Dan Walters

Sheep grazing near solar panels at the Kettleman City Power solar farm on July 27, 2022 Sheep are let into the facility to eat bugs and graze on dry grass that could be a fire hazard. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Commentary

As California cracks down on groundwater, what will happen to fallowed farmland?

California water regulators are cracking down on the overuse of groundwater by farmers. Enforcement could prompt them to idle thousands of acres of farmland and poses larger questions about what will happen to the affected fields.

By

Dan Walters

• April 30, 2024

The state Capitol in Sacramento on July 6, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

Commentary

California once led in government transparency. It descended into secrecy and opacity

California, once a leader in government transparency, has descended into secrecy and opacity, making it difficult for the public to know what's happening.

By

Dan Walters

• April 26, 2024

Students at a classroom at St. HOPE’s Public School 7 Elementary in Sacramento on May 11, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

California charter school battles intensify as education finances get squeezed

California public school financing has been clobbered in recent years, and intensified a long-running battle over charter schools.

By

Dan Walters

• April 25, 2024

Commentary

Key questions about California’s budget deficit remain unanswered as deadlines loom

California has a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, but we still don't know how much and what should be done to close it with key deadlines quickly approaching.

By

Dan Walters

• April 24, 2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom and a worker carry a mattress from a homeless encampment along a freeway in San Diego as he promotes his announced new blueprint homeless plan on Jan. 12, 2022. Photo by Mike Blake, Reuters

Commentary

Newsom remains critical of California’s local response to homelessness. He should look in the mirror

California Gov. Gavin Newsom complains that local government officials have not been effective in dealing with homelessness. But he appears to be shifting the political onus from his own administration.

By

Dan Walters

• April 23, 2024

Commentary

Californians are worried about crime, setting the stage for a ballot measure showdown

Californians once supported criminal justice reforms to lighten penalties for crime but attitudes have changed. A November ballot measure could be a test for just how much.

By

Dan Walters

• April 19, 2024

Commentary

Will Attorney General Rob Bonta jump into the 2026 race for California governor?

A handful of Democratic politicians are already running for governor of California in 2026. Attorney General Rob Bonta is acting as if he might jump in. But so far there are no Latinos or Republicans in the mix.

By

Dan Walters

• April 18, 2024

Students in a sixth-grade class complete classwork at Stege Elementary School in Richmond, on Feb. 6, 2023. Photo by Shelby Knowles for CalMatters

Commentary

If Newsom truly follows the science, why not adopt the ‘science of reading’ in California schools?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom contends that he followed science when battling COVID-19. But when it comes to the "science of reading" in schools, California has continued to oppose a proven method for improving comprehension.

By

Dan Walters

• April 17, 2024

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

Commentary

California’s high construction costs limit housing. A Supreme Court decision might help

Extremely high construction costs make it difficult for California to solve its housing crisis, but a Supreme Court decision on impact fees could lower some costs.

By

Dan Walters

• April 16, 2024

Dave Lesher and Ryan Sabalow in the CalMatters newsroom work on Digital Democracy on April 3, 2024. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

Commentary

‘Digital Democracy’ project penetrates California’s opaque political processes

Technology has slowly made its way into Capitol politics, but access to political data has taken a quantum leap with the introduction of Digital Democracy, an immense, accessible transparency tool created by CalMatters.

By

Dan Walters

• April 12, 2024