Dan Walters

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

French Laundry flap spotlights Capitol insiders

California Gov Gavin Newsom's mea culpa over attending the birthday party of a lobbyist spotlights how insiders work the Capitol.

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• November 18, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

Newsom displays hypocritical arrogance

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting some well-deserved criticism for his displays of hypocritical arrogance.

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• November 17, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

More high-dollar ballot measures in 2022

California voters decided 12 expensive ballot measures this year, but will face another batch of high-dollar propositons in 2022.

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• November 16, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

What will tax increase advocates do now?

California voters have rejected Proposition 15, so what will advocates of higher taxes do now?

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• November 15, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

Orange County’s stubborn conservative streak

Once a bastion of California Republicanism, Orange County is now purple with a stubborn conservative streak.

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• November 11, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

Winners celebrate while losers rationalize

In California and elsewhere, the winners in last week's election are celebrating and the losers are engaging in rationalizations and fingerpointing.

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• November 10, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

Sacramento again refuses to grow up

In population, Sacramento is one of California's larger cities, but it stubborly refuses to adopt a big city system of governance.

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• November 9, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

How long will Newsom have one-man rule?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been governing under an emergency decree for eight months but one judge says he's crossed the line by ignoring state laws.

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• November 8, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

California voters like Biden, unions not so much

Voters in blue California are favoring Joe Biden and other Democrats but unions are faring poorly vis-a-vis corporations.

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• November 4, 2020

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

Incompetence could be GOP’s opportunity

If California Republicans have a comeback chance, it lies in popular disgust with incompetent governance.

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• November 3, 2020