Elon Musk did a lot of good stuff on his way to becoming the world's richest man—but he appears to have gone to the dark side.
Stuff is happening in your city, county, or town… you might want to know about it, and you can find what you need to know in our News Digest below.
Meanwhile, some tasty thoughts about good and bad capitalists. And, of course, a recipe!
"Tycoons of Silicon Valley Steer Transition for Trump's Team."
The story in today’s New York Times pissed me off, but the headline made me smile.
Tycoon. That’s a good, old-fashioned word. It conjures a businessman (and the nine people pictured on the full-page spread inside are all men) who has achieved not just vast wealth, but also political power and influence. The editor who wrote the headline might have gone with "mogul" or "baron"—both good words that describe rich people who flex their wealth.
Tycoon. It’s not necessarily a pejorative – I imagine the tycoons profiled in the Times feel pretty pumped about being branded as such. But I’d bet most readers automatically despise anyone who has achieved “tycoon” status. Sadly, infuriatingly, many successful business leaders who reach this level of power become real jerks. But not all of them—not even most of them.
In this week’s edition of The Newsletter, Chris Neklason continues his series about some old-fashioned service organizations that dedicate their time and money to making their communities, and the world, a little bit better. This week, Chris introduces us to Kiwanis, which, along with the Lions Club, the Elks, and Rotary, was founded by a different breed of businessmen, and which still rallies business leaders to do important charitable work.
Unlike today's Silicon Valley tech bros (insult intended), the businessmen who founded these organizations recognized that it was in everyone’s interest, including their own, to uplift their communities and help those less fortunate than themselves.
Elon Musk (a man I have previously publicly admired) and his ilk are at work to rewrite government regulations and tax laws to benefit themselves. They suddenly have a lot of influence over our nation's government, and there is no evidence that they care one iota about anyone but themselves. They represent the ugliest face of capitalism, and they give everyone in our industry a bad name.
As someone who has worked in and around Silicon Valley for many years, I will gladly admit that several of my close friends are tech business leaders (only a couple might be labeled as tycoons). They're good people, running good comapanies, building a better world, and in many cases also doing very well for themselves.
I want us all to live in a world where successful business people are not all selfish jerks – and I can report today, with evidence you can find below, that we do live in that happier, more magnanimous world. For example, meet the Kiwanis.
• What's Behind All Those Food Recalls?
Are food recalls on the rise? Yes. Read on to learn more.
(12/09/2024) → CapPublicRadio
• New Sen. Adam Schiff Vows to Defend Democracy
Pledging to take on the affordable housing crisis and bring down health care costs, Adam Schiff was sworn in Monday by Vice President Kamala Harris as California’s junior U.S. senator.
(12/09/2024) → CalMatters
• Polluted Communities Hold Their Breath as Companies Struggle With California’s Diesel Truck Ban
California has an aggressive mandate for zero-emission trucks, which are powered by electricity or hydrogen. But trucking companies face big obstacles — and people are still breathing dangerous diesel exhaust.
(12/09/2024) → CalMatters
• How CA Ban on Bilingual Education Still Hurts Schools
It has been eight years since California voters repealed a 1998 law directing public school districts to essentially eliminate their bilingual programs. But the fallout from the state’s vacillating history of bilingual education has led to California falling short of providing a quality education not only to non-English speakers but also to students who want to be bilingual.
(12/08/2024) → CalMatters
• California’s Housing Crisis Has Gotten Worse, Not Better, Over the Last 30 Years
The Public Policy Institute of California, a think tank that conducts vigorous and objective research into vital state issues, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a series of retrospective reports.
(12/05/2024) → CalMatters
• Will Feds Open a New California Immigrant Detention Center?
During Donald Trump’s first presidency, California tried and failed to ban new federal immigration detention centers from opening. As Trump returns to the Oval Office in January with pledges of mass deportations, the agency overseeing immigration enforcement has been scoping out locations for a new detention center — possibly near San Francisco.
(12/04/2024) → CalMatters
• California Officials Plan for a Dry 2025 With Grim Water Supply Guesswork
Each December there’s a new version of an old guessing game about how much water will be provided to agricultural and municipal users in the year ahead.
(12/04/2024) → CalMatters
• California’s Employment Safety Net Is Still Broken. Will Anyone Fix It?
Out-of-work residents fight new fraud battles. The system bleeds money. And a $1 billion technology overhaul marches on.
(12/03/2024) → CalMatters
• California Democrats Plan to Crack Down on Cities That Block Abortion Clinics
California Democrats have passed two dozen laws to protect abortion access since the Supreme Court in 2021 overturned Roe vs. Wade. New bills are on the table.
(12/02/2024) → CalMatters
• 5,000 Bills Is Too Many. California Legislature Sets New Max on Legislation.
Reflecting concern about too many bills, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas lowered the number legislators are allowed to introduce.
(12/02/2024) → CalMatters
• California Birth Centers Are Shutting Down. A Lawmaker Has a New Plan to Help Them
Birth centers are midwife-run facilities that deliver babies outside of hospitals. They have struggled to stay in business in part because of strict state licensing requirements.
(12/02/2024) → CalMatters
Elon Musk did a lot of good stuff on his way to becoming the world's richest man—but he appears to have gone to the dark side.
