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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

A Hyundai Ioniq 6 at an Electrify America charging station in Oakland on Feb. 27, 2024. (CalMatters/Camille Cohen)

If Zero-Emission Cars Cut Gasoline Sales and Tax Revenue, How Will California Replace Them?

By Dan Walters CalMattersThis commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. When California motorists fi...

/ 5 hours ago

Under Pressure From Trump, UC Abandons ‘Diversity Statement’ Requirement for Faculty

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. It’s likely that most Californians have never h...

/ 2 days ago

Lobbyists Are a Growth Industry in Politically Complex California

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In the late 1990s, the late Jay Michael and I coautho...

/ 5 days ago

Newsom’s New CA Homelessness Plan Leaves Out Some Important Details

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Let’s assume that there’s a theoretical p...

/ 6 days ago

Costly Health Care Expansion Worsens California’s Chronic Budget Deficit

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. When Gov. Gavin Newsom two months ago proposed a $322...

/ 1 week ago

Playing Political Whac-A-Mole As Issue Of Bond Measure Language Pops Up Again

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The California Legislature is often the arena for gam...

/ 1 week ago

Newsom Tacks Right to Oppose Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. So what game is Gavin Newsom playing? Ever since Demo...

/ 2 weeks ago

Santa Monica Apartment Construction

Study Tells CA Legislators to Declare War on Red Tape. Will They Do It?

Construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and its more famous cousin, the Golden Gate Bridge, began in 1933, and both were carryi...

/ 2 weeks ago

California’s List of Failed Tech Projects Just Added an Agency

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. While twiddling his thumbs in the powerless office of...

/ 3 weeks ago

Reflecting on 50 Years of Writing About California’s Politics — and Still Counting

This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. This week is a personal milestone, marking a half-cen...

/ 3 weeks ago

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Fresno County Hires Two New Department Heads

Staff members prepare the start line at Stade de France in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 3, 2024. Track and field will introduce mandatory DNA sex testing for athletes entering female competitions, its global leader said on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, making it the first Olympic sport to add the requirement. (Chang W. Lee/The New York Times)

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Track and Field to Be First Olympic Sport Requiring DNA Sex Tests for Women

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, questions the witnesses during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP File)

2 hours ago

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett Mocks Wheelchair-Bound Greg Abbott as ‘Gov. Hot Wheels’

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP File)

3 hours ago

Appeals Court Allows Trump to Suspend Approval of New Refugees Amid Lawsuit

Mike Bibby was hired to coach Sacramento State's basketball team, aiming to revitalize the program and boost its profile. (Shutterstock)

3 hours ago

Sacramento State Hires Former NBA Star Mike Bibby as New Basketball Coach

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New CA System Tells You When and Where Pesticides Are Applied

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