In summary

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

Brown’s being tricky about filling Supreme Court seat

A seat on the state Supreme Court has been vacant for 17 months and Gov. Jerry Brown has been coy about filling it. He seems to be waiting until an Aug. 30 deadline for placing names on the ballot, thus shielding his appointee from facing voters until 2022.

Big issues mean big trouble at end of legislative session

Californians should be wary when the Legislature makes big decisions in the hectic last days of its annual session and this year is no exception.

Despite law, politicians use taxpayer funds for campaigns

California law bars state and local officials from using taxpayer money for political campaigns. But it’s become a common practice, especially when voters are being asked to raise taxes.

Warm and fuzzy book about Browns falls short

“The Browns of California,” a new book about the state’s dominant political family, falls short by omitting facts that don’t square with the family’s images.

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Dan Walters has been a journalist for more than 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. He began his professional career in 1960, at age 16, at the Humboldt Times...