Citizens’ assemblies…of everyday folk [provide] a viable solution to issues that undermine democracy in California and elsewhere.
Joe Mathews articles
Joe Mathews writes for Democracy Chronicles from his home in California. He is a columnist and editor at Zócalo Public Square and co-president of the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy.
Will California Get Smart About Mass Transit?
A new train could help battle climate change, serve expanding metro areas, and create a northern California mega-region.
Connecting California : The Breakup San Bernardino County Needs
San Bernardino is putting secession on the November ballot but the nation’s largest county should reconsider its 51st state ambition.
California Doesn’t Need A New Abortion Measure
The fact that California permits such measures to be placed on the ballot in the first place is by far the biggest issue with Prop 1.
Carmel’s Cautionary Tale for Post-Roe America
The lesson is about… the human horrors of letting judges, or anyone else, determine our rights on the basis of history – especially when history omits so much.
Mix Of Ego And Insecurity Drives The Race For L.A. Mayor
Angelenos may complain about state government like other Californians, but we have a practice of using Sacramento as training for local politicians.
The California Post That Might Need A Republican
Question: In the exclusively Democratic constellation of California statewide officials, how many places are there where a Republican star might fit?
California’s Economy Needs A Diversity Strategy
Why aren’t we hearing more about it from our politicians? Because the diversity we are losing is not in our demography but in our economy.
Let The Californian People Solve The Homelessness Crisis
The answer lies in a tool of popular democracy that is little known in California, but has become a common method for addressing desperate problems.
What If Everyday People Ran Los Angeles?
If the crisis in democracy had a capital, it would be Los Angeles. And if democracy is going to be saved, that rescue needs to start in California.