Commentary

A person in a kitchen at a fast-food restaurant prepares a meal, while in the foreground, four trays sit on a counter.

Dan Walters

California’s $20 fast food wage yields higher prices, fewer jobs, more automation

UC - Santa Cruz found fewer jobs and worker hours, but more order kiosks, mobile apps and AI drive-through ordering systems at CA eateries.

By

Dan Walters

• March 19, 2026

A person wearing glasses and a light-colored blazer speaks into a handheld microphone onstage, smiling slightly while gesturing with one hand. The dark background and focused lighting isolate the speaker, highlighting their expression and the conversational tone of the moment.

Commentary

Labor unions’ influence in LA mayor’s race is harder to predict this year

As Mayor Karen Bass vies to keep her seat, she has a liberal opponent and a more complicated relationship with some labor leaders.

By

Jim Newton

• March 19, 2026

A black-and-white portrait shows a person facing the camera with a calm, steady expression. They wear a collared shirt under a jacket, and strong directional lighting casts shadows on the wall behind them

Commentary

To many people, César Chávez had become ‘too big to fail’

Many of the women who had dedicated themselves to the farmworker movement were overlooked or driven out by César Chávez's corrosive behavior.

By Matt Garcia • March 19, 2026

Pixley water tower rises above a residential street lined with parked cars and single-story homes under a lightly clouded sky

Commentary

Small California communities deserve protection from big polluting manufacturers

Lawmakers passed exemptions for advanced manufacturing in CEQA, the state’s main environmental law. Now they should plug some of those holes.

By Beverly Whitfield and Christina Velazquez • March 18, 2026

The back of an elementary-aged student as they look at a colorful phonetic alphabet hung up on a wall inside a classroom.

Commentary

California lawmakers weigh statewide plan to be accountable for closing student achievement gaps

The four-bill plan calls for a "comprehensive statewide strategy with clear goals, measurable benchmarks and annual performance targets."

By

Dan Walters

• March 18, 2026

A low, ground-level view looks along a damaged stretch of roadway where crews in safety gear work to repair the surface. A compact construction vehicle and scattered equipment line the site, while traffic cones and barriers mark the work zone against a backdrop of coastal mountains and light haze.

Commentary

The $500 Million Lesson: California needs a new plan to protect Highway 1

Mudslides closed California's iconic coastal route in recent years, costing hundreds of millions of dollars in lost business, tourism and taxes.

By Stafford Nichols • March 18, 2026

A row of eight chimneys remain standing amongst the debris of a neighborhood destroyed by the Tubbs Fire. The city of Santa Rosa is in the background, along with burned-down trees, in the foreground, debris and a burned vehicle on the street.

Commentary

When home insurance fails, California’s families and communities feel the fallout

Homes that lose coverage can become un-mortgageable. Property values decline. Communities that stood for decades begin to be hollowed out.

By Marcella Cranford • March 17, 2026

A sign from the Unrig California campaign lists corporate profit figures, executive pay and median worker pay alongside a QR code inviting people to join the campaign, with an illustration of a shipping box in the background.

Dan Walters

Billionaires bolt from blue states amid tax fears, mirroring rebellion in ‘Atlas Shrugged’ novel

In Ayn Rand's novel, society suffered after business leaders and other achievers left. Will that really occur if a tax chases away the rich?

By

Dan Walters

• March 17, 2026

A person wearing a purple shirt sits in the front row of the audience section at a press conference, where four people stand behind a lectern as one of them speaks into a microphone. A graphic displayed on an easel shows an image of traffic cones with the words "Stop DUIs, Save Lives" on it.

Commentary

Real journalism tells real stories, not YouTube fables to solicit money

Real journalism is distinct from social news tricks for clicks. Journalists hold the powerful accountable, and most won't ask you for money.

By

Dan Walters

• March 13, 2026

A wide shot of a grocery store produce section with a colorful assortment of fruit and vegetables arranged on display on plastic counters. In the background are shoppers walking around the aisles of the store as they shop

Commentary

Don’t demonize plastic food packaging. Recycled, it’s better for the environment than some alternatives

Plastics are the most sustainable option. Food suppliers are decades away from other material that performs as well at food safety and waste.

By Kevin Kelly • March 13, 2026