In summary
Highlighting all of CALmatters’ work over the past week
Recent Articles
California lawmakers debate how to prevent another college admissions scandal
By Felicia Mello
As UC reacts to the college cheating scandal, some urge them to lock the side door, reconsider the SAT and ACT for admissions and scrutinize athletic recruiting.
California’s public schools chief says education no place for competition
By Ben Christopher
Two months into the new job, Tony Thurmond seems to be exactly the man that his most loyal backers hoped (and his opponents feared) he would be. In a Commonwealth Club discussion with CALmatters education reporter Ricardo Cano, the state’s public schools superintendent raised doubts about the value of charter schools, criticized school districts for the state’s wave of teacher strikes, questioned the severity of public pension debt and insisted the state must spend more to educate its students.
Skip the slip? California lawmaker wants email receipts to replace paper ones
By Elizabeth Castillo
As with plastic bags and plastic straws, California lawmakers are considering another first-in-the-nation crackdown on another ubiquitous, litter-creating product of modern existence—lookin’ at you, paper receipts.
Women surfers push beyond equal pay—even if it means letting men into the water, too
By Laurel Rosenhall
California legislation sparks a broader debate over how to advance equality for women in male-dominated sports.
Online wine yes, coffee no: Scrambling to keep up with California’s new Prop. 65 toxin warnings
By Glen Martin
California’s new toxins warning rules apply to something that didn’t even exist when Prop. 65 first took effect: online markets for products, including wine. It’s the latest expansion of the measure, whose signs are ubiquitous at gas stations, retailers and even Disneyland. But after pushback, coffee is getting a pass.
Connected Bay Area recruiter gets no-bid contract as online community college staffs up
By Dan Morain
Heather Hiles, president and CEO of California’s new online college, advocated for granting a no-bid contract to executive recruiter Carolyn Carpeneti. Before becoming an executive recruiter, Carpeneti was a political fundraiser whose clients included then San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. Brown and Carpeneti became romantically involved and had a daughter in 2001.
Commentary
Proposition 187’s real impact: A generation that will never forget
By Christian Arana
To a 6-year-old child considering Proposition 187 of 1994, the question was simple: How could a government deny a human being the right to an education or health care just because they didn’t have proper documentation to live in this country?
Newsom does it again with death row reprieve
By Dan Walters
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s blanket reprieve for those on death row is another headline-grabbing gesture—and it could backfire.
Democrats defying the will of voters
By Dan Walters
California’s Democratic politicians aren’t very democratic when it comes to respecting the will of voters.
Here are 263 reasons to support this gun safety bill. But one is enough
By Laura Friedman
Between 2010 and 2017, stolen firearms were used in at least 60 homicides in California, and 203 youths ended their lives because of unauthorized access to a firearm. AB 276 will hold gun owners accountable by requiring all firearms to be securely stored with Department of Justice-approved firearm safety devices.
Charter schools have a destructive impact on public education
By Glenn Sacks
Some charter parents assert their children’s charter school experience is positive. I can believe it. But sincere charter parents need to understand that while for some students charters can be beneficial, their overall impact on public education is destructive.
School accountability good for some, not others?
By Dan Walters
If community colleges and charter schools should be accountable for academic outcomes, why not public K-12 schools?
JUUL Labs is committed to eliminating cigarettes
By Ashley Gould
The JUUL system represents an unprecedented opportunity to help adult smokers switch off combustible cigarettes.
Slowing economy could hit state budget
By Dan Walters
Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes to have a balanced state budget through his first term. But some economic clouds are looming on the horizon.
I’ve got a secret: Daily struggle for the people’s right to know
By Tom Dresslar
Bureaucracies love secrets. They pay lip service to transparency but have a powerful instinct to dummy up.
This predilection for secrecy clashes on a daily basis with Californians’ fundamental right to information about how their government is working—a right granted by statute and enshrined in the state Constitution.
Finally, a new path toward managing water, rivers and the Delta
By Jennifer Pierre
We who are part of the California water community, and who work every day from one perspective or another, are paralyzed and in our respective bunkers. We must take a leap of faith to admit that the current rigid rules on Delta management fail all of our missions. And that only together can we do a better job managing our water resources going forward.