Project Spotlight
A college degree with no tests or lectures
Eight California community colleges are testing a new model — defining success by the skills a student learns.
Commentary Spotlight
Dianne Feinstein was a ‘true force of nature’ for California
If there were more people like her in Washington D.C., America could find more common ground, says a former staffer.
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Mary, Walnut
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POLITICS AND THE CAPITOL
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Commentary
California knows Feinstein’s political achievements. Her living legacy is the women she molded
Dianne Feinstein’s greatest political achievements on gun safety, water issues and exposing CIA torture are well-known. Her lasting accomplishments, however, might be the generations of staffers she molded who use the lessons she instilled on a daily basis.
Pioneering, problem-solver Dianne Feinstein was a ‘true force of nature’ for California
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died on Thursday, was a true force of nature and the greatest senator in California history, a former staffer says. If there were more people like her in Washington D.C., America could find more common ground.
COMMENTARY
Guest Commentary
California is rushing to decriminalize psychedelics. Start with safer therapies first
Before decriminalizing psychedelic substances for personal use, California should allow them for therapeutic use, argues the founder of a community clinic in San Francisco.
Why California courts need to pay low-income jurors more than $15 per day
California courts give low-income jurors $15 per day. As a result, people with financial hardships are excused, leading to juries that often fail to reflect local demographics. A bill on the governor’s desk would expand a San Francisco pilot program and up the rate to $100 in four new counties.
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DAN WALTERS
Strike benefits squabble renews focus on California’s insolvent unemployment insurance system
The recent squabble between Gov. Gavin Newsom and union leaders over unemployment insurance for striking workers renewed attention on the insolvent system that administers benefits.
HOUSING
Commentary
California keeps its title as having the nation’s highest poverty rate
California has retained its position as having the worst poverty of any state, thanks to its very high living costs and a large low-income underclass.
ECONOMY
Commentary
Striking workers in California are at a disadvantage. They deserve the jobless benefits they earned
A bill that would extend unemployment benefits to workers on a strike exceeding two weeks is awaiting a signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom. A Hollywood writer argues that striking workers deserve benefits from a fund their labor helps support.
JUSTICE
Commentary
Gov. Gavin Newsom may regret pledges to Black Californians
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promises to Black Californians about filling U.S. Senate seat and providing reparations for the lingering effects of slavery might be harder to…
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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EDUCATION
Commentary
Many Black students can barely afford Cal State. Tuition hikes will only make it worse
The California State University system is considering annual tuition hikes to help cover a billion-dollar budget gap. Increasing attendance costs could make it harder for Black students who are already facing stubborn achievement and economic disparities.
ENVIRONMENT
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Commentary
Water rights reformers scored only a minor victory in the Legislature
Three measures to overhaul state oversight of water use, giving the state water board more authority over holders of senior water rights, were introduced in the Legislature this year but the most important two died.
EXPLAINERS
Explore CalMatters’ explainer “card decks” to discover the data-driven context you need to make sense of big issues confronting California.
HEALTH
Commentary
Coercion for the mentally ill in California can also be a form of compassion
A Sacramento woman with bipolar disorder reflects on her own experience with involuntary hospitalization and the potentially fatal alternative she faced.
COLLEGE BEAT
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Will Laphonza Butler run in California’s 2024 election?
Gov. Gavin Newsom did not make his pick to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein promise not to run for a full term in 2024. So as Laphonza Butler prepares…
