Commentary

Kevin de León needed to get aggressive in his only joint appearance with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who he wants to defeat on Nov. 6. But de León was very subdued and didn't change the campaign's dynamics.

California’s two recent governors, Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger, have been unusually skilled at water policy. Both responded effectively to urgent floods and droughts in ways that also brought long-term improvements. The next governor will face similar water problems. And he will see opportunities, expectations, and pitfalls along the way.

Despite very strong growth in property taxes, hundreds of local governments are asking voters to approve additional taxes. They are reluctant, however, to tell voters that rising pension costs are the major reason.

California plays a central role setting auto rules and has a responsibility to lead the world’s fight against auto pollution. President Trump wants to revoke that unique authority. California Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary Nichols must defend it.

Housing, food, healthcare, and other costs are soaring. Real wages are stagnant. And for UC lowest paid employees, most of whom are people of color, a raise means nothing if your job gets outsourced the next day to a private contractor that pays much less.

Jerry Brown has never been interested in management of the state bureaucracy and as he prepares to retire from the governorship he probably will leave behind a managerial debacle in the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

What is the hardest, dirtiest job you’ve ever had? This is a question that we need to be asking all of our elected and prospective elected leaders, as it is an important lens for how they experience blue-collar Californians.

Four measures on the November ballot purport to address California's housing crisis, but they are minimalist at best, and one would make it worse.

California's recycling rate has dropped from 50 percent to 44 percent. The carpet recycling rate is one bright spot. The 2017 carpet recycling output rate increased by 27 percent over 2016 and is up 100 percent since the third quarter of 2015. Those increases show the program is working. CalRecycle should let the program continue to expand.

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