My California: The Alpha State newspaper column this week is about the 50th anniversary of the Economic Union and why the EU will never really rival the United States. I admit to being unabashedly patriotic and hope you enjoy the column.

I also encourage you to listen to this week’s California: The Alpha State radio interview. My guest this weekend is Mark Schneipp, Executive Director of the California Economic Forecast on to discuss the economic conditions in California and throughout the nation, what’s happening in the housing market and how it will impact you and demographic trends in California and what they mean to those of us who already live here.

Each week I do a second column, column, This Week in Politics and Policy , with a quick overview of what’s happened in the state in the past week. I also do a radio version of the column, which you might enjoy.

Thank you and have a terrific weekend!