August 13, 2018

In probably the strangest outcome of California’s elections so far this year, a new state senator was sworn in Monday—with just three weeks left to go in the legislative session.

California still has the nation’s highest poverty rate when you take into account the state’s high cost of living. But the number of people living in poverty here has dropped since the beginning of the decade.

More than half the state’s health care budget will be spent on just 5 percent of its patients—and they’re not the sickest people. Officials are staging an intervention.

Legislators have the opportunity to end the isolation that limits California’s ability to quickly and affordably deploy renewable energy. They need to pass Assembly Bill 813. Or not.

State Controller Betty Yee and her husband were unfortunate victims of California’s lax attitude toward pot.

Your story on the Fair Political Practices Commission offered a welcome opportunity to look at our important role in the political process. However, it promulgated a major misconception. You mistake our caseload for a backlog. Cases come in and are either dismissed or acted upon. Then they’re out of the queue. The FPPC Enforcement Division received 124 complaints […]

Dams like humans have a lifespan. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is almost a century old. We need a rational, adult discussion on how to best store water safely in California.  Even “youthful” dams can pose a danger. The failure of Oroville Dam comes quickly to mind. One source noted that 90 California dams need major upgrades.  […]

The state Department of Motor Vehicles is being sharply and justifiably criticized for hours-long waits for service, but intervention by Gov. Jerry Brown's office blocked a study of DMV operations by the state auditor's office.

Realtors are funding an initiative on the November ballot that would give homeowners 55 and older a property tax break. Oddly, they’re already proposing a repeat for 2020.

CALmatters launches new forum for commentaries hosting a wide-range of perspectives on major issues for the state.