An Urban Futurist Democrat

It’s another November, so we Californians are again battered with ballot measures to choose between or be bad citizens. To put an end to the cycle of suffering, we can increase the signature threshold for initiatives, plus ban paid signature gathering so that the power of initiative is only a true safety valve when our…

This blog post series is ultimately inspired by how much of a slog the California election process is. Our initiative process, probably well-intentioned, has resulted in way too much substance being left to voters who don’t want to make these decisions, but who also wouldn’t simply relinquish this power to legislators. So for over a…

Proposition 1, the only measure on all California ballots this primary election, is primarily about how we prioritize our state resources to mental health and substance use, focusing on people who are homeless or are at risk of becoming so, and how we incorporate housing into the picture. It does two things at once: first,…

It’s time for my ballot measure recommendations once again! There are seven in California this November, but two are a matched set competing against each other, so they only need six writeups. (There were none in June! It’s like a beautiful dream. Not a coincidence: the Legislature has been moving as much as possible to…

When I went door-to-door talking up a candidate who wanted to fund more affordable housing, people sometimes replied, “OK, but what does ‘affordable’ really mean? Who is it affordable for?” This question comes up a lot. I remember being unsure at the time whether this was genuine confusion or just casting uncertainty and doubt as…

Here I follow up my previous guide on the state measures this year, adding to them those being voted on by Oakland residents – meaning, Oakland city and school measures, and Alameda County measures. Thank you for reading. Spoiler: I say yes on all. But they weren’t slam-dunks. Jurisdiction Designation & description Recommendation Alameda County…

Hello all of you braving the treacherous fields of 2020 to vote once again on the California propositions. A lot has happened this year that we wouldn’t have predicted, but nothing has reduced the need for a bold, empowered government ready to tax and spend more than before to ensure everyone is included in society.…

We face another election and, as always, I am here to inform you on the proposals on your ballots – not so many this March, but come November, there will be a deluge. (In the presidential primary, vote Warren! And sign up here if you want to get email alerts to future updates like this.)…

Thank you for continuing to read my ballot writeups. See my statewide recommendations for Props 1-12 in my previous post here. My measure discussions for Oakland can be briefer, because a guiding principle unifies most of them. As I introduced my last post: I think most of my readers would now accept that we are…