A modest proposal: Knock off the phony local-control mantra
Quite simply, if Republicans truly believe that local control is preeminent, then they should lead...
Opinion Columnists
Susan Shelley: Why Spencer Pratt has captivated a frustrated Los Angeles
Imagine a mayor who solves problems instead of preserving them to justify more funding.
Larry Wilson: Altadena, the Palisades and the fire next time
The blame is in the wind
John Stossel: A republic, if we can keep it
This summer, the United States celebrates its 250th birthday.
Sal Rodriguez: Are we really still doing ‘birthing people’?
If Democrats want to look like out-of-touch radicals, they should keep using this jargon.
John Seiler: Xavier Becerra looks to be next governor of California
As the June 2 election approaches, it’s looking like he will finish either first or...
Jon Coupal: Tom Steyer thinks every problem can be solved by a tax increase
For Tom Steyer, there is no problem that can’t be solved by taking more of...
Susan Shelley: A short guide to Los Angeles County’s judicial races
Be sure to vote!
Latest polling confirms no one wants Karen Bass as mayor of Los Angeles
A Karen Bass re-election would only confirm my other suspicion that Angelenos have a weird...
Douglas Schoen: The Democratic National Committee’s autopsy was a disaster
It is evidence of a party lacking institutional self-awareness to conduct an honest reckoning of...
One ballot measure extends California’s taxing power. Another limits it. Stay tuned.
A wealth tax on billionaires is the first step, and it puts the retirement savings...
Rafael Perez: Zach Sokoloff is not the answer for Los Angeles City Controller
All in all, I found Sokoloff’s unending mudslinging to be at times dishonest and at...
Matt Fleming: A gubernatorial race to forget
With any luck, we’ve bottomed out as an electorate, and we can expect better days...
In praise of the California Republican lawmakers who spoke against Assembly Bill 1768
Yes, the Republican leader in the Assembly helped provide a key vote for tax increases.
The troubled judicial candidacies of Troy Slaten and Dieter Carlos Dammeier
I should immediately note that both of these candidates have been accused of questionable behavior.
Jon Coupal: The bullet train’s threat to local governments
We haven’t seen this level of denial since the Monty Python dead parrot skit.
Listen to Third-Party candidates now, before the top-two primary silences them
"The tax base is essentially being used as a public trust from which the Democrat...
Susan Shelley: California leaders ignore fraud to protect the system
“We are concerned that some governors see these programs as jobs programs,” Oz said, in...
Agustina Vergara Cid: The foreign-born heroes who chose America
America is, as Gorsuch said, a nation based on the ideas of the Declaration of...
Larry Wilson: California fails deaf and hard-of-hearing kids
Governor Newsom, cowboy up on hearing aids
John Phillips: A Bianco surge, and a lockout, is the GOP’s only path to victory in governor’s race
To quote the legendary former owner of the Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, Al Davis, "Just...
Steven Greenhut: Republicans shrug at the Trump team’s grotesque self-dealing
Why do Republicans roll over?
Republicans rise in support of sales tax increases in California
If this is the new direction of the California Republican superminority, it raises the question:...
Ken Calvert and Young Kim are right to reject Nancy Mace’s nativist stunt
The navel-gazing nativists of the far-right like Nancy Mace are as destructive to the American...
John Seiler: Thomas Massie’s defeat will haunt President Trump
“When I won’t vote for a war, when I won’t vote for warrantless spying and...
Susan Shelley: AI won’t undermine our elections. Political consultants already did.
Too much manipulation by too many people at the same time can create a path...
Chemtrails, ‘Mexican biology’ and the alternate reality of Mike Cargile
The flood gates had opened.
Nithya Raman’s interview with Hasan Piker exposes her flawed, socialist vision for Los Angeles
This interview was a low-point in Raman’s struggling campaign.
Larry Wilson: Four fine candidates for L.A. Superior Court Office No. 65
Lawyers with great personal stories
Veronique De Rugy: When businessmen enter the Beltway, it’s business as usual
Markets run on competition and objective market signals. Government is steered by politics and ideological...
Gavin Newsom’s last budget still would leave California’s finances wobbly
It is, to use another phrase from the inimitable Jerry Brown, a “yeasty situation.”
Pay or Die: The scare tactics behind LA County’s Measure ER tax increase
Voters deserve to know the full truth. They’re being asked to pay higher taxes because...
Larry Wilson: Thank goodness it was the last governor debate
Gotcha moments.
Steven Greenhut: GOP winning redistricting battle, but democracy is the loser
As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, it’s a good time to consider a truce.
