Ivan Strenski is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies. He may be reached at [email protected].
To the UCR Community:
An Open Letter about Israel & Palestine
I write as a recently retired UCR professor with 20 years of proud service at UCR. In that time, I learned much from our richly diverse student body and faculty about the Middle East. I...
The bubble has burst. Palm Springs home values are experiencing a sudden collapse as cities tighten short-term rental permits. Cities like Palm Springs passed special regulations in 2022, mandating that no more than 20% of the properties in a neighborhood be short-term. Some had these rentals closer to 40%, with 10 over the 20% benchmark.
Only recently, however, the city...
This country has often emphasized its values, specifically regarding freedom of speech. The Constitution's First Amendment dictates that the U.S. government cannot make laws prohibiting freedom of speech, press and assembly. The First Amendment right is especially important to those who want legal protections for speaking freely about their beliefs. Although constitutionally protected, protesting can lead to violent or...
The University of California system made history with its record enrollments for California residents. In recent years, California residents have not been accepted as often as out-of-state residents when applying to the UCs. In part, this increase is due to the funding Gov. Gavin Newsom tied to the enrollment of more in-state students. In California, accepting more in-state students...
The unhoused are up next on the Supreme Court’s chopping block as they agreed to hear a decision made by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that it is cruel and unusual punishment to deny the homeless a place to sleep. The Ninth Circuit’s ruling on Johnson v. City of Grants Pass has impacted how California addresses...
Inter-party conflict has been an obstacle that circumvents the duties of the legislative branch, primarily their duty to collaborate. These conflicts have encroached on efforts to pass legislation by Inland Empire (IE) representatives, who only managed to sponsor three laws in the past year. While these laws are necessary, there are more pressing issues to be resolved in IE,...
Los Angeles City Council member Kevin de León and his team expressed outrage toward City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto for failing to provide adequate legal protections from activists alongside her supposed political favoritism to one of de León’s opponents, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago. This past December, Feldstein Soto donated the maximum amount of $900 to Santiago’s election campaign, which de...
California is a hub for all kinds of opportunities, with the largest tech hub like Silicon Valley and major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Golden State is a popular destination for many in an attempt to establish a career and put down roots. The benefits of living in California are valuable, and the costs of living...
Former Angels baseball player Shohei Ohtani recently signed a 10-year $700 million deal, most of which will be paid in deferred payments, with the Los Angeles Dodgers last month — setting a record as the largest Major League Baseball deal in history. However, with the historic deal arises the matter of how high-earners like Ohtani impact federal taxes and...
Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to combat not only abduction and kidnappings but also the racial disparities that flourish in them. Senate Bill 673, also known as “Ebony Alerts,” creates a separate alert system for Black women and youth who are either “at risk, developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired” or are missing “under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.” SB 673 will...