Commentary
Secrecy, cost overruns plague California’s billion-dollar Capitol annex project
California should audit the the Capitol annex project, examining its contracts, scope, budget decisions and financial dealings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yousef Baig
California Voices Editor
Denise Amos
California Voices Deputy Editor
Dan Walters
Columnist
Jim Newton
Contributor
Pedro Rios
Contributor
Robert Greene
Contributor
George B. Sánchez-Tello
Contributor
Commentary
San Mateo County lawsuit exposes California’s penchant for state budgeting tricks
The tools and tricks employed to close California's budget deficits come from an inventory of techniques developed over decades. A recent lawsuit spotlighted a strategy used in 2004.
Commentary
Capitol housing reform wrongly targets the sacred power to shape California locally
A controversial California bill that would enable denser housing near transit hubs violates the most basic principles of American federalism, substituting far-away authority for local expertise.
Commentary
New California law to make housing projects easier can also make them cost more
The legislation removes environmental delays but includes language that could allow local governments to add "vehicle miles traveled" fees to a project's cost.
Commentary
Courts keep striking down California laws infringing on free speech, gun rights
As Newsom and other California Democrats posture as saviors of democracy, they are no stranger to infringing on constitutional rights themselves, as recent court rulings on gun rights and free speech show.
Commentary
California law silences abuse victims in court. Why won’t the Legislature change this?
California courts often restrict defendants who are abuse victims from using evidence of violence against them as a defense. Lawmakers just rejected a bill that would allow it.
Commentary
Corporate middlemen are pushing California’s pharmacies to the brink
Independent pharmacies are closing across California and nationwide, and chain pharmacies aren’t far behind. Pharmacy benefit managers have a chokehold on prescriptions and their pricing.
Commentary
Pharmacy benefit managers find savings in California drug costs. Don’t tie their hands
California is considering a bill to limit how pharmacy benefit managers negotiate drug prices, which is one of the most effective tools for controlling prescription costs.
Commentary
Nine years later, California court saga over $23,420 housing fee remains unsettled
George Sheetz could never have imagined a routine administrative transaction levied on a home-building project would turn into a legal dispute that reached the U.S. Supreme Court and remains unresolved almost a decade later.
Commentary
Gutting Medi-Cal’s weight loss drug coverage will cost California more in the long run
Gov. Gavin Newsom says these popular weight-loss drugs cost the state too much. But California could save about $3,000 per patient who lost weight. Other health conditions also would improve.