Larry N. Gerston

California Rep. Zoe Lofgren joins Democratic state leaders in announcing a legislative package to advance a partisan effort to redraw California congressional map at a press conference on Aug. 18 in Sacramento.

Opinion: California’s redistricting plan faces three major headwinds

September 1, 2025 at 3:14 p.m.

The man who wrote the book on California politics argues Prop. 50 must overcome bad timing, GOP intensity and Democratic fatigue.

SACRAMENTO, CA - OCTOBER 9: The California state Capitol building is shown October 9, 2003 in downtown Sacramento, California. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger won in his bid to replace California Gov. Gray Davis, who was recalled in a special election October 7. (Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images)

Opinion: Top-two primary election method is failing Californians

July 12, 2018 at 7:40 a.m.

The system is failing at its goal of encouraging candidates closer to the center of the political spectrum

Tower Hall on the campus of San Jose State University. (Mercury News)

Opinion: New California State University remedial policies will hurt minorities

December 11, 2017 at 8:43 a.m.

Chancellor White's idea to help students graduate faster will short-change those needing remedial help

FILE - In this July 25, 2016 file photo, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Moving beyond “Obamacare,” political activists are looking to ballot questions in a couple of major states as a new election-year front in the nation’s long-running debate over the role of government in health care. California voters will decide whether to limit what drug companies can charge many state programs, while Coloradans will vote on a state version of a “single-payer” government-run health system, similar to what Sanders proposed in his hard-fought but unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Opinion: Is Bernie Sanders Donald Trump’s secret weapon?

April 10, 2017 at 1:47 p.m.

By withholding his mailing lists and other strategies, Bernie Sanders has become a Trump ally in keeping the Democrats divided and unable to regain ground in upcoming elections.

In this Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016, file photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump has singled out a number of companies individually, including General Motors Co., before and after winning the U.S. presidential election.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Gerston: Trump can campaign, but can he govern?

January 17, 2017 at 11:22 a.m.

Trump has proven he can campaign well, but can he govern?

In this Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 photo, supporters watch as results come in at the a GOP election party in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Donald Trumpâ€™s stunning election win came despite prognosticators' overwhelming insistence he would lose and has forced people to question not just political polling, but all the facets of life that are being informed and directed by data. (Matthew Putney/The Courier via AP)

Gerston: Democratic, Republican parties are realigning

November 11, 2016 at 11:30 a.m.

This presidential election may mark a realignment of the Democratic and Republican parties, the first since the 1960s when white Southern Democrats turned Republican and once-Republican white urban families turned...

Larry N. Gerston: California’s special elections have merit, despite costs

August 11, 2016 at 10:46 p.m.

Larry N. Gerston: California's special elections have merit, despite costs

Larry N. Gerston: Brown, Legislature missed the boat on tax reform

June 17, 2015 at 8:22 a.m.

Larry N. Gerston: Brown, Legislature missed the boat on tax reform

Larry N. Gerston: San Jose fire and ambulance combo worth a look

March 20, 2015 at 11:54 a.m.

Larry N. Gerston: San Jose fire and ambulance combo worth a look

Larry N. Gerston: Legislators putting people’s interests last

December 16, 2014 at 7:58 a.m.

Larry N. Gerston: Legislators putting people's interests last

All Stories