Commentary

California Public Utility Commission members have many factors to consider whenever they evaluate a merger. But in my view, it comes down to a single question: Will California consumers benefit from this? For the T-Mobile-Sprint merger, the answer is yes.

While Gavin Newsom won't face a budget crisis when he is inaugurated in January, he will find a stack of leftover issues on his desk from outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown.

Pundits and political consultants once thought climate change was a distant concern and not an issue that would energize voters. But as fires rage from Chico to Malibu, people can plainly see, feel, and smell the impact of climate change. And they made their feelings clear at the ballot box.

Gavin Newsom will be only the second governor in the last half-century to begin his first term without a major budget crisis to be solved. But keeping the state in the black may be difficult, particularly as he pursues an expansionist agenda.

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

Advocates for political equality should be pleased with the election results and the surge in female candidacies. But institutional roadblocks could impede their progress in California over the near term. Further, how can this state think of itself as a progressive trendsetter when it's one of only 20 states that has never elected a female governor? And it could be several years before a woman even gets a realistic chance.

More than $1 billion was spent on California political campaigns this year, but the outcome of this month's election was pretty much preserving the status quo.

Outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown has been honored by the Tax Foundation for opposing new tax loopholes. However, his record on tax reform otherwise has been scant.

The average pre-teen today is 96 percent less likely to be arrested than his or her counterpart in past decades. Arrests of girls and boys of all ethnicity and race for violence, property, drug, vandalism, felony and misdemeanor offenses are down by huge proportions. We need informed, innovative leadership to perpetuate these gains.

General Motors' zero-emission vehicle proposal is greenwashing. GM should support Obama administration fuel economy standards and condemn Trump's attack on state authority to expand ZEV programs.