California Voices

Bob Dornin, Goleta The Coastal Commission, represented by the California Attorney General, finalized a settlement of years’ long litigation with Hollister Ranch in December 2017. The Legislature intervened in the last minutes of the legislative session by passing Assembly Bill 2534. That was an inappropriate attempt to undermine a settlement, and I urge Gov. Jerry […]

One way or another, everyone feels the impact of wildfires: ratepayers being asked to help shoulder the costs of wildfires; people hundreds of miles away from the flames coping with worsened air quality; and others who compete for housing with those who have lost theirs. How the Legislature addresses intensifying wildfires is one of the most pressing issues.

Reaching Gov. Jerry Brown's goal of a carbon-neutral California would require massive expenditures on the electrical grid and for zero-emission vehicles.

Proposition 5 would give homeowners who move a property tax break. Pro: Proposition 5 would help ease the state’s shortage of housing by encouraging more turnover of single-family homes in existing neighborhoods. Con: Proposition 5 would take upward of $1 billion a year away from crucial local services like fire protection.

Those who boast of California's economic prosperity ignore the 16 million Californians who are living in poverty or near-poverty.

Too many vulnerable people are trapped in crowded hospital emergency rooms who didn’t need to be there. The emergency room revolving door isn’t helping them, and it’s putting other critical patients at risk.

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

Californians would see a minor decrease in gas prices at the pump if voters approve Proposition 6 and repeal the gasoline tax. But aside from this small change, the only other immediate effect would be the continued poor quality of the roads servicing the agricultural areas of our state.

During his second governorship, Brown's displayed a penchant for appointing old friends and trusted aides to powerful and/or well-paying state positions.

Our rural neighborhood has been overrun by marijuana growers. Too many of them seem to have little regard for our canyon’s beauty. They run heavy equipment, do unpermitted grading on steep slopes, and run heavy water tanker trucks on our narrow road.