Dec

17

The End of the Road

December 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment

By Carlyn Obringer From Carlyn’s Column As the White House contemplates whether to bail out the distressed Detroit-based automotive industry, the Big Three continue to roll out vehicles that defy calls for fuel efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this refusal to face reality, it is likely that at some point in [...]

Jun

30

All Aboard the High Speed Train

June 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment

By Carlyn Obringer From Carlyn’s Column As California begins planning for the 60-million population explosion expected by 2050, funding for high- speed rail appears to be off track, in a state lacking enough freeway space to accommodate such growth. Even though a bullet train speeding at 200 mph between Los Angeles and the Bay Area [...]

Apr

18

The Need to Put Gun Control Back on the Democratic Agenda

April 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment

By Carlyn Obringer From Carlyn’s Column Although Congress has not enacted a single major gun law in 13 years, the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy should serve as a wake-up call for Democratic legislators nationwide to move gun control back to the top of the political agenda. The ceremony recently held in remembrance [...]

Mar

26

Why Democrats Should Be Eminently Opposed to the California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act

March 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment

By Carlyn Obringer From Carlyn’s Column Among the measures that have qualified for the June 2008 California Primary Election ballot is Proposition 98, the California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act (CPOFPA). This eminently important ballot measure has received little attention, despite its potential to end all land-use planning within the state and eliminate rent [...]

Nov

29

Why Single-Payer Healthcare is the Solution After All: What California Can Learn from Massachusetts

November 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment

By Carlyn Obringer From Carlyn’s Column On April 12, 2006, Massachusetts passed what has been hailed as the most comprehensive universal healthcare reform plan in the United States (HB 4850) by mandating that “everyone who can afford health insurance should be required to obtain itâ€? by July 1, 2007, or face possible tax penalties. In [...]