Unions manipulate right-wingers and left-wingers in LA mayoral race to aid Bass
It turns out you can't always believe everything you see on the internet. Who knew?
Rafael Perez: Maria Ghobadi is the responsible choice for judicial office No. 64
Voting for Haymon seems like a mistake when we have a well-qualified candidate with what...
Matt Fleming: Blame Katie Porter’s personality, not sexism, for being unlikable
Porter's temperament should not be the only thing voters should consider about her – her...
Douglas Schoen: Spencer Pratt has invigorated the Los Angeles mayoral race
Ultimately, Angelenos’ rising dissatisfaction has become a considerable vulnerability for Mayor Bass, who finds herself...
Desperate measures: LA’s plan to tax everything that moves
Chasing those taxpayers out of the state is idiotic, even by L.A. government standards.
Will Swaim: Why the Paramount-Skydance deal is good for California
Hollywood became Hollywood long before Sacramento began micromanaging economic development.
Democratic legislators weigh new taxes and blame Trump for California’s deficit
Backfilling today’s federal reductions would be costly, and health care advocates are ramping up pressure...
Los Angeles Republicans show how gullible they are on anti-Pratt ad
The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor recently dropped an ad "attacking" Republican mayoral candidate...
John Seiler: Why Ryan Dibble is the right choice for L.A. County judge
Dibble is the clear choice for L.A. County voters to put on the bench.
California schools scored big increases in funding but not in academic performance
We shouldn’t kid ourselves, or allow politicians and school officials to kid us, that spending...
Susan Shelley: California’s cap-and-invest scam is finally being exposed
It has no effect on the climate. It’s a hidden tax, and a very regressive...
Doug McIntyre: A funny thing happened in the LA mayor’s race, an actual debate!
Spencer Pratt’s argument that the leadership of Los Angeles has failed the people they serve...
State and local governments have failed Californians on homelessness funding
If the government cannot track its own spending on homelessness programs, then it cannot effectively...
Larry Wilson: Eight in 10 Americans say the politicians are too old
How old is too old to serve in Congress?
Irene Lee vs Angie Christides in LA Superior Court Office No. 14
I liked how both candidates look to translate two decades of courtroom experience into fairness...
It’s good to loosen psychedelic rules, but the FDA is still on bad trip
I’d prefer a choice-based system where substances — whether psychedelic therapies or frozen-lasagna recipes —...
Douglas Schoen: Becerra may be better for California than Steyer or Porter
Progressive objections are curious, given that Becerra has been front and center opposing Trump, a...
Rafael Perez: Judicial temperament is on the ballot in Walgren-Kapelovitz race
Judge Walgren was a consummate professional while Kapelovitz made several wild claims about Walgren, which...
LA mayoral debate: moderators flail as Pratt bullies and Bass deflects
It’s not a good sign for the city of Los Angeles when it’s difficult to...
California high-speed rail project: The best business plan is no plan at all
Boon Rocks. That’s the way to go.
Tom Campbell: A practical path to reclaiming congressional war powers
Our country needs a definitive and practical resolution that includes a role for Congress regarding...
California’s candidates for governor target ascending Becerra on national stage
The pecking order was obvious, with Xavier Becerra, the former attorney general and Biden cabinet member,...
John Seiler: Grading the top Democratic candidates for state superintendent
Barrera scores an F, but would be a great choice for running New York City’s...
John Phillips: Republicans should play for the lockout, and vote for Chad Bianco
I’m voting for Chad Bianco this June—and high-information Republican voters should do so, too.
Rafael Perez: Josh Fryday’s case for California lieutenant governor
Fryday is far from a perfect candidate, but he’s better than the alternatives.
Legislature’s adviser tries budget tough love to get California politicians to close huge deficits
We’ll see if Petek’s tough love advice finally gets Newsom and legislators to pull their...
Douglas Schoen: Tax the rich, lose the rich
Predictably, as billionaires continue to leave California as a response, the less wealth there is...
The end of mandatory discrimination: SCOTUS limits the use of race in redistricting
This will lead to significant changes to district maps for political offices at all levels...
Larry Wilson: How Matt Mahan plans to become governor
A moderate for California
Why is Tony Thurmond still running for governor?
Thirsty for attention. Cringy. Hard to take seriously. Lacking originality.
Ham-fisted Coastal Commission finally getting comeuppance
I can’t think of anything that’s been made better by handing ham-fisted powers to unelected...
