LeBron, Take Your Ball and Go Home

California Depends Too Much on Imported Stars Like King James. We Need to Develop More Young Prospects.

Go back home to Ohio, LeBron James.

Yes, as a fan, I’m happy to see the world’s greatest basketball player relocate to California and join my favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

But as a Californian, I fear LeBron is the last thing our state needs.

His arrival is a high-profile symptom of one of our state’s big problems: California tends to favor flashy outsiders who are older, proven, and wealthy over our young, homegrown compatriots who haven’t succeeded yet.

Comparing LeBron to his young new teammate, point guard Lonzo Ball, …

by Joe Mathews | July 23, 2018

Could California’s Population Actually Shrink?

As the Golden State Hits 40 Million This Summer, Trends Point to a Less Populous—and Challenging—Future

by Joe Mathews | July 16, 2018

This should be the summer when the population of California finally surpasses 40 million.

We should celebrate by reflecting on just how small we are.

Of course, we won’t. California, like an …

Santa Barbara? Please. Californians Should Spend Summer Vacation in Redding Instead.

In the Northstate, Californians Can Visit Their Beautiful Waterworks, and Mountains with Mystique

by Joe Mathews | July 9, 2018

If you love California and haven’t figured out where to go for summer vacation, here’s a suggestion: Go north!

You could, for example, go to Redding. Sure, the city of 92,000 …

What’s So Wrong About Californians Colluding With This Russian?

A River Reveals the Historical, Mystical Ties That Bind Our State to the Land of Putin and Tolstoy

By Joe Mathews | July 2, 2018

Take my guilty plea, Mr. Mueller. Because this Californian has been colluding with the Russians.

To be sure, I didn’t subvert any elections. But one recent week this spring, when my …

Let’s Split up California Into Separate States of Mind

Every Resident Should Get to Choose Their Personal Territory. Anyone for TaylorSwiftopia?

By Joe Mathews | June 25, 2018

All the many dozens of proposals to split California into multiple states share the same basic defect: a foolish fixation with geography.

The new “Cal 3” ballot initiative, which would create …

California Promised ‘Preschool For All.’ What I Got Was $120,000 in Tuition Fees.

For a Generation, the Golden State Has Failed to Educate Its Youngest Citizens

By Joe Mathews | June 18, 2018

Since the 1990s, California’s leaders have promised to make preschool universal for every child.

Maybe they’ll do it by the time I have grandchildren.

It’s already too late for my own …

Connecting California

LeBron, Take Your Ball and Go Home

California Depends Too Much on Imported Stars Like King James. We Need to Develop More Young Prospects.

Could California’s Population Actually Shrink?

As the Golden State Hits 40 Million This Summer, Trends Point to a Less Populous—and Challenging—Future

Santa Barbara? Please. Californians Should Spend Summer Vacation in Redding Instead.

In the Northstate, Californians Can Visit Their Beautiful Waterworks, and Mountains with Mystique

What’s So Wrong About Californians Colluding With This Russian?

A River Reveals the Historical, Mystical Ties That Bind Our State to the Land of Putin and Tolstoy

Let’s Split up California Into Separate States of Mind

Every Resident Should Get to Choose Their Personal Territory. Anyone for TaylorSwiftopia?

California Promised ‘Preschool For All.’ What I Got Was $120,000 in Tuition Fees.

For a Generation, the Golden State Has Failed to Educate Its Youngest Citizens

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Taxing Reason

The Golden State's (Unhealthy) Single-Issue Politics

LeBron James Is America

Grappling With the Tension Between the Comforts of Home and the Pursuit of Opportunity Elsewhere—and Getting Grief For It—Is a National Tradition

Do Californians Love Their Houses Too Much?

A Fourth-Generation Homeowner Reconsiders the California Dream

Californians Want Much More From Our Neighborhoods

We Love Our Communities but Think They Should Make Us Healthier, and Even Find Us Jobs

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