Posts From Chris Reed
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Are special interests blocking housing reforms? Or is public opposition?
The belief that California has a profound housing crisis took hold in the state’s media and political establishments in recent years after Census Bureau statistics showed the Golden State had the highest effective rate of poverty once cost of living
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Gov. Newsom’s new health care rhetoric stops short of single-payer promises
Twenty months ago, then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom sealed the endorsement of the powerful California Nurses Association in the governor’s race with an impassioned promise to bring single-payer health care to the Golden State. “There’s no reason to wait around on
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Doctors more worried than ever about nurse practitioners getting expanded role
California doctors’ long-held opposition to nurse practitioners expanding their scope of practice into areas now reserved exclusively for doctors has become even more intense with the growing evidence that medical technology enhanced by artificial intelligence can play a much bigger
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L.A. politicians covet bullet-train funds
In a sign of frustration over the state’s transportation priorities, several board members with the high-profile Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority have made the argument that it makes far more sense to use money that Gov. Gavin Newsom wants
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Census question could increase swing seats in House, Legislature
The recent U.S. Supreme Court hearing where the justices’ conservative majority appeared prepared to accept the Trump administration’s decision to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census form has triggered sharp criticism from California Democrats. If the question leads to
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Bill tightening vaccine rules advances as measles fears build
Despite furious opposition from parents who believe vaccinations are dangerous, a measure by state Sen. Richard Pan to tighten up vaccine exemptions passed an initial committee test last week on a 6-2 vote. Senate Bill 276 would make California only
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DMV preps test rules for driverless delivery vehicles
In December 2015, when the state Department of Motor Vehicles released draft regulations for the testing of driverless vehicles, California tech firms were stunned by their onerousness. Google immediately objected to a proposed requirement that drivers always had to be
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Four voter-approved measures in legal limbo in San Francisco, Oakland
A confusing 2017 California Supreme Court ruling about the threshold of approval for local ballot measures that are qualified for the ballot through citizen-led signature-gathering efforts – as opposed to being placed before voters by local officeholders – is causing
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Can Gov. Newsom ‘lead from behind’ on wildfire legislation?
Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wildfire “strike force” surprised some with the vagueness of its most important recommendation: That it’s time to revise the “inverse condemnation” state law that holds energy utilities can be held fully responsible for fires that
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Bay Area’s housing desperation keeps growing
Fears that heavy housing costs could undercut Silicon Valley and the Bay Area’s economy have grown steadily in recent years as gains in wages have been outstripped by soaring rents and home prices. Now a poll of 1,568 registered voters
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