Biography
Political columnist George Skelton has covered government and politics for The Times since 1974.
Through the years he has been a political ...
'Tax the rich' is the opposite of reform
May 21, 2012
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown defends his soak-the-rich tax proposal as just. And besides, he says, it's popular with the non-rich.
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'Tax the rich' the opposite of reform
May 21, 2012
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown defends his soak-the-rich tax proposal as just. And besides, he says, it's popular with the non-rich.
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A little Brown wizardry needed to fix budget
May 17, 2012
Gov. Jerry Brown is testy. He's defensive. He's very frustrated.
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Cigarette tax is a lifesaver
May 14, 2012
SACRAMENTO — Cigarette makers have a certified history of deception, distortion and lying. And let's not forget fraud and racketeering.
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Proposed tweak to term limits makes eminent sense
May 10, 2012
Proposition 28 proposes a tiny tweak in legislative term limits. But it could have a huge impact on legislative quality.
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Think of the tobacco tax as user fee
May 7, 2012
SACRAMENTO — Let's begin with the basics: Tobacco companies are inherently evil.
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California's truly loopy tax loophole
May 2, 2012
SACRAMENTO — You might think a tax law that rewards companies for killing California jobs and resurrecting them in another state would be dumped. Very quickly.
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Water bond is circling the drain
April 30, 2012
SACRAMENTO — Might as well scratch one measure from the likely crowded November ballot: a pork-filled $11.1-billion water bond that is dying of its own weight.
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Special-interest money and politics: the American way
April 26, 2012
Sometimes an old movie line says it best. Such a line came to mind when I read the Assembly speaker's assertion that political money doesn't influence legislative voting.
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Voters deserve a do-over on bullet train vote
April 23, 2012
SACRAMENTO — The car salesman offers you a sleek new luxury model for $33,000. Go for it, you think. Time for an upgrade. Sold.
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Is kicking the state's neediest 'manning up'?
April 18, 2012
SACRAMENTO — Surely it was just a casual throwaway line. Regardless, Gov. Jerry Brown deserves to have it thrown back at him.
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Brown takes a page from the opposition playbook
April 16, 2012
A wise man learns from his foe. Democrats have carefully studied Republicans, and now Gov. Jerry Brown may be benefiting.
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Reforming government step by step
April 12, 2012
SACRAMENTO — Good reform ideas are a dime a dozen. Look in any faculty lounge. But successful strategies for implementing those ideas are rare.
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California should've been a primary decider
April 9, 2012
With apologies to Yogi Berra and thanks to Rick Santorum, the fat lady has thrown up. It's over.
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Bullet trains vs. book learning
April 5, 2012
SACRAMENTO — The bullet train boondoggle is looking more like a bullet bull's-eye. But one big question lingers: Where are the bucks?
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A telling GOP defection
April 2, 2012
SACRAMENTO — Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher coulda been a contender, to borrow the classic Marlon Brando line from "On the Waterfront."
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The better tax plan — for another time
March 29, 2012
SACRAMENTO — Most people in Molly Munger's shoes would be looking for a graceful way out — a way to join Gov. Jerry Brown, since she can't beat him.
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Smartphoning campaign donations
July 28, 2011
Something strange is happening: a California state agency is developing an innovative, user-friendly idea that can be implemented easily and quickly.
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Capitol Journal: Parks vs. ballot box budgeting
September 26, 2010
California's magnificent state parks are falling apart fast.
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Parents have the right to know
August 23, 2010
SACRAMENTO -- Grading teachers based on how much their students learn should be a no-brainer.
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Democrats would do right to do right by Abel Maldonado
December 7, 2009
Within a few weeks, the embattled and belittled California Legislature will take one of two actions:
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California tax reform plan much too bold for Capitol
October 1, 2009
Sure, you can't please everyone. That's a given on anything controversial. But come on! Maybe at least a few people?
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GOP's 'leverage' is tantamount to extortion
September 17, 2009
In his former life, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the action-thriller "Collateral Damage." Last week, he had only a bit role in the collateral damage inflicted by fellow Republicans in the state Senate.
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Don't let the Sacramento sex scandal fool you
September 14, 2009
The Legislature had just wrapped up its annual session when a top aide invited me to a post-adjournment party across the street from the Capitol. I went.
