Commentary

Two people in suits sit on a studio set, one speaking with hands raised mid-gesture while the other turns toward them, listening.

Spencer Pratt wants to be LA’s next mayor. His tell-all book won’t help him

In his memoir, Pratt describes himself as selfish, undisciplined and unprincipled. He deflects blame, squanders fortunes and complains a lot.

By Jim Newton

A side view of a row of voters sitting in front of voting machines separated by blue dividers. The photo focus on a voter who rest their right hand on their chin as they contemplate their voting selections.

How the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling could affect California’s gerrymandered districts

The High Court's decision guts the Voting Rights Act’s impetus to draw districts so non-white ethnic groups get congressional representation.

By Dan Walters

A visitor center sits at the base of steep granite cliffs, surrounded by tall trees. People walk up and down the steps, gather near the entrance, and rest on benches outside. A sign reading “Welcome Center” is mounted on the building, while an American flag stands nearby. The dramatic rock face rises behind the scene under a clear blue sky.

We can’t ‘restore’ American history by flagging Native American books

Pres. Donald Trump is pressuring Redwood National and State Parks to tag tribally-centered books and material critical of American history.

By Kerri Malloy

A person wearing a white polo shirt and a headset microphone holds up a folded U.S. dollar bill while speaking on a stage, with a large pink-lit screen blurred in the background.

Billionaires aren’t going to flee California. Others will without a budget fix

The idea that billionaires will flee California over a proposed wealth tax is bunk. Still, the ballot initiative is only a Band-Aid, and impedes a more serious conversation about the state's deeper fiscal problems.

By Yousef Baig

A woman speaks at a press conference while standing behind a row of microphones labeled with various news station logos, gesturing with her hands as several people stand in the background.

Commentary

California’s gerrymander and generational rift could shake up its Democratic hierarchy

If Prop 50 succeeds, Democrats' votes will be spread more thinly to five more congressional districts at the same time younger candidates challenge senior-age incumbents.

By Dan Walters • October 24, 2025

Amanda Millstein, a pediatrician from Richmond, participates in a rally at the California Environmental Protection Agency offices in Sacramento on Thursday, June 23, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal for CalMatters

Commentary

Kern County oil drilling law reveals who and what California lawmakers will sacrifice

A hurried law this year that expands oil drilling demonstrated how industry dollars and misleading information can convince California lawmakers to reverse climate progress.

By Sofia Carrasco • October 23, 2025

Construction workers use construction machinery as they work on a trench near the side of a road.

Commentary

Ballot measure would broaden reform of California’s key environmental law

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature overhauled the CEQA environmental laws for housing, but a business group wants that to include other kinds of "essential" projects.

By Dan Walters • October 23, 2025

Commentary

Bay Area transit measure will test voters’ taste for higher sales taxes

Backers of a Bay Area transit tax increase are preparing an initiative to put on the ballot to potentially boost some area sales taxes to 11%.

By Dan Walters • October 22, 2025

A group of armed law enforcement officers in tactical gear walk along a city sidewalk beside a modern building and palm trees. Their uniforms and body armor display “Border Patrol” patches, and several carry rifles while scanning the area.

Commentary

When ICE comes to a California hospital, nurses and doctors must protect their patients

Federal and state laws impose duties on California's health professionals to protect and advocate for patients regardless of immigration status.

By Kimberly Galindo • October 21, 2025

Walter Forster, a Los Angeles resident, holds a sign that advocates for financial compensation during the California Reparations Task Force meeting that was held at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 23, 2022. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

Commentary

Gavin Newsom embraced reparations at first. Now he’s slow rolling them

Since creating California's reparations task force five years ago, Newsom has signed few of its bills while slowing most that would have directed money or benefits to Black Californians.

By Dan Walters • October 21, 2025

A person on a stage wearing a black football jersey holding a microphone while lights shine behind him and a screen reading “Ice Cube.”

Commentary

Stockton is redefining its identity through the evolution of its hip-hop scene

Stockton struggles with an identity crisis, born out of geography and a distance that impedes everything: access to industry, audiences and opportunities.

By Tama Brisbane • October 20, 2025

A low-angle view of a sign pinned to the grass with an arrow pointing to the left and an I voted sticker on the sign with a flag. Behind the sign and view between the pins is a line of people waiting to enter a building near a tree.

Commentary

Prop. 50 doesn’t guarantee Democrats five seats. They still have to win races across California

The proposed congressional maps under Proposition 50 simply create more districts with Democratic majorities. Congressional candidates will still have to convince voters they're worth electing.

By Jim Newton • October 17, 2025

A person wearing a navy suit stands behind a lectern with the state seal of California during a press event. A monitor with the words, "$363M our state surplus Janaury 2025 Forecast" can be seen to the person's left side.

Commentary

California’s chronic deficit looms again as Newsom prepares his last state budget

Gov. Gavin Newsom may run out of reserves and other ways to paper over his last state budget deficit before he eventually runs for president.

By Dan Walters • October 17, 2025

Detainees, wearing green jumpsuits and holding gray blankets stand in line, inside a detention facility.

Commentary

Immigrant resistance movement forged in California prisons persists decades later

A protest by a Salvadoran immigrant incarcerated in California's Imperial Valley in the 1980s resonates decades later as detained migrants again participate in hunger strikes to bring awareness to the inhumane conditions they face.

By Jessica Ordaz • October 16, 2025

California Voices

Viewpoints from across California