California Voices

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 […]

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.

Californians should be wary when the Legislature makes big decisions in the hectic last days of its annual session and this year is no exception.

Public pension haters paint a picture of overpaid public employees, always taking, never giving. They’d have credibility if they demonstrated basic knowledge about who gets pensions and how they spend them.

California's laudable greenhouse gas reduction targets are not achievable if the state fails to address megafires.

Californians recognize that water fuels our economy, grows our food, and sustains our natural places. The system also is in peril and the next governor will have plenty of work to do. It’s also in peril

California law bars state and local officials from using taxpayer money for political campaigns. But it's become a common practice, especially when voters are being asked to raise taxes.

"The Browns of California," a new book about the state's dominant political family, falls short by omitting facts that don't square with the family's images.

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

Gov. Jerry Brown talks about reforming the California Environmental Quality Act, calling it "the Lord's work." But he and the Legislature have failed to do it, while granting narrow exemptions from its provisions to particular projects, especially sports venues.