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Joe Matthews,

Stories by Joe Matthews

No Politician Alive Can ‘Save Democracy.’ That Job Is Exclusively for ‘We the People.’

■Democracy is not something you save. It’s something you do. ■Most democracy exists at the local level and is best understood as ̶...

/ 1 year ago

Newsom’s State Budget Takes a Page From Shohei Ohtani’s $700M Deal

■California’s budget relies heavily on deferrals, similar to Ohtani’s contract. ■Gov. Newsom’s budget includes at least $1...

/ 1 year ago

Here’s Why Kamala Harris Should Ditch VP Job and Run for Governor

Come back, Kamala. Back to California, where you have a future. Joe Mathews Opinion Away from Washington D.C., where they’ll never give y...

/ 1 year ago

Inside Scoop on the Slaughter of Cedar, the California Goat Who Went on the Lam

I, Cedar, may be as dead as the narrator of the film Sunset Boulevard. But from my warm and dry pen in caprine heaven, I can still hand down...

/ 1 year ago

Turn School Boards Over to the Kids in the Classroom Seats

California kids, do you follow the news about the culture wars over local school boards? Joe Mathews Opinion If you do, you’ll see these ...

/ 1 year ago

An Ambitious, Crazy Plan for a Failing California: Homeless High-Speed Rail

Joe Mathews Opinion California is spending billions to house its increasing population of unhoused people. But it hasn’t come close to endi...

/ 1 year ago

You Can See California’s Future in Bend, Oregon

In this era of exodus, if you want to see the future of California, you have to leave the state. Joe Mathews Opinion I got an unexpected ...

/ 2 years ago

Let’s Take Cal, Stanford, Fresno State, San Diego State and Start the California Conference

Dear Cal and Stanford, Why are you running away from California? Joe Mathews Opinion Yes, the collapse of the Pac-12 conference — with ei...

/ 2 years ago

Which Is the Greater Threat to Humanity: Northern California or Southern California?

Sure, these are entertaining films about a physicist and a doll. But both movies are also global nightmares full of warnings about the damag...

/ 2 years ago

What’s the Cost of a Family Secret? Valley Farmer Shares the Answer.

Is there a family trait more common than keeping secrets? Family secrets have hidden costs. When we leave a place or person behind, we don’t...

/ 2 years ago

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris, right, listens with her husband, Doug Emhoff, center, and former President Joe Biden as President Donald Trump is inaugurated inside the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. A successful campaign for governor of California in 2026, Harris has told allies, would give her a prominent perch from which to push back against President Trump and defend Democratic priorities. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)

2 minutes ago

Sidelined and Still Processing Her Defeat, Harris Looks for a Way Back In

President Donald Trump is displayed on a television on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP/Seth Wenig)

7 minutes ago

Trump’s ‘Buy’ Tip on Social Media Before His Tariffs Pause Made Money for Investors Who Listened

Ksenia Karelina, also known as Khavana sits in a glass cage in a court room in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Thursday, June 20, 2024. (AP File)

1 hour ago

California Woman Arrested in Russia Freed in Prisoner Swap: What We Know

President Donald signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. White House officials clarified on Thursday that the 125% tariff on goods from China announced on Wednesday was in addition to a 20% tariff added since President Donald Trump returned to office — and on top of other preexisting levies he already put in place. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)

2 hours ago

Trump Has Added 145% Tariff to China, White House Clarifies

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during a joint subcommittee hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

2 hours ago

The House Passed a Requirement to Prove US Citizenship to Vote. This Is How It Could Affect Voting

Palestinians receive humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)

3 hours ago

Israel Releases 10 Palestinians Detained From Gaza. They Say They Suffered Abuse

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