Emily Hoeven

WhatMatters

Unemployment spikes for first time in months

Good morning, California. It’s Monday, January 25. Grant program under scrutiny California’s economic recovery is trending in the wrong direction. The Golden State’s unemployment rate grew to 9% in December, triggering the first month-to-month increase since April 2020, according to figures released Friday by the Employment Development Department. While the nation’s unemployment rate remained static […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 25, 2021

WhatMatters

Behind chaos on vaccines and jobless checks: persistent tech problems

California is struggling to provide residents with two items central to surviving the pandemic — the vaccine and unemployment benefits. California as of Wednesday had administered 38% of its 4.2 million doses of vaccine, ranking 45th nationwide in the number of doses administered per capita. And on Thursday, the beleaguered Employment Development Department revealed that […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 22, 2021

WhatMatters

Newsom to unveil new vaccine appointment site

This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom will unveil a pilot program to help counties, cities and other entities schedule vaccine appointments, I’ve exclusively learned. The move, which comes sooner than expected, underscores the state’s rush to streamline a chaotic rollout that has resulted in Californians developing their own online platforms to centralize and decipher a dizzying […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 21, 2021

WhatMatters

A new era for California? Newsom asks Biden for aid

What a difference a day makes. On Tuesday, California was still wrangling with the Trump administration, as evidenced by nine final-hour lawsuits filed by Attorney General Xavier Becerra — bringing his four-year total to a staggering 122 lawsuits. Today, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as president and vice president of the […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 20, 2021

WhatMatters

Severe reactions put batch of vaccines on hold as new virus strain raises concerns

The problems keep racking up for California’s vaccine rollout. State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan on Sunday recommended providers stop administering doses from a specific batch of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine following “a higher-than-usual number” of possibly severe allergic reactions at a mass vaccination site in San Diego. Although fewer than 10 people appeared to experience […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 19, 2021

WhatMatters

National Guard called in ahead of possible violence at California Capitol

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday activated 1,000 members of the California National Guard to protect the state Capitol ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week — a sign the state is taking seriously the FBI’s warning that armed demonstrators may target statehouses in attacks similar to last week’s siege on the U.S. Capitol. Also […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 15, 2021

WhatMatters

New vaccine strategy exposes big challenges

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, January 14. Some counties low on doses Six million Californians 65 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine — a major shift in strategy that could help accelerate the Golden State’s sluggish vaccine rollout even as some counties say they’re unprepared to handle increased demand. Gov. Gavin Newsom […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 14, 2021

WhatMatters

Newsom recall battle reaches boiling point

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, January 13. Dems affix ‘coup’ label In a sign that the movement to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is increasingly perceived as a serious threat, the California Democratic Party took the extraordinary step Tuesday of branding it as a “coup” and alleging that its backers were linked to the violent mob […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 13, 2021

WhatMatters

Vaccine rollout a critical test for Newsom

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, January 12. Only 27% of doses used Gov. Gavin Newsom has a lot of political capital riding on his goal of vaccinating 1 million additional Californians by this weekend. Apart from school reopenings, no issue looms larger for Newsom’s third year in office — and his ability to fend off […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 12, 2021

WhatMatters

Urgency for pandemic solutions as lawmakers return

Good morning, California. It’s Monday, January 11. Long to-do list Lawmakers return to Sacramento today to kick off a new legislative session — but time is already running out to respond to some of the pandemic’s most pressing issues.  Around 2 million Californians could lose their homes on Feb. 1 if lawmakers don’t extend the […]

By Emily Hoeven • January 11, 2021