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
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.
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
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Santa Cruz County's Homepage |
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Chest of Hope |
Created in 2005 by friends and volunteers, Chest of Hope raises funds to support women and orphans who are suffering from domestic violence.
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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
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Government Announcements |
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County of Santa Cruz (05/08/2023) 5/8/2023 - County to Host Annual Career Fair |
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County of Santa Cruz (05/05/2023) 5/5/2023 - Public Meetings for 2023 Housing Element |
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County of Santa Cruz (05/05/2023) 5/5/2023 - Hello ADU Construciton Assistance Program Launches |
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County of Santa Cruz (05/04/2023) 5/4/2023 - County Releases 2023-24 Proposed Budget |
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County of Santa Cruz (04/26/2023) 4/26/2023 - 60 Local Businesses Recognized 2022 Responsible Alcohol Merchant Award Winners |
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County of Santa Cruz (04/25/2023) 4/25/2023 - Application Period Now Open for Live Oak Affordable Housing |
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County of Santa Cruz (04/19/2023) 4/19/2023 - $6.63m in Federal Funding and Housing Vouchers Awarded to Homeless Services Projects in Santa Cruz County |
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County of Santa Cruz (04/18/2023) 4/18/2023 - County Awarded More Than $5m to Assist Youth, Unhoused |
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County of Santa Cruz (04/18/2023) 4/18/2023 - Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams in County |
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County of Santa Cruz (04/11/2023) 4/11/2023 - Sen. Padilla, Reps. Lofgren, Panetta to Visit Pajaro Levee |