How to Jumpstart the L.A. Economy

The Country's Second Largest Metropolis Could Start by Improving Its Schools

When it comes to its economic vitality over the last quarter-century, Los Angeles is in the same league as Cleveland and Detroit, lagging far behind the nation as a whole, and other major metro areas.

Recent figures can obscure this harsh reality, given that the Los Angeles metro area has seen brisk job growth of 2.5 percent each of the last two years. With this boost, L.A.’s employment has finally surpassed its pre-Great Recession level of more than seven years ago. But this is a modest bounce from a deplorable state …

by William Yu | June 20, 2015

What Would It Take to Make American Workers Better Thinkers?

The U.S. Labor Force Isn’t Just Lacking in Technical Skills. But We Don’t Understand How to Train People in Communication and Creativity.

by Rachel Burstein | August 29, 2014

Labor Day offers an opportunity for politicians and economists to offer their two cents on the state of labor. It’s a good bet that some of that commentary will focus …

Pope Francis Sends His Regrets

Why Are So Many Politicians, Religious Leaders, and Regular Folks Sending Invitations to the New Head of the Roman Catholic Church?

by Patrick Gilger | June 18, 2014

For Pope Francis, this has been a season of invitations. First, he toured the Holy Land, as guest of honor for heads of state, religious leaders, and ordinary people alike. …

Cesar Chavez Was a Whole Lot More Interesting Than ‘Cesar Chavez’

Biopics Always Play Fast and Loose with the Facts, But This One Doesn’t Even Capture Its Subject’s Humanity

by Matt Garcia | April 1, 2014

Most great men have one. Malcolm X has one. Gandhi has one. Mandela got one last year. And now, Cesar Chavez has his.

The biographical film or “biopic”—like Cesar Chavez, which …

Driving Cesar Chavez

The Unforgettable Day I Took the Union Leader Through Pennsylvania Coal Country

by Ernie Powell | February 18, 2014

Of all the stories I’ve held on to from my time working for Cesar Chavez’s United Farm Workers, the one I like to tell is not from the fields of …

Could Cesar Chavez Deliver Immigration Reform?

A Student of Chavez Is Leading a Fast on the National Mall; History Suggests the Tactic May Work

by Miriam Pawel | December 3, 2013

Forty-six years ago, Cesar Chavez huddled in Delano, California with a group of farmworkers he had launched on an improbable mission: to stop the sale of grapes until California growers …

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