This year March Madness feels less fun for those of us who closely follow college basketball. The FBI investigations, the drama with UCLA in China, and the ongoing debate about whether college players should get paid has taken some of the fun out of the season. The issues are not mutually exclusive, rather they are…
This week schools across America staged walkouts to protest gun violence. As with everything these days, people and the media began drawing political lines. Most people support the right of students to express their anger over the proliferation of gun violence in schools. However, others criticized the walkout as nothing more than insubordination and poor…
I finally got to see the musical, Hamilton, when it toured through San Diego in January. I went in knowing Hamilton is not an ordinary Broadway show. With my expectations high, it still managed to be even better than I imagined. Hamilton is nothing less than a remarkable achievement of creative genius. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the youthful composer who…
A couple of years ago, I wrote a five-part blog named the “Nuevo Latinos.” The blog described a new generation of Latinos who were proud of their heritage but viewed themselves as part of the mainstream rather than some outlier faction of America. Most of these Latinos were U.S. born, but not all of them,…
I saw the movie I, Tonya last week with my wife. It seems others agree that this movie about figure skater Tonya Harding was entertaining and well done. The Harding/Kerrigan drama was reality TV before reality TV was a thing. Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were skating rivals training for the 1994 Olympics when an assailant, hired by…
Javier Palomarez, the embattled CEO of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce announced his resignation last week. Palomarez has been the subject of an investigation regarding allegations related to finances and sexual harassment. In a statement, Palomarez claimed that he was completely vindicated of those allegations, but nonetheless felt it was time for him…
I think it is fair to say that there is a degree of confusion associated with the #metoo movement. While the egregious behavior of people like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey is clear and definitive, what is less clear is where are all of the lines are inside a society that is moving toward a…
In about 100 stump speeches, I have explained how the last housing crisis inspired me to create the Hispanic Wealth Project and the NAHREP 10. I witnessed first-hand the loss of businesses and homes from hundreds of friends and colleagues. It was a devastating time for many of us. In my speech, I discuss coming to…
A constitutional crisis occurs either when the constitution does not provide a clear answer for a specific situation, or when a government official or branch of the government willfully defies adherence to the constitution. A constitutional crisis is a big deal, and can sometimes result in impeachment, civil war or collapse of the government itself.…
Adela de la Torre, a UC Davis economist who has spent most of her career promoting better health among Latinos and social justice among students, was named as the first female and first Latina president of the California University. De la Torre earned her degrees from UC Berkeley. She believes SDSU can be among the…