California Voices

Viewpoints from across California

A group of five people, dressed in professional attire, sit on chairs on a stage in front of a crowd, with a banner behind them reading “Governor Candidate Forum.” Four of the five people sitting on stage have their hands up to answer the question while a crowd of people watches in the dark.

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.

By Dan Walters

A person in medical protective clothing, wearing a face mask and a hair net, pushes a hospital gurney through a hallway inside a hospital, viewed from an open door.

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.

By Stephen Martinez

Two people face each other as they speak: the person on the left has a happy expression and her arm to her chest, while the person on the right wears a grey suit jacket and glasses. Both people are standing in a park area on a sunny day. In the background is a fence to a baseball field.

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.

By Jim Newton

A close-up view of a person's hand holding a sign that reads "We wants answers! No more deaths!" and they stand at the front steps of a building surrounded by other people holding signs.

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.

By David Myers

A view of a car in the foreground passing in front of a billboard in a city, depicting a person on a laptop working, reads “Put AI Agents to Work For People.”

Commentary

California’s AI employment laws look tough, but they leave workers exposed

If an algorithm denies someone a job, demotes or fires them, the harm is immediate. It’ll take months, or years, to determine if bias was involved.

By Alberto Rocha • March 23, 2026

Commentary

It’s supposed to be a race for governor, but candidates and voters seem disengaged

Two Republican candidates are leading the pack of 10 main candidates for governor, while lukewarm Democratic support is split eight ways.

By Dan Walters • March 20, 2026

Traffic on Highway 50 in Sacramento on June 30, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

If California forces state workers to commute, it passes up $225 million in savings. Can we afford that?

State workers must go to offices four days a week starting July 1. But if lawmakers let them telework, they’d save on gas and reduce carbon emissions.

By Wasim Ali • March 20, 2026

A person in a kitchen at a fast-food restaurant prepares a meal, while in the foreground, four trays sit on a counter.

Dan Walters

California’s $20 fast food wage yields higher prices, fewer jobs, more automation

UC - Santa Cruz found fewer jobs and worker hours, but more order kiosks, mobile apps and AI drive-through ordering systems at CA eateries.

By Dan Walters • March 19, 2026

A person wearing glasses and a light-colored blazer speaks into a handheld microphone onstage, smiling slightly while gesturing with one hand. The dark background and focused lighting isolate the speaker, highlighting their expression and the conversational tone of the moment.

Commentary

Labor unions’ influence in LA mayor’s race is harder to predict this year

As Mayor Karen Bass vies to keep her seat, she has a liberal opponent and a more complicated relationship with some labor leaders.

By Jim Newton • March 19, 2026

A black-and-white portrait shows a person facing the camera with a calm, steady expression. They wear a collared shirt under a jacket, and strong directional lighting casts shadows on the wall behind them

Commentary

To many people, César Chávez had become ‘too big to fail’

Many of the women who had dedicated themselves to the farmworker movement were overlooked or driven out by César Chávez's corrosive behavior.

By Matt Garcia • March 19, 2026

Pixley water tower rises above a residential street lined with parked cars and single-story homes under a lightly clouded sky

Commentary

Small California communities deserve protection from big polluting manufacturers

Lawmakers passed exemptions for advanced manufacturing in CEQA, the state’s main environmental law. Now they should plug some of those holes.

By Beverly Whitfield and Christina Velazquez • March 18, 2026

The back of an elementary-aged student as they look at a colorful phonetic alphabet hung up on a wall inside a classroom.

Commentary

California lawmakers weigh statewide plan to be accountable for closing student achievement gaps

The four-bill plan calls for a "comprehensive statewide strategy with clear goals, measurable benchmarks and annual performance targets."

By Dan Walters • March 18, 2026

A low, ground-level view looks along a damaged stretch of roadway where crews in safety gear work to repair the surface. A compact construction vehicle and scattered equipment line the site, while traffic cones and barriers mark the work zone against a backdrop of coastal mountains and light haze.

Commentary

The $500 Million Lesson: California needs a new plan to protect Highway 1

Mudslides closed California's iconic coastal route in recent years, costing hundreds of millions of dollars in lost business, tourism and taxes.

By Stafford Nichols • March 18, 2026

A row of eight chimneys remain standing amongst the debris of a neighborhood destroyed by the Tubbs Fire. The city of Santa Rosa is in the background, along with burned-down trees, in the foreground, debris and a burned vehicle on the street.

Commentary

When home insurance fails, California’s families and communities feel the fallout

Homes that lose coverage can become un-mortgageable. Property values decline. Communities that stood for decades begin to be hollowed out.

By Marcella Cranford • March 17, 2026