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Commentary

Cities are shaped by dynamic visions, both individual and collective. Commentary brings together diverse perspectives on the future of California by looking into its history and generating innovative possibilities to what could be.

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Powerless: We're Still Paying for the Energy Crisis of 2000-2001
The makers of California's disastrous electrical deregulation scheme were convinced that the market they constructed was infallible. That corrupting belief led them blindly into the hands of market manipulators.
The Door That Shuts Out 'Citizen Politicians' in Los Angeles
Termed-out state legislators fill city council seats that would have been filled in the past by crusaders, activists, and community organizers. Conflict is muted in a body that has begun to look like an adjunct to Sacramento. And that's not a good thing.
An aerial view of Oakland.
Living for the City: A Look at the Gentrification of Oakland
A visit to Oakland highlights the uneasy realities -- and the possibilities -- of gentrification.
TR_LAX
LAX is Our Emotional Gateway
For most travelers, airports are merely utilitarian structures, facilities for processing and more. But for those who send-off or greet travelers, airports are places of tearful farewells, cheerful reunions, and every other kind of emotion in between.
Sara. | Photo: Courtesy Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust
The Plight of Chimpanzees (and Others)
How can nature be saved at a time when people need it most? It is a very difficult question, not just in Uganda but around the world.
Landscape in the Language: The Shakespeare of Places
"All the world's a stage" was a cliché well before the glum Jacques, in "As You Like It," trots out his set speech on the Seven Ages of Man. For Shakespeare, however much "stage" and "world" were interchangeable, both were in a place he never entirely...
inglewood-resident-leaves
Being Here: Early Inglewood Resident Leaves
The departure of my block's oldest resident, one of the first to move here, ushers out a whole chapter of Inglewood history. But the legacy remains.
sound-of-judgement
When Friends Die, They Still Teach Us
A friend of mine died the other day in a motorcycle accident. He was far too young to die. Such sadness is beyond words, but this friend deserves words because of the lesson and example he left behind.
Language in the Landscape: Monterey Park Council Wants 'Alphabet' Signs
America's streets bristle with public conversations that aren't necessarily for you or me. Should city councils care?
Valerie Shaw. | Photo: Courtesy L.A. City
Valerie Shaw is No Longer at City Hall, But She'll Still Be Making a Difference
Valerie Shaw is one of those political appointees who has not only done her job, she's held up the world.
homeless-ventura-harbor-church
My Street Corner, Your Decision: Homeless Pits Church, Neighbors Against Each Other
Would you want it in your neighborhood? We all know the answer to that. But how might you feel about being abandoned?
Grey
Sunday. Gray. A Midsummer Pause.
The world I know seemed to have fallen still.
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