Commentary
My turn: One last drink for the road?
State Controller Betty Yee and her husband were unfortunate victims of California’s lax attitude toward pot.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yousef Baig
California Voices Editor
Denise Amos
California Voices Deputy Editor
Dan Walters
Columnist
Jim Newton
Contributor
Pedro Rios
Contributor
Robert Greene
Contributor
Commentary
FPPC enforcement
Your story on the Fair Political Practices Commission offered a welcome opportunity to look at our important role in the political process. However, it promulgated a major misconception. You mistake our caseload for a backlog. Cases come in and are either dismissed or acted upon. Then they’re out of the queue. The FPPC Enforcement Division received 124 complaints […]
Commentary
Restore Hetch Hetchy
Dams like humans have a lifespan. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is almost a century old. We need a rational, adult discussion on how to best store water safely in California. Even “youthful” dams can pose a danger. The failure of Oroville Dam comes quickly to mind. One source noted that 90 California dams need major upgrades. […]
Commentary
DMV a hot mess, but politics block audit
The state Department of Motor Vehicles is being sharply and justifiably criticized for hours-long waits for service, but intervention by Gov. Jerry Brown's office blocked a study of DMV operations by the state auditor's office.
Commentary
Trump pulls California’s chain over auto mileage
California and President Donald Trump are at war again, this time over the administration's plan to freeze nationwide auto mileage standards and withdraw California's ability to set its own auto emission rules.
Commentary
Weekly Walters 08/10/2018
A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.
Commentary
Brown’s being tricky about filling Supreme Court seat
A seat on the state Supreme Court has been vacant for 17 months and Gov. Jerry Brown has been coy about filling it. He seems to be waiting until an Aug. 30 deadline for placing names on the ballot, thus shielding his appointee from facing voters until 2022.
Commentary
Short-term insurance expansion ‘bad news for small businesses’
The Trump administration’s rule authorizing the expansion of short-term insurance plans is bad news for small businesses, small business employees and solo entrepreneurs in California that depend on the Affordable Care Act for quality, affordable insurance. The rule says short-term insurance plans may last up to 364 days, and allows insurance companies to renew these […]
Commentary
Housing crisis
CALmatters commentator Dan Walters comments that “legislators lift the red tape imposed by the law for sports arenas, but not for housing.” I often hear the high cost of housing described as a crisis, as if a recent change caused housing prices to rise. But it’s not new or sudden; The California Environmental Quality Act […]
Commentary
Teachers’ pensions
According to California's Legislative Analyst's Office, per‑pupil spending in California ranks in the middle of the states yet your article asserts that California ranks near the bottom and sources an article that reaches no such conclusion.