Across our nation, families and communities face unprecedented challenges. Every day, millions of Americans struggle to stay in their homes in the midst of an ongoing foreclosure crisis. Our broken criminal justice system places an unsustainable burden on state budgets while failing to keep our neighborhoods safe.

And far...

As Coretta Scott King said, every generation earns and renews its struggle for freedom. At the conclusion of Black History Month, I have reflected on the meaning of her words and how they guide the ongoing movement for greater opportunity and justice for our community. For each generation of us,...

Yesterday, Ami Bera wrote about Karl Rove protecting Dan Lungren. Today he went statewide. A shadowy Virginia-based group funded by the oil industry, tobacco companies, and health insurance industry -- and run by Karl Rove -- is trying to sway the outcome of the...

After years of abuse, Judith finally separated from her husband. In retaliation, he broke into her apartment, wrote obscenities on the walls, tore apart furniture, and smeared excrement all over Judith's belongings. The following week, the property manager of Judith's apartment building told her she was being evicted for damaging...

It's an election year, and so we're accustomed to hearing typical hyperbole from politicians.  But even the most jaded observers of our politics were troubled by the latest head-scratcher from Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).  The Senate Minority Leader suggested, without irony or humor, that Congress "ought to take a look...

Never let bad policy get in the way of good politics. That's the cynical motto of the growing class of political copycats bent on replicating Arizona's controversial new immigration law in other states, including California.

Arizona's law, SB 1070, requires local police to act as federal immigration...

It is not a headline we would expect to see, but that is exactly what is happening in California as we speak.

In 2006, the California Legislature passed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. The Governor then signed this law to make our state the leader in fighting...

Ask anyone to define the "American Dream" and almost surely, the reply will be: "owning a home." And for good reason - a home is equal parts family sanctuary and financial cornerstone. But for too many African-Americans, that part of the American Dream is still that - just a...

Einstein's definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. By that measure, our current approach to criminal justice may need a shrink -- and a new way of doing business.

The old approach to fighting crime is well-known. Police and prosecutors are...

Education, public safety, and the economy: three vastly complex issue areas that time and again are proven to be inextricably linked.

By doing what it takes to keep kids in school in every corner of our state, we can save literally billions of dollars in public resources and greatly...

As I watched the announcement of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's appointment to the United States Supreme Court, I, like many Americans, was struck by the historic picture on my television screen. The nation's first African American president nominating the first Latina as a potential Supreme Court Justice.

Few things have made...