We’ve made some New Year’s resolutions — for other people
Here are just a few ways the rich and powerful, and regular folks too, can make 2023 better
We mark the start of a new year by observing old traditions and also creating new ones (or at least hoping to do so) that make our lives better or easier: being a better friend, volunteering for a charitable cause, practicing patience or, perhaps, finally starting that new project.
Editorial board members are making individual resolutions this year, but we also cooked up some 2023 resolutions for other people, notably public figures and politicians, who have the clout to make the world a better place.
For world leaders: Recognize the imperative of acting quickly against global warming. After strengthening emissions-cutting pledges at home, come together at the next United Nations climate summit to replace the weak and insufficient call for a “phasedown of unabated coal power” with an agreement to swiftly phase out all fossil fuels.
For American motorists: Replace gas-fueled cars and appliances with zero-emission models. Thanks to a raft of new tax credits and other incentives taking effect in 2023 under the Inflation Reduction Act, it will be easier than ever for people to switch to electric cars, heat pumps, water heaters and stoves that are more efficient and better for the planet.
For Rick Caruso: Match the $100 million he spent trying to win the race for mayor of L.A. with a donation to help build housing for the homeless.
For Kylie Jenner, Taylor Swift, Drake and the other jet-setters: Cut back on private plane travel. Not only are these trips terrible for the warming planet — private jet flights are on average 10 times more carbon intensive than commercial flights — they also bathe the neighborhoods around Van Nuys and Santa Monica airports, major hubs of private jets, in unhealthy pollution.
For Kevin de León: Put aside ego and resign from the City Council. Of the power brokers caught on a leaked audiotape making racist and divisive comments, De León is the only person still in his job. He has lost the trust of the public and his fellow council members and cannot effectively represent his district.
For Californians: Continue to support housing, housing and more housing. During the last election, voters largely backed pro-housing ballot measures to fund affordable housing developments, and some communities rejected measures to limit housing development. That’s good. California still needs to build a lot more homes to bring down prices and ease the affordability crisis.
For Donald J. Trump: Suspend his 2024 presidential campaign, after realizing that he will need to focus all his energy — and fortunes — on fending off lawsuits and avoiding indictment by federal prosecutors for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection.
For Congress: Come up with a plan for young immigrant “Dreamers” to stay legally in the United States permanently, as supported by a majority of Americans in poll after poll. Pass a law to keep daylight saving time year round. Californians supported an end to the biennial switching of the clocks with the passage of Proposition 7 on the 2018 ballot.
For Los Angeles County: Set a timeline for closing Men’s Central Jail. After years of empty talk and no progress, the county supervisors and the new sheriff, Robert Luna, should begin a process for moving thousands of people out of the decrepit and dangerous facility.
For Elon Musk: Take a yearlong break from social media and spend time backpacking and reading poetry, after appointing a smart, sane person to take over leadership of Twitter before the platform implodes.
For Angelenos: Stop dumping fast-food wrappers and cups in street gutters and take a minute to find a trash bin. The streets aren’t going to clean themselves, and the sanitation department is currently down about 900 workers, according to Mayor Karen Bass.
For Gov. Gavin Newsom: Sign a bill passed by the Legislature to allow cities and counties, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, to open safe drug consumption sites as one strategy to address the ongoing problem of fatal overdoses.
For Mother Nature: Bless the southwestern United States — California in particular — with slightly above normal rainfall in 2023, spread out in manageable allotments throughout the year, supplemented by cold weather to keep the snowpack in place through the winter and early spring, to replenish aquifers and watersheds, and deter wildfires.
For Justice Clarence Thomas: Help restore public confidence in the Supreme Court by recusing himself from hearing Jan. 6 insurrection cases involving his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas.
For California lawmakers: File fewer, more meaningful bills this year. Among the legislation they should prioritize: putting a constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot to fix the state’s undemocratic recall rules, reining in the oil companies’ ability to profit from gouging motorists and addressing the myriad problems with the state’s cannabis market.
For Vladimir Putin: Cut Russia’s losses and withdraw unconditionally from Ukraine before another bloody winter.