Dan Walters

Commentary

With dozens of candidates for the U.S. Senate and governor this year, handicapping the June 5 primary election is difficult. The biggest unknown is whether Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom will have the luxury of a Republican opponent in November, or will face fellow Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa.

By

Dan Walters

• May 17, 2018

Commentary

Jerry Brown once again shuns tax reform

Gov. Jerry Brown once again is warning about the heavy impact of recession on the state budget. However, he continues to shun reforming the state's tax system to reduce revenue volatility and therefore lessen the impact.

By

Dan Walters

• May 16, 2018

Commentary

Jerry Brown holds the line in last budget

Despite a surge of revenues, Gov. Jerry Brown holds the line on spending in his final budget. He says state overdue for recession and needs to build reserves to cushion impacts.

By

Dan Walters

• May 14, 2018

Commentary

Sometimes nice guys do finish first

California’s Republican elite – yes, Virginia, there was once such a thing – gathered in the Capitol on Dec. 15, 1980, to cast the state’s 45 presidential electoral votes for Ronald Reagan. After the formalities, attendees lingered in the state Senate chambers, savoring the moment and believing that Reagan’s election was a harbinger of their […]

By

Dan Walters

• May 13, 2018

Commentary

Brown’s inconsistent education policies

During his first stint as governor four decades ago, Jerry Brown exhibited a willingness to change his mind – or at least his position – on issues large and small at the drop of a hat. He implied that the trait was a virtue and evidence of a superior intellect, quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson’s aphorism, […]

By

Dan Walters

• May 10, 2018

Commentary

California’s economy now globe’s 5th largest

California was in a bragging mode last week because the state’s economy has climbed in global rankings to 5th place behind only the United States as whole, China, Japan and Germany. It’s a remarkable factoid, certainly, that one American state generated so much economic production – $2.7 trillion last year – that it could rank […]

By

Dan Walters

• May 9, 2018

Commentary

California sees slowing population growth

It’s time for some fun with numbers, dissecting a new state report on population trends. The big number is 39.8 million. That’s the state Department of Finance’s latest calculation of California’s population as of Jan. 1. It’s doubtless a little low, since California has a very large number of residents who fly below the official […]

By

Dan Walters

• May 7, 2018

Commentary

Internet purchases spark fight over sales taxes

Sales taxes, once the primary source of revenue for the state budget, now play second fiddle to income taxes. That said, sales taxes are still very important to local governments, particularly cities, and often affect local land use decisions – favoring tax-generating retail business over housing, for instance. However, consumer trends are changing, radically affecting […]

By

Dan Walters

• May 6, 2018

President Donald Trump points at the crowd during a rally.

Commentary

California again goes to war with Trump

It’s a game of three-cushion billiards, being played not in a dingy pool hall but in Donald Trump’s Washington, Jerry Brown’s Sacramento and in the executive suites of major automakers. Trump’s administration, answering pleas of auto executives, wants to roll back more stringent fuel efficiency standards promulgated during the final days of the predecessor Obama […]

By

Dan Walters

• May 3, 2018

Commentary

Political x-factors can cut both ways

We may assume that voters make their choices after carefully studying candidates and their positions on issues. That assumption lies at the heart of earnest efforts in news media and elsewhere to provide voters with as much objective information as possible. However, we also know that voters often make snap judgments based on ideological predispositions […]

By

Dan Walters

• May 2, 2018