Editorials

Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, right, speaks next to Associate Justice Carol A. Corrigan at the California Supreme Court in San Francisco, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool)

Editorial: Justice takes aim at ICE’s ‘chilling’ courthouse stings

Guerrero said she doesn’t want to just make a statement but to find solutions. The state should...
Maria Briones, a resident in Los Angeles who said she would benefit from Measure ULA-funded programs, speaks during a rally and press conference outside Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. (Photo by Linh Tat, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Editorial: By doubling down on ‘mansion tax,’ Los Angeles earns its fate

Measure ULA arguably is worsening the city’s homeless situation
President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter as he speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Editorial: There’s no excuse for Trump’s racist social media post

Americans have gone numb to the ridiculous statements of the president of the United States
Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, speaks during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Editorial: Right echoes Left with federal plan to ‘save’ families

If this administration wants to promote marriage, it needs to get back to actual conservative...
Activists are approached by federal agents for following agent vehicles, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
A woman rides an e-bike on Ocean Front Walk in Mission Beach on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in San Diego. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Editorial: Irvine should go slow on e-bike rules

We don’t have a problem with cities enforcing some sensible rules and reminding e-bike riders...
Construction continues on supportive housing development Oatsie’s Place, at 16015 Sherman Way in Van Nuys, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.   (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Editorial: California needs local housing fee reform

It's time to talk about local fees.
In this May 22, 2021, file photo, water drips from a faucet near boat docks sitting on dry land at the Browns Ravine Cove area of drought-stricken Folsom Lake, in Folsom, Calif. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson, File)

Editorial: Drought is over, but state sets Sites on storage

So we should be happy the entire state is currently drought free, but that should...
A view of the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada, File)

Editorial: Climate measure highlights failure of bond spending

Voters have the habit of approving expensive bonds that never deliver as promised.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, right, in Sacramento Calif., Thursday, March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Editorial: Matt Mahan, a ‘back-to-basics’ Democrat, enters the governor’s race

Quite clearly, in a state that will likely elect a Democrat as governor, his candidacy...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom walks through the assembly chamber with California Controller Malia Cohen during the opening session of the California Legislature in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/José Luis Villegas, Pool)

California lawmakers can’t resist writing performative legislation

The Legislature should be cutting costs, not just passing token bond issues that will have...
(Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Editorial: Costa Mesa puts union demands above consumers

This is not an appropriate use of local regulation.
Republican Bill Essayli went from Sacramento to the U.S. Department of Justice in April, when the Trump administration picked the Inland state lawmaker to be U.S. attorney for a district covering much of Southern California. (File photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Editorial: Bill Essayli should spend less time on social media

Essayli should really spend less time posting nonsense on social media and more time doing...
Federal agents try to clear demonstrators near a hotel, using tear gas during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Editorial: The chaos in Minnesota, and America, must end

California's congressional delegation must continue to push against the excesses of the Trump administration.
Casa Paloma, built by American Family Housing, was built using prefabricated modular units in Midway City, CA. Nearby, the group is building a similar complex with 65 units. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Editorial: Prefabricated homes could ease California’s housing crunch

The bottom-line is that California has a housing shortage.
The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT in 2023. (AP)

Editorial: Ballot measure hamstrings future AI development

We’re fans of lawmaking that’s closer to the people, but in this case it’s better...
Proponents for a parents’ right to choose their children’s school gathered with other like minded families and students representing a number of public charter, religious and some home schooling institutions at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, to celebrate National School Choice Week. Those attending represented a number of public charter, religious and some home schooling institutions. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

National School Choice Week holds up a mirror to the failure of our current K-12 system

Students, parents and teachers deserve school choice.
An Aurora Borealis is seen in the sky above Nuuk, Greenland
Los Angeles City Hall is framed by the facade in front of the Caltrans building on a bright sunshiny Southern California Day in Los Angeles.  (Photos by John McCoy / Los Angeles Daily News)

