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 student sits at a cafeteria table holding a cucumber slice beside a school lunch tray containing a turkey sandwich, sliced deli meat, fresh vegetables, yogurt, applesauce and a carton of fat-free milk.

Commentary

They’ve got milk, but many California kids can’t tolerate it. Schools can now offer alternatives

A federal law change lets schools offer nondairy beverages instead of milk, but they’re more expensive. More money became available in the California budget.

By Suzy Sayre and Emily Lin • July 8, 2026

A police officer crouches down as they wrap yellow police tape around a light post in a street during an active crime scene on a night in Los Angeles.

Commentary

How crime and the politics of crime rise and fall in California

Over two decades, political pressure forced California lawmakers to toughen criminal penalties. Now that crime is down, what's next?

By Dan Walters • July 8, 2026

A close-up of a student's hand holding an orange pencil that sits on a green desk next to pieces of paper.

Commentary

Push to shutter Oakland charter school hinges on a misguided approach to accountability

Local education officials in Oakland cherry-picked a single data point to justify closing of an important charter school, argues former governor Jerry Brown.

By Jerry Brown • July 7, 2026

A vehicle's center touchscreen displays navigation, audio and SiriusXM menu options on the dashboard above the climate vents and hazard light controls.

Commentary

Tech devices in California’s new cars create thorny political issues

Devices that record vehicle operational data for state air quality regulators could also violate privacy and be used to tax drivers by the mile.

By Dan Walters • July 7, 2026

A person in a yellow shirt and dark green pants holds the hand of a child in a purple dress and the child roller skates on a sidewalk. To the left, another child in a black shirt and red pants stands on the sidewalk with arms extended.

Commentary

California’s record school spending buys less than you think. Blame housing

It’s expensive for schools in California to recruit and pay enough to fully staff their campuses. That means housing is an education issue, too.

By Sam Finn • July 3, 2026

A person wearing sunglasses walks past while carrying a large American flag, with the flag's red, white and blue stripes blurred in motion across the foreground and background.

Commentary

On USA’s 250th birthday, Californians should remember when we saved the world from tyranny

There is one event that encapsulates USA’s unique place in human history: World War II, when we saved the world during one of its darkest periods.

By Dan Walters • July 3, 2026

Commentary

California unions want to unwind a landmark pension reform. Who will foot the bill?

California's labor unions want to loosen a pension reform from the recession era, but local governments fear the added costs and how it would widen unfunded liabilities.

By Dan Walters • July 2, 2026

Colorful drones form a glowing "Happy 4th" message and fireworks symbol in the night sky above tall palm trees during a Fourth of July celebration. A crowd below watches and records the drone show with their phones.

Commentary

In fire-prone California, cities like Napa offer a safer way to celebrate July Fourth

As the safety calculus for fireworks changes across California, cities like fire-prone Napa have turned to drone lights to maintain the spectacle and tradition of the July Fourth holiday.

By Breyana Brandt and Liz Habkirk • July 2, 2026

Steam rises from industrial tanks and pipes at a fenced facility site. A large rust-streaked white storage tank stands beside smaller cylindrical tanks releasing vapor, while construction materials, scaffolding and a blue container occupy the foreground. RVs and trailers are parked beyond the facility in the background.

Commentary

Garden Grove’s chemical emergency is a warning for other communities near plastics factories

Researchers say about 800 plants are involved in plastics or plastics-chemicals in California. Many are in Southern California and are expanding.

By Veronica Herrera • July 1, 2026

California Voices

Viewpoints from across California

Know what’s happening. Know what you can do about it.