Wildfires

A program that incentivizes homeowners to mitigate wildfire risk through insurance discounts would be a win-win for insurers and consumers. Creating one is the hard part.

Let the political jockeying begin — again. With the surprise announcement Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden chose California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his secretary of health and human services, Gov. Gavin Newsom could be staring down at least two — and quite possibly three — high-stakes political appointments. If Becerra is confirmed by the […]

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, December 4. Vaccine doses on the way Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a regional stay-at-home order Thursday after nearly a week of anticipation — but the state’s strictest measure in months doesn’t currently apply to any of California’s counties. The order, which goes into effect Saturday afternoon, stipulates that if a […]

In the wake of the election, our first order of business must be an economic stimulus, and then we need to invest in a green and just recovery.

Pet videos populate Facebook all the time, but one posted during this frenzied election season stood out: A service dog named Maggie Magoo had voted by mail in Santa Cruz, its owner said. Not just that, the owner claimed Maggie was registered to vote using her microchip number as a social security number.  The story, […]

California elected officials are rapidly losing credibility at a critical point in the pandemic, with hospitalizations at an all-time high and Gov. Gavin Newsom expected to announce a state lockdown today. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle broke the news that Mayor London Breed attended a dinner party with seven other people at the three-Michelin-starred […]

We must leverage California’s expertise in science and technology to strengthen its resilience to multiple, simultaneous and interactive disasters.

California’s forests can again function as they did historically and be more resilient to wildfires, if the state makes these major shifts.

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, November 10. Note: The newsletter will pause Wednesday in recognition of Veterans Day. I’ll be back in your inbox on Thursday. Health insurance on the line Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare — […]