Commentary

Karen Bass would have coasted back into office if Spencer Pratt had advanced to the general election. But it would've been a wasted opportunity for voters to have a substantive debate about her record.

Xavier Becerra seems almost certain to advance in the governor's race, given pre-election polls and initial vote counts. If Republican Steve Hilton joins him, Becerra would likely have an easy win in November.

Few California mayors ever become governor. Their skills might be perfectly suited to the job, but those exact same skills, when exercised, may be precisely what makes voters wary of them. 

The California Voting Rights Act transformed democracy statewide. But gaps remain, and new pressures at the federal and state levels will require another generation to bolster voting rights.

California's payroll taxes aren’t keeping up with benefit payouts. The unemployment insurance fund will be $22 billion in the hole by year's end, the state says.

An interfaith group known as the "godmothers of the disappeared" meets weekly at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles to remember and advocate for the people detained by immigration authorities over the last year.

After Berkeley voters first passed a soda tax in 2014, the city has invested millions of dollars into impactful health programs. Other California cities should follow.

Gov. Newsom often brags about California's productivity and Nobel winners but omits its recent tech layoffs, shrinking jobs base and growing gaps between rich and poor.

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton appear to have commanding leads in the governor's race, according to new polling released just days before the primary election.

The races for governor and Los Angeles mayor offer candidates in contrast: some with years of experience running bureaucracies and others proud to have none.