California Voices

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.

A citizen who bears the mark of a felony conviction poses no more of a threat to a jury than does any other citizen who has at some point lied, cheated, stolen, made a mistake, but has never been caught. And like those citizens, prospective jurors with a felony criminal history ought to be allowed to take part in jury selection, to help ensure that our juries reflect our citizenry.

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.

The Los Angeles Unified School District should stop subsidizing health insurance for retirees who are entitled to these federally funded insurances or subsidies. That money could be used to reduce class sizes, raise teachers' salaries, and hire more staff.

As Gavin Newsom begins the somber duty of declaring disasters, issuing statements of reassurance and condolences, and lowering the capitol flag to half-staff, here are some disruptive ideas for keeping the spirit of California up–ideas he may not hear from those around him responsible for putting out the day-to-day fires.

California oil regulators have issued more than 21,000 new drilling permits on Brown’s watch. Continued permitting is undermining California’s ability to meet its own climate goals and those of the Paris agreement. Will Newsom finally stop this drilling free-for-all?

Donald Trump's statements on immigration, gender equality, and the environment damaged the Republican brand in California. While many of us continued to work on solution- and people-oriented policies, a vocal minority of the Republican Party viewed Trump’s election as a reason to double down on his rhetoric.