Editorial: Los Angeles unions declare war on job creators

Not just CEOs, but all of us must step up and oppose all tax increases....
Homes line the peninsula along Newport Harbor in Newport Beach, CA, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Editorial: Newport Beach takes its own wrong path on housing

Newport Beach’s NIMBY efforts probably won’t fare better than Huntington Beach’s, but at some point...
FILE – President Donald Trump speaks before he signs a presidential memorandum imposing tariffs and investment restrictions on China in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, March 22, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Editorial: Trump’s increasingly unhinged bluster on Greenland

Lately, the president has revisited his preoccupation with annexing Greenland in an increasingly belligerent manner.
FILE – This Jan. 21, 2018, file photo, shows the Statue of Liberty in New York.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Editorial: Remember the great Lysander Spooner

Spooner challenged Americans to cherish, defend and understand the value of liberty. For that, we...
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation area in Los Angeles on Thursday, January 15, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

Editorial: MLK showed us the way

Revolutions occur in peoples’ minds before they happen in the world. That reminder may be...
Cities should budget instead of shaking down residents. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Editorial: Orange County cities eye tax hikes, not spending cuts

To quote former Gov. Jerry Brown as he proposed his final state budget: “What’s out there is...
FILE — In this Oct. 31, 2019, file photo, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond answers a reporter’s question during a visit with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, background, to Blue Oak Elementary School in Cameron Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Editorial: Rearranging the deck chairs on California’s sinking K-12 ship

The state’s enduring educational problems will not be fixed by rearranging the bureaucratic deck chairs...
President Donald Trump shakes hands with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office

Editorial: Trump veers left on housing policy

Once again, the president has an issue he can work to solve with classic conservative...
In this 2025 file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom outlines his proposed 2025 state budget during a news conference at California State University, Stanislaus in Turlock, Calif., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Editorial: Newsom has proven more government spending isn’t the answer

The only thing Californians can hope for is that Newsom doesn’t do more damage on...
A lone shopper pushes a cart toward the entrance of a Costco warehouse, March 13, 2025, in Sheridan, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Editorial: Brea is playing developer with taxpayer cash

Sorry, but Costco is one of the nation’s most successful companies and can open stores...
California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, left, along with fellow Democratic Assembly members Isaac Bryan, second from left, Marc Berman, third from left and Jesse Gabriel, right, during the Assembly session at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif.., Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

New 2026 laws make the case for less legislating in California

“No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”
President Donald Trump points to a reporter to ask a question during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Editorial: Trump ditches America First to be the king of Caracas

Putting America first would mean putting the American Constitution above the interests of Big Oil...
A view of the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada, File)

Midterms cast a pall on coming Capitol session

At least Sacramento will be interesting.
(iStockphoto)

Proposed California wealth tax is absurd and must be defeated

We will be very fortunate if the proposal fails to make it to the ballot,...
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks Thursday, June 12, 2025, at the California State Supreme Court building in San Francisco. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Newsom’s affordability moves are mostly smoke and mirrors

When a politician gets Oval Office Fever, his every act aims in that direction. 
Huntington Beach city councilmembers, from left, Butch Twining, Don Kennedy, Mayor Pat Burns, Gracey Larrea-Van Der Mark, Andrew Gruel and Chad Williams, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Mayor Pro Tem Casey McKeon was not present.(Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

Huntington Beach continues its losing streak on NIMBY policies

Huntington Beach has doubled down on slow-growth, anti-property-rights ideas. It’s likely to keep losing.
Julie Su, of California, speaks during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for her to be Deputy Secretary of Labor, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

California’s Julie Su finds a new home in socialist New York City

The only bright spot is that she’ll be across the country, not back here in...
Garth Fernandez, Central Valley regional director for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, talks about the Cedar Viaduct in Fresno, Calif., April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

