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Jan 14, 2025 | 
city-countyobserver.com | Joe Wallace
Preparing Cities to Mitigate Wildfires: Lessons from Los AngelesBY JOE WALLACEJANUARY 15 2025Los Angeles, California, a sprawling metropolis known for its cinematic allure, is equally infamous for its susceptibility to wildfires. The devastating 2018 Woolsey Fire, which burned nearly 97,000 acres and destroyed over 1,600 structures, serves as a stark reminder of the challenges cities face in combating wildfires.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
city-countyobserver.com | Joe Wallace |Johnny Kincaid
The Rise and Fall of Fact Checkersby Joe Wallace City-County Observer ColumnistOver the past decade, the concept of “fact-checking” has evolved from a noble endeavor to a divisive practice, often viewed through a lens of political bias and censorship. Initially designed to combat misinformation in an era of rapid digital communication, fact-checkers were heralded as guardians of truth.
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Jan 12, 2025 | 
desertsun.com | Joe Wallace
As a young engineer in the early days of Silicon Valley’s technological boom, I had the privilege of being part of a team at Verbatim Corporation that developed and demonstrated the world’s first erasable optical disk. This innovation, later commercialized as the CD-ROM burner, revolutionized data storage.
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
city-countyobserver.com | Joe Wallace |Johnny Kincaid
Misplaced Priorities is Rampant in American Citiesby Joe Wallace, CCO Columnist, January 10, 2025In recent years, there has been growing public concern over how elected officials allocate taxpayer money. In Los Angeles, billions of dollars were poured into projects with questionable relevance while essential services, like the capacity to fight fires, were left underfunded.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
city-countyobserver.com | Joe Wallace
From DOGE to DOPE: A Tale of Government and Party EfficiencyDECEMBER 11, 2024In an age where acronyms reign supreme, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has captivated the hearts of efficiency enthusiasts and meme lords alike. With its noble mission to root out waste and introduce accountability into the labyrinth of government spending, DOGE has garnered respect (and a chuckle or two) for taking on the Herculean task of whipping bureaucracy into shape.
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Nov 9, 2024 | 
city-countyobserver.com | Joe Wallace
By JOE WALLACENOVEMBER 10, 2024Based on current population trends and projections leading up to the 2030 Census, several states are expected to experience changes in their representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. The source for this data and the calculations were found in the database of the Brennan Center for Justice.
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Oct 23, 2024 | 
city-countyobserver.com | Joe Wallace
And To The Republic For Which It StandsBY JOE WALLACEAs the 2024 presidential election heats up, discussions surrounding political ideologies like fascism, democracy, and dictatorship are becoming more frequent. Understanding these terms is essential to grasping the nature of governance and how they apply—or don’t apply—to the United States.
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Oct 21, 2024 | 
cbre.com | Joe Wallace
Future CitiesBy: Joe Wallace, President of Advisory Services, Northern California3 Minute Read Creator City Our Take is CBRE’s monthly newsletter, delivering unique insights into today’s most pressing topics. Learn More There’s a magic about San Francisco, an aura surrounding it that pulls you into its orbit, as if the gravity of its 47 square miles is slightly more powerful than other places. It has one-fifth the office space of Manhattan and one-twelfth the population of Los Angeles County.
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Oct 14, 2024 | 
city-countyobserver.com | Joe Wallace |Johnny Kincaid
In recent years, the United States has experienced an unsettling and persistent trend of political polarization, a force that is unraveling the social and political fabric of the nation. While political differences have always existed in the U.S., the division between opposing parties has grown sharper, more antagonistic, and seemingly insurmountable.
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Sep 26, 2024 | 
city-countyobserver.com | Joe Wallace
Recent reports of Haitian immigrants relocating to midwestern cities have sparked a complex debate about immigration policies and local communities’ capacities to support large influxes of newcomers. Unfortunately, the narratives surrounding these relocations often focus on negative stories, including accusations of crime and culturally unfamiliar behaviors, leading to a perception of Haitians as disruptive to the social fabric.
