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.

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.

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 person stands at a podium, smiling, wearing glasses and a navy blazer over a teal top. The podium features a sign that reads "TREATMENT NOT TENTS" with a small bear icon, suggesting a California-related context. A microphone is attached to the podium, and the background appears softly blurred.

Commentary

Troubled LA Mayor Karen Bass faces a re-election challenge from the city’s left wing

City Councilwoman Nithya Raman declared her candidacy with a few hours to spare. A left leaning progressive, she'd previously endorsed Bass.

Dan Walters

• February 10, 2026

A yellow dirt bike leans against a pile of rocks near a formation of rocks along a ridge overlooking a valley, with a mountain range in the background.

Commentary

California dirt bikers battled against desert preservation, spawning anti-environmental wars

Today’s anti-environmentalists follow tracks laid by the ‘Phantom Duck’ and the Barstow-to-Vegas Race, where thousands of bikers sped across open desert.

By Julia Sizek • February 9, 2026

Commentary

Tax dollars should fund children’s education, not attorneys’ fees in child sex abuse cases

California school districts could be on the hook for about $3 billion in liability for child sexual abuse lawsuits. Up to 40% may go to trial attorneys.

By Edgar Zazueta • February 9, 2026

Backpacks hang in wooden cubbies inside an elementary school classroom, with several children in red shirts and khaki pants sitting on the carpeted floor in the background.

Commentary

Will California lawmakers break their promise to child sexual abuse survivors?

In 2019, the Legislature and Gov. Newsom closed a loophole that allowed schools to avoid liability for child sexual abuse. Now the law is under threat.

By John Manly • February 9, 2026

A person in a crowd holds drumsticks and strikes a white bucket while others stand around them, some wearing red shirts and baseball caps, during a gathering outdoors.

Commentary

Cal State reneged on pay increases for skilled trade workers but gave its executives raises

CSU agreed to a contract with “step” increases for workers, who helped it get state funding. Instead CSU will give them a one-time bonus.

By Ernesto Torres • February 6, 2026

A person wearing sunglasses and a light shawl walks beside another person in a suit outside a courthouse, surrounded by reporters and TV crews holding microphones and cameras.

Commentary

California can’t shed a history of persistent government corruption

Prosecutions, referenda, recalls and regulatory agencies have, over the years, curbed some of California's government corruption, but not all of it.

Dan Walters

• February 6, 2026

Commentary

Los Angeles voters are moving ever leftward, shifting election politics in America’s second-largest city

Among the signs: LA’s Democratic Socialists are flexing new muscle, police limits and mansion taxes are popular, and ICE raids are galvanizing voters.

Jim Newton

• February 5, 2026

The skyline of San Francisco as seen from Bernal Heights Hill on March 16, 2020. Photo by Jeff Chiu, AP Photo

Commentary

California’s once soaring population has hit a plateau. So will its national political clout

Stagnant foreign migration, fewer births and people moving to other states mean California loses congressional seats and electoral votes.

Dan Walters

• February 5, 2026

Students at San Antonio Elementary School in Lockwood on March 31, 2022. David Rodríguez Muñoz for The Californian, Catchlight and CalMatters

Commentary

Here’s why California’s teachers and schools can’t fix low test scores on their own

One reason: Higher-income, high-achieving kids often aren't in the testing pool. They attend private schools or their parents opt them out of state tests.

By Jill Stegman • February 4, 2026

A person in a white dress shirt and tie speaks at an outdoor podium with two microphones, hands raised mid-gesture, as a large bridge spans the background and two others stand behind them, while a blue sign on the podium reads “Creating an AI-Ready Workforce.”

Commentary

Union leaders warn Newsom their campaign support hinges on his AI stance

Will Gov. Gavin Newsom, who's expected to run for president, seek to satisfy Silicon Valley and risk angering organized labor?

Dan Walters

• February 4, 2026