Hector Barajas – California Globe

The Social Media Trial Is Missing the Real Defendant: Us

February 24, 2026 3:00 pmFebruary 24, 2026 3:01 pm

A Los Angeles jury is weighing a question that could reshape the technology industry: Were major social media platforms deliberately designed to be addictive and harmful to young users? The case has been framed as a potential “Big Tobacco” moment...

‘Why Would Anyone Want This Job?’

February 23, 2026 7:23 amFebruary 23, 2026 7:23 am

At the Pacific Research Institute’s “California Ideas in Action” conference in Sacramento, veteran reporters posed a blunt question about the 2026 governor’s race: “Why would anyone want this job?” They put it plainly. The next governor will not inherit a...

Jane Fonda’s Climate Agenda Left California Dirtier and More Expensive

February 2, 2026 3:30 amFebruary 2, 2026 3:31 am

Jane Fonda and her climate activists demanded that oil production be shut down, and Sacramento complied. The result has not been progress but a masterclass in ideological overreach and self-inflicted environmental damage. Californians now pay the highest gas prices in...

The ‘Dirty Dozen’ Gets It Wrong About California Produce

January 27, 2026 4:43 pmJanuary 27, 2026 4:43 pm

Every year, headlines warn shoppers about the so-called “Dirty Dozen,” a list that suggests common fruits and vegetables are coated in dangerous chemicals. Those stories generate fear, but they consistently ignore the facts. In California, the science tells a very...

Scarcity, Not Landlords, is Driving California’s Rent Crisis

January 19, 2026 2:45 pmJanuary 19, 2026 2:45 pm

California’s rent debate is often reduced to a simple story: tenants are hurting, and landlords are to blame. That narrative may be easy to repeat, but it overlooks some of the real causes of high rents. I have spent almost...

Grieving Parents and City Leaders Press Sacramento to Act on Deadly Street Racing

January 14, 2026 4:00 amJanuary 14, 2026 4:01 am

The 2026 legislative session began with grieving families and local elected officials standing in the Capitol, describing lives lost to street racing and street takeovers. What remains uncertain is whether the Legislature will take meaningful action to stop the next...

California’s Higher Gas Prices Are a Policy Choice, Not an Accident

January 7, 2026 2:55 amJanuary 7, 2026 8:29 am

Before the end of the year, the California Independent Petroleum Association sent a blunt message to the California Energy Commission: California’s oil industry is approaching a breaking point, and state inaction risks higher gas prices, supply disruptions, and deeper economic...