Dan Walters

California may be the nation's richest state, but it also has the nation's highest level of poverty, thanks to its high cost of living, especially housing. However the political response has been tepid tokenism.

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

Inventor Gilbert Hyatt's decades-long battle with California tax authorities is flaring up again. Hyatt sought refuge in Nevada, which has no income tax, while California tax collectors say he owes them money.

Kevin de León, a state senator who wants to unseat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, won the endorsement last weekend of the state Democratic Party executive committee, but she enjoys strong support from Democratic voters and is still likely to win re-election in November.

California's education establishment is fighting a running battle with school reformers and civil rights groups over accountability for helping "at-risk" kids, and the battle will resume after voters elect a new governor and a new state schools superintendent.

California has a big stake in results from the 2020 federal census and is battling with the Trump administration over the details, especially a new question about citizenship. California officials fear that the state's population will be undercounted.

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

The North Coast Railroad Authority has consumed tens of millions of taxpayer dollars but never delivered on its promise to resurrect rail service north of San Francisco Bay. Finally, the Legislature is poised to abolish it.

Democrats are likely to regain their two-thirds "supermajority" in the state Assembly this year. Whether they also enjoy that dominance in the state Senate depends on the outcome of one contest in rural California.

California legislators passed a hastily drafted bill purporting to protect Californians' personal and financial data from exposure and exploitation. But it could run afoul of the law of unintended consequences.