Hector Barajas – California Globe

Gubernatorial Rivals Agree: California Got This Farmworker Law Wrong

April 2, 2026 6:30 amApril 2, 2026 12:54 pm

Political agreement is rare. What happened this week at Fresno State demands attention. On April 1, 2026, Republican and Democratic candidates for governor shared the stage and acknowledged a hard truth: California’s elected leaders got it wrong. The Legislature and...

California’s War on Plastic Becomes a War on Food Producers

March 23, 2026 5:30 amMarch 23, 2026 5:31 am

California agriculture feeds millions of families across the state, the country, and the world. Yet once again, California regulators are ready to impose new burdens on the very people responsible for putting food on our tables. The implementation of Senate...

Why Are Violent Predators Walking Free in California?

March 16, 2026 5:00 amMarch 16, 2026 7:59 am

For more than 15 years, I have worked with groups such as the Golden State Bail Agents Association and Crime Victims United. Their mission is simple: make sure victims are not forgotten. In California today, that mission feels like an...

$5 to $6 Gas Is No Accident: California Drivers Are Paying for Political Decisions

March 11, 2026 1:34 pmMarch 11, 2026 1:34 pm

California drivers are getting hammered again, and it is not an accident. Across the state, families are staring at gas prices above $5 a gallon, while the national average sits near $3.32. In parts of Los Angeles and the Bay...

A ‘Young Man in a Hurry’ to Spend $19 Million Running From His California Record

March 10, 2026 7:30 amMarch 10, 2026 7:31 am

First, credit where it is due. The reporting by Los Angeles Times journalists Melody Gutierrez and Taryn Luna was serious journalism. They exposed a proposed $19 million taxpayer-funded campaign designed to “polish” California’s national image. Their work raises an obvious...

A Second Grader Should Not Have to Ask, ‘Is He Dead?’

March 3, 2026 11:06 amMarch 3, 2026 11:08 am

Every morning, parents walk their children to school past people shooting up on the sidewalk. Men. Women. People slumped over on the curb. Some are so still you can’t tell if they’re breathing. And then comes the hardest part: the...

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...