Dan Walters

State Auditor Elaine Howle has a fearsome reputation for tunneling deeply into public agencies and finding nuggets of information that officials would prefer to remain hidden. Recently, for instance, the Legislature directed Howle to delve into the complex finances of the University of California, and its cloistered executives, especially President Janet Napolitano, went into full […]

In November, the Legislature’s budget analyst, Mac Taylor, issued his annual “fiscal outlook” that sets the stage for the next state budget cycle. In early January, Gov. Jerry Brown will offer his own fiscal outlook as he proposes a 2018-19 budget, his last. Chances are, Brown’s take will not vary much from Taylor’s – that […]

Very young children may still believe that on Christmas eve, Santa Claus and his reindeer-drawn sleigh deliver toys that his elves build in a North Pole workshop. However, as the rest of us know, before magically appearing beneath Christmas trees, the holiday’s electronic gadgets and toys are overwhelmingly produced in Asia and transported not by […]

With 2018 just days away, we pretty much know who will be running for which major California offices next year – except for the intentions of billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, who’s making all the moves, but remains coy about what, if anything, he’ll do. The biggest uncertainty is that we don’t know what initiative measures […]

California’s looming shortage of college-educated workers has been well-documented, particularly in a series of reports by the Public Policy Institute of California. PPIC and others point out deficiencies in the state’s K-12 system that prepares too few students for college admission and – more importantly – college success and the physical and organizational shortcomings of […]

As we weigh the impact of the federal tax overhaul, now being wrought by President Trump and the Republican Congress, on California, we should keep in mind the first and foremost axiom about taxation. What and who are taxed and the levels of those levies are purely arbitrary decisions that are completely divorced from logic, […]

The first thing to understand about San Francisco politics is with just 7.4 percent of its voters registered as Republicans, the city’s main players are self-proclaimed liberals – or “progressives” in the preferred nomenclature. The second thing, however, is that in San Francisco, politics is a blood sport and careers can be made or lost […]

When the Legislature reconvenes and the campaigns for governor heat up next year, Californians will be hearing a lot – and a lot of hot air – about universal health care. Making California the first state to guarantee health care for every resident has become a touchstone issue – and a divisive one – for […]

Crime statistics vary by community and don't always show cause and effect.

The problem will bite an economy that needs better-educated workers.