Dan Walters

Light snow falls as Sean de Guzman, right, Manager of the California Department of Water Resources Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit, left, Jordan Thoennes, Water Resources Engineer in Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit, and center, Jacob Kollen, Water Resources Engineer in Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit, conduct the measurement phase of the fourth media snow survey of the 2023 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Photo by Kenneth James, California Department of Water Resources

Commentary

Rollercoaster weather shows why California needs better infrastructure for wetter years

California could see another very wet winter, or it might not. The unpredictability proves that the state should be building infrastructure to handle climate swings.

By

Dan Walters

• January 18, 2024

A poster explains ways to file for unemployment insurance benefits, as job seekers look for work at the JobTrain employment office in Menlo Park. Photo by Paul Sakuma, AP Photo

Commentary

California’s unemployment insurance fund has a stubborn multibillion-dollar problem

California's Employment Development Department got a much-deserved black eye for mismanaging unemployment insurance benefits during the pandemic. There's a lingering aspect to the meltdown, and it could cost the state billions.

By

Dan Walters

• January 17, 2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses the media during a press conference unveiling his 2024-25 January budget proposal at the Secretary of State Auditorium in Sacramento on Jan. 10, 2025. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

Will Gavin Newsom confront California’s structural budget problems or leave them to his successor?

California faces the prospect of ongoing, multibillion-dollar gaps for the remainder of Gavin Newsom's term as governor. Will he solve the underlying problems or leave them for his successor?

By

Dan Walters

• January 16, 2024

Bridgette Donald-Blue helps her students read a mathematical question from their notebooks inside her classroom at Coliseum Street Elementary in Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 2023. Students in the first, second and third grade are taught mathematics under the guidance and support of Donald-Blue, who was recently awarded the California Teacher of the Year award. Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

Commentary

California’s budget deficit will test if school spending is the key to achievement

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's new budget and the Legislature's budget analyst have widely differing estimates of the state's revenues and deficit. That means they also diverge on how much money should go to the state's schools.

By

Dan Walters

• January 12, 2024

Commentary

California has a budget deficit, but there’s disagreement about how big. Who’s right?

Gavin Newsom says California faces a $37.9 billion budget deficit while the Legislature's budget analyst says there's a $68 billion gap. Who's right?

By

Dan Walters

• January 10, 2024

Andrew McDowell, a small business owner of With Love Market & Cafe, makes sure the food section is fully stocked in Los Angeles, on August 4, 2021. According to McDowell, it has been a difficult task to keep his business in full operation due to the pandemic and a lack of financial assistance from the government. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

Commentary

California’s worker shortage has quickly become another existential issue

California has plenty of existential issues. A chronic shortage of workers may have joined the list as public and private employers scramble to fill open positions.

By

Dan Walters

• January 10, 2024

Steve Garvey attends the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium on June 2, 2023.

Commentary

Republican Steve Garvey has a chance to play spoiler in California’s Senate race

The contest to succeed the late Dianne Feinstein in the U.S. Senate had been a three-way duel among Democrats. However, a Republican, former baseball star Steve Garvey, could finish second in the March 5 primary.

By

Dan Walters

• January 9, 2024

Commentary

Would California spend billions of extra dollars to improve the wellbeing of its children?

A new scorecard gives California low marks when it comes to the wellbeing of its youth, and calls for spending billions of extra dollars to improve their outlook.

By

Dan Walters

• January 8, 2024

The Port of Los Angeles on Oct. 2, 2021. Photo by Ted Soqui, Sipa USA via AP Photo

Commentary

How California’s vital twin ports could become uncompetitive in cutthroat global trade

Southern California's twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handle as much as 40% of the nation's maritime trade and support hundreds of thousands of jobs. But they are taken for granted, and could eventually lose their competitive edge.

By

Dan Walters

• January 7, 2024

Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner, speaks during a press conference with Los Angeles labor leaders and advocates in Commerce on Sept. 26, 2022. Photo by Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters

Commentary

How will California respond to the home insurance market meltdown?

California politicians face two pressing crises this year: a massive state budget deficit and the decline of the homeowner insurance market.

By

Dan Walters

• January 3, 2024