why Are D.C. Politicians Sweet on California?

Lefties and Righties Are Calling the Golden State a National Model. It’s Flattering—and Misguided.

Dear Washington, D.C.,

I know that your politicians will say anything to get elected and your wonks are perpetually grasping at straws. But I find it hard to believe how many …

Jimmy Fallon’s Crime Against California

Moving ‘The Tonight Show’ to New York Robs Our State of Its Biggest Stage

It’s dangerous for a people to declare one man their enemy and hunt him down. It’s unwise for a state to scapegoat one man for its problems.

Nevertheless, I think California …

Why This Column Ought To Be a Picture

Californian Voters Won’t Read Thousands of Pages About Public Policy. But They Might Look at a Drawing.

To be an engaged, informed citizen in California is to be hopelessly behind in your reading.

We’re told that we need to follow the big issues in California, that we need …

Wanna Fix California’s Wage Inequality?

First, Forget Everything You’ve Ever Heard About It

The wage gap between rich and poor Californians is rising to the top of the political agenda in 2014. In December, the state legislature formed a caucus to end poverty …

Cancel the State of the State Speech

Replace a Pointless Sacramento Ritual With Public Gatherings All Over California

This month, I’m hoping we’ll see the last of a tedious California tradition: the annual state of the state speech. Every January, California governors deliver this address to the California …