2025 - Page 3 of 145

A wide-view of a classroom as students sit in round tables and raise their hands in the air.

K-12 Education

California K-12 schools brace for another year of uncertainty: 2025 in review

California schools are likely to face continuing threats of funding cuts and more uncertainty.

By

Carolyn Jones

• December 25, 2025

Students walk across a walkway near a tree in front of a geometric-shaped building on a college campus on a cloudy day.

Higher Education

A year of cuts and court orders for California’s colleges and universities: 2025 in review

In their approach to higher education, Trump and Newsom shared one thing in common this year: reducing funding for colleges and universities. The federal government pulled back research funds while the state, facing a deficit, imposed austerity measures on the UC and Cal State University systems.

By

Adam Echelman

• December 25, 2025

A person in a green tracksuit holding up a sign saying, “IMMIGRANTS UILT THIS NATION,” while next to a guard railing over a highway in downtown Los Angeles. In the background, cars can be seen driving on the road while crowds of protesters hold up signs and flags on both sides of the highway.

Politics

See the photos that defined California in 2025: A year in CalMatters’ visuals

Each year is unique in the joy, wonder, and heartache it can bring. Each year is the same in that our photographers and visual journalists spend it traversing the state to bring you those moments. We were on the ground in Los Angeles during the Palisades and Eaton Fires and our reporters warned of the […]

By

CalMatters Visuals Team

• December 24, 2025

Higher Education

Even more Cal State campuses will automatically admit eligible students under a new state law

California State University last year launched a pilot program to attract more students to the university system and to steer some to campuses that have been struggling with enrollment declines.

By

Mikhail Zinshteyn

• December 24, 2025

Midwife Madeleine Wisner measures Chloé Mick's belly during a maternity care consultation at Mick's home in Sacramento on Feb. 6, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Health

Millions of Californians gain access to in vitro fertilization under new law

In vitro fertilization costs thousands of dollars and is often too expensive for many people struggling to conceive. A new law aims to help change that.

By

Kristen Hwang

• December 24, 2025

Construction workers wearing yellow safety vest stand on top of a wooden construction for an apartment building. A person wearing safety gear can be seen in the foreground looking up at the workers.

Housing

Year in review: Big changes to California housing policy

Maybe it was the re-election of Donald Trump and the electorate’s ire over inflation. Maybe it was the surprise success of a book about permitting reform among liberal elites. Maybe it was just the cumulative crush of California’s unaffordability. Whatever the cause, 2025 was the year that California’s Democratic lawmakers finally got serious about building. […]

By

Ben Christopher

• December 24, 2025

A person wearing a beige jacket and cap walks down a city street, pulling a large, crumpled blue tarp. The scene is framed by tall buildings, parked cars, and a modern glass structure in the background. The muted urban setting is illuminated by soft, natural light, highlighting the quiet and solitary moment.

Homelessness

Year in review: Homelessness policy gets more punitive

State and local governments became more aggressive in sweeping homeless encampments in 2025, among other measures.

By

Marisa Kendall

• December 24, 2025

A small group of people stands outdoors at night, singing from printed sheets during a candlelit gathering. One person holds a flashlight to read, while others hold colorful paper lanterns. Warm light from candles and nearby decorations illuminates their faces against a dark street background, creating a communal, festive atmosphere.

Politics

In an era of ICE raids, a Latino Christmas tradition proceeds with caution

San Marcos residents celebrated the holiday tradition of posadas together while navigating fear and tension caused by increased ICE enforcement.

By

Deborah Brennan

• December 24, 2025

People with shovels use them to clear mud from a street and driveway after a mudslide. On the road is a bulldozer used to help clean up the road. The road goes down a hill with trees on either side of the street.

Environment

‘A flood on steroids’: Atmospheric river storms Southern California, threatens debris flow

Atmospheric river threatens to unleash deadly debris flows through LA's wildfire scars. Officials warn: "Get out of the way." Evacuations are underway.

By

Rachel Becker

• December 23, 2025

Mist drifts through a wide valley surrounded by dark, rugged mountain cliffs, with a tall, rounded granite peak rising in the distance under a hazy sky.

Commentary

Protecting California’s public lands from oil and gas drilling is defending public health

Federal plans for oil drilling along a million acres in California would change healthful, wild spaces into sources of pollution and illness.

By Ashley McClure, M.D. • December 23, 2025