California Voices

Ruben Honig, United Cannabis Business Association: Cannabis consumers cannot trust that they are using safe products unless they purchase from licensed retailers. Many third-party advertisers in California, as well as apps, encourage cannabis ads whether or not the business is licensed. That is patently unfair to licensed operators, and it is anti-consumer.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is being hammered by allegations that he took campaign contributions from insurance industry sources and favored contributors.

Jannee Parker Martin, LeadingAge California: For the first time in history, California’s “grayest generation” will outnumber young children. That’s why Gov. Gavin Newsom’s master plan for aging will be so important.

California scored a tactical win in its climate change fight with Donald Trump over auto emissions, but the game of political chicken continues.

Luis H. Sanchez, Community Resource Project: Latinos are truly on the front lines of the fight against climate change. Construction, farming, manufacturing all draw heavily on Latino workers, and they are at greater risk when they must work in extreme weather conditions. Many of these workers develop health issues. In the context of changing climate, this pronounced inequality in healthcare has wrought terrible consequences on Latino families as well.

Greg Lucas and Erin Berman, California State Library: A policy being adopted by LinkedIn Learning, forces patrons to share their personal information to access a library resource. Doing so violates every possible definition of privacy and makes it antithetical to the values at the core of what libraries and librarians stand for. No wonder the American Library Association has expressed concern over LinkedIn Learning’s terms of service.

California's Unemployment Insurance Fund is the nation's least solvent. Even a tiny economic downturn would drive it into the red.

The University of California implicitly denies jobs or promotions to those who don't enthusiastically endorse "diversity," however that's defined.

Having declared that he'll fix California's Department of Motor Vehicles, Gov. Gavin Newsom now owns it and will pay the penalty for failure.