Angelika We just went through the last phase of the presidential primary elections here in the United States, while scratching our heads upon the fact that Donald Trump won the Republican mandate. At the same time, our California governor, Jerry Brown, has signed two different pieces of legislation, which many consider to be pretty progressive, compared to other states. One raises the minimum wage in California, currently at $10/hour, to $15 in 2022. Individual states can set the minimum wage independently, as long as it is higher than the federal minimum, which is $7.25/hour. Cities and counties in turn can ask for more than their state requires. In this way, the minimum wage in San Francisco currently is at $12.25/hour, starting July this year it is going up to $13, and will reach $15 in 2018, four years before the state sets this amount. The state of New York, always in an arms race with California, also decided to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour.

Another new bill signed by Jerry Brown enables women in California, regardless of age, to get access to birth control pills after a short consultation with the pharmacist, without requiring a prescription by a doctor. As reported on previously, in the U.S., pharmacies selling prescription drugs are often integrated with major drug store and supermarket chains. Similar laws covering access to birth control pills already exist in the States of Washington, Oregon, and Washington D.C.. The idea behind it is to avoid unwanted pregnancies. This might not sound spectacular, but in the traditionally rather prude and conservative U.S., the new law is a small sensation.

What's noteworthy about all this is how Jerry Brown used his pragmatism and negotiation skills to push through many democratic agenda items in California. This worked, because he cleverly took advantage of a democratic majority in the California State Senate -- compare that to Barack Obama, who totally missed out on this opportunity during his first term, by not acting while he still had a democratic majority in both chambers of Congress. Jerry Brown gives indeed hope that there's not only crazy polititians in this country playing to the gallery while producing nothing but hot air. Jerry Brown's term ends in 2018, and according to California law, he can't run for another one, as since 1990, California only allows two terms per governor, for a total of eight years. But by then, he'll be 80 years old, and might want to retire anyway.

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• More topics you might be interested in:

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  	The 800 Dollar Pimple Balm
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