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Fresno’s Low Pistachio Crop Yield Raises Concerns
Agriculture
4 hours ago

UN Rights Office Warns of Worsening Settler Violence in West Bank
Global Conflicts
5 hours ago

Fed Holds Rates Steady; Three Policymakers Dissent in Favor of a Hike
Economy
5 hours ago

Fresno Teen Identified Nearly 48 Years After Body Found in Kern County Cold Case
Local
5 hours ago

Domestic Abuse Allegations Rock an Ohio House Race
U.S.
6 hours ago

US FTC Suing Hims & Hers for Sending User Health Info to Meta, Snap
Courts
6 hours ago

Oil Jumps Nearly 7% on Escalating Middle East Airstrikes
Economy
7 hours ago

California Man Arrested in Monterey County for Alleged Vandalism of Flock Cameras
Crime
7 hours ago

Fauci Invokes Fifth Amendment, Declines to Answer at Rand Paul Hearing
U.S.
9 hours 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 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 weeks 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

/ 3 weeks 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 weeks 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

/ 4 weeks 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

/ 4 weeks 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

/ 4 weeks 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

/ 1 month 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

/ 1 month 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 month 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

/ 1 month ago

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Fauci, who spent nearly four decades as the government’s top infectious disease expert, refused on Wednesday to answer any questions from the Senate committee investigating the origins of Covid-19. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)
U.S. /

6 minutes ago

Fauci Invokes Fifth Amendment Nearly 100 Times in Bitter Senate Hearing

Local Elections /

35 minutes ago

How Much Would It Cost to Get Esparza’s Initiatives on Fresno Ballot?

Evacuation orders were issued for three Fresno County zones Wednesday as the 15-acre Raleigh Fire burned with no containment, prompting road closures and door-to-door notifications. (CalFire)
Wildfires /

46 minutes ago

Auberry Evacuation Orders Issued as Raleigh Fire Burns in Fresno County

Asset id: 715167073 young caucasian woman with toy heart in the hand donates blood for saving lives and medical research in some hospital at day time
Local /

58 minutes ago

Central California Blood Center Seeks Urgent Donations as Blood Supply Dwindles

Police arrested 25-year-old Jeremiah Velasquez Jr. on a murder charge after previously collected DNA evidence linked him to the 2024 killing of Mario Rosales Jr. in Visalia. (Visalia PD)
Crime /

1 hour ago

Visalia Police Arrests Man in Cold Case Homicide After DNA Identifies Suspect

Politics /

2 hours ago

New Jewish-Arab Party May Complicate Bid to Oust Netanyahu