January 2023

California has disposed of about 400,000 tons of contaminated soil at the South Yuma County Landfill in Arizona since 2018, according to California’s hazardous waste tracking system. The waste is considered hazardous in California, but Arizona’s less stringent environmental requirements allow businesses and government agencies in the Golden State to take the waste to regular landfills like this one. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

WhatMatters

California likes to pat itself on the back for being a leader in protecting the environment. Every year, California workers dig up hundreds of thousands of tons of soil contaminated with things like lead, petroleum hydrocarbons and chemicals like DDT. The waste is so toxic, California considers it to be hazardous and requires that it […]

By

Ben Christopher

• January 25, 2023

Registered nurse Kristie Scheidt walks past some of the rooms in the intensive care unit inside El Camino Health Mountain View Hospital in Mountain View on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Photo by Randy Vazquez, Bay Area News Group

Commentary

Add another to list of California’s botched projects

California's state government has a sorry history of botched projects and programs and long-term care insurance is another example.

By

Dan Walters

• January 25, 2023

CalMatters en Español

California debería tratar la violencia armada como una crisis de salud pública

EN RESUMEN Los funcionarios estatales y locales siguen pidiendo a las fuerzas del orden público que prevengan la violencia armada. Los líderes comunitarios creen que la violencia armada debe tratarse como una crisis de salud pública e incorporar estrategias de prevención que aborden los factores sociales en las áreas de mayor riesgo. Guest Commentary written […]

By

Guest Commentary

• January 24, 2023

Two men place flowers near Star Dance Studio to honor victims killed in a shooting in Monterey Park, on Jan. 22, 2023. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

Commentary

California should be treating gun violence as a public health crisis

State and local officials are still asking law enforcement to prevent gun violence. Community leaders believe gun violence should be treated as a public health crisis, and incorporate prevention strategies that address the social factors in areas most at risk.

By

Guest Commentary

• January 24, 2023

Assemblymember Evan Low speaks during a vigil in remembrance of the victims of the Monterey Park shooting hosted by the Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus at the state Capitol on Jan. 23, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

WhatMatters

A vigil, another mass shooting

It’s difficult to explain a senseless act of violence. But after every mass shooting — in just the last two days, the total in 2023 went from 33 to 39 nationwide — we (the media, the public and policymakers) try anyway. The motive remains unclear as law enforcement continues to investigate the massacre in Monterey […]

By

Sameea Kamal

• January 24, 2023

California Capitol, home of the Assembly and Senate. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

Would ‘wealth taxes’ bring big bucks or spur exodus?

Legislation to impose "wealth taxes" on the fortunes of very wealthy Californians is being proposed, but would they generate new revenue or persuade the rich to flee?

By

Dan Walters

• January 24, 2023

CalMatters en Español

La propuesta de financiación escolar tiene como objetivo lograr la equidad, ¿pero será suficiente?

EN RESUMENEl año pasado, un proyecto de ley habría dirigido más fondos al grupo de estudiantes con los puntajes más bajos en las pruebas estandarizadas, que habrían sido los estudiantes de raza negra. En cambio, el gobernador propone dinero extra para las escuelas con alta pobreza y no específicamente para los estudiantes de raza negra. […]

By

Joe Hong

• January 23, 2023

Students at a classroom at St. HOPE’s Public School 7 Elementary in Sacramento on May 11, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

K-12 Education

School funding proposal aims to achieve equity, but does it go far enough?

Last year, a bill would have directed more funding to the student group with the lowest standardized test scores, which would have been Black students. Instead, the governor is proposing extra money for high-poverty schools, not Black students specifically.

By

Joe Hong

• January 23, 2023

The Jerold Phelps Community Hospital operated by SoHum Health in Garberville on Dec. 17, 2022. Photo by Paul Collins for CalMatters

Reader Reactions

Deadline for seismic upgrades at California hospitals fails to recognize rural realities

California hospitals face a 2030 deadline to complete retrofit upgrades required under state law. Facilities in rural areas say the nearly 30-year-old legislation was enacted with a top-down approach, and failed to recognize the distinct challenges they face.

By

Guest Commentary

• January 23, 2023

Flowers placed outside the dance studio in Monterey Park, California where at least 10 were killed and another 10 injured.

WhatMatters

After Monterey Park, more gun safety talk

Yet another mass shooting, and another reprise of a tragically familiar refrain. After the massacre late Saturday night at Monterey Park’s Star Ballroom Dance Studio that left 10 dead and 10 others hospitalized, on Sunday one politician after another, including President Biden, expressed sorrow and offered condolences. (An 11th person died Monday.) A few quickly […]

By

Sameea Kamal

• January 23, 2023