In summary

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

Willie Brown sees protégés rise to the top

Willie Brown, former speaker of the state Assembly and former mayor of San Francisco, played key roles in the political careers of Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris and now has seen his proteges become national political figures.

Newsom raises the housing bar on himself

Gov. Gavin Newsom has raised the bar on himself for dealing with California’s chronic lack of housing. His success or failure will be easily measured.

Los Angeles Unified digs a deeper hole

Los Angeles Unified School District’s teacher strike has been settled, but the cost deepens the district’s financial hole.

Two ballot measures will test crime attitudes

Two 2020 ballot measures will test whether voters want to reverse course on criminal justice policy again.

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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...