Column: California budget relies on rich taxpayers. We pay the price
SACRAMENTO — Borrowing an old bromide, when the stock market sneezes, California’s state government catches pneumonia. It’s more than a common cold when the state coughs…
Column: Missing Kawhi Leonard almost cost Clippers in Game 1
The Clippers survived. They survived the absence of their best player. They survived a late-game onslaught by the visitors. They won their postseason opener Sunday,…
Column: Jordan Coleman on pace to take his spot among elite sprinters
Sometimes patience is required to experience your moment of ecstasy, and Granada Hills sprinter Jordan Coleman has kept quiet, focused and biding his time while…
Column: Empathy was Biden’s 2020 superpower. Can he find it in 2024?
WASHINGTON — Whatever happened to the empathetic Joe Biden who won the 2020 presidential election? Some days it feels as if that kindly Uncle Joe has…
Column: Deshawn Banks still testing the limits of high jumping
The Arcadia Invitational high jump competition was about to begin. Athletes were going through their warmups, stretching and practicing going over the bar. Deshawn Banks…
Column: Not just RFK Jr. Biden faces danger from 3rd-party candidates
WASHINGTON — President Biden faces several challenges in his campaign to win a second term, and not all of them are named Donald Trump. Millions of…
Column: Primary election no-shows in California are a warning to Biden
SACRAMENTO — They’ve almost finished counting votes from the California primary and the news is not good for President Biden. Sure, he “won.” He was virtually…
Column: Trump, California would clash on EVs, offshore drilling
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump says he isn’t worried about climate change. Before he was a presidential candidate, he said global warming was “a hoax” invented by…
Column: Austin Hicks is the breakthrough lacrosse player in Southland
When Austin Hicks was in third grade, he lost interest in playing baseball. His mother signed him up for lacrosse camp. “I found my calling,”…
Column: For nearly five decades, Tom Harp uses old-school methods to coach
Tom Harp has been coaching high school sports for so long (47 years) that no one probably remembers he used to be one of the…
Trump’s running mate may be in the mold of Marjorie Taylor Greene
Now that Donald Trump is officially the presumptive Republican nominee, he’s getting ready for the general election. In just the last couple of weeks, he’s…
Column: Trump aims to round up undocumented migrants from California. Here’s how
WASHINGTON — Former President Trump has focused relentlessly on illegal immigration as a centerpiece of his campaign for the White House, just as when he first…
Column: Trump claims Beverly Hills residents stink. I put it to the smell test
It was a lovely spring day in Beverly Hills, sunny and mild, and as far as I could tell, everyone smelled pretty good. I didn’t…
Column: Biden’s big speech didn’t move the needle. What will?
WASHINGTON — Two weeks after President Biden’s State of the Union address, it’s clear the speech hasn’t shifted the presidential race. Much as they did before…
Column: At 90, Willie Brown’s political vision remains unmatched
SACRAMENTO — The first time I saw Willie Brown he was grinning widely, drawing inquisitive eyes and wearing a fashionable Nehru jacket. “And beads,” he reminded…
Stacey Copeland column: ‘Sandy Ryan v Terri Harper title bout may be decided by who has more heart’
Former Commonwealth champion, now BBC Radio Manchester presenter & boxing pundit, Stacey Copeland, writes for BBC Sport to discuss Sandy Ryan's world title defence against…
Column: Trump has big plans for California if he wins second term
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is running against California — again. In his campaign to win a second term, the former president frequently excoriates the state as…
Column: Polls get it right most of the time. Here’s what to be wary of
WASHINGTON — Without polls, you can’t understand politics; with them, you can misunderstand a lot. With both major party presidential nominations sewn up, we’re deep into…
Column: Hubris, thy name is Gavin
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom should have learned this four years ago: You don’t try to sell voters on more government spending in a primary election.…
Column: You can relax Gavin: Biden showed he’s not a doddering old man
SACRAMENTO — President Biden, in his State of the Union speech, reminded me of a cranky old grandpa emphatically telling his concerned adult offspring: “Look, kids,…