Commentary
Key conflicts roil California’s ever-evolving waterscape
How the state's water supplies are divvied up over the next few years could shift them from agriculture to urban use and environmental enhancement.
Spencer Pratt wants to be LA’s next mayor. His tell-all book won’t help him
In his memoir, Pratt describes himself as selfish, undisciplined and unprincipled. He deflects blame, squanders fortunes and complains a lot.
How the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling could affect California’s gerrymandered districts
The High Court's decision guts the Voting Rights Act’s impetus to draw districts so non-white ethnic groups get congressional representation.
We can’t ‘restore’ American history by flagging Native American books
Pres. Donald Trump is pressuring Redwood National and State Parks to tag tribally-centered books and material critical of American history.
Billionaires aren’t going to flee California. Others will without a budget fix
The idea that billionaires will flee California over a proposed wealth tax is bunk. Still, the ballot initiative is only a Band-Aid, and impedes a more serious conversation about the state's deeper fiscal problems.
Yousef Baig
California Voices Editor
Denise Amos
California Voices Deputy Editor
Dan Walters
Columnist
Jim Newton
Contributor
Pedro Rios
Contributor
Robert Greene
Contributor
George B. Sánchez-Tello
Contributor
Commentary
California can fix the bad math of new motherhood
Being a pregnant woman in California, in America, is fraught. I don’t feel supported, even as our society romanticizes motherhood. That's why Senate Bill 135 by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson is so critical. It would expand our family leave laws to cover nearly all workers in California.
Capitol
This legislation would pry open hard-to-find government data
Good government is open, clear government. Citizens who are not accountants also should be able to easily read government financial documents. Senate Bill 598 encourages the adoption of a readily accessible digital reporting standard. Legislators should approve it.
Commentary
Newsom must now deliver on promises
Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised action on a wide range of societal ills, but now must deliver.
Commentary
California can help provide opportunity for its heartland. Here’s how
Stockton did not fall behind by accident. Years of redlining, tax structures that undercut development and missed opportunities led to California's fragmented economy. It doesn’t have to be this way. One way we can spur a resurgence of economic prosperity is to use a new tax incentive called opportunity zones.
Commentary
New currents of cooperation on California’s wicked water problems
Difficult negotiations on how to efficiently and fairly share water among farmers, cities including San Francisco, and fish and wildlife have been underway since 2012 with little resolution in sight—until last month. With the leadership of the Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration, representatives of farmers, cities and conservation groups are having productive negotiations.
Commentary
Big Tobacco and e-cigarette companies should help clean up their mess
California has struggled to cut cigarette butt litter for decades. But with the rise in popularity of small cigars with plastic filters and e-cigarettes, the waste problem is getting worse.
Commentary
LA Unified: A gang that can’t shoot straight
Los Angeles Unified School District wants voters to approve a new tax, but it's undermining its pitch by incompetent—or duplicitous—actions.
Commentary
Storage is essential for California to achieve 100% green energy without blackouts
California can’t keep the lights on if we don’t have enough power available to meet demand at peak times, like in the evening when folks get home from work. The state has nowhere near enough storage to handle the thousands of megawatts of new renewable energy that will be coming down the pike.
Commentary
Demography is California’s destiny
Demography is destiny, and California is experiencing it right now. One consequence is a relative decline in political influence.