My-turn

Costas Christ and Caroline Beteta, Visit California: At Visit California, the aim is to surf the tourism wave to its fullest potential as a force for long-term economic good. If ever there was a place that can help lead the positive transformation of the travel industry through innovation and best practices, that place is California.

Kish Rajan, CALinnovates: The California Public Utilities Commission has become the largest and most powerful regulating agency in the state, bar none. That’s not good, not for the Public Utilities Commission, the entities it regulates, and most importantly not for the people of California.

Darrell Steinberg & Mark Ridley-Thomas, Gov. Newsom's homeless task force: Ours is a simple plea that the public policy of California clearly state that sleeping safely indoors is an essential first step to helping people and alleviating this ever growing crisis.

James Gallagher, Republican from Yuba City: Wordsmithing has become anathema. It has been replaced by raw and incendiary language; the stronger the better. Nowhere is this more apparent than the debate over immigration.

Tom Martin, American Forest Foundation: California cannot win its fight against wildfires if we do not empower family forest owners with the resources needed to take action. We look forward to the day when our forest conditions let us return prescribed fire safely across the region to increase our forest vitality.

Dr. J. Douglas Kirk and Mel Levine, University of California: ACA 14 would be disastrous not only for hospitals, but for the entire UC. It would prohibit UC from using contracted workers for a wide range of functions, from increased security for commencement and other special events to occasional landscapers who have specialized skills and equipment.

Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham, San Luis Obispo Republican: The epidemic of teenage vaping, like those of the past, deserves a robust and comprehensive public policy response. Bipartisan legislation developed in concert with recommendations by health experts is the response our children need and deserve.

William L. Rukeyser, political commentator: Recognizing the powerful effects of negative feelings, and recognizing that some elections are between two widely unpopular candidates, what can we do to harness those emotions and translate them into more public participation? The answer may be simpler than you think.

Vern Pierson, El Dorado County District Attorney: The media and many politicians appear to see each mass shooter as unique. They are not. Instead, these actors and their narrative should be viewed as pieces of a larger puzzle. Rather than staring at the individual piece trying to understand it, we need to examine its broader context for commonality with other attackers.

Chris Martin and Sharon Rapport, Housing California, and Corporation for Supportive Housing: Shelters are short-term responses, not the long-term solution to California’s homelessness crises. That’s why our policies and resources should focus on the right to housing, not a right to shelter.