Column: Trump creating an imperial presidency. He’s doing it by decree
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has been back in the White House for only two weeks, but he’s already remaking the federal government. He’s trying to create an…
Column: Crescenta Valley’s father-son duo making most of final season
When Crescenta Valley boys’ basketball coach Shawn Zargarian first started taking car rides with son Vaughn during his high school days, neither was certain it…
Column: RIP Stu Spencer, California political consultant, advisor to presidents
SACRAMENTO — Stu Spencer had certain guideposts he followed as California’s premier political consultant for several decades.Those guideposts helped elect actor Ronald Reagan California governor and,…
Column: Trump’s inaugural speech was short on unity, long on promises
WASHINGTON — President Trump promised an inaugural address focused on “unity,” but what he delivered was more a campaign speech in a formal suit — long…
Column: Is there any hope Trump will aim to unite in inauguration speech?
WASHINGTON — For 236 years, ever since George Washington, a newly elected president’s inaugural address has traditionally served several purposes.One is simply to mark the beginning…
Column: Never too late to make resolutions for the year ahead
Sportswriters should make a yearly commitment to readers so they know where they are coming from. It doesn’t mean every commitment can be fulfilled, but…
Column: Canyon’s Brandon Benjamin making the most of senior season
Watching Anaheim Canyon’s 6-foot-5 senior Brandon Benjamin score, rebound, pass and continuously make a difference on a basketball court against everyone and anyone brings back…
Column: Trump wants Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal. He already bungled it
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s campaign excursions into foreign policy were few and far between. He promised to build a stronger military and keep the country out…
Column: Compassion and decency lost amid wildfires as California foes play politics
California’s burning and its political foes are practically dancing in the flames and reveling in the ashes.From the mountains to the sea, the wreckage and…
Column: Biden’s legacy is complex — and in Donald Trump’s hands now
WASHINGTON — By the standard President Biden set himself, the core purpose he proclaimed when he ran in 2020, it is impossible to assess his one-term…
Column: Camarillo boys’ basketball team’s hot start is elementary
Jaime Jaquez Jr., with no facial hair and looking every bit like the teenager he was, took time out after a basketball game at Camarillo…
Column: Peering into the crystal ball for 2025 predictions
It’s time to peer into my crystal ball to see what 2025 has in store for the Southland’s high school athletes (and a few former…
Column: I got some things wrong in 2024. At least I hope I did
WASHINGTON — I spent much of 2024 warning readers that a second Trump presidency would do serious damage to American institutions, beginning with democracy and the…
Column: Jimmy Carter’s accomplishments obscured by reelection defeat
In the lives of public figures a tale often takes hold and that narrative becomes their story.In the case of Jimmy Carter, it goes like…
Column: An Oscar-winning L.A. council member? Gov. Danny Trejo? Gustavo’s 2025 predictions
The good news: None of the predictions I made in last year’s annual Gustradamus columna came true. If any did, it would have been a…
Column: How Trump can win
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s campaign for a second term has stalled. In public opinion surveys, he has trailed Democratic nominee Joe Biden, sometimes by a wide…
Column: Trump pick would turn FBI into Federal Bureau of Retribution
WASHINGTON — Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee as the next director of the FBI, has big plans.He has called for the prosecution of a long…
Column: Kamala Harris should run for governor — if she wants to solve California’s problems
SACRAMENTO — Kamala Harris could make history as the first woman and person of color to be elected California governor. But she’d need to really want…
Column: Is it time for California’s Latino Legislative Caucus to let in Republicans?
Over the phone, Lena Gonzalez’s voice had the patient but proud tone of a lawyer charged with defending the damned.Her metaphorical client: The California Latino…
Column: De La Salle faces unenviable task against Mater Dei
Somebody kept calling.“Hello,” I’d answer.Nobody would respond. There was only the sound of talking in the background. It happened five times.The mystery was solved when…