Commentary

Journalists and television camera crews gather around a podium crowded with microphones during a news conference on a city sidewalk. A person at the podium reviews papers while reporters, photographers and members of the public look on.

California lawmakers want to cut funds for local news at exactly the wrong time

California lawmakers are finalizing a budget that would cut aid for local newsrooms, walking away from a nascent effort to restore local reporting and build a more sustainable industry.

By Martin Reynolds

A graduate in cap and gown holds a bouquet of flowers while posing with an older man wearing a light-colored hat and sunglasses. The two stand together smiling in a crowded outdoor graduation venue, with other attendees visible in the background.

Immigration raids have made skin color top of mind for a new generation of California Latinos

As immigration agents conduct roving patrols, a Cal State Fullerton student reflects on the racial profiling her father experienced and how it inspires her to correct the narrative.

By Priscilla Preciado

Two people in suits stand face-to-face on a stage in front of a crowd holding signs supporting voting rights and democracy. A podium sign in the foreground reads “Election Rigging Response Act.”

Newsom handpicked a generation of California politicians. Can they help him run for president?

An entire generation of California elected officials owe their current jobs and their political prospects to Gavin Newsom.

By Robert Greene

People gather outside an evacuation shelter, many wearing hoodies, jackets or wrapped in blankets. An older person stands with a walker in the center of the scene, while signs for the American Red Cross and shelter services are visible in the background.

During Garden Grove evacuations, did seniors and people with disabilities get out safely?

The emergency at GKN Aerospace forced evacuations, but it was unclear how bedridden residents, hospice patients and homebound seniors could get to safety.

By Kelley Barrett

Baseball players wearing navy blue and orange uniforms stand together as they face towards another group of players in the front of them. One of the players in the foreground holds a baseball with their right hand.

Commentary

California corrections budget benefits more than inmates from prison sports expansion

California lawmakers want to expand organized sports at state prisons, but an incarcerated journalist fears it will benefit the corrections department more than inmates.

By Steve Brooks • May 11, 2026

Two suburban homes with solar panels on their roofs are viewed from across a grass lot while on a cloudy gray day.

Reader Reactions

Critics of California’s rooftop solar program get the affordability story wrong

Rooftop solar gets wrongly scapegoated for driving up utility bills. The dominant drivers are wildfire capital and guaranteed profits for the state's private utility companies.

By Angela Lipanovich and Jenny Folkesson • May 8, 2026

Young children work with various school supplies inside a classroom as two instructors stand nearby.

Commentary

California schools scored big increases in funding but not in academic performance

California schools' funding went from next-to-the-last to 13th highest while Gavin Newsom has been governor. But reading and math test scores didn't rise as high.

By Dan Walters • May 8, 2026

A glowing white rocket can be seen soaring through a cloudy afternoon sky in San Diego near three palm trees.

Commentary

Housing-averse Coastal Commission gets wings clipped in two key lawsuit losses

For more than 50 years the Coastal Commission has superseded most local and state rules affecting housing and land on the coast — until now.

By Dan Walters • May 7, 2026

A damaged black sedan with crumpled front and side panels sits in the street after a collision, positioned near a red car while a police vehicle is parked nearby.

Commentary

Personal injury lawyers distort our mistakes and the price Californians pay for them

Cozy arrangements between doctors, medical imaging centers, chiropractors and personal injury lawyers lead to insurance fraud, high premiums.

By Tracy Mulholland • May 7, 2026

Aerial view of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo. Photo by Lionel Hahn/REUTERS

Commentary

Should this water desalination project be linked to a nuclear plant?

Nuclear reactors can provide steady power for desalination at a low cost. Critics say money mustn’t take priority over health, safety or the environment.

By William Simpson • May 6, 2026

A person stands at a debate podium, facing forward with a neutral expression, wearing a dark suit jacket, white shirt, and glasses. A microphone is positioned in front of them, and a small flag pin is visible on their lapel. Behind them, a brightly lit stage backdrop features red, white, and blue panels with repeated “CNN” logos.

Commentary

California’s candidates for governor target ascending Becerra on national stage

As early voting begins, the leading candidates for governor targeted Xavier Becerra in a CNN debate. Nothing that happened on the debate stage was necessarily a game-changer.

By Dan Walters • May 5, 2026

Dr. Shura Alexis Moreno sees a patient at Gabriel Medical Center in East Los Angeles on Sept. 14, 2021. Jessica Pons for CalMatters

Commentary

Gavin Newsom slow-rolled single-payer healthcare, leaving it to a successor

Gov. Gavin Newsom edged away from his campaign pledge to adopt single-payer healthcare. He got UCLA to study it and instead expanded Medi-Cal coverage.

By Dan Walters • May 5, 2026

A hillside neighborhood with scattered houses and trees is illuminated by an orange glow, as thick smoke fills the sky. Mountains are visible in the background under a hazy, pale sky. A road with a few parked cars runs along the edge of the hill.

Commentary

California fire survivors battle insurers over hidden smoke toxins in their homes

California's Legislature is weighing two bills involving smoke damage recovery. Homeowners are backing one, but the insurance industry is opposing it while keeping quiet about the other one.

By Michelle Meyers • May 5, 2026

A consumer's PG&E bill from October, 2023. Photo by Manuel Orbegozo for CalMatters

Commentary

Californians’ electric bills would be much lower without state’s program fees

State public purpose programs add hundreds of dollars to each electric bill annually. Rooftop solar subsidies account for about half that.

By Ahmad Holmes and Pat Fong Kushida • May 4, 2026

California Voices

Viewpoints from across California