Commentary

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.

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.

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

A male Chinook salmon returns from the Pacific to spawn. Photo via California Sea Grant/Flickr

Commentary

Newsom and legislators have a choice: side with the environment or with Trump

John McManus, Golden Gate Salmon Association: Gov. Gavin Newsom has a choice: side with the California environment or with the Trump administration on the question of water diversions. Trump is finalizing plans to rip up restrictions on diverting Northern California water to farmers in the dry western San Joaquin Valley, at the expense of salmon runs that feed families, coastal economies, and ports throughout the state.

Guest Commentary

• September 12, 2019

Commentary

Turning off power to combat wildfires could harm the very people who need protection

Joie Acosta and Regina Shih, RAND Corporation: California utility companies are increasingly triggering power outages by their own accord to try to prevent wildfires. But the practice may endanger elderly people and individuals with power-dependent medical devices.

Guest Commentary

• September 12, 2019

The California State Capitol on December 3, 2018 in Sacramento, California.

Commentary

Tax vote issue gets cloudier

Conflicting Superior Court decisions will force the state Supreme Court to clear up the uncertainty it created over the vote requirement for some local tax increases.

Dan Walters

• September 12, 2019

Commentary

Farms, the environment, and the future of water

Maurice Hall, Environmental Defense Fund: This amazing natural underground storage is the critical foundation of our entire water system. Water from our rivers and streams leaks into the aquifer. If we don’t manage groundwater pumping, levels of groundwater as well as rivers and streams will decline, compromising the wildlife, farms and cities that depend on them.

Guest Commentary

• September 11, 2019

Commentary

Hot politics in the cul-de-sac

Politics in San Diego, California's second largest city, is turning more Democratic and is likely to see a few upcoming high-stakes competitions.

Dan Walters

• September 11, 2019

Reader Reactions

Environmental protection

Re: “In going after Trump, California is going too far with environmental legislation,” Sept. 9, 2019: Assemblyman Adam Gray insists on clinging to the past, a past of broken water policy, where Central Valley power brokers dictate policy for the rest of the state. What Senate Bill 1 aims to do is to provide a […]

Guest Commentary

• September 10, 2019

Commentary

In going after Trump, California is going too far with environmental legislation

Assemblyman Adam Gray, Democrat from Merced: The implications of Senate Bill 1 are profoundly disturbing, forcing the state to ignore evolving science. We’ve got until Sept. 13 to either kill or fix this wrongheaded bill. If we don’t, it very well could set back progress on our rivers for decades.

Guest Commentary

• September 9, 2019

Income taxes are 70 percent of California's general-fund revenue. Image via Flickr

Commentary

Voters will lose if Legislature eliminates disclosure requirement

Dustin Weatherby, California Taxpayers Association. Thanks to a transparency law passed by a bipartisan vote, taxpayers receive important information about local tax and bond measures. But there’s a legislative attempt to effectively exempt local jurisdictions from this requirement to be honest and transparent with taxpayers.

Guest Commentary

• September 9, 2019

Reader Reactions

What is transparency?

Re: “A law intended to create more transparency misleads voters. This bill will fix it,” Sept. 5, 2019: Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblyman Mark Stone claim their bill will increase transparency for local bonds and parcel taxes. But the opposite is true. Their bill would relegate important taxpayer information to being buried deep in the […]

Guest Commentary

• September 9, 2019

More apartments would go up near transit under a bill that its sponsor says is vital to helping California meet its ambitious housing goals. Photo via Creative Commons.

Commentary

Rent cap bill won’t fix California’s housing crisis

Jared Martin, California Association of Realtors: If our state is to continue leading the nation, we must address the housing shortage with policies that will actually lead to more housing. Simply put, a rent cap would be a bandage on a festering wound and would nothing to solve the root cause of higher rents.

Guest Commentary

• September 9, 2019

California Voices

Viewpoints from across California