It’s a presidential election year, so what can California voters anticipate between now and Nov. 3? For one thing, not much presidential politicking, even though we’ve advanced our presidential primary from June to March in hopes of making California more than an ATM machine to finance campaigns in other states....
California’s Homelessness Crisis — and Possible Solutions — Explained
By Matt Levin and Jackie Botts, CalMatters California’s most vexing issue is also its most shameful: the large and rising number of residents who lack a safe place to call home. In a state with vast amounts of wealth, more than 150,000 of its residents sleep in shelters, cars, or...
California Is a Wondrous Place. I’m Leaving.
To me, California has always been an amazing place with a wondrous geography far more diverse than the other two largest states. This helps explain why historically it has been such a beacon for so many Americans, including myself, seeking a golden future in the Golden State. But not just...
Sanders, Bloomberg Test Different Paths to a California Win
LOS ANGELES — One is spending millions of dollars flooding the airwaves from Los Angeles to Sacramento, highlighting his tenure as mayor of the nation's largest city and commitment to key Democratic causes. The other has hired 80 staff members to knock on doors, organize volunteers and promote his message...
Walters: California's Half-a-Loaf Syndrome
Joe Mathews, another guy who makes his living by scribbling about California, penned a very perceptive article recently about the state’s proclivity for not following through on policy pronouncements. “California is stuck in the gray zone,” Mathews wrote, referring to “a military term for the space between peace and war… “In California...
Walters: One Tax Measure Goes Away
Proposition 13, California’s iconic property tax limit, was overwhelmingly approved by California voters 41 years ago and for at least 40 of those years, efforts have been mounted to repeal or change it. Initially, it was attacked in the courts, but survived. Thereafter, pro-spending interest groups — public employee unions,...
California Considers Calling THC in Pot a Risk to Moms-to-Be
LOS ANGELES — More than three years after California voters broadly legalized marijuana, a state panel is considering if its potent, high-inducing chemical — THC — should be declared a risk to pregnant women and require warnings. Studies have indicated that a rising number of mothers-to-be have turned to marijuana...
Walters: ‘Tax Exhaustion’ May Be on the Horizon
California’s local governments — cities especially — and school districts have been packing ballots with tax increase measures in recent years and another batch is on tap for next year. Voters have, more often than not, bought into officials’ pleas for more revenue and promises to spend it on popular...
Home-State Skepticism of Kamala Harris Foretold Trouble
SACRAMENTO — When Sen. Kamala Harris entered the presidential race in January, her California roots were supposed to give her special access to the cash and delegates required to win the Democratic nomination. Instead, she faced headwinds in her home state that would become a microcosm for the trouble that ultimately forced her...
California Legislators Must Stop the Attorney General From Rigging Ballot Initiative Descriptions
Imagine that in next year’s presidential race, election officials scrambled the letters in Donald Trump so it appeared on ballots as Daldon Prumt. Most people would agree this is not acceptable. Voters need their ballots to accurately convey who it is they are voting for or against. Yet for decades,...