California Voices

Viewpoints from across California

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.

By 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.

By 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 natural gas pipeline in Chino Hills State Park on April 21, 2021. Photo by Lucy Nicholson, REUTERS

Commentary

California should help neighborhoods in need ‘decarbonize,’ leave natural gas

Regulators can approve up to 30 neighborhood decarbonization zones. Will poorer neighborhoods get first shot at climate saving energy options?

By Jalal Awan • March 3, 2026

A white train in makes it's way down train tracks towards a station with a person waiting. The San Francisco skyline can be seen in the background.

Commentary

Los Angeles and Bay Area voters will decide whether to hike already high sales taxes

San Franciscans will consider a percentage point increase in the sales tax while Bay Area and LA-area voters will be asked for a half a percentage point.

By Dan Walters • March 3, 2026

Illustration of three silhouetted figures standing at large airport windows holding suitcases, watching an airplane outside at sunset. Collaged documents and travel papers lie at their feet, including visible text referencing Japanese ancestry, suggesting a historical or migration theme.

Commentary

Trump’s war on immigrants repeats shameful chapter in America’s past

In the 1940s, U.S. politicians used racial prejudice and fear to justify deporting and detaining Japanese residents, including U.S. citizens. Today's playbook is similar.

By Evelyn Iritani • March 2, 2026

The back of an incarcerated individual with their hands placed behind them. The individual wears a jean sweater with the words "CDC Prisoner" on it.

Commentary

Reform that re-traumatizes: California’s elderly parole program burdens victims, frightens the community

Under elderly parole, inmates 50 or older who served 20 years or more could be eligible for a parole hearing — regardless of how violent their crime was.

By Jenn Carson • March 2, 2026

A printed handout titled “Ethnic Studies Course Introduction” lists course requirements, topics, and objectives, with the foreground text in sharp focus and lower sections blurred.

Commentary

California’s high schools should be teaching ethnic studies courses but aren’t

Guest Commentary written by Julia Barzizza Julia Barzizza is a graduate student at UC Davis. She is the winner of the 2026 UC Davis Center for Poverty and Inequality Research Black History Month Student Essay Contest, from which this commentary was adapted. California was the first state to make ethnic studies a high school graduation […]

By Julia Barzizza • February 27, 2026

A person wearing glasses and a black jacket stands in front of a wooden podium, speaking into a microphone, during a press conference at the site of a wildfire, as tractors work behind them, moving debris. Other people surround them, all wearing construction helmets and safety vests.

Commentary

LA Mayor Karen Bass deflects blame, adds insult to injury for wildfire victims

The Los Angeles Times reports Mayor Bass has been pressuring fire officials to soften or downplay findings in reports about the city's wildfire response.

By Dan Walters • February 27, 2026

A truck unloads organic waste to be used for composting at the Anaerobic Composter Facility in Woodland, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo

Commentary

California is ‘nowhere near’ emissions goals. It’s still sending organic waste to landfills

California trucks much of its organic waste to landfills instead of recyclers, largely because of an exclusive franchise hauling system.

By Clemens Stockreiter • February 25, 2026

A close-up view of a student as they write on a whiteboard as an instructor watches in a classroom with brightly colored decorations. The student uses a marker to write math equations as the students watch and learn.

Commentary

California’s reading reforms drive push for better math skills in early grades

Some of the supporters of the phonics curriculum California adopted last year are now urging statewide math screening for young students.

By Dan Walters • February 25, 2026