Commentary

A printed handout titled “Ethnic Studies Course Introduction” lists course requirements, topics, and objectives, with the foreground text in sharp focus and lower sections blurred.

Commentary

California’s high schools should be teaching ethnic studies courses but aren’t

Guest Commentary written by Julia Barzizza Julia Barzizza is a graduate student at UC Davis. She is the winner of the 2026 UC Davis Center for Poverty and Inequality Research Black History Month Student Essay Contest, from which this commentary was adapted. California was the first state to make ethnic studies a high school graduation […]

By Julia Barzizza • February 27, 2026

A person wearing glasses and a black jacket stands in front of a wooden podium, speaking into a microphone, during a press conference at the site of a wildfire, as tractors work behind them, moving debris. Other people surround them, all wearing construction helmets and safety vests.

Commentary

LA Mayor Karen Bass deflects blame, adds insult to injury for wildfire victims

The Los Angeles Times reports Mayor Bass has been pressuring fire officials to soften or downplay findings in reports about the city's wildfire response.

By

Dan Walters

• February 27, 2026

A person in medical protective clothing, wearing a face mask and a hair net, pushes a hospital gurney through a hallway inside a hospital, viewed from an open door.

Commentary

She spent six of her last years in arbitration with her HMO. Her husband’s still fighting the system

Arbitrators in medical disputes are supposed to be unbiased, but this couple suspected there is an incentive to favor HMO’s in arbitration.

By Stephen Martinez • February 26, 2026

A group of five people, dressed in professional attire, sit on chairs on a stage in front of a crowd, with a banner behind them reading “Governor Candidate Forum.” Four of the five people sitting on stage have their hands up to answer the question while a crowd of people watches in the dark.

Commentary

No clear frontrunner for governor, but new poll names five with the best shot

A poll shows three Democrats and two Republicans have voter support percentages in the teens. The top two vote-getters in June will face off in November.

By

Dan Walters

• February 26, 2026

A truck unloads organic waste to be used for composting at the Anaerobic Composter Facility in Woodland, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo

Commentary

California is ‘nowhere near’ emissions goals. It’s still sending organic waste to landfills

California trucks much of its organic waste to landfills instead of recyclers, largely because of an exclusive franchise hauling system.

By Clemens Stockreiter • February 25, 2026

A close-up view of a student as they write on a whiteboard as an instructor watches in a classroom with brightly colored decorations. The student uses a marker to write math equations as the students watch and learn.

Commentary

California’s reading reforms drive push for better math skills in early grades

Some of the supporters of the phonics curriculum California adopted last year are now urging statewide math screening for young students.

By

Dan Walters

• February 25, 2026

Commentary

Uber’s ballot measure would protect rideshare companies, not riders, from safety lapses

A proposed California law — if it made it to the ballot — would cap medical payouts in vehicular accidents and shrink lawyers’ payments in lawsuits against rideshare companies.

By Jamie Court and Nick Rowley • February 24, 2026