Guest Commentary

Commentary

California faces its biggest call to action yet as climate-powered disasters worsen

After 2025 began with the deadly Los Angeles fires and a new presidential administration hostile to many environmental policies, this is California’s big call to act on climate.

By Mary Creasman and Mike Young • February 5, 2025

Commentary

The most meaningful reform LA County can make post-fires is to its sprawling government

Los Angeles County has 88 sub-county governments and more than 140 unincorporated areas. This maze of jurisdictional responsibility makes dealing with pressing regional challenges so much harder.

By Nils Gilman • February 4, 2025

Commentary

AI is already harming our children. Are California lawmakers going to do something?

Artificial intelligence tools known as companion chatbots have been rushed to market and used by children, leading to widespread reports of harm. After the catastrophe with social media, are lawmakers going to stand by again as another generation gets hurt?

By Robert Fellmeth • January 30, 2025

Commentary

Californians made it clear they want a different approach to addiction and homelessness

Instead of pushing harm reduction strategies to reduce drug overdoses, a county district attorney believes a recently approved ballot measure, Proposition 36, strikes the right balance to break the cycles fueling addiction and homelessness.

By Vern Pierson • January 27, 2025

Commentary

Wealth will dictate LA fire recovery unless California learns from mistakes of past disasters

The Los Angeles-area fires reveal a harsh truth: Recovery isn’t the same for everyone. Wealthier communities will turn to private resources, while working-class neighborhoods in Altadena will face immense barriers to rebuilding and recovery.

By Tunua Thrash-Ntuk • January 17, 2025

Commentary

How California could benefit if Trump actually dissolved the Education Department

Much of the attachment to the U.S. Department of Education is misplaced, argues a California policy advocate and former state superintendent candidate.

By Lance Christensen • January 16, 2025

Commentary

In LA’s darkest moment, the light of tireless Angelenos providing aid, food shines bright

Amidst the destruction in LA, there are glimmers of hope, too. Angelenos everywhere have heard the call for aid and stepped up in remarkable, even miraculous ways.

By Sean Beckner-Carmitchel and Mel Buer • January 14, 2025

Commentary

If California actually wants to lead on AI, it can’t let 3 companies hog the infrastructure

In California's high-profile bill to regulate artificial intelligence last year, many people overlooked a policy dubbed "CalCompute," which would have made the essential infrastructure for developing AI more publicly accessible. Lawmakers can't let this idea fade with a governor's veto.

By Natalie Foster • January 6, 2025

Commentary

Waiting in silence: How California’s first media center inside a women’s prison came to life

The creation this year of a media center inside the Central California Women’s Facility, which culminated in the launch of the Paper Trail, has finally given a voice to the women who have long been an afterthought in the state's prison system.

By Jesse Vasquez • December 30, 2024

Commentary

Why mountain meadows should be a priority for California’s new climate bond

More than half of California's Sierra meadows have been degraded or lost. Given their vital role assisting with water storage, carbon sequestration and providing a habitat to wildlife, investments from the newly passed Proposition 4 could boost ongoing restoration work.

By Ryan Burnett • December 26, 2024