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

A blue jacket labeled “CDC PRISONER” in large yellow letters is draped over the back of a folding chair in a dimly lit gymnasium. Rows of empty and occupied chairs are visible, suggesting a group event or meeting in a correctional facility.

Commentary

California’s parole process is already arduous; be careful how you change it

As lawmakers weigh changing elderly parole, a retired parole board officer notes that only 3% of parolees have committed crimes upon release.

By Jennifer Shaffer • May 4, 2026

A person wearing a navy blue suit and sitting on a chair behind a desk as they hold a stack of papers that read "The 2021-22 Budget" and "California's Fiscal Outlook".

Commentary

Legislature’s adviser tries budget tough love to get California politicians to close huge deficits

Legislative Analyst Gabe Petek says state spending grew by $100 billion or so a year since 2019, outstripping revenues and resulting in current and future deficits.

By Dan Walters • May 1, 2026

A customer picks produce at the farmers' market in Fairfield on June 15, 2023. Photo by Semantha Norris, CalMatters

Commentary

A farm program that ‘has drawn a wide circle of goodness’ around a California community is at risk

The federal Local Food Purchase Assistance cooperative agreement program pays for locally grown food for feeding programs, such as food banks. It's ending two years early.

By Yadira Mendiola • May 1, 2026

A top-down view of a pair of hands blurred by motion as they work near a tablet and a laptop on a busy desktop with papers scattered around. The motion blur and the mess of papers give a feeling of chaos and uncertainty.

Commentary

With ADHD, understanding how people think is as crucial as knowing what they know

The conversation about ADHD in adults shouldn’t stop at accommodation; it must include how workplaces recognize and leverage diverse ways of thinking.

By Ronald Gonzalez-Lawrence • April 30, 2026

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.

Commentary

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 • April 30, 2026

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

Commentary

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 • April 30, 2026

A tent covered with plastic sits beside a small fire burning on the ground at a makeshift campsite at night, with scattered belongings and fencing in the background.

Commentary

It took effort to get me off the streets. With funding cuts looming, will I have to go back?

Being homelessness meant taking on damage night after night. Having a roof over my head means I could begin to heal. Now it’s all at risk.

By Shawn Pleasants • April 29, 2026

Three political candidates stand at individual podiums on a debate stage, each facing forward under bright lights, with their names displayed on the lecterns against a blue backdrop.

Commentary

Another televised debate, another missed chance to clear up California’s unsettled governor’s race

It wasn't much of a debate. Candidates weren't allowed to make prolonged pitches and panelists made them all give short answers to questions.

By Dan Walters • April 28, 2026

View of downtown Los Angeles from Ascot Park during sunset on Nov. 18, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Commentary

How LA County is trying to weaken its new ethics watchdog

The Ethics Commission is supposed to investigate the offices of the Board of Supervisors, the Executive and the Assessor — who are helping create it.

By Perry Goldberg • April 28, 2026

A person, wearing a black blazer and a green shirt, stands in front of a podium with microphones on it as they speak and gesture with their right hand.

Commentary

Can LA Mayor Karen Bass survive her mistakes and climb the political ladder?

If her stumbles during and after the wildfires stop Mayor Karen Bass at one term, she'd be joining other LA mayors who went no further than City Hall.

By Dan Walters • April 28, 2026

California Voices

Viewpoints from across California