2021 - CalMatters

Several new California laws will kick in for 2022. The state Capitol. Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock

Economy

Eleven new California laws for 2022, explained in one minute

The new year brings a raft of new laws for Californians. They’re likely to affect what your neighborhood looks like, how safe you feel, what recourse you have against discrimination — even how you take out your trash. In 2021 the Legislature’s super-majority of Democrats sent Gov. Gavin Newsom hundreds of bills that he signed […]

By

Byrhonda Lyons

and

CalMatters Staff

• December 28, 2021

CalMatters en Español

La desigualdad racial de California: ¿Qué puede hacer el estado con $31 mil millones?

En resumen Un nuevo informe encontró una marcada desigualdad racial en California. Los defensores esperan que el presupuesto estatal de 2022 ofrezca algunas soluciones. Read this article in English. California es un estado de contrastes. Por un lado, tiene un superávit presupuestario de $31 mil millones de las ganancias de los ricos, lo que le permite […]

By

Jesse Bedayn

• December 24, 2021

California Divide

California’s racial inequality: What can state do with $31 billion?

A new report found stark racial inequality across California. Advocates hope that the 2022 state budget will offer some solutions.

By

Jesse Bedayn

• December 24, 2021

Phlebotomist lab assistant Jennifer Cukati, right, and Registered Nurse Carina Klescewski, left, care for a COVID-19 patient inside the Sutter Roseville Medical Center ICU in Roseville on Dec. 22, 2020. California became the first state to record 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases, reaching the milestone on Christmas Eve as close to the entire state was under a strict stay-at-home order and hospitals were flooded with the largest crush of cases since the pandemic began. Photo by Renee C. Byer, The Sacramento Bee via AP/Pool

WhatMatters

Are some California hospitals COVID hot zones?

An investigation shows little government oversight of hospitals in California and other states where patients are infected with COVID.

By

Foon Rhee

• December 24, 2021

Nurses prepare to enter the testing area at a drive thru COVID-19 testing facility at Cal Expo in Sacramento on April 15, 2020. The nurses work in teams of four and take shifts throughout the day. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

WhatMatters

Gov. Newsom outlines game plan on omicron

Gov. Newsom adds a new California vaccine mandate, saying that all healthcare workers must get booster shots against COVID-19. California State University also requires boosters for students and staff.

By

Foon Rhee

• December 23, 2021

Matthew Yip, 8, waits in line to receive a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in San Jose on Nov. 3, 2021. AP Photo/Noah Berger

WhatMatters

California’s bleak midwinter of COVID

The omicron variant is spreading across California as it outpaces COVID vaccinations, forcing some UC campuses to return to online classes.

By

Foon Rhee

• December 22, 2021

An election and redistricting illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock

Politics

California redistricting: What to know about the final maps

California's independent commission adopted final congressional and legislative districts for the next decade, starting with 2022 elections. Here are some key points on the new maps.

By

Sameea Kamal

• December 21, 2021