In the News
Stains on Brown’s Legacy - San Onofre, San Bruno and Now … Aliso Canyon in Porter Ranch
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE-Gray Davis never saw it coming. He didn’t realize until it was too late that the public would blame him for his ineffective action against deregulated electricity pirates like Enron that hijacked the state. That’s why D…
A Case for Inclusivity: Race-based Conversations in Higher Education
GUEST WORDS-Sitting in my psychology class at the University of California Berkeley, I felt my hands clam up and my body tense as my profes…
Yosemite: Corporate Tiff Threatens Family Memories … Yellowstone could be Renamed Aramark
GELFAND’S WORLD--A tiff between competing corporations threatens the multigenerational cherished memories of families. At least for my fami…
Ultra-Rich 'Philanthrocapitalist' Class Undermining Global Democracy: Report
WHEN DOING GOOD ISN’T--From Warren Buffett to Bill Gates, it is no secret that the ultra-rich philanthropist class has an over-sized influe…
The Oscars Are So White That Spike Lee Refuses To Attend
OSCAR POLITICS--As controversy continues to boil regarding the Oscars' all-white acting nominees, Spike Lee has said he will not attend nex…
Hey, Donald Trump, Wake up and Smell the Turkish Coffee: I’m Throwing My Fez in the Ring
OTHER WORDS-Most presidential candidates, with the glaring exception of Donald Trump, say Islam is no enemy of the United States. I agree w…
Bernie Sanders Is Digging Into a Vein of Anger over Healthcare
TRUTHDIG-Obamacare is leaving millions in serious financial pain, pointing up the need for universal health care -- Medicare for all. That’…
Fame: Can We Separate Bowie’s Legacy from His Troubling Past?
HERE’S WHAT I KNOW-When rock icon David Bowie died Sunday night following an 18-month battle with cancer, celebs blew up the Twittersphere…
RIP, St. Louis Rams: A Tough Lesson in the Business of Pro Sports
UPON FURTHER REVIEW--If, as Calvin Coolidge long ago declared, the business of America is business, then there are few businesses more Amer…
There’s No Place Like Home: Gun Violence, Homelessness, a New Civil Consciousness
AT LENGTH-On the very same day that President Barack Obama grew emotional as he made a passionate call for a national “sense of urgency” to…
US Congress Should Wake Up to the California Political Model
THE GOLDEN STATE--The $171 billion budget proposal released this week by California Gov. Jerry Brown shows how politics can work well in a…
Lessons from the Golden State: 80 Years of Immigration Exploitation and the Price the GOP Paid
CALBUZZ-“They keep coming,” the advertisement’s narrator intoned, while the screen showed footage of undocumented immigrants scurrying acr…
Alert! Get to Know the Friedrichs Case … It Could Be Labor’s ‘Citizens United’
LABOR VUE--Last July, 2,000 conservatives and Tea Party activists gathered in Las Vegas for the annual FreedomFest, which featured GOP pres…
The Best Way Up for Minorities
NEW GEOGRAPHY--In presidential election years, it is natural to see our political leaders also as the brokers of our economic salvation. So…
S.O.S. Means ‘Save Our Sanity’
VOICES OF THE PEOPLE--A funny thing happened on the way to asking Angelenos to pay more taxes while watching the laws of physics, biology…
Politics Before and After Term Limits: Two Different Worlds
EASTSIDER-Over the holidays, I started reminiscing about “back in the day,” something I used to hate in my 20’s when “old people” did it. H…
Mobilizing Mothers: The History of “Mommy” Activists
HERE’S WHAT I KNOW-Author E.M. Forster once wrote, “I am sure that if the mothers of various nations could meet, there would be no more war…
Power to the People Reaffirmed: CA Supreme Court Says Voters Can Weigh In on Citizens United
WAGING WAR ON BIG MONEY-When it ruled Monday that California lawmakers can ask for voters’ opinions on campaign-spending laws, the state Su…
Diagnosing 2016 … Without a Crystal Ball
MY TURN-At the end of 2014, I wrote my “year-end” with a few disclaimers. I didn't write one for 2015 because I was literally unplugged --…
Why Liberals Win the Culture Wars (Even When They Lose Elections)
BOOK WATCH-Social progress occurs because liberal-minded reformers defeat conservative resistance.
That’s how slavery ended – and women ga…
