Dan Morain

Newsletters

Newsom’s homeless plan faces local opposition + Texas sues California

Newsom's homeless plan draws local backlash. Texas sues California over state travel ban. New worker law survives initial court challenge.

By Dan Morain • February 11, 2020

WhatMatters

Why parents face a debt + What’s driving one of the year’s most costly races + Whither asparagus

Kids' arrests leave parents in debt. Trump makes play for Nevada on nuclear waste. Farm worker OT bill looms large in Senate race.

By Dan Morain • February 10, 2020

WhatMatters

End is near for a widely used pesticide + a U.S. EPA shake-up

Parents weighed down by juvenile justice fees. End nears for controversial pesticide. Top EPA official in the West is dismissed.

By Dan Morain • February 7, 2020

Newsletters

Dramatic rise in mental illness cases in county jails + What a new PG&E might look like

County jails see spike in mental illness cases. Turning PG&E into a public utility comes with a hefty price tag. State aims to fix bottle-recycling program.

By Dan Morain • February 6, 2020

WhatMatters

Seeking a water war truce + Pardoning a civil rights icon

Newsom seeks truce in water wars. Democrats renew push to ban flavored tobacco and e-cigarettes. Hospitalizations from lung-related vaping illness subside.

By Dan Morain • February 5, 2020

WhatMatters

Bloomberg does Sacramento + A new state park, perhaps + Two Californians who made a difference

Bloomberg brings presidential campaign to Sacramento. Talk of turning PG&E into a publicly owned utility grows. California may get a new state park.

By Dan Morain • February 4, 2020

WhatMatters

Sacramento’s growth industry + California’s educational divide + San Francisco’s latest scandal

California struggles to close educational divide. Construction workers get behind schools bond measure. Lobbying industry grows in spending, influence.

By Dan Morain • February 3, 2020

WhatMatters

Housing bill fails + China’s toll on California workers + counting homeless people

Study: Trade deficit hits California workers. Search continues for solutions to housing crisis after bill dies. CSU delays change to math requirement.

By Dan Morain • January 31, 2020

WhatMatters

Newsom: PG&E’s bankruptcy is a ‘godsend’ + Housing bill stalls again

Housing bill stalls again in Legislature. Newsom calls PG&E bankruptcy a "godsend," looks to overhaul behavioral health system.

By Dan Morain • January 30, 2020

WhatMatters

Trouble at California’s online college + Big proposal for criminal justice + The disturbing story of Footnote 42

Online community college experiences growing pains. Uber and Lyft allowed to conceal drivers' safety records. Traffic fatalities involving cyclists rise.

By Dan Morain • January 29, 2020