August 2020

Commentary

Protection of the California agriculture-port relationship should be a top priority

California should review regulatory policies that affect the agriculture-port relationship with having a goal of economic resilience.

By

Guest Commentary

• August 8, 2020

WhatMatters

CA Dems split: Tax the rich, or borrow big?

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, August 7. Three weeks to pick a path Tax the rich, or borrow big? That’s the central quandary for California Democrats as they try to dig the state out of a $54 billion hole while also providing relief to the millions of people teetering on the edge of a financial […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• August 7, 2020

Capitol

Legislature should acknowledge nurse practitioners’ value and remove restrictions

Assembly Bill 890 will remove restrictions on patient access to nurse practitioners and help fill California's primary care provider gap.

By

Guest Commentary

• August 7, 2020

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a San Diego Democrat, poses for a photo with her family.

Politics

‘I am kind of shy’: Assemblymember Gonzalez on motherhood and quarantine

Welcome to Insiders, a new series in which I provide a glimpse into the personal lives — and personalities — of key players in the California Capitol. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, one of the most influential and high-profile lawmakers in the California Legislature known for her Twitter confrontations and taking on Silicon Valley’s gig-economy titans, says […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• August 7, 2020

Commentary

Alternative schools provide lessons on reaching disconnected students for distance learning

Policymakers should look at how alternative schools, which specialize in serving disconnected students, can be models with valuable lessons.

By

Guest Commentary

• August 7, 2020

Reader Reactions

High speed rail became a boondoggle when politicians changed it to low speed rail

High speed rail requires a dedicated track and electrification, and almost a decade ago legislators prohibited a dedicated track in the Bay Area and non-electrified track in other areas.

By

Guest Commentary

• August 7, 2020

Economy

California Democrats divided over COVID-19 stimulus, millionaire tax to fund economic recovery

How should California dig itself out of a $54 billion deficit? A divide between state lawmakers over how to generate revenue mirrors a national reckoning in Democratic politics.

By

Lauren Hepler

• August 6, 2020

CalMatters en Español

Las escuelas rurales de California se preparan para una posible enseñanza presencial

Mientras que muchos distritos escolares en las áreas más pobladas del estado se han visto prácticamente obligados a comenzar el año escolar con clases a distancia, los menos poblados tienen opciones.

By

Ricardo Cano

• August 6, 2020

A fifth grade class does classwork outside while social distancing at Bishop Unified in Inyo County over the summer. Photo courtesy of Bishop Unified School District

Education

Rural California schools prepare for possible in-person teaching

While many school districts in the state’s more populous areas have been essentially forced to start the school year teaching remotely, more sparsely populated have options.

By

Ricardo Cano

• August 6, 2020

Assemblyman David Chiu speaks to the press following the passage of AB 1482, a bill that would instate a rent cap, on September 11, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

WhatMatters

Lawmakers to Newsom: Pay unemployment now

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, August 6. And overhaul entire department California lawmakers are not impressed with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attempts to address a massive backlog of claims at the state unemployment department. A bipartisan group of 61 legislators led by Assemblymember David Chiu, a San Francisco Democrat, sent Newsom a scathing letter Wednesday, arguing […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• August 6, 2020