Up For Discussion

Is Local Healthcare Better Healthcare?

Figuring Out the Roles of Regional Providers and Plans in Post-Obamacare California

As Vice President Biden famously said back in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a big deal, literally and figuratively. The era of Obamacare is about a large-scale shift in the American healthcare system, and the millions of Californians who signed up for new coverage—or just any coverage at all—seem to indicate that a big deal will also be a good deal for the state.

But as healthcare in California becomes part of something very big, what happens to smaller, local plans and providers across the state? In cities from …

Read More

More In: Up For Discussion

Trains Are Not the Silver Bullet

A Successful Rail System in L.A. Has to Help People to Get to Work, Complement Existing Bus Routes, and Serve 1,000,000 Riders a Day.

Trains and rail are inseparable from California’s past. When Leland Stanford hammered “The Golden Spike” in an 1869 ceremony in Utah, he united the first transcontinental railway in the U.S.—and …

Can Sensationalism Save Democracy?

The Case for Reporting on More Scandals, Worrying Less about Page Views, and Fighting Audience Apathy at Every Turn

Earlier this year, Stephen Colbert triumphantly declared “the first real scandal” of the Obama administration after CNN reported that veterans had died while waiting for care in the Phoenix Veterans …

Do We Really Need Finland to Teach Us How to Teach STEM?

Looking Abroad Can’t Hurt. But the Answers to Better Math and Science Proficiency Might Be Closer to Home Than We Think.

In the 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama challenged the nation to produce 100,000 excellent new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers by the year 2021. In …

Want the Arts to Make Your City Vibrant?

Don’t Just Throw Money at Artists. Give Them Places to Perform, Collective Bargaining Powers—or a Break on Permits.

For towns like Visalia, California, the expression “arts for art’s sake” doesn’t make much sense. In Visalia—as in other emerging arts towns throughout the U.S.—art isn’t just there for its …

What Can Downtown L.A. Do for Southern California?

The Dense, Cosmopolitan Neighborhood Already Offers Great Art and Food. Now It Needs to Ease Pressures on the Working Poor and Be More Inclusive.

When the Ace Hotel opened downtown in early 2014, a billboard announced its arrival with two simple words: “Hello LA.” The sign epitomizes a revitalized downtown Los Angeles intent on …


By continuing to use our website, you agree to our privacy and cookie policy.

✕

Get More Zócalo

No paywall. No ads. No partisan hacks. Ideas journalism with a head and a heart.

You may opt out or contact us anytime.

×