1.2 Million Passengers. One Single Track.

California May Not Need That $68-Billion Bullet Train. But It Sure As Heck Needs More Rail Capacity.

I’m not a big fan of trains, but my oldest son, Ben, 4, loves them. He’d been lobbying to go on a “big train trip,” and his school would be closed for a couple days at the end of September, when I had a meeting in Sacramento. Why not take the kid on a train trip from L.A. to the state capital, by Amtrak?

It would be useful research, too. California governments are still close to broke, but we are preparing to spend big money on one thing: connecting L.A. to …

by Joe Mathews | October 24, 2013

You’re a Hotel, California. So Act Like It.

If We Want a Thriving State, Then We Need To Lure In Visitors With Hospitality 101

by Joe Mathews | October 17, 2013

“I hate the [expletive] Eagles,” declares Jeff Bridges as the stoner-turned-detective hero of The Big Lebowski, the classic Coen brothers film study of Los Angeles.

But even if you aren’t a …

The Virtues Of a Shady Deal

USC Got Sweet Terms On the L.A. Coliseum. But It Solved a Classic California Problem: Too Many Entities in Charge.

by Joe Mathews | October 11, 2013

Who lost the Coliseum?

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum used to be among the most distinguished public buildings in California. It hosted two Olympic Games (1932 and 1984), two Super Bowls …

Recall? Recall What?

We Yanked Gray Davis a Decade Ago. California Would Be Better Off If We Didn’t Forget It.

by Joe Mathews | October 3, 2013

Do you even recall the recall?

Ten years ago this week, it was big news. California’s voters approved the yanking of Governor Gray Davis by big majorities. We made history. No …

To Remember JFK, Let Them Come to Whiskeytown

In the North State, Kennedy's Last Appearance In California—at a Dam—Is Being Commemorated

by Joe Mathews | September 25, 2013

It’s a little-known event in a little-known part of California’s far north. But at dawn this Saturday, people from Redding and nearby places will gather at Whiskeytown Lake and stand …

Thanks, Secessionists Of Siskiyou County, For Bringing Us Together

In a State As Diverse As California, Hating Sacramento Is the Tie That Binds

by Joe Mathews | September 19, 2013

It’s one of the oldest tricks in the California book of governance and public relations.

You’re an important person in an out-of-the-way California place, you’re mad about something, and nobody’s paying …

If Californians Won’t Ride Trains, How Come Our Family’s Amtrak Trip Was Mobbed?

A Journey on the Pacific Surfliner Shows Why We Need More High-Speed Rail, Not Less

California’s High Speed Rail Should Look Like Germany’s

Stations Can Be Vital Public Spaces That Provide Space for People to Gather, Shop, and Be Entertained

How Taiwan’s High-Speed Trains Expose California’s Lack of Nerve

While the Golden State Made Excuses, the Poorer, Smaller Island Country Transformed Its National Transit System

Is San Jose Destined to Be a Train Wreck for California Transportation?

The Bay Area City Could Be the State’s Rail Capital. But Plans Are Veering Off Track

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