Op-Eds

To live in California is to live in earthquake country. It is also to live in one of the most modern economies in the world — a place where advancing science and innovation are breeding technological wonders of all kind, from self-driving automobiles to the next generation of spacecraft.

Go here to learn about SB 916, authored by Sen. Ben Allen and co-authored by Sen. Bob Hertzberg. 

By Bob Hertzberg

If ever there was a time to think big about water that time is now.

Remember the energy crisis of the early 2000s? That’s when dwindling energy supplies caused skyrocketing prices and Californians suffered, both in their wallets and quality of life. We got through that crisis with conservation and building a sustainable, renewable, energy system.

Whether El Niño deposits its gift this winter, we have now seen scarcity’s path. Relying on captured water won’t produce nearly as much as we’ve saved this summer through vigilance alone.

This is an exciting time for government openness. Open data policy, like making public information more accessible on department websites, has come slowly to government. However, there is a growing understanding that there's great value in improving data practices.

With the McKinsey Global Institute estimating that more than $3 trillion in economic value is locked away inside information stored by government, it is no wonder that smart data policies are beneficial to both government and the broader public. And they are being increasingly adopted around the world.