Cayla Mihalovich

Justice

She goes to police calls in a Prius. It’s part of new approach to mental health emergencies

San Mateo adopted a new approach to mental health 911 calls by pairing police with mental health clinicians. Researchers found that it reduced the number of future mental health emergency calls and involuntary psychiatric holds by roughly 17%.

By Cayla Mihalovich • December 23, 2025

Economy

California’s minimum wage is increasing in 2026 as Los Angeles debates $30 an hour

California's minimum wage is adjusted every year for inflation. Some cities have a higher wage floor and unions are advocating increases for specific industries.

By Cayla Mihalovich • December 19, 2025

Justice

Newsom closed 4 prisons and trimmed payroll. Corrections spending is still over budget

California's $17.5 billion prison system is over budget, contributing to a projected state deficit. Some groups want him to close more prisons.

By Cayla Mihalovich • November 21, 2025

Justice

LA jails scale back opioid addiction treatment as fatal overdoses continue

Hundreds of people are on a waitlist for opioid addiction treatment in Los Angeles County jails as the state presses the system to reduce overdoses and in-custody deaths

By Cayla Mihalovich • November 14, 2025

Justice

ICE opened a detention center in a former California prison. Detainees are suing over conditions inside

Immigrants in California's newest ICE detention center allege they're experiencing inhumane conditions and that they're not getting access to lawyers. Until recently, the site was a state prison.

By Nigel Duara and Cayla Mihalovich • November 13, 2025

Justice

California to launch ‘historic’ reparations office as advocates regroup from 5 Newsom vetoes

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed five laws advancing reparations for the descendants of enslaved people in California, but he vetoed five others. It's a mixed record two years after the California Reparations Task Force issued its seminal report.

By Cayla Mihalovich and Wendy Fry • October 17, 2025

Justice

California’s incarcerated firefighters to see ‘historic’ pay increase in laws Newsom signed

Hundreds of California’s incarcerated firefighters will see an increase in pay, a new death benefit and a faster path to expungement of their criminal records under laws Gov. Gavin Newsom signed.

By Cayla Mihalovich • October 13, 2025

Justice

California’s Prop. 36 promised ‘mass treatment’ for defendants. A new study shows how it’s going

The biggest study yet on California’s tough-on-crime ballot measure Proposition 36 shows few people are finding their way into the treatment it promised.

By Cayla Mihalovich • October 13, 2025

Politics

What a government shutdown means for Californians, from Social Security to national parks

Social Security and Medicare benefits will keep flowing in a government shutdown, but federal employees will be working without pay and delays likely will occur across many services.

By Rachel Becker, Kristen Hwang, Alejandro Lazo, Cayla Mihalovich and Jeanne Kuang • September 29, 2025

Justice

California shrank prisons with sentencing changes. A new study shows how that’s working

Several new California laws gave incarcerated people a second chance at freedom. A new report provides the first in-depth look at how they’re working.

By Cayla Mihalovich • September 25, 2025

Cayla Mihalovich

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