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State help for firefighters 'a heavy lift'
September 10, 2009
You'd think that with half the state charred -- and wildfires seemingly getting worse every year -- a top priority in Sacramento would be to improve California's firefighting capability. But it hasn't even been on the Legislature's agenda.
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California Legislature on the verge of major achievements
September 3, 2009
The Legislature is on the verge of two major achievements -- on prisons and water -- if lawmakers can be calm and rational during the final week of this year's regular session.
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Charting a way out of the mess in the Capitol
August 27, 2009
Here's a way to start fixing the state Capitol. Maybe also repair some city halls and county courthouses.
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There's revenue in those hills -- and offshore
August 6, 2009
Republican politicians want to drill offshore. Democrats want to tax oil onshore. Both sides are right.
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Schwarzenegger is unpopular but undaunted
August 3, 2009
The fact that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's poll numbers have plummeted to where Gray Davis' were when Schwarzenegger booted him from office might humble an ordinary politician. He'd probably lower his sights. But not Schwarzenegger.
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Winners and losers in the budget battle
July 30, 2009
Who are the winners of the California budget battle? Yes, there are some, even though there are many more losers.
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Send the legislators home at night
July 26, 2009
Here's another Sacramento reform for the long "to do" list -- one that wouldn't require a vote of the people or even the governor's signature.
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Budget's a mess, but it's our mess
July 23, 2009
Sacramento's latest budget product may be the worst ever -- and the very best possible given the reality of California politics.
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Schwarzenegger should be talking to himself
July 20, 2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been chanting this mantra since he first landed in Sacramento: Sacramento must learn to live within its means.
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In Sacramento, they all dropped the ball
July 16, 2009
They whiffed a fat batting practice pitch. Blew a gimme putt. Inexplicably clanked a slam-dunk.
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To fix the budget, first fix the state
June 29, 2009
Once again, Capitol politicians are fighting over how to fix the chronically bleeding state budget. And again, the answer should be clear: It's unfixable.
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Budget patch job is better than IOUs
June 25, 2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature are down to two options: Compromise or watch in embarrassment as the great state of California issues IOUs. Also known as scrip.
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California has no money and few options
June 22, 2009
Call it the Dance of Death, the Kabuki or the Summer Follies -- the performance they're about to give in California's Capitol is a necessary ritual. But it shouldn't be taken very seriously by the outside world.
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Democrats are going to need prodding to reach budget accord
June 15, 2009
Animal analogies come to mind when somebody asks, "What is going on in Sacramento with the budget deficit?"
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Note to budget doctors: Don't spare the knife
June 11, 2009
Bill Lockyer has some simple, blunt advice for Democratic legislators struggling to make painful budget cuts: Just assume you're not going to get reelected. Then dig in and slash.
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Nightmares come true for the neediest
June 8, 2009
Jean called the other day from her desert condo near Palm Springs. She'd been notified that the state was cutting back again on aid for the disabled and she was worried.
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Lawmakers must pass redistricting ballot measure this year
August 27, 2007
If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature get anything else done this year, it most likely will be -- and should be -- political redistricting reform.
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Losing faith in an unfaithful mayor
July 9, 2007
Actor Tom Hanks had a great line in the movie "A League of Their Own." Playing the crusty manager of a women's baseball team, he berates one member into tears and shouts: "There's no crying! There's no crying in baseball."
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Tahoe fire shows cost of paradise still rising
June 28, 2007
Sacramento — ANOTHER natural disaster, another lesson. But not the predictable lesson.
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Schwarzenegger Is Running on Comeback Trail, but Bush Could Still Trip Him Up
July 6, 2006
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's comeback continues: A new poll finds him leading his Democratic challenger, with voters happier about both his job performance and the state's direction.
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Money, Attack Ads Talk; Good Candidates Walk
June 5, 2006
It's all Sen. Dianne Feinstein's fault. That's what I figure.
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Memory of '94 Ad Follows Angelides
May 29, 2006
Former Senate leader David Roberti says, "I'm not sitting around with a 2-by-4 in hand waiting to hit Phil over the head."
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