Dan Walters

More than $1 billion was spent on California political campaigns this year, but the outcome of this month's election was pretty much preserving the status quo.

Outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown has been honored by the Tax Foundation for opposing new tax loopholes. However, his record on tax reform otherwise has been scant.

Contests for down-ballot state offices don't get much media attention, but their winners will affect Californians' lives.

California's state government and its 58 counties have had a rocky relationship for decades and a new flareup may be coming.

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

The Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown enacted landmark legislation that eliminates cash bail for criminal defendants and substitutes a system of evaluating pre-trial flight risk. However, the legislation is just the opening salvo of a multi-front legal and political war over the issue.

Voter participation is the key to whether Democrats score big in California congressional races. Republicans hope a gas-tax repeal measure will lure GOP voters to save targeted seats.

A 2012 "reform" overseen by Gov. Jerry Brown reduced employers' costs of compensating workers for job-related disabilities, However, those costs are still very high relative to those in other states, and another round in the perpetual political war over the system will face Brown';s successor, almost certainly Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

With a strong economy, California has a very tight labor market with many jobs going unfilled. A low "workforce participation rate" and high housing costs that discourage migration exacerbate the worker shortage and could slow the state's economic growth.

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