At California Local, we’re always looking for stories about what makes our state unique. But in his most recent story, reporter Jonathan Vankin found himself musing about the ways in which California exemplifies many of the greatest strengths of the United States of America. Especially if one considers diversity to be a virtue. California is the most diverse state in the union, according to a 2022 study by the financial site WalletHub, which makes a habit of ranking states by different metrics.
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By Sharan Street
Published Dec 12, 2022
Does California portray America’s future?
Image credit: Simone Hogan
Shutterstock
12-12-22: Our Sooner State
Ahead of the Curve
WalletHub’s definition of diversity goes far beyond the Golden State’s vaunted ethnic diversity to include “socioeconomic diversity, political diversity, religious diversity, cultural diversity, household diversity and economic diversity.” And that nationwide trend of diversification is coming to other states. Vankin quotes University of Southern California sociologist Manuel Pastor, who said “California is America, only sooner.”
California: The Most American State
California is the most American of all states, both setting the direction for the rest of the country, and acting as a mirror of what the U.S. is today. Here’s why, and how it got that way.
The Third Rail of California Politics
When it comes to political phenomena, few are more quintessentially Californian than Proposition 13, a measure approved by voters in reaction to the unintended consequences of California’s economic success in the 1970s and ’80s. As the economy grew, so did real estate prices—and property taxes. Anti-tax activist Howard Jarvis saw an opening and waged a successful campaign for the measure, which mandated that the purchase price of the property would be its value for tax purposes. But Prop 13 has had its own unintended consequences, which Vankin delves into.
How Prop 13 Drives Economic and Racial Inequality
Proposition 13, the popular tax reform law passed in 1978, has driven increases in economic inequality and racial wealth disparities in California. Here’s how.
’Tis the Season
The weather outside is frightful…and so are the rising cases of flu and other respiratory ailments. So why are supplies of one of the most efficacious antibiotics running low?
Amoxicillin: Why the Popular Antibiotic is in Short Supply
Amoxicillin, the most widely prescribed antibiotic, is suddenly in short supply just as a wave of respiratory illnesses is sweeping California. What is causing the sudden shortage?
