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A Supreme Court Case on AR-15s Could Hinge on Their ‘Common Use’
U.S.
24 hours ago

ABC Says US TV Regulator Pushing Trump Politics by Targeting ‘The View’
U.S.
1 day ago

Fresno Shooting on Blackstone Avenue Sends Two Men to Hospital
Crime
1 day ago

US Trade Deficit Widens in May
U.S.
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Bomb Attack Rocks Damascus During Macron Visit
World
1 day ago

Xbox Hits Reset Button, Laying Off Thousands and Dropping Game Studios
Tech
2 days ago

Short Thousands of Bilingual Teachers, CA Schools Turn to High School Students
Education
2 days ago

What We Know About Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Condition
U.S.
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Grower John Vidovich Is Lightning Rod for Discontent in Kern Water District
Agriculture
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Toyota to Build $3.6 Billion Texas Plant, Shift Some Truck Production From Mexico
Automotive
2 days ago
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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 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

/ 23 hours 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

/ 4 days 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

/ 6 days 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

/ 7 days 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

/ 1 week 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 weeks 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 weeks 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

/ 2 weeks 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

/ 3 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

/ 4 weeks ago

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The new Air Force One, a plane gifted by the Qatari government, taxis near the old Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
U.S. /

10 minutes ago

Trump Unexpectedly Switches Back to Old Air Force One, Sidelining Qatari Jet

A crane hoists a tactical vehicle at the Logistics Support Area, in a location given as near Kerem Shalom, in this handout picture released June 30, 2026, by the Trump-appointed Board of Peace. Board of Peace/Handout via Reuters
U.S. /

22 minutes ago

Trump’s Board of Peace Planning Pilot Humanitarian Zone in Gaza, Official Says

Fresno Police motorcycles
Local /

38 minutes ago

Fresno Police Plan DUI Patrols for Saturday

President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
World /

51 minutes ago

Trump Says He Thinks Israel Will Withdraw Troops From Southern Lebanon

Firefighters work at the site of a recyclable materials warehouse hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 16, 2026. (Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)
World /

56 minutes ago

Russia Attacks Kyiv for Third Time in a Week, Kills Three

A display commemorating the deaths of children in an airstrike on an elementary school is seen on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at the airport in Mashad, iran, part of the preparations for the upcoming burial of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the city of his birth. Preparations for the burial of Khamenei are transforming Mashad, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest cities, even as the military confrontation between the United States and Iran escalates once again on Wednesday. (Emile Ducke/The New York Times)
World /

1 hour ago

Trump Casts Doubt on Future of Ceasefire After Latest Strikes