Opinion

A yawning gap has emerged between University of California health system administrators and rank-and-file health workers.

Part town crier and part town scold, Tim Crews arrives at work each day at the Sacramento Valley Mirror with one goal – to print the news as he sees fit, and maybe raise a little ruckus in the process.

International travel is more than sightseeing, a planned itinerary or guide-organized interactions. It is about serendipity, experiencing the unexpected.

We love our forests in California. After a century of rapidly losing them to farming and logging, we finally succeeded in virtually ending deforestation in California. We were driven by our interest in the natural beauty, the wildlife, the sustainable timber supplies and the water-purifying functions of old-growth redwoods along the coast, the blue oaks growing across the Central Valley and the mixed pine forests of the Sierra. It was only possible because we had a clear vision of the importance of our forests and a successful strategy for protecting them.

When Californians passed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, we committed to one of the most forward-thinking pieces of climate legislation in the country, with comprehensive strategies to reduce carbon emissions from nearly all sectors of the economy. Unfortunately, the California Air Resources Board is considering a move that will undermine the best intent of this law by linking it to a benign-sounding yet dubious and untried scheme to protect rain forests in Mexico and Brazil.

An April 25 Viewpoints article, "Twin tunnels water grab is doomed to fail," noted a number of concerns with the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, citing the comments of the National Marine Fisheries Service on how to improve the current draft. The agency offers additional thoughts on the state's plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

At great political peril, George Ryan did the right thing.

At the end of a truly dismal week in his presidency, President Barack Obama remains lucky in one crucial category: his opposition.

The Internal Revenue Service and Benghazi stories may be consuming Washington, but in the rest of America, not so much.

Gov. Jerry Brown has renewed his push to eliminate the $700 million to $750 million a year business tax break known as enterprise zones, this time with the goal of using that money in ways that actually would stimulate economic development.

In the nation's socially conservative heartland, Minnesota voters were the first to reject a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which had passed in 30 states. Opponents of same-sex marriage had won every popular vote until then, including in California.

Abuse of power may be a bipartisan affliction, but what a pathetic scene this White House makes. Whether the scandals now besetting President Barack Obama's administration scuttle his second-term agenda or merely delay his plans, the bigger question is what all of this tells us about the size, scope and underlying legitimacy of our government today.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Benghazi scandal.

When Gov. Jerry Brown introduced the principle of "subsidiarity" as the basis for his public school local funding formula, my ears perked.

In response to The Bee's editorial ("Effort to muzzle SACOG could hurt entire region," April 27), we wanted to provide another perspective as elected officials.

Unable to match the salaries of private and some public utilities, California cannot retain enough skilled employees to maintain and operate its complex and vital water delivery system.

When it comes to California's veterans homes, I'm conflicted.

Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado is planning a run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination next year and also is pushing a ballot initiative to repeal California's prison realignment, in which certain low-level offenders are moved from the state prison system to county jails.

As the nation's top law enforcement official, Eric Holder is privy to all kinds of sensitive information. But he seems to be proud of how little he knows.

Note to GOP re Benghazi: Stop calling it Watergate, Iran-contra, bigger than both, etc. First, it might well be, but we don't know. History will judge. Second, overhyping will only diminish the importance of the scandal if it doesn't meet presidency-breaking standards. Third, focusing on the political effects simply plays into the hands of Democrats desperately claiming that this is nothing but partisan politics.

The Kings are staying in Sacramento. The decisive vote Wednesday by NBA owners is a hard-earned, comeback win that should make the entire city proud.

My daughter is getting married in July so I was out shopping for a mother-of-the-bride dress last weekend.

In the beginning, it was hard to tell which of the lovebirds was more passionate.

The twin revelations of the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative political organizations and, now, that the U.S. Justice Department was spying on the Associated Press – all in a few days – mean this: It is time to air the dirty laundry of this administration's intelligence and surveillance programs – and it is way past time for heads to roll in Washington.

With the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act set to take effect Jan. 1, we are about to transform the way people buy health insurance. At the heart of the reforms is a new social contract: healthy or not, everyone has the right to buy coverage and pay the same rate for it. With a strong majority of the public and political leaders in both parties supporting this concept, we have broad agreement that it is the right thing to do.

Protecting national security is one thing. Fishing expeditions that could intimidate and impede important watchdog reporting are another matter entirely.

Gov. Jerry Brown made a call for "prudence, not exuberance" in his revised May budget Tuesday. While Democrats in the Legislature call for more spending, Brown is taking the right stance given a one-time revenue surge as a result of tax changes, the slow economic recovery and major policy changes being contemplated in education funding.

Abel Maldonado couldn't get elected lieutenant governor when he ran against Gavin Newsom in 2010 and failed to dislodge Rep. Lois Capps from her Santa Barbara-area congressional seat in 2012.

Allowing noncitizens who are legal immigrants to serve on juries is a desirable reform in a society devoted to judgment by one's peers and juries that represent a cross-section of the community. Assembly Bill 1401, passed overwhelmingly by the California Assembly, would do just this, permitting legal immigrants, as well as U.S. citizens, to serve on juries.

Breaking news: Conservative organizations suddenly have found common cause with one of their favorite objects of contempt – the benighted Mainstream Media.