Commentary

Commentary

Commentary: Politics may defeat common sense on bonds

When governments seek permission to borrow money through bonds, telling voters how much and for how long taxes will be increased to repay those loans is just common sense. In fact, the Legislature last year passed such a law, requiring bond measures or taxes proposed by local governments or school districts to state “the amount […]

By Dan Walters • April 5, 2018

Commentary

Commentary: Will anyone be accountable for Stephon Clark’s death?

As the capital of the nation’s most complex and populous state, Sacramento is no stranger to protest marches and other forms of political expression. However, the city has never experienced anything as emotionally powerful as the almost daily marches and rallies to condemn the city police shooting death of 22-year-old Stephon Clark in the backyard […]

By Dan Walters • April 4, 2018

Commentary

Commentary: Census question becomes another Trump-California conflict

In the superheated conflict between President Donald Trump and the nation state of California, no issue is too trivial. Every week, it seems, brings some new point of friction, giving the combatants another opportunity to issue searing denunciations and file new lawsuits. Last week was no exception. The Trumpies announced plans to add a citizenship […]

By Dan Walters • April 2, 2018

Commentary

Commentary: California booms, but when will it bust again?

California’s economy is booming with record-high employment, record-low unemployment and billions of extra tax dollars flowing into the state treasury. The official jobless rate dropped to 4.3 percent in February, only slightly above the national rate of 4.1 percent and nearly a full percentage point lower than it was a year earlier. “The record low […]

By Dan Walters • April 1, 2018

Commentary

Commentary: Would today’s California voters change Proposition 13?

A proposed ballot measure would raise property taxes on commercial sites such as retail stores, warehouses and factories but not on homeowners.

By Dan Walters • March 29, 2018

Commentary

Commentary: Feinstein leads in Senate race but is dodging bullets from the left

Left-wingers, who have never liked Feinstein's pragmatic approach, are incensed by her apparent unwillingness to fully embrace the "resistance" to President Trump.

By Dan Walters • March 28, 2018

Commentary

Commentary: Local tax hikes cleverly packaged

Over the past few years, voters in hundreds of California cities and other local governments were asked to pass tax increases, and indications are that another big batch of local tax measures will be on this year’s ballots. All but a handful of the previous tax hikes were approved, although one failed sales tax, in […]

By Dan Walters • March 26, 2018

Commentary

Commentary: Politicians ignore looming higher ed crisis

The Assembly Higher Education Committee unanimously endorsed Assembly Bill 1936 this month, which would seem to bode well for its enactment. It would create an Office of Higher Education Performance and Accountability to plan how California is to meet its ever-rising demand for post-high school education and coordinate the state’s three college and university systems. […]

By Dan Walters • March 25, 2018

Commentary

Commentary: Politicos can’t pick and choose on civil rights

California’s Democratic politicians frequently proclaim their fervent support for tolerance and acceptance of those outside the cultural mainstream. Increasingly, however, they exhibit intolerance of those who disagree with their party’s orthodoxy, even to the point of infringing on their constitutional rights. That tendency was on display this week in the U.S. Supreme Court as California […]

By Dan Walters • March 22, 2018

Commentary

Commentary: It’s open season for political tricksters

Highly paid political consultants dream up ways to lure voters into doing something they would not otherwise be likely, or even willing, to do.

By Dan Walters • March 21, 2018