Eloy Oakley: Postsecondary education is a key to building California’s economy

by CAPITOL WEEKLY STAFF posted 10.19.2026

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Our guest today is Eloy Oakley, the President of the College Futures Foundation. He earlier served as Chancellor of California’s Community Colleges and was on the Board of Regents for the University of California. Oakley himself is a community college success story – he attended Golden West College before transferring to UC Irvine where he earned a BA and MBA. He argues that postsecondary attainment isn’t just an education issue, it’s an economic one. The research backs him up: studies suggest that California could unlock trillions of dollars in long-term economic gains by better developing the talent that’s already here.

News

Old warriors gather and bury hatchets, not in one another

Pete Wilson and Jim Costa. Photo by Dan Morain.

by DAN MORAIN posted 10.16.2026

In the gauzy passage of years, politicians who once fought bitterly spoke of respect for the loyal opposition, and mostly meant it.

Micheli Minute

The Micheli Minute for October 19, 2026

by CAPITOL WEEKLY STAFF posted 10.19.2026

Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome.

Opinion

California must teach students the tools to guide their own learning

Image by Ridofranz, iStock Images.

by SHANNON LYONS posted 10.19.2026

General education classrooms can build executive function skills into assignments and grading.

News

Why the Insurance Commissioner race is about more than insurance

Insurance Commissioner candidates Jane Kim, left, and Ben Allen, right, during the “Can California Fix Its Insurance Crisis? event co-hosted by CalMatters and UC Student and Policy Center in Sacramento on Oct. 8, 2026. Photo by Fred Greaves, CalMatters

by BRIAN JOSEPH posted 10.15.2026

As the only statewide race pitting two Democrats against each other, the contest for insurance commissioner offers more than just election-night drama among a slate of otherwise predictable constitutional officer campaigns. It arguably serves as something of a proxy fight for the soul of the California Democratic Party.

News

My journey from neurologist to patient with ALS and why I’m supporting ‘yes’ on Prop 38

Image by Andrzej Rostek, iStock Images.

by DR. CHRISTOPHER CAMPOS posted 10.16.2026

Capitol Weekly welcomes Opinions on California public policy or politics. Please read our guidelines for opinion pieces before submitting an Op-Ed. Submissions that do not adhere to our guidelines will not be considered for publication.

OPINION — In my

News

Will prediction markets spark new war with casino tribes?

Photo by AP.

by BRIAN JOSEPH posted 10.13.2026

As late as April 2025, the leaders of DraftKings and FanDuel effectively bent the knee to gaming tribes, appearing on stage with one of the tribe’s most outspoken advocates and declaring that sports betting wouldn’t happen in California without the tribes’ cooperation. Oh, how the sands have shifted since then.

Opinion

Plastic tags don’t protect California’s kids

Photo courtesy of Origins Council.

by ROSS GORDON AND CAREN WOODSON posted 10.15.2026

California cannot defeat an illicit market merely by regulating the legal market harder.

CA120

Is the Undervote going to be decisive in 2026?

Image by Yuliya Hrelik, via iStock.

by PAUL MITCHELL posted 10.11.2026

For the past 14 years California has been experimenting with a version of the Open Primary in which the top two vote getters, irrespective of party, advance to the General Election. In theory, the thinking of voters in these races should be simple. They should be asking themselves “which one is the closest to my views?” and voting for that candidate. But, in practice it’s not that simple.