2025 - Page 106 of 145

Firefighters in bright yellow jackets sprays water onto smoldering debris at the site of a fire. Thick smoke rises into the air, partially obscuring the charred remains of a building’s framework in the background. The scene is surrounded by rubble and burned structures.

Housing

New fire maps put nearly 4 million Californians in hazardous zones. What does that mean for the people who live there?

CalFire released its fourth and final round of color-coded hazard maps. Different colors come with different rules.

By

Ben Christopher

• March 24, 2025

A "No Stopping at Any Time" sign, partially covered in graffiti, stands in the foreground of a landscaped area with spiky green and yellow plants. Behind it, a blue and gray industrial-style building with a metal roof is enclosed by a black fence. A concrete walkway with a railing leads toward the entrance. The sky is bright blue with scattered clouds, and a power transmission tower is visible in the distance.

Homelessness

California considers more homeless shelter oversight after CalMatters investigation

State lawmakers will debate a bill to require annual inspections, new complaint processes and harsher penalties for local governments that don’t file mandatory reports.

By

Lauren Hepler

• March 24, 2025

Students walk through the UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. Photo by Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters

Commentary

Protect California’s international students so they don’t ‘walk on eggshells’ in fear of ICE

California ranks No. 1 in international students, who are afraid of escalating ICE activity on campus. Colleges pledged safeguards but their protections are limited.

By Nuo Chen • March 24, 2025

A sign mounted on a beige stucco wall directs visitors to "Alcohol & Other Drug Programs" with an arrow pointing left. The sign belongs to the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, featuring the county seal with an illustration of redwood trees. Shadows from a nearby structure partially fall across the sign, and a metal conduit runs vertically along the wall.

Commentary

Bridging the urban-rural divide for lifesaving substance abuse treatment

Guest Commentary written by Tracy Nguyen Tracy Nguyen is a student at Stanford University studying political science and public policy. She specializes in state and local governance with a broader focus in health policy. Imagine driving 75 miles one way every day because your life depended on it. That used to be the case for […]

By Tracy Nguyen • March 21, 2025

An industrial facility with a metal-sided warehouse is shown, featuring large exhaust stacks supported by cables. Refrigerated truck trailers are parked near loading docks, while a yellow forklift sits nearby. In the foreground, black flatbed trailers are lined up. To the right, a tall, aging conveyor structure extends upward, supported by a network of metal beams and ladders. Power lines crisscross the sky, and palm trees are visible in the distance under a clear blue sky.

CalMatters en Español

Fumigantes tóxicos podrían estar filtrándose en partes de Long Beach, Compton y San Pedro

Los residentes de Long Beach que viven cerca de empresas que usan bromuro de metilo están indignados porque las autoridades de calidad del aire no les notificaron durante años ni evaluaron sus riesgos para la salud. Ahora, las autoridades informan que hay más instalaciones operando en San Pedro y Compton.

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• March 21, 2025

Environment

‘We should be in crisis mode’: Toxic fumigant could be seeping into these communities

Long Beach residents near companies that use methyl bromide are angry that air quality officials didn’t notify them for years and haven’t assessed their health risks. Now officials say more facilities are operating in San Pedro and Compton.

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• March 21, 2025

A teacher points at a book while a child sitting at their desk looks at it. Other students are visible in the frame. The setting is a classroom.

CalMatters en Español

Los padres no entienden el rendimiento de las escuelas de California. El plan de Newsom para solucionarlo se estanca

Hay retraso en el Sistema de Datos de la Cuna a la Carrera Profesional, una entidad que busca monitorear el progreso de estudiantes de escuela a empleo.

By

Adam Echelman

• March 21, 2025

Education

Parents can’t figure out how California schools are doing. Newsom’s plan to fix that stalls

In 2019, his first year in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched the Cradle-to-Career Data System, a new state entity that aims to track students’ progress from preschool through employment. The data system was supposed to release its first public dashboard last spring.

By

Adam Echelman

• March 21, 2025

Students on campus at the University of California, Davis in Davis on Feb. 2, 2022. Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

Under pressure from Trump, UC abandons its ‘diversity statement’ requirement for faculty

President Trump's crackdown on DEI means campuses like UC Davis have stopped making faculty applicants submit statements describing their diversity efforts.

By

Dan Walters

• March 21, 2025

Higher Education

Students and faculty sue administrators over last spring’s UCLA pro-Palestinian protests

The suit alleges that UC officials discriminated against pro-Palestinian supporters and failed to protect them when counter-protestors attacked their encampment.

By

Mikhail Zinshteyn

• March 20, 2025