California High-Speed Rail Authority offering more costly promises

There’s no cost-effective solution at this point, but lawmakers shouldn’t fall for the latest hype...
A patient is wheeled to surgery on the opening day of UCI Health – Irvine in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Angel Stadium. (File photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Editorial: Anaheim’s gutsy decision to open stadium debates

Kudos to the council for revisiting this sensitive issue in a transparent way. Let the...
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta  (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Editorial: The case against a Rob Bonta run for governor

With no candidate yet consolidating Democratic support, California Attorney General Rob Bonta is reportedly considering...
An LA 2028 sign is seen in front of the Olympic cauldron at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Editorial: As Olympics loom, LA struggles to resolve the basics

Los Angeles should have conquered its day-to-day problems before tackling this unnecessary expense.
Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray takes question after a bill to redistrict the state’s congressional map was defeated, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana GOP shows real integrity

The GOP-controlled Indiana State Senate showed the nation what real leadership looks like last week,...
Students and visitors on the campus of Chapman University in Orange, CA, on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. The school is struggling to grow and better support its small population of Black students. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Chapman University economic forecast: slow but better growth in ‘26

Despite President Donald Trump’s zigzags on tariffs, taxes and regulations, the U.S. economy still should...
The Poway Library will host a Hanukkah event at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22. (Getty Images)

Hanukkah and the miracle of freedom

Jews throughout the world are celebrating Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, by lighting candles...
FILE – Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks to reporters after a campaign event on Proposition 50 in San Francisco, on Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

The race for California governor is still in total flux

Californians are still six months out from the June 2026 primary elections that, among other...
A view of City Hall in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

LA is America’s top ‘Judicial Hellhole’

It is that time of year again. The American Tort Reform Foundation has published its...
Customers board a jet at Clay Lacy Aviation in Costa Mesa, CA on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. The facility held a groundbreaking for re-development of 14-acres of property at John Wayne Airport. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Don Wagner is right: airport deal is crony capitalism

This deal is dependent on a special dispensation from the government — one achieved after...
National Archives

14th Amendment is plain on citizenship

As a general rule, babies born in the United States of America are citizens of...
FILE – In this June 7, 1978 file photo, Paul Gann, left, and Howard Jarvis, right, celebrate as their co-authored tax initiative Proposition 13 takes a commanding lead and ultimately won in the California primary in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/File)

Looming ballot measure sparks needed tax fight

California lawmakers won’t restrain their worst instincts, so the state’s voters will have to do...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as he stands with first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom during an election night press conference at a California Democratic Party office Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

State paternalism vs. AI innovation in Newsom’s California

With Mr. and Mrs. Newsom soon leaving office, we encourage those running for governor in...
The USS California following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. (U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command website)

Remember Pearl Harbor, and the camps that followed

Although the Greatest Generation mostly is no longer with us, Americans always will remember the...
Voters cast a ballots at a polling location at Huntington Beach Central Library in Huntington Beach, CA, on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.   (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Voter ID a fine idea, but don’t expect much

An effort to qualify an initiative requiring voter identification has garnered more than 750,000 signatures...
FILE – In this June 28, 2019, file photo the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seal is seen during a news conference in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Southern California representatives on Trump immigration ‘pause’

Fraught times in international relations, whether in commerce and trade, in war, in migration of...
An employee collects payment at an Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon store in Livermore, Calif., Thursday, March 28, 2024. He’s among hundreds of thousands of California fast-food workers who will be paid at least $20 an hour starting Monday, April 1. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Abolish the Soviet Fast Food Council

California’s farcical Fast Food Council perfectly encapsulates everything that is wrong with this state’s governance....
Fullerton City Hall.

Can Fullerton sell voters on sales tax hikes this time?

