Santa Cruz County’s civil grand jury is in focus for Christopher Neely in this edition of In the Public Interest, as he digs into its purpose and hits and misses of past incarnations.
Politics
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Where in the Bible does it say, ‘and thou shalt have guns?’
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach is outraged at the latest spate of gun violence gripping our nation. She blames the National Rifle Association and its hold on Republican politicians. “Can someone please tell me what the endgame is here?” she asks. “Can someone tell me when gun proponents and the NRA will say enough is enough?”
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The political is personal: Teen mental health and why it feels like ‘the end of the world’
Ami Chen Mills is worried about our planet, our youth — including her own daughters — and our politicians and leaders, who she feels are not taking up the biggest issues of our day. “Where are our leaders,” she writes, “on the threat of rising fascism and loss of women’s rights, which are girls’ rights, loss of history and loss of rights and belonging for LGBTQ+ people and Black people across the country?” Chen Mills leans on Buddhist teaching and her experience as a wellness teacher to reframe what it means to be an activist today and to push us to express our fears about climate change and other pressing issues more openly.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Loved or hated, lawmaker Scott Wiener is a lightning rod who could make history
In San Francisco, Scott Wiener is considered a moderate. In Sacramento, he’s far left. Now he’s laying the ground to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress.
Posted inLatest News
Biden announces bid for a second term in 2024
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he will seek the presidency again in 2024, dismissing doubts about whether, at 80, he is fit to serve a second term.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California lawmakers consider banning ‘willful defiance’ suspensions from schools
Under legislation sponsored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, schools would not be able to suspend students for nonviolent acts such as ignoring the teacher, talking back or disrupting the class.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In the Public Interest: Santa Cruz County officials eye CARE Court uncertainly as implementation inches closer
In this edition of In the Public Interest, Christopher Neely looks at what’s ahead for Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Courts, the state’s system of courts with the power to compel people suffering from some diagnosed mental health conditions into state-sponsored treatment. Santa Cruz County faces a deadline of December 2024 to implement its CARE program.
Posted inLatest News
Supreme Court sides with FDA on abortion pills, blocks Texas rulings for now
The conservative Supreme Court refused to second-guess the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of abortion pills as safe and effective.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
White House urges patience as Sen. Feinstein’s absence leaves judicial agenda in jeopardy
Addressing the roadblock the longtime Democratic senator from California’s absence has created for judicial nominations, the Biden administration says, “It is her decision.”
Posted inLatest News
Fox News reaches $787 million settlement in Dominion defamation suit
Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News avoids a potentially embarrassing trial with Dominion Voting Systems over its false reporting on allegations of 2020 election fraud. The Denver-based voting machine maker had been seeking $1.6 billion in damages.