California Voices

Gov. Gavin Newsom: Inaction, recalcitrance, and adherence to the status-quo puts our water future at risk. The alternative to the voluntary agreements is a contentious regulatory process that will take many years and require adjudicating a thicket of litigation in every direction before restoring river flows.

Marten Roorda, ACT: Test equity and fair access to higher education must be meaningfully evaluated and addressed on an ongoing basis. But attempting to fix the problem by reducing or eliminating standardized testing such as the SAT or ACT will create several unintended consequences that need to be fully considered.

Susanna Cooper and Michal Kurlaender, UC Davis: Allowing high school students to take college-level courses while they are still in high school is good for students, good for high schools, and good for community colleges, which are the primary vehicle for dual enrollment. Asian American students are more than twice as likely to enroll in college-level courses as African American students. And there are 1,260 high schools in California in which zero students are dual enrolled.

Bill Magavern, Coalition for Clean Air: California’s vehicles are responsible for the vast majority of its emissions of toxic diesel particulate matter and smog-forming NOx and are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. We must do much better, and quickly.

A Senate bill to make housing more affordable by overcoming local resistance to high-density construction, dies, a victim of NIMBYism.

Chuck Ingoglia, National Council for Behavioral Health: California is leading the nation in creating a health care model that recognizes mental wellness cannot be separated from physical health, a model every state in the nation must adopt. Integrating trauma-informed care into primary care will require a fundamental change in the established health care model.

Gov. Gavin Newsom says he wants a "California for All" that closes its economic gaps, but the reality is daunting and at the moment, the gaps are growing wider.

Marc Joffe, Reason Foundation: K-12 school districts and community college districts have placed bond measures on local ballots authorizing an additional $17 billion in borrowing. While not all the local bond measures are objectionable, voters should take a critical look at the bonds on their ballots. If the proposals lack specificity, result in overcapacity, or lead to excessive district debt, a “no” vote would be the judicious choice.

Which troubled institutions are too big to fail. Pacific Gas & Electric? Los Angeles Unified School District? City College of San Francisco?

Wendy Ridderbusch, CalDesal: Recognizing the need for a drought-proof water supply, efforts are underway to develop several seawater desalination facilities throughout California. We need to utilize all existing supply strategies including increased conservation, reuse, and both brackish water and seawater desalination into the mix.