Commentary
Candidate comment: Private insurers are holding California homeowners hostage
As the insurance industry threatens to leave the state unless they get less regulation and higher rates, politicians make consumers pay.
No clear frontrunner for governor, but new poll names five with the best shot
A poll shows three Democrats and two Republicans have voter support percentages in the teens. The top two vote-getters in June will face off in November.
She spent six of her last years in arbitration with her HMO. Her husband’s still fighting the system
Arbitrators in medical disputes are supposed to be unbiased, but this couple suspected there is an incentive to favor HMO’s in arbitration.
A former political ally tests LA liberals’ allegiance to Mayor Karen Bass
Mayor Karen Bass isn't vulnerable on her right, but she may be on her left, as City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a Democratic Socialist and ex-supporter, runs against her.
California promised accountability for inmate deaths in jails. A year later, no results.
Lawmakers passed a law creating a state department to review inmate deaths, but it hasn’t completed a single death review in its first year.
Yousef Baig
California Voices Editor
Denise Amos
California Voices Deputy Editor
Dan Walters
Columnist
Jim Newton
Contributor
Pedro Rios
Contributor
Robert Greene
Contributor
Commentary
California politicians wrongly fixate on education spending instead of results
Gavin Newsom’s boast about per-pupil spending in a recent speech exemplifies the Capitol’s focus on money in its education debates, rather than results.
Commentary
Don’t blame California’s teachers for inflated grades. Look at school officials
UC-San Diego reports declines in freshman math skills despite rising grades in K-12 schools. Teachers say they're pressured to inflate grades.
Commentary
Homelessness crisis remains one of Newsom’s biggest political liabilities
Newsom recently boasted about a 9% drop in homelessness, yet there are still plenty of encampments critics could feature in attack ads should he run for president in two years.
Commentary
Californian mourns a childhood friend lost in a changing community
The Inglewood that raised Mike and Joshua has been gentrified. But a cemetery preserves Mike's grave and the memories of their childhood together.
Commentary
How Newsom’s presidential ambitions complicate his last budget as California governor
As both governor and a likely presidential candidate, Gavin Newsom's final state budget faces a political trap of his own making.
Commentary
California shouldn’t let oil companies rewrite refinery safety rules
Regulators will hold a hearing Jan. 15 at the OSHA Standards Board in Sacramento on changes that will weaken safety standards for refineries.
Commentary
Here’s how we can stop LA firestorms from happening again
To avoid repeating last year’s urban blaze, we should fund fire-safe homes and neighborhoods, but politicians often are paying to thin out forests far from urban settings.
Commentary
Candidate comment: California should make insurers cover homes if they insure cars or other items
Insurers sell auto insurance and other profitable products in California but choose to walk away from homeowners insurance when risk rises.
Commentary
Newsom’s final budget faces a litany of political and financial challenges
With a dead-on-arrival budget draft, deep differences over revenues, chronic deficits and pressure to offset cuts in federal aid, it’s hard to even find a starting point.