2025 - Page 7 of 145

A yellow and red warning sign about sewage and chemical contamination is posted along the shore of a beach. A pier can be seen in the background as the sun begins to set.

Environment

The U.S. is committed to cleaning up Tijuana River pollution. Will California follow through?

San Diego leaders are calling on California to take stronger action to address the ongoing environmental crisis caused by sewage and industrial pollution flowing from the Tijuana River.

By

Deborah Brennan

• December 17, 2025

A person sits indoors, seen through a window with soft reflections of trees and foliage overlaying the glass, looking slightly downward with a quiet, contemplative expression as warm autumn colors fill the background.

Mental Health

‘False hope’: Why families who celebrated Newsom’s new mental health court feel let down by it

Californians with loved ones in the throes of severe mental illness embraced Gov. Newsom's CARE Court and helped him sign it into law. Two years later, some of them say little has changed.

By

Jocelyn Wiener

• December 17, 2025

A government official speaks at a podium with a sign reading “Treatment Not Tents,” flanked by two other officials, with U.S. and California flags visible behind them.

Mental Health

How Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court lost its teeth in the California Legislature

Gov. Newsom called for accountability on mental health and homelessness when he proposed his CARE Court program. What became law, however, pleased almost no one.

By

Yue Stella Yu

and

Erica Yee

• December 17, 2025

An aerial view of the framing of a two-story home under construction in a neighborhood that was burned down by a wildfire.

Commentary

Newsom relaxed his pro-housing stance for certain Democratic locales

Gov. Gavin Newsom is tougher on Republican-leaning communities that resist building housing than on similar regions run by affluent Democrats.

By

Dan Walters

• December 17, 2025

A red, white, and blue sign reading “No on 50: Defend Fair Elections” sits on a table beside jars filled with pistachios and a small display about California’s political priorities. The background shows blurred lights and a screen displaying a broadcast.

Politics

Republicans ask federal court to overturn California’s new Prop. 50 maps

Republicans and the Trump administration are hoping a panel of federal judges in Los Angeles will halt the new Prop. 50 maps from taking effect. But given the Supreme Court’s recent ruling greenlighting Texas’s redrawn maps, their odds are long.

By

Maya C. Miller

and

Mikhail Zinshteyn

• December 16, 2025

A view of a wooden pole with power lines on a clear blue sky. A lit up lamp outside a home can be seen in the foreground.

Commentary

Biomass is a money pit that won’t solve California’s energy or wildfire problems

Utilities customers help pay for biomass because electric utilities buy its products to produce electricity, paying four times more. Is it worth it?

By Shaye Wolf • December 16, 2025

A student, wearing a black and red cap and gown, smiles and looks towards the audience section of a graduation ceremony as they walk alongside other graduates.

Higher Education

As job market tightens, more Californians are heading back to college

Some community college districts in California say enrollment is up by more than 10%, though official numbers have yet to be released. Historically, college enrollment fluctuates depending on the strength of the economy.

By

Adam Echelman

• December 16, 2025

A person wearing a green sweater stands on the side of a road next to puddles of water and overlooking a muddy field.

CalMatters en Español

Las aguas residuales del río Tijuana aún contaminan la costa de San Diego. Una surfista convertida en política lucha por limpiarlas.

La contaminación del río Tijuana por las aguas residuales continúa afectando a las comunidades del sur del condado de San Diego. La supervisora del condado de San Diego, Paloma Aguirre, se ha convertido en una fuerza impulsora para lograr soluciones binacionales y fondos de emergencia para proteger la salud pública.

By

Deborah Brennan

• December 16, 2025