This past Tuesday, President Obama signed legislation that is expected to increase access to college for millions of Americans.  The student loan overhaul was included as part of the health insurance reform package passed last week by the House and the Senate.

With the recent criticism Steve Poizner took in making illegal immigration a risky focal point of his gubernatorial drive, likely to go unnoticed are his fiscal stances regarding the state’s current problems.  Poizner is actually in lockstep with Governor Schwarzenegger in opposing the new federal healthcare mandate.

Parents of Chelsea King are backing Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher's (R-75th District) proposal for a new bill that will impose stricter mandates on convicted sex offenders. They are also calling for greater oversight and accountability of the state's parole system which many believe is failing to crack down on violators. 

Forty-eight states face or have faced multi-billion dollar budget shortfalls and many are mirroring California, targeting state parks for savings. 

Supporters of the closures say parks are less essential than paying teachers, providing health care to the poor and continuing to offer other governmental services. Opponents argue that park closures don’t save much money, harm the economies of neighboring communities, and deprive residents of low-cost recreation. 

The open primary battle continues to generate a tremendous amount of political controversy.  Over at The Moderate Voice, Nancy Hanks recently criticized the two major parties, as well as Libertarians and Greens, for opposing the upcoming Top Two Open Primary ballot initiative. 

The ever controversial nonpartisan, “Top Two” open primary initiative slated to appear on the June ballot has, at a bare minimum, been making its way through most procedural obstacles with relative smoothness. Having been subjected to a rather backhanded Court challenge by opponents, those in support of the ballot measure have nonetheless won a seat at the table.

Most everything we do is dependent in some way upon electricity. Without it, as we’ve all discovered during blackouts, our modern life screeches to an immediate halt, affecting everything from traffic lights to internet access.

Obstacles facing third party candidates for state office have always been great, and for a time seemed all but impossible to overcome in California. As Green Party gubernatorial candidate, Laura Wells relates, “I ran in 2002 and 2006 for State Controller... One effect of running twice was experiencing how much the doors closed to independent parties during those four years.”

California’s effort to fight global warming may be caught on the horns of a dilemma.  While the state (and especially Governor Schwarzenegger) wants to lead the nation in all things green, the matter of poor economic conditions and high unemployment has become an unexpected roadblock.

As the Coffee Party continues to garner national attention, it is beginning to present a more detailed framework for effecting cultural, political, and social change in America.  Viewed as a left-leaning counter to the Tea Party, the Coffee Party is coming off a successful weekend "Summit", in which hundreds of local groups gathered at coffee shops around the nation to discuss the next steps toward pursuing meaningful reform.