Clint Reilly Archive

Oct 20, 2009 | 0 Comments

Reform Fever!

In short, people are fed up.
by Clint Reilly
Before the progressive movement swept through California in the early 20th century, there was a growing sense throughout the state that Sacramento had ceased working for regular Californians.
Shackled by special interests and rife with corruption, the capitol had become a playground for corporate lobbyists who exerted unfettered control [...]

Aug 11, 2009 | 0 Comments

March on Sacramento

It’s time to fix California.
by Clint Reilly
Rome is burning. But this time, the reformers aren’t fiddling.The CCC – California Constitutional Convention – can’t happen soon enough.
The alarming spectacle of our state capitol going up in smoke has moved the Bay Area Council – a Northern California group of business leaders led by its savvy executive, [...]

Jul 21, 2009 | 0 Comments

Culture of Capitol-ism

In order to transform a dying institution, the old, corrupt culture must be rooted out and eliminated.
by Clint Reilly
Sacramento is not just a big small town or the capital of America’s biggest state. It is also a symbol of governmental gridlock and dysfunction, the political version of General Motors or Lehman Brothers.
But unlike GM or [...]

Jun 30, 2009 | 0 Comments

Disrespecting our Elders

Why would the state of California actually want to save money?
by Clint Reilly
John F. Kennedy once said that the strength and durability of a society can be judged by how it treats its elderly.
Proving his point more than four decades later, the careening state of California is considering cutting off vital in-home services to thousands [...]

Jun 23, 2009 | 0 Comments

BUSTED

In short, it’s not a good time to be in California if you’re young. Or old. Or poor. Or sick.
by Clint Reilly
It is said that a hard-core drug addict needs to hit “rock bottom” before recovery is possible.
Life must become so hellish and circumstances so dire that they have no choice but to accept reality [...]

May 19, 2009 | 0 Comments

Jarvis & Reagan are Dead

The demise of California’s Republican Party is nearly complete.
by Clint Reilly
The ghosts of Ronald Reagan and Howard Jarvis are all that’s left of a dying Republican Party in California.
In 1984, I managed the initiative campaign that defeated Proposition 36, Howard Jarvis’s sequel to Proposition 13. Double-digit annual property tax increases had driven Jarvis’s citizen rebellion [...]

Apr 14, 2009 | 0 Comments

The PG&E of Newspapers

Clint Reilly
One utility company dominates Northern California. But what if one corporation controlled every daily newspaper?
Newspaper firms argue that monopolies – which streamline production and editorial costs – are the only way for financially beleaguered metropolitan dailies to survive.
The California Public Utilities Commission regulates PG&E for consumers. But who regulates a monopoly newspaper?
If large media [...]

Mar 18, 2009 | 0 Comments

Chronicle gone-icle!

In recent weeks, Hearst has announced that it may sell or close the Chronicle due to headline-making losses.
Two weeks ago, Maitland “Sandy” Zane – a longtime writer at the San Francisco Chronicle – died of cancer at 80 years of age. Sandy never won a Pulitzer.
But, like many of the great characters who passed through [...]

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Politics as it should be

Aug 11, 2009 | 0 Comments

March on Sacramento

Jul 25, 2009 | 1 Comment

Newspapers Aren’t Dead

Jul 21, 2009 | 0 Comments

Culture of Capitol-ism

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Oct 19, 2009

Oakland Local Goes Live!

If you live, work or play in Oakland, do yourself a favor and get over to Oakland Local, the newest, freshest source of Oakland-specific news and commentary on the web. Spearheaded by Susan Mernit and backed by a Knight Foundation grant, Oakland Local is another great addition to the growing community of East Bay news and blog sites.

Sep 14, 2009

Thanks BART

Nothing like paying more and getting less:

Starting at 7pm tonight, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District will cut its service by 25% during non-peak periods (ie, most of the time). This compares unfavorably to AC Transit’s 15% service cut, and was not accompanied by a public input process like the one AC Transit has undertaken in recent weeks. (Full story)