U.S. Census Bureau
It seems relatively straightforward, right? Every 10 years the population changes and state government officials redraw district lines to make sure populations are equal.
No biggie.
Wikimedia Commons
Welcome to the wild world of redistricting.
We’re in the heat of election season, so you’ve likely heard it mentioned a bunch recently. But how exactly does redistricting work? And, more importantly, why should you care?
Redistricting can be a pretty confusing process, and because it’s so complicated, a lot of voters don’t know much about it, or how it applies to them. But it has a pretty major impact on the power balance of our political system, and on how much your vote ends up counting on election day. Continue reading
The year was 1996, and a political novice named Barack Obama was running for Illinois State Senate – his first bid for public office. Responding to a questionnaire from Outlines, a gay newspaper in Chicago, Obama wrote: “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”
It took him till now to return to that position.
Just two years later, Obama was deeply steeped in the world of politics. In his re-election bid for state senate, the same newspaper asked the same question. Obama’s position had already shifted, though. In response, he said he was now “undecided.”
Since then, Obama has held fast in his support for civil unions and equal rights for gays and lesbians, but until this week, he never firmly tied the knot in support of same-sex marriage. Scroll through the timeline, and view the clips, to see Obama long “evolving” feelings on this issue.
It took just 10 words for President Obama to end his career-long wrestling match with the same-sex marriage issue. During a deceptively casual television interview on Wednesday, Obama simply said:
“I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”
The Haymarket affair, as depicted in a a Harper’s Magazine engraving (Wikimedia Commons)
For some, May Day means prancing awkwardly around a feather-wreathed pole.
But that ancient Druid rite of Spring is likely not what today’s protestors have in mind.
In about 80 countries throughout the world, May Day is actually an official labor holiday, often commemorated with large strikes, rallies, and demonstrations in support of workers rights. And its roots date back to a heated struggle for something that most of us now take for granted: the eight-hour work day. Continue reading
Natural-Bridges State Beach, near Santa Cruz (credit: Ca. Dept. of Parks and Recreation)
“These state parks are our cathedrals. This is what defines us as Californians to the rest of the world. But they are not cheap to run. And so I think Californians need to decide whether it’s worth it to them to save these parks … I think it begs a much deeper question of what we value as Californians.”
- Ruth Coleman, California state parks director
Click on the photo to explore KQED's radio and interactive series on California's parks.
California has a lot of state parks. 278 to be exact – more than any other state in the U.S. Some are tiny specks on the map – mini historic sites that you may have driven by without even noticing. Others are vast swaths of land – thousands of preserved acres of old growth forest, sweeping vistas, pristine beaches. Size and stature aside, each has it’s own significance, and the majority were spearheaded as a result of citizen-led campaigns to make the land public and accessible to anyone who wanted to visit. Continue reading
Credit: E. Howe/Flickr
In 2010, California voters rejected Proposition 21, which would have added an $18 annual surcharge to vehicle license fees and raised about $500 million annually to fund state park and wildlife conservation programs. Now, without the funding, nearly a quarter of the entire system’s sites – almost 70 parks – are in danger of being closed down. During difficult economic times, it’s no surprise that public resources like state parks are given low priority, especially compared to more urgent services like public safety. Continue reading
Interactive timeline produced by KQED online producer Lisa Pickoff-White
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