It’s time that we censure the whole idea of censure. It’s consuming the precious time and money of our local governments.
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.
Bend it like Oregon
Californians’ exodus to places like Bend, Oregon, showcases rapid growth fueled by affordability, good schools, and a high quality of life.
Heartbreak and Yearning on the Streets of East Oakland
“Nightcrawling” by Leila Mottley is a bestselling novel that explores the hardships of life in Oakland’s struggling streets.
Newsom’s ‘Campaign For Democracy’ Has A Democracy Problem
The governor has sympathies for changes in governance; he’s deeply familiar with democratic innovation. But will he actually take on democratic reform?
Who Will Protect The Global Economy From California?
This bank failure, the second largest in U.S. history, actually fits a very old pattern—of California and its industries putting the economies of the nation and the world at risk.
California, Keep Your Schools Open. No Matter What
California’s school reopening revealed education disparities, highlighting the need to rebuild trust and relationships for addressing these inequalities.
Why California And I Both Need A Jubilee
California needs a jubilee to reflect and rethink its governance after the pandemic years and decades of success and consequences.
In California Politics, You Must Find Your Inner Terminator
To protect ballot initiatives from continuous opposition, one needs robust endurance and tenacity akin to Schwarzenegger’s.
How california made a polish poet great
Exiled to Berkeley, Czesław Miłosz explored the margins of alienation, the horrors of his past, and visions of the future.
No One In Monterey County Is Good Enough To Serve In Legislature
California’s “democratic reforms” have left a place as… [key] as Monterey County without any state representation from one of its own.