Recommended Free Tools
iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
The phrase “I’m still an optimist” belongs to Arthur Kraus, one of three readers whose letters the Los Angeles Times published on Oct. 3, 2026. Responding to Steve Lopez’s Sept. 30 column about whether California’s dream remains alive, Kraus connects the state’s promise to affordable education, opportunity and public service, even as he warns that its current course is unsustainable. The feature presents the writers’ views; it does not establish a factual verdict on California’s direction.
What the feature is—and what it does not establish
The Los Angeles Times letters feature gathers three responses to Steve Lopez’s Sept. 30, 2026 column, “The California I grew up in was full of ambition and possibility. Is the dream still alive?” The title’s tension between an unsustainable path and optimism comes from Kraus’s letter, not from a news finding or a comprehensive assessment of the state.
The letters raise different explanations for what has changed and what might help: education and civic service in Kraus’s account, wages and compensation in Nancy Steele’s, and investment, housing shortages and permitting in Michael L. Newton’s. The feature offers no broad data analysis to test those claims.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Arthur Kraus: opportunity, education and service
Kraus recalls California’s earlier promise as rooted in people who insisted on “a good and inexpensive education.” In his view, education helped create a skilled local workforce and made housing and other necessities more affordable. These are his reflections on the state’s past, not a measured comparison of costs or education outcomes.
#1 Best Overall
He also describes joining the armed services after high school, before Vietnam, and says service taught him to cooperate across differences and work for the common good. He points to the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps VISTA and Job Corps as programs that encouraged service to others. His civic argument is captured in the line: “The American dream was not what our country could do for us. It was what we could do for our country.”
Kraus remains hopeful that future leaders can inspire people to their better selves, while warning that “the path we are on is unsustainable.” The feature attributes both the optimism and the warning to him; it does not resolve the question Lopez posed about whether the California dream is alive.
Rank #2
Nancy Steele: wages and housing affordability
Steele frames the housing question around working-class buyers: “why can’t a working-class person afford to buy a house?” She argues that stagnant wage growth is central to the problem and calls for compensation to shift from corporate executives toward workers.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Her letter attributes this comparison to the Economic Policy Institute: from 1978 to 2025, top CEO compensation rose 1,316%, compared with a 28% increase in a typical worker’s compensation. The letters feature does not link to the underlying EPI publication or describe its methodology, so it should be understood here as a statistic Steele attributes to EPI, not as independently verified reporting by the newspaper.
Michael L. Newton: investment, housing and permitting
Newton argues that weak investment, housing shortages and excessive permitting requirements are harming California. The letter presents those as his assessments but supplies no data or policy detail with which to evaluate their scale or causes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the three letters differ
| Writer | Main emphasis | What the feature establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur Kraus | Affordable education, workforce opportunity and public service | His personal recollections, argument and hope for future leadership |
| Nancy Steele | Wage growth, executive compensation and working-class housing affordability | Her argument and a compensation comparison she attributes to EPI; no underlying publication or methodology is supplied |
| Michael L. Newton | Investment, housing shortages and permitting requirements | His assertions; no supporting data or policy detail is supplied |
These are distinct viewpoints, not evaluated policy alternatives. Read together, they show how the letters’ contributors explain the state’s challenges differently; the feature itself does not determine which explanation is best supported.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Height: 13.75in / 35cm, Depth: 2in / 5cm, Width: 10.25in / 26cm
- By Kevin Starr
- Hardcover
- 572 pages
- Imprint: Taschen
Rank #4
What readers should take away
- The title’s optimism and warning are Kraus’s opinion, not an official or independently established conclusion about California.
- Kraus ties the state’s promise to education, opportunity and service to the public.
- Steele emphasizes wages and the distribution of compensation; Newton emphasizes investment, housing and permitting.
- The EPI comparison appears as attributed in Steele’s letter; the feature does not independently check its source or methods.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
