News
Angry voters are calling Bexar County election officials to complain about slow ballot delivery, sometimes being demanding and demeaning, while staff are scrambling to establish 35 more voting sites before Election Day.
Evictions across the region have increased as California’s state and local pandemic-induced renter protections expired at the end of June. Tenant advocates expect eviction rates to continue rising.
The “Connected Communities” pitch includes a series of provisions to combat segregation and gentrification by encouraging residents to walk, cycle and use public transit as priority transportation methods.
Across the nation, the poverty rate among adults 65 and older rose to 10.7 percent last year, the only age group that saw an increase. In Los Angeles County, homelessness in adults 55 and older has risen 20 percent since 2017.
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian, regarding Councilman Kevin de Leon’s refusal to resign, despite his involvement in making crude, racist remarks in a recently leaked tape, the same leaked tape which drove former-President Nury Martinez to resign earlier this month. The Council cannot expel members, it can only suspend a member when criminal charges are pending. (Associated Press — Oct. 20, 2022)
Recent polls indicate Americans are increasingly confident about the electoral process. But state and local administrators aren’t taking any chances and are sharing resources for safe and secure elections.
No one disputes that we need more housing. But the YIMBY movement has a broader set of goals that would threaten the tradition of local land use decisions in America.
A political action group, a coalition of block clubs and nine city voters have filed a lawsuit against the city in an attempt to nullify the Common Council boundaries, claiming the districts should be more inclusive and racially balanced.
Judge Thomas Capehart rejected a lawsuit by four residents who demanded that ballot drop boxes be open only during “normal” business hours and be monitored in person. All plaintiffs were Republicans.
Activists on both sides of the abortion issue see the overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier this year as the creation of a new political landscape, one that requires either increased protections or reinforced restrictions.
Gail Gitcho, Herschel Walker’s campaign strategist, regarding the campaign’s decision to distribute 1,000 imitation police badges at an upcoming fundraiser after his opponent Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock accused Walker of pretending to be an officer after pulling out a fake police badge at a debate last week. Walker will use the moment to reinforce his support of law enforcement. (NPR — Oct. 19, 2022)
Growing distrust of vaccines and public health in general is keeping more people from protecting their kids against polio, measles and other killers. Some lawmakers are encouraging this trend.
The ballot proposals include a tax on millionaires in Massachusetts, bus system improvements in the Detroit region and a penny sales tax in Orange County, Fla.
How the midterm elections play out — including how many turn out to vote, how election workers are treated and whether the results are accepted — will tell us a lot.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has touted his crackdown on voter fraud, but some believe it's just a political stunt. Of 19 people arrested for allegedly registering and voting illegally, 12 were registered as Democrats and at least 13 are Black.
Luke Warford hopes to unseat Wayne Christian in the upcoming race, though a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide office since 1994. The Railroad Commission regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry.
Amazon Labor Union President Chris Smalls, regarding an Amazon Albany, N.Y., warehouse’s vote to not unionize its workers. More than 900 employees were eligible to vote and 406 votes were cast against forming a union. However, Smalls has accused Amazon of intimidating workers and otherwise influencing the election outcome. (NPR — Oct. 18, 2022)
Pre-pandemic, just 15 percent of community college classes in California were fully remote; now, 65 percent of classes are online. To retain students, administrators may keep online classes to increase accessibility.
CISOs are gaining attention outside the IT office and cyber funding isn’t a top challenge — for the first time in survey history. But CISOs still wrestle with talent gaps and need to strengthen local relationships to build whole-of-state approaches.
In the 1920s, a Studebaker dealer led the successful national effort to give motorists priority and marginalize walking, blaming pedestrians for their own injuries and deaths. We need a radical revision in our conception of city streets.
The state’s constitutional Amendment No. 2 will ask voters if they want to clarify that there is no protected right to abortion. If passed, it would eliminate any legal path to challenge the constitution.
Residents will vote on whether the state general reserve fund should keep 7 percent of the previous year’s state-collected tax dollars and whether the capital reserve should retain 3 percent of the year prior’s revenues.
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that there are 39 percent more electric vehicle chargers statewide this year than last, yet there is still only one charging station for every seven EV drivers.
The city and region are quickly running out of water as California’s drought persists, increasing the urgency for local officials to make immediate change instead of future investments.
California Assemblymember Lori Wilson, regarding a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that allows all state drivers to use digital license plates, which allow motorists to renew their registration automatically and slightly modify the plate’s appearance. Digital license plates are also legal in Arizona and Michigan and, for commercial fleet vehicles, Texas; 10 other states are considering adopting the technology. (NPR — Oct. 15, 2022)
In its annual survey of the fiscal condition of U.S. cities, the National League of Cities finds cause for both hope and concern. Federal funds have improved municipal fiscal health, but inflation and recession fears are on the horizon.
Most Read