Commentary

Two people in suits sit on a studio set, one speaking with hands raised mid-gesture while the other turns toward them, listening.

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.

By Jim Newton

A side view of a row of voters sitting in front of voting machines separated by blue dividers. The photo focus on a voter who rest their right hand on their chin as they contemplate their voting selections.

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.

By Dan Walters

A visitor center sits at the base of steep granite cliffs, surrounded by tall trees. People walk up and down the steps, gather near the entrance, and rest on benches outside. A sign reading “Welcome Center” is mounted on the building, while an American flag stands nearby. The dramatic rock face rises behind the scene under a clear blue sky.

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.

By Kerri Malloy

A person wearing a white polo shirt and a headset microphone holds up a folded U.S. dollar bill while speaking on a stage, with a large pink-lit screen blurred in the background.

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.

By Yousef Baig

A stack of multicolored shipping containers, including brands like COSCO, Wan Hai, and tex, sits at the Port of Los Angeles. Above, a semi-truck carrying a blue container drives across a bridge, silhouetted against a light sky. The composition emphasizes the scale and flow of international freight transport.

Commentary

Having the fourth-largest economy doesn’t matter if Californians can’t afford essentials

Californians face high housing, health care and food costs. The trophy their leaders hoisting — surpassing Japan in gross domestic product — doesn't mean much to them.

By Aref Aziz • May 8, 2025

An individual stands outside a building, closely examining notices taped to a glass door. The signs include information in Spanish about unemployment benefits and COVID-19-related service changes. The person carries a white plastic bag and wears a shoulder bag while leaning forward, resting their hands near their chin.

Commentary

California’s fourth-ranked economy is also tops in unemployment, poverty and deficits

Since Gavin Newsom became governor, state spending has increased an average 9% a year while revenues grew 6%. That's called a “structural deficit.”

By Dan Walters • May 8, 2025

A student uses her cell phone while walking outside on a school campus with other students.

Commentary

If social media can flip fitness tips into an eating disorder, California law needs to intervene

A San Jose parent shares how her daughter's use of social media uncovering fitness tips led to an eating disorder. It's the sort of tragically common story that she argues makes a proposed social media liability bill worth passing.

By Neveen Radwan • May 7, 2025

The exterior white building wall with the words “The State Bar Of California” underneath an agency’s seal. Under the seal and sign is the top of a bush poking into the frame.

Commentary

State Bar’s botched exam for new lawyers is California’s latest entry to the hall of shame

Many of the state government's wrongheaded actions involve mishaps using advanced technology or systems. What happened this year with the State Bar is the latest entrant to a list of managerial failures.

By Dan Walters • May 7, 2025

A person with long blonde hair and wearing a black blazer with a white shirt looks to their right as they sit in front of a wooden desk surrounded by other people.

Commentary

Clash over teen sex solicitation reveals the rift within the California Democratic Party

The image that emerges after a recent dustup over a bill seeking to increase penalties for sex solicitation is one of a Democratic Party at war with itself as the governor tries to distance himself from his party’s leftish tendencies.

By Dan Walters • May 6, 2025

A actor, wearing a reflective grey hoodie and a face mask, sits on a motorcycle surrounded by other actors and a film crew with cameras.

Commentary

No one should have to leave California for a career in the entertainment industry

Other cities and countries in North America have lured away thousands of film and television production jobs over the years, but California can take steps to preserve the industry.

By Ed Lammi • May 5, 2025

A view of San Francisco on July 12, 2023. Photo by Semantha Norris, CalMatters

Commentary

California’s homebuyer lotto was hardly a ‘Dream for All’. That doesn’t mean it should end

California needs to expand its down payment loan program to keep young families from moving out of the state. Yet there's no new money budgeted.

By Denise Amos • May 2, 2025

Traffic moves along the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles on Nov. 22, 2022. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

Commentary

Newsom jabs at Trump and Musk, but will AI make California more efficient?

Gov. Gavin Newsom contrasted federal efficiency cuts with his use of AI to improve state government. But California's record of using technology has been poor.

By Dan Walters • May 2, 2025

Two people in hats and windbreakers use two brooms and a dustpan to sweep up trash on a messy street next to a sidewalk with a fence around it. Next to the workers is a trash can and a park across the street from where they are sweeping.

Commentary

‘We’re here every day’: Inside the painstaking effort to heal LA’s troubled MacArthur Park

As many as 10 nonprofit organizations are working to resuscitate MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, cleaning streets, treating drug overdoses and calming gang tensions, among other things.

By Jim Newton • May 1, 2025

Commentary

Lawmakers might undermine California’s landmark public pension reform

A bill that would usher in a major change in pension law could cost local governments billions. Yet it is sailing through the Legislature without any opposition.

By Dan Walters • May 1, 2025

California Voices

Viewpoints from across California