Contributed

Like most Americans, I was shocked by the vicious inhumanity that the coward terrorist group Hamas carried out in Israel last weekend. Unfortunately, organized evil is neither unique nor surprising. The Nazis were equally evil across Europe, as were the Japanese at Nanking, Stalin with Ukraine, and Mao with his own people.

Nearly two decades ago, Gavin Newsom catapulted onto the national political stage when, as mayor of San Francisco, he began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It was an act of defiance, far ahead of public opinion at the time, and so controversial that some of his fellow Democrats blamed him for costing the party the presidential election later that year.

Since its inception in 2021, California’s COVID-era $5.2 billion rent relief program has been plagued with delays, criticism and a lawsuit. Now, it might be at risk of running out of money.

Do you think that things have clarified somewhat over the last week since the Hamas massacres in Israel? I get the feeling that our beloved leaders are caught, just a little, between a rock and a hard place. They would like to equivocate on the Palestinian Question, but the Hamas atrocities make it just a little more difficult.

Could 2023 be the sleeper year for solving California’s housing crisis? Last week Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a whopping 56 bills designed to streamline housing construction and protect tenants.