California Voices

Viewpoints from across California

A graduate in cap and gown holds a bouquet of flowers while posing with an older man wearing a light-colored hat and sunglasses. The two stand together smiling in a crowded outdoor graduation venue, with other attendees visible in the background.

Immigration raids have made skin color top of mind for a new generation of California Latinos

As immigration agents conduct roving patrols, a Cal State Fullerton student reflects on the racial profiling her father experienced and how it inspires her to correct the narrative.

By Priscilla Preciado

Two people ride a bicycle and an electric bicycle in opposite directions on a paved path through a park.

Making e-bikes safer in California is smart. Smothering this new technology is not

Lawmakers in Sacramento introduced a flurry of bills this year targeting e-bike safety. Thankfully, the ones that risked undermining their adoption have been tossed out.

By Paul Thornton

A voter hands paperwork to an election worker seated at a check-in table inside a polling place while another voter fills out paperwork in the foreground.

California ponders a fundamental question: Should voting be easier or harder?

This year offers a series of opportunities for Californians to consider their voting principles and whether they should enlarge or constrain participation.

By Jim Newton

An electric school bus is charging at Grant Union High School in Sacramento on July 20, 2023. The chargers are bidirectional, which means they can feed power back to the electric grid. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

California schools are the nation’s most segregated, despite voluntary busing programs

After decades of voluntary desegregation, California schools have grown more segregated, not less. District boundaries are a major reason.

By Vesta Kassayan

A wide view of a refinery location on a clear day with various structures, including distillation columns, as smoke is released into the air. The refinery can be seen from a body of water, in the foreground of the frame, surrounded by reed and other vegetation.

Commentary

Aging oil refineries don’t need more public dollars. California should let them retire

The state has made billions of dollars in concessions for refineries, but that may not be enough to avoid their retirement. Some are more than 100 years old.

By Ranjit Deshmukh • July 24, 2026

People walk among rows of vendor tents at a community event in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park, with downtown Los Angeles visible in the background.

Commentary

Safer, cleaner MacArthur Park still struggles. Will closing a major Los Angeles boulevard make a difference?

MacArthur Park, once a symbol of Los Angeles, is plagued by drugs. The city is reviving it, but Wilshire Boulevard slashes the park in half.

By Jim Newton • July 23, 2026

A low-angle photo of an inmate in an orange jumpsuit with their hands cuffed behind them, being escorted by a correctional officer holding an envelope down a prison corridor with concrete walls and windows along the walls and inmates in the background.

Commentary

Californians have a right to know about 911 calls from ICE detention centers

Most immigrant detention centers are privately run and shrouded in secrecy. A bill would make records of 911 calls from the centers public.

By Paloma Esquivel • July 22, 2026

The CalPERS headquarters building in Sacramento is seen from the side with a row of tables set underneath a patio area near grass.

Commentary

Why California’s AI transparency law for state government use was destined to fail

California's attempt to make state government use of AI more transparent was an interesting experiment, but ended in failure, as many experts and watchdogs warned.

By Victoria Copeland and Stevie Glaberson • July 21, 2026

A close-up shot of a prison guards hands wearing blue latex gloves as they unlock a metal gate door lock with a ket. In the background is a prisoner in a white shirt and shorts with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

Commentary

California courts must address the racial bias in death penalty sentencing

In May, the California Supreme Court ruled that a suit by public defenders to confront apparent racial bias in death penalty sentencing could proceed.

By Priscilla Ocen • July 20, 2026

Electric vehicle chargers in a row on the curb of a sidewalk in the parking lot of an apartment complex. In the background is an iron fence with an apartment building behind it.

Commentary

To lower building costs, California wrongly takes aim at EV chargers for new apartments

A laudable bill seeking to reduce building costs for affordable housing would reduce access to EV chargers for those who need them most.

By Michelle Pierce • July 17, 2026

A person wearing a floral top sits in a row of seats, looking at a packet of papers, while a laptop rests on their lap, with other people nearby also using laptops.

Commentary

A reporter’s work on unsafe jails shows why California shouldn’t weaken its public records law

Giving agencies more time to fill records requests would likely delay families getting details on how their loved ones died in custody.

By David Myers • July 16, 2026

A smartphone displays the Kalshi app listing in the Apple App Store while resting on a laptop keyboard.

Commentary

What Californians could lose betting on life through prediction markets

Prediction markets are becoming mainstream. But when people bet on an election or a public crisis, it becomes easier to ignore the human stakes.

By William Lu • July 15, 2026

A firefighter wearing yellow protective gear and a helmet walks through a smoky forest, surrounded by tall trees and scattered branches. The scene is hazy with smoke.

Commentary

California is making progress on fire prevention. Federal retreat, shaky funding put it at risk

California set an ambitious target to reduce wildfire hazards each year, and is making real progress. Preserving that momentum as federal partnerships fade and state funding declines is crucial.

By Bradley Franklin and Kyle Greenspan • July 15, 2026