California Voices

Viewpoints from across California

A group of five people, dressed in professional attire, sit on chairs on a stage in front of a crowd, with a banner behind them reading “Governor Candidate Forum.” Four of the five people sitting on stage have their hands up to answer the question while a crowd of people watches in the dark.

No clear frontrunner for governor, but new poll names five with the best shot

A poll shows three Democrats and two Republicans have voter support percentages in the teens. The top two vote-getters in June will face off in November.

By Dan Walters

A person in medical protective clothing, wearing a face mask and a hair net, pushes a hospital gurney through a hallway inside a hospital, viewed from an open door.

She spent six of her last years in arbitration with her HMO. Her husband’s still fighting the system

Arbitrators in medical disputes are supposed to be unbiased, but this couple suspected there is an incentive to favor HMO’s in arbitration.

By Stephen Martinez

Two people face each other as they speak: the person on the left has a happy expression and her arm to her chest, while the person on the right wears a grey suit jacket and glasses. Both people are standing in a park area on a sunny day. In the background is a fence to a baseball field.

A former political ally tests LA liberals’ allegiance to Mayor Karen Bass

Mayor Karen Bass isn't vulnerable on her right, but she may be on her left, as City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a Democratic Socialist and ex-supporter, runs against her.

By Jim Newton

A close-up view of a person's hand holding a sign that reads "We wants answers! No more deaths!" and they stand at the front steps of a building surrounded by other people holding signs.

California promised accountability for inmate deaths in jails. A year later, no results.

Lawmakers passed a law creating a state department to review inmate deaths, but it hasn’t completed a single death review in its first year.

By David Myers

Commentary

California public transit services face existential crisis with COVID-19 pandemic

Public transit in California may be hit with a “double whammy” that could result in catastrophic revenue losses threatening the viability and availability of services.

By Guest Commentary • May 4, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

Newsom undermines his own credibility

Gov. Gavin Newsom must maintain credibility to succeed as the state's coronavirus czar, but he's his own worst enemy in that regard.

By Dan Walters • May 4, 2020

Commentary

Latinas are more vulnerable to economic insecurity because of COVID-19

Latinas are at the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and California must do more to map out what recovery for Latinos could look like.

By Guest Commentary • May 3, 2020

Commentary

State budget will take a very big hit

California's budget will take a big hit from the pandemic-induced recession, but the size of the impact is still up in the air.

By Dan Walters • May 3, 2020

Reader Reactions

Promoting electric vehicles for the future ignores the need for cleaner fuels today

It appears that the U.S. EPA would rather promote electric vehicles than promote cleaner fuels.

By Guest Commentary • May 2, 2020

Commentary

Bailout needed in the form of rent and mortgage forgiveness

Considering the number of residents without income, we need comprehensive protections for renters and homeowners that far exceed what local jurisdictions can offer.

By Guest Commentary • May 2, 2020

A sign promoting a national suspension of rent, mortgage and utility payments hands from a home in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco on April 18, 2020. More than a month after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stay at home order in light of coronavirus concerns and with no clear end in sight, many Californians are wondering how they will afford rent going forward. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for Calmatters

Commentary

Coronavirus cost me my job; without rent forgiveness, it will cost me my home

On May 1, I will join thousands of tenants across the country in the rent strike movement, turning our economic reality into a political act.

By Guest Commentary • May 1, 2020

Commentary

Berkeley may lose a hospital; how can it be saved?

A not-for-profit hospital in Berkeley is scheduled to be closed because it would not be cost effective to retrofit the facility to meet required seismic standards.

By Guest Commentary • May 1, 2020

Commentary

Why State Water Contractors sued California over restrictions on water deliveries

California largely ignored a decade of research in favor of political objectives that impose unjustified restrictions on the State Water Project.

By Guest Commentary • April 30, 2020

AB 5, which will codify the Dynamex decision, has roiled independent contractors in industries from trucking to construction to nail salons to the gig economy.

Commentary

It’s time to review AB 5 if policymakers really want to restart California’s economy

The April 30 second anniversary of the state Supreme Court’s Dynamex decision and the Assembly Bill 5 it unleashed should be reviewed as soon as possible.

By Guest Commentary • April 30, 2020