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

Reader Reactions

California’s fiscal crisis

Re: “California’s other fiscal crisis,” Dan Walters, July 29. Dan Walters does what he does best and makes a complicated and seemingly sleep-inducing issue insight concern. It seems you can’t spell California state government without federal money these days. Walters reminds us that California’s place as the fifth-largest economy in the world is a fine […]

Guest Commentary

• August 2, 2019

Commentary

Let’s be blunt: Cannabis consumers need protection

Ruben Honig, United Cannabis Business Association: Cannabis consumers cannot trust that they are using safe products unless they purchase from licensed retailers. Many third-party advertisers in California, as well as apps, encourage cannabis ads whether or not the business is licensed. That is patently unfair to licensed operators, and it is anti-consumer.

Guest Commentary

• August 1, 2019

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

Commentary

Ricardo Lara’s long, hot summer

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is being hammered by allegations that he took campaign contributions from insurance industry sources and favored contributors.

Dan Walters

• August 1, 2019

Commentary

Why California’s ‘grayest’ generation will need a master plan for aging

Jannee Parker Martin, LeadingAge California: For the first time in history, California’s “grayest generation” will outnumber young children. That’s why Gov. Gavin Newsom’s master plan for aging will be so important.

Guest Commentary

• July 31, 2019

Morning commuters head westbound on route 580 toward Oakland on July 22, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff/CalMatters

Commentary

A game of political chicken

California scored a tactical win in its climate change fight with Donald Trump over auto emissions, but the game of political chicken continues.

Dan Walters

• July 31, 2019

Commentary

How Latinos can help in the fight against climate change

Luis H. Sanchez, Community Resource Project: Latinos are truly on the front lines of the fight against climate change. Construction, farming, manufacturing all draw heavily on Latino workers, and they are at greater risk when they must work in extreme weather conditions. Many of these workers develop health issues. In the context of changing climate, this pronounced inequality in healthcare has wrought terrible consequences on Latino families as well.

Guest Commentary

• July 30, 2019

Commentary

Libraries guarantee patrons’ privacy. That’s why LinkedIn’s policy is so troubling

Greg Lucas and Erin Berman, California State Library: A policy being adopted by LinkedIn Learning, forces patrons to share their personal information to access a library resource. Doing so violates every possible definition of privacy and makes it antithetical to the values at the core of what libraries and librarians stand for. No wonder the American Library Association has expressed concern over LinkedIn Learning’s terms of service.

Guest Commentary

• July 29, 2019

Commentary

California’s other fiscal crisis

California's Unemployment Insurance Fund is the nation's least solvent. Even a tiny economic downturn would drive it into the red.

Dan Walters

• July 29, 2019