Author: Joe Mathews

Why does a place as big and beautiful as Orange County so often behave in ways that are both small and ugly? That’s the question

Who does Steve Poizner think he’s kidding? Poizner’s independent campaign for insurance commissioner isn’t the biggest folly of the year in California. That title belongs

This time, “Chinatown” is fooling itself. Los Angeles has a long history of water deceptions, a point made famously by Roman Polanski’s 1974 neo-noir film.

I have Taiwan envy. At least when it comes to direct democracy. The island nation has a new structure for initiative and referendum that might

California education finances are an unholy mess—with incomprehensible budget formulas, a new equity funding program that doesn’t produce equity, and cuts to schools even during

Is Nevada joining California as a reliably blue state? Could be. I’ve written previously that California and Nevada belong together. The Nevada governor’s race is

The Brown governorship still has more than nine months to go. But the victory laps are already well underway. He’s giving valedictory interviews to national

What do Travis Allen and John Cox have in common, besides the fact they are Republicans who have no chance of getting elected governor? Both