Governing: State and local government news and analysis
No longer isolated by a freeway, San Francisco’s Ferry Building doesn’t have the worldwide fame of the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben. But a new book argues that it has shaped both its own city and the built environment in many others.
The people least prepared to teach are education majors. K-12 schools should be freed to hire based on subject-matter expertise.
We’re now experiencing the second-biggest wave of infections since omicron. Yet we cling to complacency and the false belief that the virus will burn out and go away.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes $1 billion to help states implement modern building codes. The CEO of the International Code Council outlines both obvious and underappreciated reasons they are essential.
Lawmakers should make charging convenient for everyone and minimize the environmental impact of electric vehicle batteries.
To get ahead of the state’s fundraising freeze, which bars state elected officials from raising money during the 90-day legislative session, nearly 80 fundraising events were scheduled this week.
Freddie O’Connell, the new mayor, is a longtime transit advocate and civic leader. Nashville voters have rejected transit referendums in the past, but he's convinced the city needs to try again
Future in Context
New and growing GovTech100 companies are likely to have an outsized role in making government better. Many now come with deep pockets thanks to investments from private equity.
Kshama Sawant, who just left office, became famous nationally for her fights for workers' rights. But her party had no one to replace her and the council became more conservative in last year's elections.
Spencer Cox knows people are going to disagree politically, but calls on Americans to find ways to express their differences without resorting to hatred or violence.
AI can generate vast numbers of public comments masquerading as citizen input. Other methods of public consultation can improve confidence in government.
Dozens of cities are running pilot programs to show that direct cash assistance is an effective way to address poverty. Critics warn that offering money without work requirements or any strings attached will backfire.
James Brainard has stepped down after seven terms leading Carmel. The Indianapolis suburb has become a widely cited model for urban design.
As inflation and interest rates ease, 2024 will be a perfect time for overdue multiyear strategic planning and keeping up with breakthrough information technologies.
Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina added almost 1.2 million people between them this year. The South was the only region to draw net new residents from other states.
After the U.S. Supreme Court stripped federal oversight of millions of acres of wetlands, the financial maintenance of those lands now falls to the states. It could take years for them to address the loss of federal standards, if they do it at all.
Only 75,490 votes were cast nationally for a candidate other than Joe Biden or Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. And yet, 1,500 voters have already registered with Oregon's newest party: the No Labels Party.
Local jails struggling to provide adequate mental health treatment to inmates could benefit from the expansion.
‘Are we going to revert back to “normal?” No, we will have a new normal.’
A poll found that 42 percent of North Dakota Republicans ages 18-34 said climate change was human-caused, as compared to just 11 percent of those ages 50-64. But this wouldn’t be the first GOP generation to prioritize the environment.
States define recidivism differently, which can result in misleading interpretations of the statistics.
In the last decade, the state’s retention rate of physicians post-residency has declined. The Legislature hopes that funding 700 additional slots for medical school graduates, at $100,000 each, will incentivize the doctors to stay.
Tourist-dependent Clatsop County, population 41,000, has the highest rate of homelessness in Oregon. A project to convert a hotel into housing units for healthcare workers and the unhoused is a step in the right direction, leaders say.
A new poll of the state’s Hispanic voters found that 53 percent said inflation was the most important policy ahead of the 2024 election with the economy ranking second. Latinos are the state’s second-fastest growing group.
The Judiciary Compensation Commission has endorsed a salary increase for the state's 370 judges, claiming their pay has not kept up with inflation. The current average annual salaries for Louisiana judges range from $173,788 to $193,227.
With boosts in private capital and federal initiatives, the tech and digital services industry is expanding into a variety of cities across the nation. As growth continues, ancillary industries are also expected to develop.
City leaders must ensure that the voices of all residents are heard. It’s easier said than done.
Homeownership is more common in rural areas, but the rental market can be tight, especially for lower-income families. A new report from the Housing Assistance Council analyzes the central role of housing in community resilience.
The latest data from HUD shows a 12 percent increase in the homeless population. After declines over the last decade, current trends are troubling, but it's not clear how long the upward swing will last.
Our federalism expert makes predictions about climate and the culture wars and how states will take the lead in policy in 2024. He also owns up to what he got right — and wrong — over the past year.
