Project Spotlight
No deliveries: Why hospitals are closing their labor wards
As maternal death rates rise, maternity wards across California are vanishing at an alarming rate.
Commentary Spotlight
High-speed rail: From ‘train to nowhere’ to Fresno’s dream
If you listen to the political class, the project is a boondoggle. In California’s farm belt, the discourse is different.
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JUSTICE
Commentary
San Quentin Prison is decaying and California would rather ‘transform’ it than fix it
California’s whopping $14.4 billion prison budget and the governor’s $360.6 million price tag to “transform” San Quentin into a rehabilitation center seemingly overlook the existing…
ENVIRONMENT
Commentary
Why should all Californians pay for the fire insurance risk only a few face?
Insurers are seeking rate increases as California leaders try to prevent companies from fleeing over disaster risk, particularly wildfires and floods. As costs surge for utilities and other goods, a Sacramento homeowner asks if the needs of the many outweigh the needs of a few.
ECONOMY
Commentary
How long will California lawmakers let tech companies make them look like fools?
Lawmakers in California and elsewhere can no longer take the tech industry’s word when their armies of lobbyists make the case that they police themselves and shouldn’t be held accountable. The basis for that trust is nonexistent.
CALIFORNIA DIVIDE
A statewide media collaboration to raise awareness about poverty and income inequality through in-depth journalism and community outreach.
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Commentary
California foster youth and COVID orphans gaining a sense of hope from trust fund program
A California program providing trust funds, or “baby bonds,” for foster youth and COVID orphans is giving traumatized young people a chance to pursue their dreams just like everyone else.
POLITICS AND THE CAPITOL
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Commentary
Despite what political campaigns say, one election won’t determine the fate of US democracy
The stakes for the next election are high, but the narrative that 2024 will determine the future of American democracy is wrong. Democracy is about more than campaigns. It is about shared political community, which we are at risk of losing.
Newsom deserves credit for doing what few Democrats will, confronting GOP in DeSantis debate
Democrats need to push back more aggressively against the GOP, argues veteran strategist Garry South. Gavin Newsom has been doing this in so many ways, and the debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was part of that.
EDUCATION
Commentary
School book bans and anti-trans policies teach California children the wrong lessons about acceptance
In parts of California, school boards are attempting to restrict access to certain books and pass controversial parental notification policies. A queer college student and political consultant says these efforts not only endanger students but teach children the wrong lessons about acceptance.
COMMENTARY
Guest Commentary
It’s easy to criticize California water conservation. It’s a lot harder to offer solutions
As California officials craft new regulations for urban water conservation, critics who belittle the importance of these efforts are often deflecting, a water policy advocate argues.
The collapse of California’s news industry is so severe it’ll require taxpayer support to rebuild
The collapse of local news is so severe that it’ll require public dollars and other policies to rebuild. A combination of tax credits, revenue sharing and coupons in markets like Los Angeles could bring stability.
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DAN WALTERS
How will California overcome high living costs, high poverty and high debt?
Californians have a unique combination of high living costs, high poverty rates and large amounts of debt, factors that will likely influence debates over the state’s budget deficit.
HOUSING
Commentary
Whatever the Supreme Court decides, California can’t keep criminalizing homelessness
A lot is at stake with the U.S. Supreme Court agreeing to hear a case that determines how and when cities can clear homeless camps. The Eighth Amendment has been largely settled for decades, but the conservative court seems determined to set the clock back.
HEALTH
Commentary
Despite Newsom veto, California should still provide free condoms to public school students
A bill that would’ve required public schools to give students access to free condoms was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, but young advocates worried about the rise in sexually transmitted infections are vowing to keep pushing for access.
EXPLAINERS
Explore CalMatters’ explainer “card decks” to discover the data-driven context you need to make sense of big issues confronting California.
COLLEGE BEAT
More Coverage
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Who’s raking in the cash for U.S. Senate?
From CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu: Rep. Adam Schiff has a lot more money to burn than all his U.S. Senate primary opponents. The Burbank Democrat entered the new…
