Dan Walters

California's two major parties are becoming more polarized, leaving middle-of-the-road Californians without representation. Two new organizations, however, are trying to change that.

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

The Legislature has now made it quasi- legal for state legislators to live outside their districts and one who had been prosecuted has been pardoned by Gov. Jerry Brown

Democrats enjoy political control of California, but are splitting into three factions that struggle for power within the party.

How California deals with the financial consequences of this year's devastating wildfires will set a pattern for what Gov. Jerry Brown calls "the new abnormal."

School reform advocates pumped big money into two statewide campaigns this year but lost both as the education establishment's preferred candidates won the governorship and the superintendency of public instruction. Now the "Equity Coalition" must decide to continue their drive for structural change or back off.

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

The state government's budget situation is quite rosy, as Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor points out. But school districts are facing a financial squeeze as enrollment drops and costs, especially pension costs, rise.

President Donald Trump said he wanted this month's election to be a referendum on him and in California, it certainly was, leading to a massive Democratic sweep.

This year's votes are still being counted in California, but political pros are looking to 2020 and the state's earlier presidential primary. A flock of would-be candidates could make California a player.