Dan Walters

The current state budget is already billions of dollars in the hole. When Gov. Gavin Newsom reveals his revised proposal in a month, it's not likely to be a pretty picture.

What happened last week in California’s most populous county and its largest city exemplifies the intergovernmental tensions that spill out into public view during debates over the state's top issues.

Gavin Newsom's new plan to reform career education is a to-do list for his successor and more polishing of his resume should he run for president.

Democratic big-money donors wait to see if former Vice President Kamala Harris will run for governor, which could thin out a crowded primary contest in June.

The dynamics of California's Capitol haven't changed much in the last 50 years. In fact, many conflicts from 1975 can still be found in bills this year.

Los Angeles' leaders got plenty of warnings they've been overspending for years. Now they're using January's fires to seek a state bailout.

As lawmakers debate whether transgender athletes can play sports, they're missing a more widespread education issue — low test scores, especially in reading.

California’s governors and legislators have a number of irritating habits, but the worst is their tendency to enact sweeping programs or policy decrees without weighing the risks.

Given the expected decline in gas sales under California's zero-emission vehicle mandates, the politics for implementing a new revenue source will be as thorny as the gas tax has been for 102 years.

President Trump's crackdown on DEI means campuses like UC Davis have stopped making faculty applicants submit statements describing their diversity efforts.