Commentary

Commentary

Weekly Walters 04/05/2019

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

By Dan Walters • April 5, 2019

Commentary

California students can help renew our democratic spirit. Here’s how

Our democratic spirit desperately needs to be replenished. Empowered with the tools to develop civic virtue, our students can lead the next voting rights revolution, bringing us out of the shadows of our current predicament and closer to the ideal of a more perfect Union.

By Guest Commentary • April 5, 2019

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A crackdown on misuse of taxpayer money?

Using public funds for political campaigns is illegal but it's a widespread practice in California. New legislation would put teeth in the law by authorizing the Fair Political Practices Commission to enforce it.

By Dan Walters • April 4, 2019

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Cannabis companies are forced to deal in cash. Here’s how that could change

Cannabis businesses make tens of thousands of dollars each week. They can’t put it in a bank account, so where do they turn? One business owner I’ve talked with stores over $1 million in a tractor trailer with 24 hour surveillance. Senate Bill 51 will help change this by allowing cannabis businesses to open bank accounts.

By Guest Commentary • April 3, 2019

Commentary

To deal with homelessness, California must make room for sobriety

Under the "housing first" model, programs that require sobriety or engagement in life-improvement services are ineligible for government funding. This is a travesty for people seeking to escape the hold of drug addiction, and a threat to their children. Already traumatized children should not be placed in housing where drug use is permitted.

By Guest Commentary • April 3, 2019

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California politicians disrespect our rights

California politicians often ignore constitutional rights as they make new laws, and federal judges have to remind them that Californians are also U.S. citizens who are protected by the Bill of Rights.

By Dan Walters • April 3, 2019

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California can’t save fish by diverting more water from rivers

Recent decades have brought the slow collapse of the Delta and salmon runs. A half dozen species face extinction. Lacking natural flushing, the Delta now suffers outbreaks of toxic algae. Science points to a clear cause: inadequate flows caused by excessive diversions.

By Guest Commentary • April 2, 2019

Commentary

Date rape isn’t a violent crime in California. Seriously

Thousands of inmates with records of violent and serious crimes have already been released from California prisons, and thousands more are now eligible for early release, including child molesters and sex offenders. The “Keep California Safe” initiative on the 2020 ballot would change that.

By Guest Commentary • April 2, 2019

Commentary

Gathering storm: What California must learn from the Midwest floods

Sacramento is among the cities in the country with the greatest risk of catastrophic flooding. The destructive power of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, Super-storm Sandy and the bomb cyclone that hit Nebraska in March are yet more evidence climate change is upon us. We must adapt. We must prepare.

By Guest Commentary • April 1, 2019

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Election results fuel war on charter schools

The California Teachers Association and other elements of the education establishment want to block charter schools and last year's elections will make it easier.

By Dan Walters • April 1, 2019