Dan Walters

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at San Quentin State Prison announcing that the facility will be transformed to focus on training and rehabilitation on March 17, 2023. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

Newsom displays penchant for shiny new things on California tour

by Dan Walters March 26, 2023March 22, 2023

California Gov. Gavin Newson shunned a traditional State of the State address this month and instead toured the state to unveil new programs for social ills.

Commentary

Third time possibly the charm for Newsom’s campaign to limit oil profits

by Dan Walters March 22, 2023March 21, 2023

Zachary Yeates casts his ballot at a polling site at the California Museum in Sacramento on Nov. 7, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

Should California referendum law become harder to use?

by Dan Walters March 21, 2023March 21, 2023

App-based gig worker Terresa Mercado participates in a demonstration outside Los Angeles City Hall to urge voters to vote no on Proposition 22 in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, 2020. Photo by Mike Blake, Reuters

Commentary

After court ruling, California’s gig worker battle takes new turn

by Dan Walters March 20, 2023March 16, 2023

Students at Stege Elementary School in Richmond on Feb. 6, 2023. Photo by Shelby Knowles for CalMatters

Commentary

Marion Joseph’s literacy crusade for teaching phonics in California is paying off

by Dan Walters March 19, 2023March 15, 2023

A water release from the concrete gravity Pine Flat Dam built on the Kings River in Fresno County in 1967. The facility was completed in 1954 by and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which created one of the largest reservoirs in California. Photo by the California Department of Water Resources

Commentary

California’s ghostly Tulare Lake will be revived this year

by Dan Walters March 15, 2023March 22, 2023

People walk past a Silicon Valley Bank sign at the company's headquarters in Santa Clara on March 10, 2023. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is seizing the assets of Silicon Valley Bank, marking the largest bank failure since Washington Mutual during the height of the 2008 financial crisis. The FDIC ordered the closure of Silicon Valley Bank and immediately took position of all deposits at the bank Friday. Photo by Jeff Chiu, AP Photo

Commentary

Is Silicon Valley Bank’s failure an omen for California?

by Dan Walters March 14, 2023March 13, 2023

New housing construction in a neighborhood in Elk Grove on July 8, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

Commentary

California housing crisis unchanged by political efforts – so far

by Dan Walters March 13, 2023March 9, 2023

Students at Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School in San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2023. Photo by Shelby Knowles for CalMatters

Commentary

How can California help at-risk students close achievement gaps?

by Dan Walters March 12, 2023March 8, 2023

At right, Democratic State Senator Ben Allen, of Santa Monica, and State Senator Steve Glazer (left) confer during the Senate session at the Capitol in 2018. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Commentary

Will new California law curb pay-to-play in local governments?

by Dan Walters March 8, 2023March 7, 2023

Your California, explained.

Columnist Dan Walters unpacks events in California each week.