Dan Walters

Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill on his proposed oil profit penalty plan in Sacramento on March 28, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr. , CalMatters

Commentary

Newsom wins feud with oil industry – or did he?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims victory in his crusade against the oil industry, but regulating the prices Californians pay for fuel will be a very tricky process.

By

Dan Walters

• April 3, 2023

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at San Quentin State Prison announcing that the facility will be transformed to focus on training and rehabilitation on March 17, 2023. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

Commentary

Newsom displays penchant for shiny new things on California tour

California Gov. Gavin Newson shunned a traditional State of the State address this month and instead toured the state to unveil new programs for social ills.

By

Dan Walters

• March 26, 2023

Commentary

Third time possibly the charm for Newsom’s campaign to limit oil profits

After two false starts, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying again to set limits on oil refinery profits and impose penalties for exceeding them.

By

Dan Walters

• March 22, 2023

Zachary Yeates casts his ballot at a polling site at the California Museum in Sacramento on Nov. 7, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

Should California referendum law become harder to use?

California business interests increasingly use ballot measures to block or delay laws imposing new regulations. Progressive groups want to make such actions more difficult.

By

Dan Walters

• March 21, 2023

App-based gig worker Terresa Mercado participates in a demonstration outside Los Angeles City Hall to urge voters to vote no on Proposition 22 in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, 2020. Photo by Mike Blake, Reuters

Commentary

After court ruling, California’s gig worker battle takes new turn

A California appellate court ruling added a new twist to the legal and political battle over the status of gig workers, which dates back to 2004. However, the conflict is likely just shifting to another arena.

By

Dan Walters

• March 20, 2023

Students at Stege Elementary School in Richmond on Feb. 6, 2023. Photo by Shelby Knowles for CalMatters

Commentary

Marion Joseph’s literacy crusade for teaching phonics in California is paying off

Marion Joseph battled for years to improve the reading skills of California youngsters through phonics instruction. She died last year but phonics is becoming the state's favored method of overcoming California's literacy crisis.

By

Dan Walters

• March 19, 2023

A water release from the concrete gravity Pine Flat Dam built on the Kings River in Fresno County in 1967. The facility was completed in 1954 by and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which created one of the largest reservoirs in California. Photo by the California Department of Water Resources

Commentary

California’s ghostly Tulare Lake will be revived this year

California was once home to the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, but Tulare Lake disappeared as water was diverted to irrigate crops. This year, however, the lake will once again re-emerge.

By

Dan Walters

• March 15, 2023

People walk past a Silicon Valley Bank sign at the company's headquarters in Santa Clara on March 10, 2023. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is seizing the assets of Silicon Valley Bank, marking the largest bank failure since Washington Mutual during the height of the 2008 financial crisis. The FDIC ordered the closure of Silicon Valley Bank and immediately took position of all deposits at the bank Friday. Photo by Jeff Chiu, AP Photo

Commentary

Is Silicon Valley Bank’s failure an omen for California?

The failure of Silicon Valley Bank struck California's economically important high-tech industry while it was already facing difficult headwinds. The question is whether the bank’s failure is a harbinger of Silicon Valley’s decline.

By

Dan Walters

• March 14, 2023

New housing construction in a neighborhood in Elk Grove on July 8, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

Commentary

California housing crisis unchanged by political efforts – so far

Six years ago while running for governor, Gavin Newsom pledged an all-out effort to build 3.5 million new housing units by 2025. As that date nears, only a small fraction of that goal has materialized despite dozens of new laws and increased pressure on local governments.

By

Dan Walters

• March 13, 2023

Students at Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School in San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2023. Photo by Shelby Knowles for CalMatters

Commentary

How can California help at-risk students close achievement gaps?

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to tweak the state's program for improving educational outcomes of at-risk students, but his proposal doesn't fix its fundamental flaws.

By

Dan Walters

• March 12, 2023