Dan Walters

A shopper reaches for an item in an almost empty shelve at an Albertsons grocery store in San Diego on Jan. 19, 2022. Photo by Ariana Drehsler/Sipa USA via Reuters

Commentary

Inflation hits California families hardest. It’s shaping their views on the economy

Stubbornly high inflation is souring how Californians view an economy marked by historically low unemployment. It could affect this year's elections as lower-income families keep absorbing higher prices.

By

Dan Walters

• May 31, 2024

A voter at a polling center at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on March 5, 2024. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

Commentary

Ballot measures will provide most of the intrigue in California’s November election

Much of California's November ballot is already decided given the state's political leanings, so the real action will come from as many as 15 ballot measures. Some could have massive financial impacts.

By

Dan Walters

• May 30, 2024

Construction on the state Capitol in Sacramento on April 29, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

As key deadlines loom, Newsom and California lawmakers have dozens of deals to make

With deadlines looming for California lawmakers to pass a new state budget and finalize ballot measures, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders are trying to make deals on dozens of specific items.

By

Dan Walters

• May 29, 2024

Commentary

California wants to be carbon-neutral by 2045. What does that mean for its big economic drivers?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the state to be carbon-neutral by 2045. However, it's uncertain how that will happen and equally uncertain what impacts it will have on major economic sectors such as Southern California's vital logistics industry.

By

Dan Walters

• May 28, 2024

An aerial view of Threemile Slough in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta near Rio Vista on May 19, 2024. The Delta is formed by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers before their waters flow into San Francisco Bay. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters

Commentary

Decadeslong Delta tunnel water project may finally be nearing a historic decision

The notion of bypassing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to move water from Northern California to Southern California has been kicking around for decades. It finally seems to be approaching the critical moment.

By

Dan Walters

• May 24, 2024

Attorney Jeffrey L. Fisher speaks at the California Supreme Court in San Francisco on May 21, 2024. Photo by Martin Novitski, Supreme Court of California

Commentary

California Supreme Court weighs two cases that could limit the ballot initiative process

Two pending California Supreme Court cases have again raised the issue of whether there should be restrictions on the use of the initiative process to make new laws.

By

Dan Walters

• May 23, 2024

Commentary

Newsom shuns tax increases yet his budget contains billions in new levies on businesses

Gov. Gavin Newsom has publicly shunned tax increases to cover California's multibillion-dollar deficit, yet his budget proposal contains billions of dollars of indirect tax increases on businesses.

By

Dan Walters

• May 22, 2024

Commentary

California’s budget deficit revives state’s everlasting battle over school funding

Public school funding is the largest chunk of California's state budget. It's also the most contentious, as a new squabble over Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget proposal indicates.

By

Dan Walters

• May 21, 2024

Construction workers on site of a tiny homes village in Goshen on June 2, 2023. Poverty rose to 14% among construction workers this spring. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Commentary

California’s lagging economy hinders efforts to close state budget deficit

As California Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators contend with a deficit-ridden state budget, they can't count on a booming economy.

By

Dan Walters

• May 17, 2024

The state Capitol in Sacramento on Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

How California’s bursting budget morphed into a $45 billion deficit in just two years

A massive miscalculation in revenue forecasting allowed California Gov. Gavin Newsom to boast of a $97.5 budget surplus that ultimately never materialized. It has since become a $44.9 billion deficit.

By

Dan Walters

• May 16, 2024