The San Francisco Examiner

Last month, Joe Mathews and Mark Paul of the New America Foundation came to Sacramento to promote their new book, “California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It.” Few if any in the audience at the UC Center Sacramento took issue with the “crackup” part. ...

Original article

Last month, Joe Mathews and Mark Paul of the New America Foundation came to Sacramento to promote their new book, “California Crackup: How Reform Broke the ...

According to New America Foundation, 38% of all households are in a state of asset poverty, in that they lack liquid financial resources to support their ...

The study is among the first to use small recording devices to capture sounds and words spoken to and around young children, according to New America Foundation’s Early Ed Watch blog. The gadgets are put in kids' pockets or attached to their clothing. Researchers report that the technology supported by the LENA (Language Environment Analysis) Foundation, is breaking new ground in the collection of data on children's natural environments.

Prime Minister Tony Blair swings through California next week to enjoy some down time with Governor Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver. No doubt he’ll want to take a break from a string of bad press in the U.K. Let’s hope he and the Governor find time to talk about one of his quiet but groundbreaking successes that holds great promise for California -- Blair’s new program to give every child a stake in Great Britain’s economic future.

The United States Senate is embroiled in a debate over SB 1955, a bill that purports to help small businesses purchase health insurance. Offered by Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., the dialogue on finding solutions for small businesses is critical.

Several recent studies show that the introduction of ranked-choice voting in San Francisco is off to a good start. The shift from December runoffs to RCV has saved millions of taxpayer dollars, and voter participation was much higher and more inclusive than would be expected using the old runoff system. The voters themselves, when polled, overwhelmingly preferred RCV to the old December runoff system.

In California, a political volcano is smoldering that is unusual for this time of the decade. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has launched an effort for a mid-decade redistricting by a panel of judges, taking the line-drawing of legislative districts out of the hands of the Democratic-dominated legislature.

Our country's strength flows from its willingness to innovate and improve upon the American experiment in democracy. Recent presidential elections underscore the importance of revamping the way we register citizens to vote.