An Independent congressional candidate may be staging a run in California's 52nd district, joining a race crowded with declared partisan candidates.

I started writing opinion pieces and magazine articles 39 years ago. I’ve written for the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun, and other U.S. and Canadian newspapers. Since March of 2005, I’ve written a monthly column for the Presidio Sentinel, a community newspaper in San Diego.

All eyes on Michigan today, as the state holds its primary in what has been labeled Romney's first must-win primary. Michigan's polls show Romney and Santorum neck and neck, making today's primary critical. Another wild card is the fact that Michigan's primary is open, meaning Democrats and Independents can participate. Arizona voters also hit the polls today in what appears to be a safe win for Romney.

Despite some modest gains in positive sentiment from California’s voters in certain areas, the latest Field poll indicates that the state still has a long road ahead on the path to recovery.

Renewable energy projects of all sizes, but especially grid-scale projects, are increasingly running into concerted opposition from NIMBYs who, while they might favor clean energy, don’t want it located anywhere they can see it. NIMBY of course is an acronym for ‘Not In My Back Yard’ while BANANAs are even more extreme, saying ‘Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody.’

In a first-time upset, Rasmussen Report's daily presidential tracking poll found Ron Paul leading President Barack Obama nationally in a hypothetical 2012 match-up.

Here were all four match-ups:

“I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church should have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical of the objectives and vision of our country.” -Rick Santorum, on JFK’s 1960 speech on separation of church and state.

Depending on how you measure it, California public pensions have an unfunded liability of anywhere from $240 billion to over $500 billion. Ignoring the problem and using accounting tricks will not make this go away. Under the existing framework, California owes far more to public workers than it can ever hope to pay. The system must be reformed.