Can the city convince ordinary residents it’s in their interest to tax themselves more?
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House

Trump’s immigration, asylum pause tramples core American ideals

Don't punish all for the crimes of one.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during the 4th annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit at Purdue University Fort Wayne, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Fort Wayne, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Hegseth’s take-no-prisoners approach

Whether or not you buy the story that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave “an oral...
SACRAMENTO, CA – JANUARY 20: People walk past the California State Capitol building in Sacramento, Calif., on Inauguration Day, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Next governor must get tax policy right

California is truly a national leader in overtaxing its businesses, residents and visitors. Nevertheless, California...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as he stands with first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom during an election night press conference at a California Democratic Party office Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

So typical: California blows $450 million on failed 911 fix

Newsom was right that California’s government needs to be on the cutting edge of new...
The Statue of Liberty is surrounded by clouds, Monday, July 20, 2020, in New York.  (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Never forget the great Henry Hazlitt

“When your money is taken by a thief, you get nothing in return. When your...
Happy Thanksgiving.

Editorial: Thankful for all of our freedoms

We wish you and yours a cheerful and prosperous Thanksgiving.
Sunlight shines on the U.S. House of Representatives and Capitol dome on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

In-House Opinions: Our ongoing surveys of local members of Congress

This list will be regularly updated.
The Newport Coast area of Newport Beach, CA, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Newport Beach must comply with housing laws, whether NIMBYs like it or not

We hope voters in Newport Beach are paying attention.
Traffic is snarled on the northbound 5 freeway at Culver Drive, in Irvine,  in the aftermath of two collisions, involving a total of eight vehicles on Thursday morning.   ///ADDITIONAL INFO:  – Photo by BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER – photos taken 03/25/09 – IRVINE – Two separate accidents – one a six-car chain reaction on the northbound 5 freeway just past Culver and another two-vehicle  injury accident about a half mile farther north. First accident was at 7:55 a.m. and the second was at 8:41 a.m.

Stop mass spying on American roads

For many decades now, Americans who say they don’t have a problem with the proliferation...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, applauds newly sworn-in California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Friday , June 30, 2023. Rivas is replacing current Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, who has held the position since 2016. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Report: California’s economy lags the country due to low economic freedom

The key issue in the 2026 gubernatorial race ought to be why, with this state’s...
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer   speaks in Washington, D.C., Monday morning in an announcement about his political plans. (Screen grab from event video)

Editorial: Steyer and Swalwell jump into the race, offering little

California’s 2026 gubernatorial race continues to evolve with candidates jumping in and leaving.
Students, faculty and staff members walk on campus during USCD’s first day of classes on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in San Diego. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

What good is a high school diploma if the kids can’t read or do math?

Someday the unions’ power will have to be curbed and real reform implemented.
l1t2d1-b78635347z.120100502113504000gqco2rqb.1.jpg.webp

The Orange County Register editorial pages continue R.C. Hoiles’ libertarian legacy

During this season we give thanks for his vision and generosity and resolve to continue...
Children play beach volleyball in front of a home on Victoria Beach in Laguna Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

California Coastal Commission’s pro-growth picks offer some hope

Realistically, though, the state needs to rein in the agency’s powers or dismantle it.
FILE – The Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Oct. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

In-House Opinions: Is the U.S. DOJ too politicized?

For our third iteration of In-House Opinions — letting Southland members of Congress have their...
FILE – President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gesture as they meet delegations at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Editorial: Trump attacks the press and excuses murder

President Donald Trump has spent the last week offering a disturbing vision for how he...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom casts their votes for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Editorial: Newsom sets a fiscal time bomb for whoever succeeds him

On Wednesday, the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office published its fiscal outlook for the 2026-2027...
Former Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Michael Gates is back, and so is Huntington Beach’s losing streak

Given comments from two council members, it seems likely Surf City will be stuck with...
Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia speaks during a press conference decrying federal agents use of force in Little Village on the Southwest Side of Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Candace Dane Chambers/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Democrats care about democracy only when it suits them

Ordinarily, the decision of an elderly member of Congress to retire is unremarkable. In the...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom arrives for a news conference at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Newsom postures in Brazil as Californians face higher energy prices

