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Milo Yiannopoulos Detained by ICE, ABC News Reports
Immigration
2 days ago

California Sues Trump Administration Over Offshore Wind Lease Cancelation
California
2 days ago

The TSA Abruptly Scraps Its New Private Security Model
Transportation
2 days ago

Trump Vows Legal Order to Break up ‘Nasty Monopoly’ in Food Processing
Food
2 days ago

Modesto Police Seize 81 Firearms, Arrest Ceres Man in Threats Investigation
Crime
2 days ago

Thousands March in Washington as Leaders Warn of Voting and Civil Rights Rollbacks
U.S.
2 days ago

US Issues Fresh Iran-Related Sanctions as War Marks Six Months
U.S.
2 days ago

Fresno Man Gets 62 Years to Life for Trafficking, Sexually Assaulting Minors
Local
3 days ago

Corporate Political Donations Shatter Record at $646 Million so Far for US Midterms
U.S.
3 days ago

DeSantis Administration Misspent $10 Million, Grand Jury Says
U.S.
3 days ago
Group 4
ELECTIONS
Portrait of CalMatters Columnist Dan Walters
Dan Walters,
CalMatters Commentary

Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. He has written more than 9,000 columns about the state and its politics and is the founding editor of the “California Political Almanac.” Dan has also been a frequent guest on national television news shows, commenting on California issues and policies.

Stories by Dan Walters

Image of an apartment complex being built adjacent to a stately old home in Santa Monica

California Battle Over Key Environmental Law Brews on Two Fronts

Business as usual in California politics always includes at least one squabble over the California Environmental Quality Act, a law signed 5...
Opinion

/ 4 days ago

Attorney General Rob Bonta addresses the media during a press conference at the California Department of Justice in Sacramento on Feb. 4, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves, CalMatters

AG Bonta Excels at Self-Promotion but Buries Legal Losses That Cost California

Driven by either genetic impulse or vocational training, politicians habitually brag about how they are serving those who voted them into of...
Cal Matters

/ 1 week ago

Image of Gov. Gavin Newsom in a dark suit, white shirt, and red tie in front of a blue-and-white Holding Big Oil Accountable banner

How Newsom’s Complex History With the Oil Industry Could Affect a Presidential Run

Gavin Newsom and his family have had a long and complicated relationship with the oil industry. The latest chapter in the saga, a legal and ...
Opinion

/ 2 months ago

Image of the high-tech screens behind the steering wheel of a BMW car

Tech Devices in California’s New Cars Create Thorny Political Issues

Automobiles have gradually evolved over the last two decades from mechanical devices into electronic platforms featuring computer screens an...
Opinion

/ 2 months ago

Image of US Flag waving beneath a blue sky and reflecting the sun

On USA’s 250th Birthday, Californians Should Remember When We Saved the World From Tyranny

If there ever was a moment for citizens of the United States of America to contemplate and appreciate how their nation has affected humankin...
Opinion

/ 2 months ago

CA Unions Want to Unwind Landmark Pension Reform. Who Will Foot the Bill?

The 1998 election of Gray Davis as governor was something of a fluke. By Dan Walters CalMatters Davis had climbed the political ladder on...
Opinion

/ 2 months ago

Image of voting booths, of which 1 is occupied

CA Voters Will Decide 14 Ballot Measures, Billionaire Tax Included

When California voters in 1978 passed Proposition 13, the iconic property tax limitation, they simultaneously rejected Proposition 8, which ...
Opinion

/ 2 months ago

Image of Gavin Newsom facing left and pointing to a screen with the words "California 2027-28 Budget Balanced" and a checkmark

Reality Check: Is the California Budget Actually Balanced?

Accurately describing the state financial situation depends largely on a person’s definitions of “balanced” and “deficit.” By Dan Wa...
Opinion

/ 2 months ago

Image of a well-dressed woman and man standing at a podium with the American Flag and Seal of California in the background

What Does Federal Probe of Newsom Mean for His Presidential Ambitions?

Last week Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed in a video and a social media post that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating him and his wif...
Cal Matters

/ 2 months ago

Image of voters casting ballots

Voters in Deep Blue California Sour on Ballot Measures Adding Taxes

California is a blue state, and one of the manifestations of its political orientation has been a tolerance for one of the nation’s highest ...
Opinion

/ 2 months ago

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Image of solar panels installed beneath railroad tracks
Tech /

3 hours ago

Is That a Solar Farm, or a Train Track? In One Swiss Town, It’s Both

Image of husband and wife farmers trailed by their young children as they move a wheelbarrow filled with squash
Agriculture /

4 hours ago

Farmers Struggle to Get Basic Services From Depleted Agriculture Dept.

Composite image of Mark Larsen in an open collar shirt, blue water and a green earth logo, symbolizing an award he will receive
Inspire /

4 hours ago

Tulare County Water Manager Lauded for Commitment to Ag, Habitat Preservation

The GM logo is displayed at the new location of the General Motors Headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 12, 2026. Reuters/Rebecca Cook
Latest /

1 day ago

GM Deal With Workers Would Add Sierra Pickup Assembly to Canadian Plant Despite US Tariff Threat

Luay Bayrudi, the owner of a house that came under settler attack, outside of the medical center in Qusra, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 29, 2026. Reuters/Ammar Awad
Latest /

1 day ago

Israeli Settlers Stage New Attack on Home in West Bank’s Qusra, Witnesses Say

The Kalshi app on a phone in New York, July 2, 2026. A federal appeals court ruled on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, that states had the ability to regulate prediction markets, a win for the states in an ongoing battle with federal regulators over who had authority over popular wagering platforms. (Eric Helgas/The New York Times)
Latest /

1 day ago

Clash Between Prediction Markets and States Sets off a Furious Political Battle