Op-Eds

Saturday, May 20, 2023

 BY BILL DODD -- Sacramento Bee

In the history of mankind, no event looms larger in the furtherance of our sense of personal independence than the advent of the car.

Sunday, November 8, 2020

 

BILL DODD AND KAREN SMITH

BILL DODD IS A STATE SENATOR, AND KAREN SMITH IS A FORMER STATE HEALTH DIRECTOR.

November 8, 2020

What’s worse than a bad influenza season? A bad flu season on top of a pandemic.

Monday, September 21, 2020

Reflecting on the Delta, Delta Week 2020

By Senator Bill Dodd

It’s hard to overstate the importance of our Delta to the people of California. Not only is it the lifeblood of our water supply, critical for drinking and agriculture, but it supports a vibrant ecosystem in one of the largest estuaries in North America.

Keeping it healthy over the years amid environmental and human-caused challenges has been a priority of its many stewards including the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy and the Delta Protection Commission.

Friday, September 4, 2020

 

By Bill Dodd

Sep. 4, 2020

In California, nurse-midwives really deliver — to the tune of 50,000 babies a year. These unsung women’s health practitioners attend 10% of all births, providing mothers in mostly rural and typically poorer communities with excellent maternity care, all while saving millions on medical costs.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

 

Flatten the Curve

By Sen. Bill Dodd and Mayor Jill Techel (Napa Valley Register)

Coronavirus has brought unprecedented change to our community, forcing us to pause our normal lives.

Families are feeling the burdens of economic uncertainty as businesses shut down and workers stay home to stop the spread. Parents face the daunting challenge of home-schooling kids. And there is widespread fear about what infection could mean to loved ones.Sadly, our county recently suffered its first coronavirus death.

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

 

By Sen. Bill Dodd and Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan (Times~Herald)

We face unprecedented change in Vallejo as we pause our normal lives in response to coronavirus.

Economic uncertainty looms as businesses shut down and workers stay home to slow the spread. Parents experience the daunting challenge of home-schooling kids. And there is widespread fear about what infection could mean to loved ones. Sadly, Solano County recently suffered its first coronavirus deaths.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

By Sen. Bill Dodd (Winters Express)

Counting every Californian in the upcoming 2020 census is extremely important.

It determines where billions in federal dollars are spent for over 70 federal programs that pay for things across our state and in Yolo County like roads and schools.

At the same time, the census decides the number of seats states get in the House of Representatives and the allotment of electoral votes toward picking the president.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

By Sen. Bill Dodd (Davis Enterprise)

Anyone who’s ever noticed the same advertisements following them around the web knows their personal data is anything but private.

Companies collect information on all your online activities -- from the things you buy to your Google searches. They sell it to other businesses looking for clever ways to pitch you on more products – or worse.

Monday, July 15, 2019

By Sen. Bill Dodd and Sen. pro Tempore Toni Atkins (Vallejo Times-Herald)

As California enters peak fire season, we take stock of the horrific wildfire disasters that are less than a year old, and of the urgent actions Gov. Newsom and the Legislature have taken to ensure those disasters don’t happen again.

No one can predict the future, and wildfires will always be part of our natural landscape. At the same time, state leaders have taken aggressive steps to address the underlying causes of these fires even as we know we have much more work to do.

Monday, April 1, 2019

By Bill Dodd

(The Press Democrat, March 24, 2019)

The smell of smoke and the sound of sirens shouldn’t be the first indication to Californians that another wildfire is near. As we’ve seen in our own communities and, more recently, in Butte County, that approach has deadly consequences.