PROFILE
FROM Jacob Wolf
Is Gaming a Sport? The PAC-12 TV network has announced a new Esports competition for PAC-12 schools. Yes, video-gaming is officially a PAC-12 sport. Last month, Arizona State won the Heroes of the Dorm tournament, and the finals took place in front of 67,000 fans at Century Link stadium in Seattle.
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A “Marshall Plan” for homelessness The state’s new governor, Gavin Newsom, called for a “California for all” in his inauguration speech this week. He also called for a “Marshall Plan” for affordable housing and said that “we have a homeless epidemic that should keep each and every one of us up at night.” So what will Gov. Newsom do to address housing and homelessness?
Raining money in Sacramento: Gov. Newsom unveils his first budget Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled his first budget, which includes billions of more dollars for schools, poor families, and the homeless. Newsom says he’s going to “lean in” where others are backing away. He’s also promising more funds for fire protection and for communities that have lost a big property tax base.
Rethinking public school funding in California LAUSD teachers are striking for the second day. Many people are questioning the state’s model for funding schools. California spends around $10,800 per pupil, which is less than the national average. But maybe that money could be better spent if the district itself were smaller and more manageable.
The Opioid Crisis: Made in the USA Writer Chris McGreal and host Robert Scheer zero in on the book American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts in this week’s episode of Scheer Intelligence. McGreal, the book’s author and a correspondent for The Guardian and other news sources, discuss how the opioid addiction crisis is largely an American epidemic.