I am a businessman who never did anything in politics until about 7 years ago. However, I believe with the uncharted waters of the political environment now roiling daily, business people like myself must step up to the plate to revitalize our democracy.

We must require a higher standard from our elected officials. A new paradigm of politics -- one based on civil political discourse, critical thinking, and personal accountability -- can and should be demanded by the electorate of its leadership, and the time to do so is now.

With No Party Preference voters poised to surpass GOP registration in California, some Republicans are beginning to distance themselves from the toxic partisanship in their party.

A group titled "New Way California" held a news conference in Los Angeles this week.

The goal is for their party to adopt talking points and policies that could appeal to the surging bloc of NPP voters.

For the politically informed, the punditry on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC has gone on ad-nauseam. Partisan dialog so wholly permeates our news media these days that it can be challenging to find good information about topics outside of the constant GOP vs. Democrat slugfest.

An inquisitive person might think to escape the noise by avoiding the world of Washington and searching for something tangible in city politics. Unfortunately, even small-town mayoral elections can’t necessarily escape the polarization rampant in American government.

How could a handful of common-sense, independent Senators defuse the partisanship around trade? By changing the way we talk about the whole issue.

Most American say they believe in markets. Why? Because markets reward hard work and innovation. They deliver us better products at lower prices. They allow us to specialize in what we do best and use that income to buy the other things we need or want.

California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla has released the 2018 Voter Guide. The guide contains all relevant information related to the various propositions and candidate races voters will be asked to weigh in on this June.

This article will focus on the race for United States Senate and publish the statements that have been provided to the Secretary of State’s office.

Kevin de León | DEMOCRATIC

This month James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence during the Obama Administration, the one who lied under oath about NSA data collection while giving testimony to Congress in 2013, just slid safely into home base with nary an effort by anyone in the federal government to tag him out for perjury.

No one wants to be around when things go wrong especially in politics.

When the media is saying great things about you, handling the limelight is easy. But bad press can happen to anyone in politics, no matter how much care and planning is involved in an election campaign. It may be a statement taken out of context, or something said by your party member, or family member.

For the last 4 years, this house in North Park at 3663 33rd st. has been a huge concern for neighbors.

An otherwise nice, family-oriented community, this uninhabitable eyesore has been ground zero for crack and meth addicts.

Over the last two years:

California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla has released the 2018 Voter Guide. The guide contains all relevant information related to the various propositions and candidate races voters will be asked to weigh in on this June.

This article will focus on the race for Superintendent and publish the statements that have been provided to the Secretary of State’s office.

Marshall Tuck

The consequences of party-dominated elections; of closed party primaries, gerrymandered districts, and major party control of the ballot, of the media and of the debates, in addition to the partisan dominance of the very ways in which issues are framed and discussed -- the consequences of all this is to block the full and open participation of the American people in shaping the country in which we live.