What Happens When the ‘Indispensable Insider’ of Sacramento Steps Down?

Ana Matosantos Is a Once-in-a-Generation Financial Wizard. Without Her Sorcery, California Will Need a New Budget Whisperer

tktk | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Send help, Harry Potter! Sacramento needs a new wizard!

Ana Matosantos has announced she is departing the Newsom administration at the end of the summer, telling the L.A. Times that she needs to sleep.

Can state government survive without her?

Unless you follow state politics closely, you’ve probably never heard of Matosantos, who doesn’t appear on television or give many on-the-record interviews. But for more than 15 years she has been an indispensable insider of Sacramento—depended upon by politicians, parties, and agencies of all varieties.

What makes her so important? The answer lies in …

by Joe Mathews | July 26, 2022

Abolish the California Capital

The Pandemic Showed Us the Wonders of a Decentralized State Government

by Joe Mathews | June 29, 2021

Why bother maintaining a state capital?

Californians certainly shouldn’t. The pandemic demonstrated what things are essential in California, and what things we can live without. Among our superfluous assets: the designation …

Give California’s Kids Barstools for Christmas

It's Clear That the Next Generation Doesn't Matter in a State That Prioritizes Bars and Restaurants Over Schools

by Joe Mathews | December 15, 2020

Santa, California children need more this Christmas than you can fit in the sleigh. But could you at least give every Californian under the age of 18 their very own …

The Shiny Sacramento Statue That Reflects California’s Failures

As the State Continues to Expand Its Authority, Local and Regional Communities—Including the Capital Itself—Suffer

by Joe Mathews | June 23, 2020

There may be no better symbol of Sacramento’s failure as California’s capital than the 18-foot-tall stainless-steel sculpture outside the city’s downtown sports arena. The work, by famed contemporary artist Jeff …

A Letter From Sacramento, Where Fear Grows as Flowers Bloom

A Survivor of 1954’s Polio Epidemic Welcomes Social Distancers to His Garden

by Mark Paul | April 12, 2020

SACRAMENTO—Our front garden hit peak bloom just as the COVID-19 death toll passed 200 in California. As usual, the California golden poppies seized control of the gravel borders along the …

Take the ACE Train

A Small but Successful Commuter Line Between Stockton and San Jose Points a Way Forward for California Transportation

by Joe Mathews | October 1, 2018

As the ACE Train pulls into the Santa Clara station, the conductor pops out—and begins apologizing for his train.

“I’m sorry, but this is not the Amtrak!” he bellows, loud enough …

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