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Emily Hoeven

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Emily Hoeven wrote the daily WhatMatters newsletter for three years at CalMatters . Her reporting, essays, and opinion columns have been published in San Francisco Weekly, the Deseret News, the San Francisco Business Times, the Flathead Beacon, the Daily Pennsylvanian, and the Mercury News. Emily graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and French and studied English at the University of Cambridge, England as a Thouron Summer Prize fellow. She speaks French fluently and spent a year teaching English in Châteauroux, France.

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A sign warns people to mask up. Questions abound ahead of California's pandemic reopening. Image via iStock
WhatMatters
Days from California reopening, rules still up in the air
Less than a week away from California’s full reopening, key details remain unresolved. On June 15, the state will eliminate the color-coded blueprint that’s governed our lives for much of the past year — another six counties moved into less restrictive tiers on Tuesday, by the way — and allow businesses to reopen at full […]
By • June 9, 2021
From left: Harrison, 8, and Allie, 10 carry signs with their parents Elizabeth Owen and Steve Ganotis during a rally to reopen Oakland public school for in-person instruction at Astro Park on Feb. 28, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters
WhatMatters
Newsom: 99% of schools to reopen fully in fall
Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, June 8. Lots of uncertainty remains “The one thing I’m certain of is there’s uncertainty in the future,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a Friday press conference that cast doubts on the extent of the state’s grand reopening next week. It was difficult not to think of that comment when […]
By • June 8, 2021
Gov. Gavin Newsom randomly selects cash prize winners at the California Lottery Building in Sacramento on June 4, 2021. Photo by Laurel Rosenhall, CalMatters
WhatMatters
Newsom reopening comments backfire: State of emergency to stay
Friday wasn’t a lucky day for Gov. Gavin Newsom. The stage was set — literally — for a positive announcement. Newsom, standing in front of shimmery gold and red curtains and a Wheel of Fortune-style gizmo in the California Lottery Building in Sacramento, randomly selected the first 15 winners of a $50,000 cash prize from […]
By • June 7, 2021
A Coliseum service employee carries a mask through the stands reminding fans to wear as mask. Coliseum implemented a number of safety protocols for the season opener including masking, distancing and touch free payments for concessions. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters
WhatMatters
Masks at work, unless everyone’s vaccinated
The more things change, the more things stay the same. California is set to fully reopen its economy and end its mask mandate on June 15 — but it appears many of us could still be wearing masks well past that date. That’s because the state’s workplace safety agency on Thursday night passed rules that […]
By • June 4, 2021
Parishioners hold their arms in the air and sing along as the worship team plays praise songs at the start of Easter services at Resonate church in Fremont on April 4, 2021. The church was permitted to begin hosting in-person services at 25% capacity in February but for many in the congregation, Easter marked their return to church after a year away. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters
WhatMatters
Why churches keep winning big against California
California churches are coming out of the pandemic smelling like roses. The state agreed this week to two settlements that block it from imposing new coronavirus restrictions on houses of worship tougher than those for similar secular activities, CalMatters’ Ben Christopher and I report. It’s the latest legal blow churches have dealt Gov. Gavin Newsom’s […]
By • June 3, 2021
Sen. Steven Bradford, now a member of the state's reparations committee, listens to testimony during a Senate hearing in 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
WhatMatters
California launches reparations task force
California kicked off a two-year study into how the state might compensate African Americans for slavery and its lingering effects on Tuesday, when a newly formed reparations committee met for the first time. The first-in-the-nation committee is the result of Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signing a bill authored by then-Assemblymember Shirley Weber, whom he […]
By • June 2, 2021
Wooden gavel with open law book. The California Supreme Court is expected to make a key death penalty ruling. Image via iStock
WhatMatters
Death penalty faces critical test: Will California high court raise bar?
The death penalty in California could be on the precipice of a dramatic change. On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court will begin hearings in a case challenging the state’s application of the death penalty. The state’s highest court will consider whether to raise the bar for when a jury can sentence a defendant to capital […]
By • June 1, 2021
WhatMatters
Newsom: Get vaxxed, win $$
Good morning, California. It’s Friday, May 28. Note: Due to Memorial Day, the newsletter will pause until Tuesday. More money up for grabs Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday unveiled the country’s largest vaccine incentive program at a high school in Los Angeles — a city in which only 7% of high schoolers have returned for […]
By • May 28, 2021
Two people hug near the scene of a mass shooting at a Valley Transportation Authority light rail yard in San Jose on May, 26, 2021. An employee opened fire Wednesday killing eight people before taking his own life. Photo by Randy Vazquez, Bay Area News Group
WhatMatters
Public safety debate reignites
Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, May 27. Surge in gun violence A Wednesday mass shooting at a San Jose rail yard that left nine people dead, including the gunman, has revived what seems to be an endless cycle: calls for immediate action that eventually peter out until the next crisis hits. President Joe Biden, condemning […]
By • May 27, 2021
Several hands holding bags of cash move toward a recall ballot box.Though California voters may be divided by geography and class, its pro-and anti-recall campaign donors are not. Image via iStock
WhatMatters
Who’s spending to protect — and oust — Newsom?
Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, May 26. Approval rating grows The scales appear to be tipping in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s favor. The governor’s approval rating is ticking back up after months of decline, with 54% of likely voters giving high marks for his job performance, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll released […]
By • May 26, 2021

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