Dan Walters

An illuminated gas station price sign displays the cost of regular, plus, and premium gasoline for cash and credit. The bright digital numbers stand out against a dark background.

Commentary

As gas prices soar, California’s new carbon emission rules prompt a war of words

With some California gas prices topping $5 a gallon, anything that pushes prices even higher, like emissions crackdowns, will become a political football.

By Dan Walters • March 12, 2026

A green casino card table with labeled betting areas, surrounded by black padded chairs in an expansive cardroom. The room features multiple tables, overhead lights, digital displays, and a chandelier in the background, creating a lively gaming atmosphere.

Commentary

California’s tribal casinos trample smaller cardrooms with new regulations

The tribes with casinos guard their gambling dominance with political clout gained from lavish contributions to political campaigns.

By Dan Walters • March 11, 2026

Candidates stand at podiums on stage during a televised debate titled “The Race for California Governor,” while moderators sit at a desk to the side and an audience watches from the theater seating.

Commentary

Now that we know who’s running for governor, here’s what happens next

Ten candidates will appear on the June 2 ballot, but only two can move on. Which two? None of the candidates got more than 14% support in a recent poll.

By Dan Walters • March 10, 2026

Construction workers guide a large prefabricated building section labeled “WINDOW” as it is lifted by a yellow crane inside a factory or warehouse. The module rests on a flatbed truck while workers in hard hats and safety vests move around it.

Commentary

Californians despair about high cost of living. This housing can help

Factory-built housing could bring down construction and housing costs in California, which has the highest cost of living in the country.

By Dan Walters • March 6, 2026

Rows of yellow voting marking devices while voters fill out their ballots at a polling place inside Assumption Church in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles on March 3, 2020. Photo by Kyle Grillot, Reuters

Commentary

Democratic angst and gerrymandering threaten California’s political reforms

California Democratic leaders likely won't want to keep the top-two primary system or the independent redistricting commission after this year.

By Dan Walters • March 5, 2026

A large group of people hold signs and march outside a building during a protest. A person wearing a Monopoly man mask, and holding a sign with a visual of a money bill and the face of a politician on it, stands out among the crowd.

Commentary

California businesses and left-leaning groups clash on the ballot and in court

This year's contests of businesses versus liberal groups include corporate and wealth tax proposals and requirements for greenhouse gas emission reports.

By Dan Walters • March 4, 2026

A white train in makes it's way down train tracks towards a station with a person waiting. The San Francisco skyline can be seen in the background.

Commentary

Los Angeles and Bay Area voters will decide whether to hike already high sales taxes

San Franciscans will consider a percentage point increase in the sales tax while Bay Area and LA-area voters will be asked for a half a percentage point.

By Dan Walters • March 3, 2026

A person wearing glasses and a black jacket stands in front of a wooden podium, speaking into a microphone, during a press conference at the site of a wildfire, as tractors work behind them, moving debris. Other people surround them, all wearing construction helmets and safety vests.

Commentary

LA Mayor Karen Bass deflects blame, adds insult to injury for wildfire victims

The Los Angeles Times reports Mayor Bass has been pressuring fire officials to soften or downplay findings in reports about the city's wildfire response.

By Dan Walters • February 27, 2026

A close-up view of a student as they write on a whiteboard as an instructor watches in a classroom with brightly colored decorations. The student uses a marker to write math equations as the students watch and learn.

Commentary

California’s reading reforms drive push for better math skills in early grades

Some of the supporters of the phonics curriculum California adopted last year are now urging statewide math screening for young students.

By Dan Walters • February 25, 2026

A classroom full of high school students sits facing a whiteboard and projected slide titled “Algal bloom” during a biology lesson. The teacher, wearing a mask and cap, stands at the front of the room gesturing toward the board. Students take notes on laptops and notebooks, with posters and educational materials visible on the walls.

Commentary

Californians finally get a guide to deciphering state’s school data dashboard

A nonprofit created a reader-friendly explainer of California school district ratings, a decade after the state created its confusing data dashboard.

By Dan Walters • February 24, 2026