On Jan. 29, the internet hosted a massive venting session with Elmo. The Sesame Street character wanted to check in with everyone and see how they were doing. Initially, Elmo received an unexpected response of 12,000 replies; however, that number has since grown to 20,000. While it is wonderful that Elmo reached out to everyone, the sheer volume of...
Worldwide, 4.59 billion people use social media, and 71% of them report that it facilitates their creativity. However, lawmakers highlight social media's tendency to distract from productivity in Senate Bill 976. SB 976 was proposed by Sen. Nancy Skimmer and Attorney General Rob Bonta this past month. The bill, if passed, will stop both social media apps from sending...
After years of pressure to remove restrictions on the hiring of undocumented students, led by The Opportunity for All campaign, a group of students and UCLA law professors, the University of California suspended implementation of the plan for one year in a crushing vote last week.
In comments following the Regents meeting, UC President Michael Drake remarked that the plan...
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...