Throughout his political career, Assembly Member Mike Villines has been a courageous advocate for his constituents, putting their interests ahead of party loyalty. Sometimes his commitment to the public has hurt him politically, but he has stayed the cour

Treasurer Bill Lockyer has run the state treasurer's office with a steady hand during this tumultuous economic period, and deserves re-election to another four-year term.

The state controller became a high-profile official during the 2008 budget impasse between the governor and Legislature -- and has remained so. This is an important office, protecting the integrity of public funds.

California voters wisely snatched redistricting authority from the Legislature two years ago. They understood that the politicians were neutralizing their votes by drawing safe legislative districts for Democrats and Republicans.

Voters on Nov. 2 will be asked to confirm four justices now serving on the Fifth District Court of Appeal. We urge a confirmation vote for Associate Justice Brad Hill as presiding justice of the court and a vote to retain Associate Justices Bert Levy, Chu

Voters in the Fresno Unified School District have a chance to improve every school in the district without increasing their taxes. Because the district's special leasing tax of 1978 is expiring, a $280 million bond measure on the Nov. 2 ballot won

California's labor unions and business groups have been sparring for decades over which one will get the more favorable laws out of the Legislature. Their manipulation of lawmakers have led to many of the state's problems, including ongoing budg

As the price for winning GOP votes for budget deals in 2008 and 2009, Democratic legislative leaders reluctantly agreed to a trio of tax breaks for certain corporations operating in California. Those tax breaks haven't yet gone into effect, but when

California's 278 state parks are undisputed treasures. But they are deteriorating because of their intense usage and a lack of money to maintain them.

Government officials continue to protect the money and turf they view as their own. The League of California Cities is the latest group seeking ballot protection of local funding, with Proposition 22 on the Nov. 2 ballot.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that oil companies from Texas and Kansas are bankrolling the campaign to suspend California's landmark law that seeks to limit greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. They find it cheaper to finance an initiative to blo

California should have a serious debate on whether to legalize marijuana for personal use. If lawmakers won't confront the issue, it might even be time for a ballot initiative to change the law.

One of the advantages of PG&E being able to spend $35 million on Proposition 16 is the utility gets to say thousands of times in advertisements that the measure is good for California. But just because PG&E says that over and over, it doesn't