Tags >> policy
Oct 14
2010

Organizing Against Poverty

Posted by Bruce Robinson in speaker , rights , politics , policy , nonprofit orgs , justice , jobs , Ideas , government , education , economy , current events , community , California , activism

Bruce Robinson

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What can people in poverty do to improve their lives? Mary Gonzales takes an atypical approach; organizing disadvantaged communities to exercise political clout they didn’t know they had.

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Mary Gonzales, The Gamalilei Foundation's regional organizer for California and Hawaii, reports that her greatest success story to date occurred in Venturra County, where a combination of organizational outreach and concentrated research enabled the local agricultural community to fend off a major mining operation's plans.

   

 

 

 

 

Sep 27
2010

Rebooting California

Posted by Bruce Robinson in state government , politics , policy , Organization Development , legislation , Ideas , government , election , current events , California , budget

Bruce Robinson
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  What will it take to get California’s government working effectively again? Proposals for a state constitutional convention died quickly earlier this year, but some other promising ideas are now struggling to gain traction instead. cal_constitution.jpg
Planning for the "Rebooting California" symposium (see the full schedule here)began last spring, when many political observers expected a measure calling for a California Constitutional Convention to be on the November ballot. Now that such a gathering appears unlikely in the foreseeable future, symnposium speaker suggested an alternative, reports KRCB-TV Senior Political Analyst Dick Spotswood. Cal State Fullerton professor Raphael Sonensheir, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commision, put forward that body as a possible role model for the state.
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There are several initiatives on the November 2nd ballot that address issues of governance, including two, Props 20 & 27, that focus on redistricting. Additionally Prop. 25 would lower the threshold for passing the state budget from two-thirds to 50%, while Prop 26 would extend the 2/rds requirment for approving new taxes to cover fees as well. When Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, expressed cautious support for the two ideas in tandem, Spotswood admits, it got him thinking.
 
Dick Spotswood blogs for the Marin Independent-Journal as The Militant Centrist.
Sep 26
2010

Increased Recycling

Posted by Bruce Robinson in waste , state government , recycle , politics , policy , legislation , jobs , Green , government , garbage , environment , employment , economy , corporate responsibiliyt , conservation , California , business

Bruce Robinson
recycle.jpgCalifornia has long since met its goal of recycling at least half of the state’s waste stream. So north coast Assemblyman Wes Chesbro thinks we should reset the goal to be even higher.
 
chesbrohearing.jpgAchieving further reductions in overall waste generation will require working closely with manufacturers to adjust processes and materials so that their products are more readily recyclable.


Concurrently, Chesbro suggests that the soft market for recycled materials, especially in China, may represent an opportunity for entrepreneurs in California to develop new businesses to use those materials closer to home.
 
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AB 737 is only the latest in a series of pioneering state laws that have made recycling a way of life for most Californians. To trace those bills, read this history of California's recycling laws.

Sep 20
2010

Mad MDs

Posted by Bruce Robinson in waste , speaker , Santa Rosa , rights , poverty , policy , media , legislation , healthcare , Health , government , finances , economy , Congress , business , activism

Bruce Robinson

mad_as_hell_doctors_button.jpgNo one has a better first-hand view of the problems with this country’s health care system than the doctors who work in it, a vantage point that has made some of them “mad as hell” about it.

 

hochfeld.jpgAs a strong advocate for a single payer health care system, Dr. Paul Hochfeld had hopes that the federal health care reform debate this year would lead to some major improvements. When the final bill was passed, however, he was deeply disappointed. madashelllbus.jpgFrom his position inside the current system, Dr. Hochfeld recognizes the power of the fiscal incentives to provide maximized, specialized care during the final few weeks or days of a patient's life. Yet he argues, it is widely acknowledged that this approach is both highly expensive, and often contrary to the comfort and well-being of the patient.
 
You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this video
 
hmf.jpeg You can find out more about Dr. Hochfeld and his film at his website.
Sep 20
2010

Local Businesses

Posted by Bruce Robinson in speaker , Sonoma County , research , policy , nonprofit orgs , jobs , Ideas , government , finances , employment , economy , community , business , author

Bruce Robinson
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Small businesses have a disproportionately big impact on the local economy, especially when it comes to creating jobs. But public policy has been slow to recognize that. The need for changes was a central theme at Monday's Smart Growth Symposium, presented the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy.



ms.jpgOn the global economic playing field, the ongoing tug-of-war between local business and corporate giants can be distilled into competing views of how capitalism should work, explains Mike Shuman, Director for Research and Economic Development for the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). He likes to think of them as two quite different women.


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Many consumers are already aware of and acting on the desirability of directing their spending toward local businesses. But few give much thought to taking the same approach with their retirement accounts and other investments. Shuman explains how some of the long-standing obstacles to doing that are beginning to go away.
 
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