He is going to have a hard time selling California’s climate-change agenda to a national...
The sun rises behind the Statue of Liberty on a clear morning in New York City, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Editorial: Remember the great Justin Raimondo, critic of the warfare-welfare state

Raimondo’s insights are as relevant as ever
FILE – This Jan. 31, 1989 photo shows  Russell Means, of the American Indian Movement,  as he testifies before a special investigative committee of the Senate Select Committee on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Marcy Nighswander)

Remember Russell Means, a champion for liberty

This National Native American Heritage Month, our editorial board would like to take this opportunity...
People wait in line at the Winnetka, State of California, DMV offices at 8am on Friday, October 21, 2022. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

California lets repeat drunks terrorize state roadways

Given the carnage, this seems like an opportunity for the Legislature to save lives once...
In this photo provided by El Salvador’s presidential press office, a prison guard transfers deportees from the U.S., alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP)

The United States must stop sending people to be tortured in El Salvador

As the White House toys with the no-joke prospect of actually invading Venezuela out of...
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa speaks after being endorsed by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass during a news conference in South L.A. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. Villaraigosa, a former L.A. mayor himself, and Bass have known each other for 52 years and have endorsed each other throughout their political careers. (Linh Tat / Southern California News Group)

Step one for gubernatorial candidates: Don’t sell voters snake oil

The first qualification ought to be not selling the voters fiscal snake oil. 
Above, in 2018 Santa Ana Chief of Police David Valentin and his deputy chiefs walk the line of officers during an inspection at their headquarters in Santa Ana, CA. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Santa Ana cops need a refresher on the First Amendment

The Santa Ana police union has long exerted massive influence on the City Council, as...
President Donald Trump speaks to the America Business Forum Miami, at the Kaseya Center, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Trump has an affordability problem

While Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has tried his best to assure his side that...
FILE – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., arrives to speak about the House coronavirus bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, March, 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Scott Applewhite, File)

Love her or not, Nancy Pelosi leaves a powerful legacy

We usually opposed her lawmaking efforts, which is why we often cringed at her legislative...
The Cabrillo High School Navy Junior ROTC presents the Colors at the Veterans Day celebration on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at Houghton Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

Honor veterans and work for peace

Armistice Day memorialized the end in November 1918 of the Great War, which was widely...
Sen. Alex Padilla speaks to the media after observing immigration hearings at the Edward Schwartz Federal Building on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

How is the race for California governor shaking out?

Californians hoping for Sen. Alex Padilla to save them from the prospect of Gov. Katie...
A view of the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada, File)

Editorial: New law bodes poorly for CEQA reform agenda

We fear the Legislature might be shifting back to its bad-old NIMBY ways.
The fully automated Long Beach Container Terminal, shown here on Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2024, occupies about one third of the Port of Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

In-House Opinions: House members weigh in on Trump’s tariffs

The United States Supreme Court this week is considering the crucial constitutional argument of whether...
The Yes on 50 campaign, which Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing to adopt temporary, gerrymandered congressional districts in California, had raised over $9 million as of Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. Meanwhile, an anti-Prop. 50 campaign backed by megadonor Charles Munger Jr.  has signaled plans to wage its own expensive campaign to defeat the ballot measure in November. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Proposition 50 win cements Newsom’s status

With their overwhelming approval of Proposition 50, California voters signaled their clear and unmistakable disdain...
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and GOP leaders, from left, Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., blame the government shutdown on Democrats during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Federal budget gridlock underscores need for fiscal reform

The biggest spending issue of all is the federal debt, now a staggering $38.2 trillion.
The sun sets in La Jolla on Wednesday. The days will grow dark sooner K.C. Alfred / U-T

