Dan Walters

A new study found that spending $53 million on upgrading the reading skills of third graders had a positive effect. It's a lesson that politicians should heed.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that the state's economy is "booming" in a recent debate. A new report shows that it is actually slowing, and that the governor faces a huge budget problem as income tax revenues lag behind.

Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized Ohio Republicans for trying to change voting rules to thwart an abortion rights ballot measure, but he's doing the same thing to kill a business-backed measure making it more difficult to raise taxes.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faced off in a televised debate Thursday night. Those who opted for the Dallas vs. Seattle football game got a better show.

After months of long-distance exchanges, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will have a face-to-face debate on Thursday. Will it be a mature conversation or just more mudslinging?

While advocates of regulating prices for consumer services and commodities say the practice protects the public, there's a flip side of also protecting the the finances of those who provide the services.

Interstate 10 is one of the country's major coast-to-coast freeways and has iconic status in Southern California. A weekend fire not only damaged the freeway but once again made it the center of political attention.

Proposals to add specific topics to California public school curricula abound, but they take time away from basic academic skills that are already lagging.

San Francisco is hosting a massive economic conference of Pacific Rim nations this week and it has a lot riding on the outcome, as do those attending the APEC meeting.

Politicians love to promote new laws, programs and services but pay little attention to whether what they have wrought works as promised. The California Employment Development Department is a sad case in point, as a new CalMatters investigation details.