Opinion

How long have you lived in the house you live in now? I ask, because I was truly startled by the answer my bride gave me when asked: “34 years,” she said. I asked again just to make sure I was using the same...

California’s investment in education has created one of the most impressive higher education systems in the U.S. with the California State University, University of California and California Community Colleges. Together, California’s colleges and universities make up 12% of full-time equivalent enrollment in higher education...

I am leaning toward the position that Keb’ Mo’ has got it right, but five decades after Shirley he may be too late. Let me explain. By 1968, Americans had experienced six years of turmoil starting with the assassination of a president, the murders...

For decades in the Salinas Valley, the short-handle hoe, known as “El Cortito,” was used for weeding and thinning rows of crops that kept farmworkers stooped over for long hours each day. Workers were only able to stand and stretch when they reached the...

After my most recent ranch accident when I smashed up my knee, forgot I was old and then started the long process of trying to heal several months later as I came to realize that my healing was going the unsuccessful way of old...

To the Editor: Last week I wrote a guest column on the Western Flyer, the legendary boat that took John Steinbeck and Doc Ricketts to the sea of Cortez in 1940. A reader pointed out it wasn’t all about community, that Carol Steinbeck helped a great...

To the Editor: May 4, 2025, will be 21 years that we found our son, Ricky, had been murdered. Those monsters took away a wonderful young man who loved his two sons but never had the chance to raise them. Ricky never had the chance...

This year marks the 175th anniversary of California’s admission into the United States, a milestone that invites all of us to reflect on the origins, values and aspirations of our Golden State. But it also offers a chance to celebrate the critical role that...

The first part of today’s Funny Papers Again column is an off-handed comment on the present politically charged situation, so if you are as fed up with anything even slightly political, just skip to below the three asterisks and read on. In last week’s column,...

Have you ever met a hero? I haven’t met many, but I have had my heroes. The first one that I can think of was a little older than me, but he was for sure my hero. I can even remember the first time...