Californians have suffered through a troubling period of rising consumer costs, commonly referred to as inflation. Over the past three years — June 2023 to June 2026 — consumer prices have risen about 9.5% cumulatively. If you are eager to blame bad government monetary policies, you might want to check in on the latest exploits of AI and big Tech companies. The pricing technology and market power of large retailers increasingly outmatch shoppers. Two recent developments show

The recall was never meant to hand power to politicians — it was meant to take power away from them and the railroads that controlled them. California voters wrote the recall into the Constitution in 1911 as part of Hiram Johnson’s Progressive reforms, aimed at breaking the Southern Pacific Railroad’s grip and the machines that treated public office as private property. It passed with 76.8 percent of the vote. The tool has always been used sparingly. Of roughly 180 attempts t

The State Water Project can’t move without FED help The relicensing of the Oroville Dam hydroelectric facilities has been underway for more than two decades. The Oroville Dam is the cornerstone of the State Water Project, delivering water to 27 million Southern Californians and irrigating 750,000 acres of farmland in the Central Valley. The dam generates about 2.2 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power annually, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes. Although

My latest Policy & Ethics column ran in the American River Messenger on August 17, 2026. Read the full column at the American River Messenger

My latest Policy & Ethics column ran in the American River Messenger on September 22, 2026. Read the full column at the American River Messenger

My latest Policy & Ethics column ran in the American River Messenger on August 11, 2026. Read the full column at the American River Messenger

California’s budget has grown faster than its revenue for years, and the gap is now structural. State spending has risen roughly $100 billion since Newsom’s first full fiscal year, outpacing revenue growth by about 10 percent. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office projects an eighteen-billion-dollar budget problem for twenty twenty-six twenty-seven, with structural deficits climbing to around thirty-five billion dollars a year starting in twenty twenty-seven twenty-eig

Native American tribes are now contesting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s relicensing of Oroville Dam—something they could not do when the dam was first licensed more than 60 years ago. That challenge adds another layer of legal uncertainty to a water regulatory system already running on borrowed time. California’s water infrastructure has barely grown since the Oroville Dam was completed in nineteen sixty-eight. The state has added millions of people since then. S

Proposition 43 would restore the two-thirds voter threshold for every local special tax in California—no matter who puts it on the ballot. Starting January 1, 2027, cities, counties, school districts, community colleges, and special districts could not impose, extend, or increase an earmarked tax without that supermajority. It would also bar new value-based property taxes except Proposition 13's 1 percent rate and voter-approved bonds. Taxes already passed by simple majority

Noted political scientist and former Yolo County supervisor Matt Rexroad ruffled some feathers with an opinion piece he wrote for a local Sacramento newspaper expressing his opinion, after having been involved in elections for more than 30 years, that there is no widespread voter fraud happening, like stuffing ballot boxes. I’ve been asked if I believe President Trump when he says elections are rigged. I would say both are correct. Matt is right - there is no widespread voter

If California is serious about reaching its clean energy goals, nuclear power must be part of the solution. While solar and wind are crucial, they alone cannot keep up with the rapidly growing energy needs driven by electrification, artificial intelligence, and data centers. Nuclear energy can fill this gap. Today’s small modular reactors are far safer and cleaner than older nuclear plants. They feature passive safety systems, require less land, and are built in factories, ma

Thalia Beach should have been packed over the Fourth of July weekend. Instead, families found yellow tape and closure signs. On July 2, a malfunctioning sewer pump along a force main near Anita Street spilled roughly 2,000 gallons of raw sewage into the ocean. The Orange County Health Care Agency closed a quarter-mile stretch of coastline in both directions, and the beach remained closed for most of the holiday until bacterial levels finally met health standards on Sunday, Ju

The California congressional delegation should treat advances in high-tech warfare as both economic development and a national security opportunity. First, expand and protect flexible contracting authorities so that companies with combat-proven systems can move from prototype and early operational use into sustained production without restarting the full traditional acquisition clock. Second, insist on metrics that reward cost-per-effect and iteration speed, not just unit cos

President Trump added trade schools to the Pell Grant. The Pell Grant is the largest federal program for students in America, disbursing over $31 billion a year. Starting in 2026, eligible students will be able to get Pell Grants for vocational training programs in skilled trades, manufacturing, and healthcare, enabling quick entry into jobs with minimal debt. Previously, the Pell was aimed at colleges and universities. Political Economist Nicholas Eberstadt’s book Men Withou

Thank you, Paul Scholl, Publisher of the Messenger Publishing Group of Newspapers. The 1st Amendement protects us all when good men engage in America.

California is one of 24 states that allow voters to initiate laws. Ochlocracy is defined as mob rule. Ronald Reagan used the term "mobocracy" in a 1968 speech referencing Pericles, stating: “When democracy in ancient Athens was becoming 'mobocracy,' Pericles warned, 'The man who takes no interest in public affairs is not a man who minds his own business; we say he has no business being here at all.'" Warning that without active, informed participation, direct democratic tools

He was famous for his movie quote, “I’ll be back”. Well, he’s back. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger & Lt. Gov Abel Maldonado played a central role in advancing California Proposition 14 in 2010. As governor at the time, he strongly supported the shift to a “top-two” open primary system as part of his broader push for political reform in California. Schwarzenegger argued that allowing all voters to participate in a single primary would reduce partisan gridlock, empower

Something new is coming, not just a blog, a website, and a podcast. Real print journalism in community-based newspapers with real readers and accountability that only traditional journalism created when having content meant more than just a place to throw random thoughts. Remember when you were careful, intentional, when you took pictures with a non-digital camera? There were only 24 pictures on the roll of film. The same can be said of the words that we use when we have to p