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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COMMENTARY
Guest Commentary
California is seeing a historic rise in the number of Black women running for office
At least 24 Black women are running for seats in the California Legislature this year, resulting from years of work cultivating new leaders and growing confidence among voters.
Private equity giants worsen California’s housing crisis. Why are we giving them public dollars?
University of California leaders invest billions of dollars in private equity giants that worsen housing affordability, directly impacting workers and students. If elected officials say they really want to confront the housing crisis, they should spend these public dollars on solutions instead.
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DAN WALTERS
Fewer students and higher absenteeism plague California’s public school financing
California’s public schools depend on state aid for the lion’s share of their operational income. Two trends – declining enrollment and high absenteeism – are creating financial headaches.
EDUCATION
Commentary
How a proposal to keep opinions off UC websites could dangerously restrict speech
University of California regents are considering a policy to limit personal views on official platforms, but the overly broad proposal could backfire and suppress controversial speech from faculty members.
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.
POLITICS AND THE CAPITOL
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Commentary
Decades of progress are at stake. California voters must reject mental health ballot measure
California voters are deciding the fate of Proposition 1, which appears on the March primary ballot. A mental health advocate says the proposal is a taxpayer giveaway to private facilities and will gut effective programs.
California’s mental health ballot measure is the best chance in decades to change the system
California voters are deciding the fate of Proposition 1, a mental health funding reform and bond measure, on the March primary ballot. A parent who lost a loved one after she received inadequate care says Prop. 1 can help change a failing system.
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.
HOUSING
Commentary
Supreme Court homelessness case holds extra significance for Black Californians
The long history of redlining and downzoning helped create the racial disparities in California’s homeless population. The barriers impeding housing development and access for Black communities must be addressed – and fast.
ENVIRONMENT
Commentary
Offshore wind success in California requires developers, policymakers embrace ‘ocean justice’
As offshore wind faces setbacks on the East Coast, California has a chance to establish long-term success. Developers and policymakers at all levels can get there by embracing “ocean justice” principles.
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…
EXPLAINERS
Explore CalMatters’ explainer “card decks” to discover the data-driven context you need to make sense of big issues confronting California.
COLLEGE BEAT
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Is California’s minimum wage enough for workers?
From Alejandra Reyes-Velarde of CalMatters’ California Divide team: California’s $16 hourly minimum wage may be much higher than a “poverty wage” by federal standards, but high housing costs still make…
