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How Democrats Mixed Oil and Water, Killing Environmental Bill

Gary Cohn Capital and Main
Hopes were high among environmentalists when a bill designed to protect California’s drinking water was introduced in the state Assembly earlier this year. After all, California has passed some of the most far-reaching environmental laws and regulations in the nation, and the state legislature is dominated by the Democratic Party, whose members are generally inclined to vote for tougher environmental standards. It never had a chance.

Aging in California: Shattered Dreams, Broken Care Systems

Jim Crogan Capital and Main
This is one of a series of articles published by Capital and Main focusing on the systemic dysfunction that plagues the care services provided to the elderly and disabled in California, with a focus on the current battle over funding In-Home Supportive Services.

Momentum Builds to Fix California's Prop. 13

Bobbi Murray Capital and Main
California is earthquake country but one seismic shift rumbling through the state won’t require bottled water and a three-day food supply. That would be the political and demographic groundswell toward challenging elements of Proposition 13, the property tax measure passed by California voters in 1978 by a landslide and which has been considered untouchable ever since.

Mend the Gap: 10 Steps Toward a More Equal California

Judith Lewis Mernit Capital and Main
As CAPITAL & MAIN's “State of Equality” series has documented, economic inequality poses a grave threat to California’s future. Conditions would be far worse if not for progress made by activists, community leaders and lawmakers. In the last several years, California has generated some of the nation’s most innovative and effective strategies to reverse inequality. Here Judith Lewis Mernit lists 10 landmark achievements worth celebrating,emulating and strengthening.

Capital and Main: Investigating Power and Politics

Capital and Main Capital and Main
Capital and Main is a news website reporting on the current economy and our collective efforts to create a new and better one. Monday through Friday you will find original content covering politics, business, labor, jobs, the environment, culture – in other words, the economy and all the myriad areas of contemporary life that it touches.

Health Insurers Are Spending Millions to Defeat California’s Proposition 45

Bill Boyarsky Truthdig
It’s no surprise that WellPoint and its affiliated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are the biggest contributors in a $37.5 million campaign to stop Proposition 45, which would require the insurers to get state approval to raise rates. The measure would require approval by the elected state insurance commissioner for changes in health insurance rates or anything else that’s part of a policy.

labor

The Worst Paying Fastest-Growing Job in America

Claire Zillman Fortune
Historical discrimination, demographics, and public funding have left home care workers at the very bottom of the American work hierarchy. The wages these workers earn are painfully low: the median salary for a personal care aide is $19,910 annually, or $9.57 an hour; a home health aide earns $20,820 or $10.01 per hour. On the Bureau of Labor Statistic's list of 30 fastest-growing jobs, personal and home care aides are the worst paid.

Richmond Line-Up Reshuffled for Fall Contest With Chevron

Steve Early CounterPunch
A new left-liberal coalition has formed in Richmond, California, Former mayoral candidate Mike Parker called on voters and supporters to join forces. The task is need to challenge Chevron-backed candidates and those unwilling to stand up against Chevron when representing the community.

labor

Teacher Tenure Decision: Diane Ravitch Weighs In

Diane Ravitch, Michael J. Petrilli, Brian Jones, Eric Hanus The New York Times
A court ruling that California's teacher tenure law is unconstitutional has stirred a heated debate. Four commentators, including Diane Ravitch, discuss the pros and cons in the New York Times' "Room for Debate" column.
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