Dan Walters might be the most high-profile media advocate for community colleges in California. For example, he long has championed allowing community colleges to grant baccalaureate degrees in technical fields — especially in rural regions where students must travel long distances to attend a four-year institution. New Community College Programs In...
Who Are Real Poverty Pimps? They're Democrats: Walters
By most metrics, California has a poverty problem. One out of every five Golden Staters lives below the “line,” which recently has been recalibrated and no longer masks the truth. CALmatter’s Dan Walters opines that he knows the main culprit in his July 22 column: “California has an immense poverty...
Walters: Why de León's Endorsement Coup Doesn't Matter
Dianne Feinstein has been a stalwart of Democratic politics in California ever since her election to San Francisco city government in the 1970s. Her party credentials are without comparison. But, that apparently isn’t enough to satisfy the Democratic party of today. As Dan Walters noted in his July 18 CALmatters...
It's California vs. Trump in Battle Over 2020 Census: Walters
California has a lot on the line with the 2020 census count. For example, even though the current population trends point to the Golden State retaining its 53 seats in the House of Representatives, an inaccurate count could result in the loss of one seat. In addition, the California Citizens...
Tuck vs. Thurmond in Duel Over Cal School Funding: Walters
The good news is, California is designating funding to close the educational achievement gap. The bad news is, the state resists measures to track whether that spending works. That is the analysis of CALmatters’ columnist Dan Walters on the Local Control Funding Formula plan. The rift pits Gov. Jerry Brown and...
Liberal Billionaire George Soros Clobbered in California Election
Money can’t buy you happiness. And, apparently, it can’t buy you elections. CALmatters columnist Dan Walters notes how one of the richest men in the world failed in his latest go-around dabbling into California politics. Billionaire and philanthropist George Soros backed four district attorney candidates to achieve his goal of...
New Energy Plan Could Leave Californians in Dark: Walters
CALmatters’ Dan Walters is sounding the siren that history is repeating itself when it comes to energy deregulation. In his latest piece, Walters recalls the history of power company deregulation in the 1990s and how badly it missed on its promises. Now, it is happening again. “Newly drafted legislation would...
State Politicians Still Up to their Sneaky Tricks: Walters
Californians like transparency when its comes to their elected leaders. Voters demanded that legislation be printed three days in advance when Proposition 54 passed in 2016. 'Mushroom Bills' Grow in the Dark But as CALmatters columnist Dan Walters notes in his June 14 piece, Sacramento lawmakers still find an end-around. With...
California Top-Two Primary Improving Elections: Walters
Party leaders hate it. East Coast journalists think its wacky. But, in the end, California's top-two primary voting system is good for voters. That is the take from CALmatter's Dan Walters. "It does empower voters by giving them more choices than the closed primary system it replaced, and that’s not...
Primary Gives Trump and Newsom Something They Agree On
It's doubtful that President Donald Trump and California lieutenant governor and top gubernatorial vote-getter Gavin Newsom agree on anything. But as CALmatter's Dan Walters writes in his June 7 column, both men got their wish in Tuesday's election: John Cox advanced to the November gubernatorial runoff. Walters offers his analysis that...