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America’s Royal Couple, Taylor and Travis, May Wed This Week
Entertainment
5 hours ago

Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Unprecedented Bid to Fire Fed’s Cook
Courts
8 hours ago

The Uneven Toll of California’s Groundwater Law in the Valley
Agriculture
1 day ago

Iran and US Step Up Attacks, Threaten to Escalate War
Global Conflicts
1 day ago

Migrants on Temporary Status Should Seek US Permanent Residency or Leave: Homeland Secretary
Immigration
1 day ago

Big Box Tinderboxes: Warehouses Expose More Californians to Costly, Toxic Disasters
Cal Matters
1 day ago

What Is California Doing About Homelessness? These Are the Bills to Watch
Legislation
1 day ago

Happy 250th, America! A Guide to July 4th Fireworks in the Valley
Events
2 days ago

Some Fresno County Workers With a CCW May Soon Be Able to Carry at Work
2nd Amendment
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 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

/ 3 days 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

/ 5 days ago

Image of Gov. Newsom looking left. He's wearing a dark blazer and an open collar shirt while surrounded by minimum wage increase supporters

CA Turns to Minimum Wage Hikes to Offset High Living Costs. There’s a Downside

There are three immutable aspects of economic life in California today. By Dan Walters CalMatters Opinion No. 1, Californians face the na...
Opinion

/ 1 week ago

Image of Gavin Newsom in a blue suit, white shirt, and blue tie facing right as he speaks at a podium while gesturing with his hands

As Ballot Deadline Nears, Will CA Billionaire Tax Actually Go to Voters?

Early 20th century political reformers such as Hiram Johnson saw the initiative process — placing measures on the ballot for voters to decid...
Opinion

/ 2 weeks ago

Image of a newborn and mother in a hospital

CA Population Stagnates as Immigration and Birth Rates Decline

California’s population exploded during and immediately after World War II, from 6.9 million in 1940 to 19.9 million in 1970, thanks to wave...
Opinion

/ 3 weeks ago

Image of a smiling Xavier Becerra dressed in a suit on stage speaking to supporters at an election watch party

What Election Night Results Mean in Race for Next California Governor

An interrogation is a staple scene in TV cop shows, with a detective often telling a suspect that “we can do this the easy way or the hard w...
Dan Walters

/ 4 weeks ago

Images of Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, both are gesturing and wearing dark suits with white open collar shirts

Becerra and Hilton Pull Well Ahead in CA Governor’s Race: Poll

The 2026 campaign for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s successor may be all but over after the votes from next week’s primary are counted, even wit...
Cal Matters

/ 1 month ago

Image of a partially completed concrete high speed rail ramp in Fresno, California

18 Years After CA Voters Approved Bullet Train, Progress and Finances Still Stalled

Construction of the 1,911-mile transcontinental railroad connecting California with the eastern half of the United States began in 1863, whi...
Transportation

/ 1 month ago

Image of three California governor candidates sitting in yellow chairs on a stage. Candidate Tom Steyer is speaking into a microphone

Hilton and Becerra Lead in New CA Governor Poll. Steyer Trails but Isn’t Out

Two weeks from now we’ll probably know which of the 61 candidates for governor have finished 1-2 in the primary election and will face each ...
Polls

/ 1 month ago

Image of young students walking through the outdoor hallways of Lake Marie Elementary School.

California Public Schools Need Better Oversight and Guidance From the State

Shortly after beginning his second stint as governor of California in 2011, Jerry Brown began promoting a two-pronged overhaul of how the st...
Opinion

/ 2 months ago

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Image of a laptop with "Wire Fraud" appearing on the screen
Crime /

31 minutes ago

Man Pleads Guilty in $10M Fraud With Inmate From Clovis

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Sports /

1 hour ago

Ex-NBA Players Malik Beasley, Ed Davis Indicted on Gambling-Related Charges

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U.S. /

2 hours ago

JetBlue Flight Hits Drone on Approach to JFK Airport, FAA says

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Crime /

2 hours ago

Fatal Shooting Near World Cup Fan Zone Isolated Incident: San Jose Police

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Crime /

2 hours ago

Tulare County Man Gets 15 Years in Prison for Child Porn

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Environment /

3 hours ago

Farmer Wanted for Tule Basin Land and Water Conservation Trust Board