Commentary

Big moves are being made on water policy in the final months of Jerry Brown's second governorship, including twin tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a new water allocation policy and money for new water storage reservoirs.

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

Universal health care is a big issue for California's Democratic Party but thanks to a budget "trailer bill," a decision on it can be delayed by at least three years while a new commission studies how to do it.

California's economy is booming and tax revenues are pouring into public treasuries, but schools and local governments say mandatory payments into pension funds are causing them to dip into reserves and ask taxpayers for more money.

The measure to split California into three states has been removed from the November ballot by the state Supreme Court. Opponents say it would violate the state constitution because revising the constitution can only be initiated in the Legislature.

California may be the nation's richest state, but it also has the nation's highest level of poverty, thanks to its high cost of living, especially housing. However the political response has been tepid tokenism.

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

Inventor Gilbert Hyatt's decades-long battle with California tax authorities is flaring up again. Hyatt sought refuge in Nevada, which has no income tax, while California tax collectors say he owes them money.

Kevin de León, a state senator who wants to unseat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, won the endorsement last weekend of the state Democratic Party executive committee, but she enjoys strong support from Democratic voters and is still likely to win re-election in November.

California's education establishment is fighting a running battle with school reformers and civil rights groups over accountability for helping "at-risk" kids, and the battle will resume after voters elect a new governor and a new state schools superintendent.