How the SF state senator was changed by California; how our great state spawned a cultural phenomenon; how many Californians are being denied life's most basic necessity.
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By Eric Johnson
Published May 08, 2023
State Sen. Scott Wiener reminds us that for generations, California has welcomed people to be who and what they are.
Scott Wiener; Weird Comix; Water Rights
How California Culture Determines Politics
Ezra Klein of the New York Times is widely and rightly regarded as a preeminent Washington insider, but he is also very much a California boy. Born and raised in Irvine, schooled at UC Santa Cruz and UCLA, he has called San Francisco home for a number of years. As he gets ready to move to New York City, he is taking a last long look at his home state.
Below I preview and briefly excerpt a wide-ranging conversation between Klein and California state Sen. Scott Wiener, the firebrand who recently announced a possible run for US Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s seat. While their talk centers on the limits of classical liberal politics, the two Californians touch briefly and smartly on our state’s cultural legacy.
Wiener, a native of New Jersey, moved as a young man to San Francisco’s Castro District having grown up closeted in a hostile environment. “Something inside told me to go to San Francisco, like generations of queer people have gone to San Francisco,” he recalls.
Wiener was not surprised when the tech boom that transformed his adopted city economically did not change much politically. He says of the armies of workers that bus in and out of SF every day: “They could work in tech in a lot of places, and they chose San Francisco because of what it represents.”
Why Democrats Should Pay Attention to California
Ezra Klein talks to state Sen. Scott Wiener about why progressive policies have failed in a state with no Republicans in power.
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Recent Local News |
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• Forest Service Anticipates Delayed Openings at Lake Tahoe
Spring conditions in the Lake Tahoe Basin have finally arrived but the effects of a tough winter will likely delay the official opening of many National Forest recreation sites, including beaches, campgrounds, forest roads and trailheads.
(05/04/2023) → Tahoe Daily Tribune• Wes Heathcock Offered Loomis Town Manager Position
The Loomis Town Council has selected Colfax City Manager Wes Heathcock to serve as the town’s next town manager, according to current Loomis Town Manager Sean Rabé, who himself is leaving in early June to take a job as Auburn’s new city manager.
(05/04/2023) → Gold Country Media• Sunrise Loomis Park Public Meeting Set for May 16
Under a state park improvement grant, Loomis town officials will replace the aging playground equipment for ages 5 to 12 at Sunrise Loomis Park.
(05/02/2023) → Gold Country Media• Project 8 Winery Takes Another Step Forward
With the Placer County Planning Commission’s approval, the Project 8 Winery and its entitlements will continue on to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.
(05/02/2023) → Gold Country Media• DUI Arrests Up, Most Crime Down in Auburn
Police Chief Ryan Kinnan delivered his 2022 annual report to the Auburn City Council, reporting an uptick in DUI arrests and a downward trend for most crimes.
(05/02/2023) → Gold Country Media• Disaster Livestock Access Program Established in Three Counties
Ranchers in Placer, Nevada, and Yuba counties, along with UC Cooperative Extension and county agricultural departments, have established a program to facilitate livestock and human safety before, during, and after wildfire and other emergencies.
(05/01/2023) → Read the full YubaNet report|
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Recent Statewide News |
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• California’s AR-15 Ban Upheld in First Ruling Since New Supreme Court Standards
In the first ruling on a California gun law since the U.S. Supreme Court reduced the government’s authority to regulate firearms, the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento upheld a ban on AR-15-style rifles, stating the weapons are “not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.”
(05/03/2023) → San Francisco Chronicle• Report: Fast Food Industry Wages Help Fuel Homelessness
Fast food is the largest employer of homeless workers in California, with one of 17 unhoused individuals in the state working in the industry. That is according to a new report released by the Economic Roundtable.
(05/02/2023) → Monterey Herald