California should heed the voters and end clock changes

California lawmakers can simply vote (by two-thirds) to move to standard time and end the...
One of the signs held by an attendee of  a press conference highlighting the real-world impacts of Proposition 50’s highly partisan congressional maps that arbitrarily divide Orange County and many of its ethnic communities to dilute their voices in Congress.(Photo by Sam Gangwer/Contributing Photographer)

No on Prop. 50, an attack on democracy in California

Is gerrymandering wrong?
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, chats with California Governor Gavin Newsom while surveying damage during the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, CA. ..(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Report: California is still facing huge debt problems

We’d be be happy if prominent state politicians at least talked about the matter. Maybe...
President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during a roundtable on criminal cartels in the State Dining Room of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

What do local members of Congress think about bombing alleged drug boats?

When there’s a hot-button national issue, it can be instructive to get some in-House opinions...
FILE – In this May 9, 2019, photo, steel rods produced at the Gerdau Ameristeel mill in St. Paul, Minn. await shipment. Last week’s flareup over the Mexico tariffs may prove to be a pivotal juncture. The spat was especially alarming to businesses because it came seemingly out of nowhere. Less than two weeks earlier, President Donald Trump had lifted tariffs on Mexican and Canadian steel and aluminum, action that seemed to signal warmer commercial ties between the United States and its neighbors. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

Paying price for Trump’s pique against Canada

The careening juggernaut that is this increasingly interdependent world’s economy is already subject to enough...
The Great Park balloon, done up as a jack-o’-lantern, rises in Irvine, CA on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Great Park hits latest snag in continuing saga

We hope one day Orange County residents will enjoy something other than a pretend park...
Members of the US Marine Corps, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225, work at José Aponte de la Torre Airport, formerly Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, on Sept. 13, 2025 in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. President Donald Trump is sending ten F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of his war on drug cartels, sources familiar with the matter told AFP on Sept. 5, as tensions mount with Venezuela over Washington’s military build-up in the Caribbean. The planes will join US warships already deployed to the southern Caribbean as Trump steps up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States accuses of leading a drug cartel. The Trump administration recently carried out a drone strike in the southern Caribbean against a boat that had left Venezuela and was suspected of transporting drugs. Eleven people died in the attack. The president claimed that the vessel was operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump should leave Venezuela alone

At the Libertarian Party’s May 2024 national convention, President Donald Trump asked for an endorsement...
Argentina’s President Javier Milei arrives to speak before President-elect Donald Trump during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Milei’s midterm victory a true win for liberty

Argentinian President Javier Milei scored a major victory on Sunday as voters gave his party...
Chad Bianco, Sheriff of Riverside County and a Republican gubernatorial candidate, speaks at a meeting of the South Orange County Republicans at the Crown Valley Ballroom in Laguna Niguel on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)

Chad Bianco’s fantasy run for governor drags on

Results ought to matter far more than talk and the results unfortunately speak for themselves.
New construction continues at Sierra Fountains at 16839 Ramona Avenue in Fontana on Wednesday, January 27, 2021. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Chamber’s CEQA measure strikes while iron is hot

California has needed comprehensive reform for a long time and it’s become a hot-button issue,...
(Illustration by Jeffrey Goertzen, SCNG)

Prop. 50 won’t solve much, but it will break things

If one believes the polls, it seems that Proposition 50 will pass quite comfortably on...
A couple pushes a stroller as members of the California National Guard stand watch outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building on the morning of June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles, following another day of protests in response to federal immigration operations. Hundreds of Marines are due to arrive in Los Angeles on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump ordered their deployment in response to protests against immigration arrests and despite objections by state officials. The 700 troops will join National Guard soldiers, amping up the militarization of the tense situation in the sprawling city, which is home to millions of foreign-born and Latino residents. The unrest was sparked by a sudden intensification of Trump’s signature campaign to deport illegal migrants, with raids conducted on workplaces. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP) (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

San Francisco stays calm under threat of federal troops

President Trump Thursday morning called off a planned deployment of federal immigration agents to San...
Load More