Susan Shelley: The unjust math behind Sen. Henry Stern’s Senate Bill 1404
Billionaires are bait. You’re the fish they want on the hook.
Jon Coupal: Why California ranks so low in taxpayer return on investment
That is a real world deficit.
Mayhem and mediocrity: Why Tuesday’s debate was a disservice to California
In terms of deciding between candidates, these debates offer nothing of substance on which to...
Too much noise, not enough substance in latest gubernatorial debate
The next debate is May 5 on CNN. Let’s hope it’s better.
Nick Fuentes controversy surfaces in California treasurer race
Let’s keep Hitler dead in his bunker.
Rafael Perez: Fiona Ma’s fuzzy vision for the lieutenant governorship
As to her relation to Pegasus and Mr. Ma, I leave it to the reader...
California’s candidates for governor must prioritize schools’ education deficits
While California has no shortage of existential issues, none is more vital than doing something...
Jon Coupal: Taxpayer protection initiative qualifies for the November ballot
Those who want to help in this battle are encouraged to visit www.SaveProp13.com.
Veronique De Rugy: America’s spending problem is a health care problem
Reforming this cronyism requires no new spending or bureaucracy.
Adam Summers: The ‘California Dream’ is now found out of state
We can expect the population loss, capital flight and brain drain to continue, as people...
Susan Shelley: It shouldn’t be so hard to clear the encampments
Your move, Justice Gorsuch.
Larry Wilson: The untriumphant Arc de Trump
Less is never more to one president
Ignoring history, lawmakers look to boost pensions as economy teeters
If it all sounds eerily familiar, that’s because it is.
First TV debate in race for governor mostly bypassed California’s serious issues
We got only brief sound bites on what the six would do themselves to reduce...
Rafael Perez: Michael Tubbs and the imaginary bottomless pot of gold
The state needs grounded politicians who deploy sensible and modest solutions, which it seems Tubbs...
Susan Shelley: Mayor Bass bets big on NGOs while streetlights go dark
Some of your city tax dollars paid for peanuts on those flights. But you’re expected...
John Stossel: The triumph of economic freedom?
Free markets do work. If politicians just let them.
John Seiler: Education reformer Gloria Romero aims for lieutenant governor
Romero gives Republicans, and real reform, their best chance in two decades.
Agustina Vergara Cid: Young Americans need more clarity about energy
Most young Americans weren’t taught the radical importance of reliable, abundant, and affordable energy.
Susan Shelley: Why the Legislature wants to kill ‘greenwashing’ lawsuits
“Brainwashing” may be a bigger problem than “greenwashing.”
Jon Coupal: Electric vehicle mandates costing government and taxpayers
Costly wishful thinking
Larry Wilson: Trump and the 25th Amendment
Remove the president from office
With Orbán’s defeat, MAGA needs new foreign despot to admire
I would never have believed that modern conservatives would behave like 1980s leftists.
Rafael Perez: The eternal return of Mike Schaefer, candidate for Congress
Did you know that Schaefer is a “recognized constitutional scholar nationally”and that he once charmed...
Douglas Schoen: With Swalwell’s downfall, it’s Steyer’s race to lose
Ultimately, in the words of the New York Times’ Shane Goldmacher, following this latest scandal,...
Matt Fleming: Trump’s actions make him seem so far from God
Someone please pray for President Donald Trump, because he seems so far from God.
Susan Shelley: Could Los Angeles back out of the 2028 Games?
It’s a warning to all the cities on earth that hosting the Olympics is a...
Ken Calvert and Young Kim really have no ‘Dignity’ on immigration
It is what it is.
Rafael Perez: The tragic state of California’s gubernatorial race
Our options are limited to those whose constitutions compel them to seek out power and...
John Phillips: Eric, we hardly knew ye
What profiles in courage! More like profiles in cowardice, corruption and dishonesty…
Veronique De Rugy: It’s time to take unserious presidential budgets seriously
This is the quiet crisis unfolding. It is the interaction of too much debt, rising...
Steven Greenhut: Senate Bill 982 chooses scapegoating over serious legislating
This bill substitutes the long, painstaking and complex work of fixing California’s troubled insurance market...
Susan Shelley: Why seniors can’t sell and young families can’t buy
This is easy to fix. Be not afraid.
Larry Wilson: White House wrecks America’s place in the world
It's almost as if they want everyone to hate us
Of course Eric Swalwell should drop out of the gubernatorial race
California's weird gubernatorial race just got weirder with the ongoing implosion of Rep. Eric Swalwell's...