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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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Caitrin Wright and her son Cooper, 8, hold up signs during a demonstration protesting the continued closure of public schools across California on Dec. 5, 2020 at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland. “My eyes are tired from looking at zoom,” said Cooper. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
WhatMatters
One puzzle piece remains for Newsom, lawmakers
Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, February 23. School reopenings stubborn Every piece of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s high-priority pandemic proposals has fallen into place — except for reopening schools. Lawmakers on Monday sent a $7.6 billion relief package to Newsom’s desk, which includes $600 stimulus payments for 5.7 million low-income Californians, $2 billion in small-business relief […]
By • February 23, 2021
WhatMatters
CA GOP smooths party fractures ahead of recall
Good morning, California. It’s Monday, February 22. Trump key sticking point The California Republican Party is attempting to balance on a political tightrope by keeping its eyes on the prize: recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom. That dynamic was evident at the state GOP’s online convention this weekend, in which chairwoman Jessica Patterson — who was handily […]
By • February 22, 2021
Asaf Bar-Tura and daughter Alma, 7, a first grader, protest near the Albany Unified School District Student Enrollment Center in Albany on February, 10, 2021. Parents and students held the demonstration to call for the reopening of schools. Photo by Anda Chu, Bay Area News Group
WhatMatters
Lawmakers leave Newsom behind on schools
Good morning, California. It’s Friday, February 19. Tensions ramp up Top Democratic lawmakers dealt a political blow to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday by unveiling a school reopening package without his input — a move to which the governor did not take kindly. The bold step suggests that Newsom and lawmakers have significantly different interpretations […]
By • February 19, 2021
WhatMatters
Texas blackouts put California in spotlight
Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, February 18. Power grid challenges loom California’s rolling blackouts last summer are back in the national spotlight due to the collapse of Texas’ electric grid amid a record-breaking winter storm — underscoring the discrepancy between the two states’ stances on energy and climate change, as well as the challenges they […]
By • February 18, 2021
WhatMatters
California loses economic ground to Utah
Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, February 17. Housing costs key factor Goodbye, Silicon Valley. Hello, Silicon Slopes. The tech hubs of San Francisco and San Jose fell precipitously in this year’s ranking of U.S. cities’ economic performance released Wednesday morning by the Milken Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that’s published the index every year since […]
By • February 17, 2021
Yard duty monitors check the temperatures of students arriving at Encinal Elementary School in Atherton on Dec. 17, 2020. The Menlo Park City School District is among the few districts that kept schools open this fall during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Karl Mondon, Bay Area News Group
WhatMatters
Where is California’s school reopening plan?
Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, February 16. Map reveals disparities It’s the question on everyone’s minds: When will Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers announce a school reopening deal? Though Newsom said he hoped to unveil a plan last week, Friday came and went without any mention of an agreement — or of the issues on […]
By • February 16, 2021
Patients enter Levi’s Stadium to receive Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines on Feb. 9 2021 in Santa Clara. The 49ers arena opened on Tuesday as a vaccine distribution site for Santa Clara County residents 65 and older and is expected to inoculate up to 15,000 people per day once supplies become available. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters
WhatMatters
Challenges ahead for new vaccine system
Good morning, California. It’s Friday, February 12. Note: Due to Presidents’ Day, the newsletter will pause until Tuesday. Trifecta of concerns California is slated to launch on Monday its new vaccine distribution system helmed by Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente — one that will inherit longstanding concerns over supply, equity and speed. Here’s a closer […]
By • February 12, 2021
WhatMatters
Becerra, Su emerge as GOP targets
Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, February 11. Tough confirmation hearings Two Californians nominated for top positions in President Joe Biden’s administration could face tough confirmation hearings later this month, putting the Golden State’s pandemic response under a national microscope. Attorney General Xavier Becerra, tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, appears to […]
By • February 11, 2021
Parents and students mill around the McGaugh Elementary School parking lot during morning and afternoon changeover on Sept. 17, 2020. Photo by Tash Kimmell for CalMatters
WhatMatters
Will new school plan get kids back on campus?
Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, February 10. Local control likely preserved Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are primed to unveil this week an elementary school reopening plan — one that seems likely to preserve the current model of local school districts negotiating agreements with teachers unions, raising questions as to whether the deal will […]
By • February 10, 2021
Gov. Gavin Newsom participates in a ribbon cutting ceremony at a new $120 million, 134,000 sq. foot coronavirus testing facility Oct. 30, 2020, in Valencia. The state is working with corporate partner PerkinElmer to run the lab which will enable the state to process an additional 150,000 COVID-19 tests per day. Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP Photo/Pool
WhatMatters
Big announcements on the way
Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, February 9. School reopening deal coming Get ready for some big developments in the state’s pandemic response. At a Monday press conference, Gov. Gavin Newsom rattled off a list of big-ticket items likely to be unveiled within the next week. Here’s a closer look at what’s coming: A school reopening […]
By • February 9, 2021

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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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Emily Hoeven