Emily Hoeven

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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WhatMatters

Newsom losing another top official

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, December 11. Daniel Kim departing Yet another top official is departing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration, leaving the governor to replace the leaders of two departments central to California’s pandemic response as he faces a make-or-break point in his career. Daniel Kim, the director of the Department of General Services, will […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 11, 2020

WhatMatters

California’s looming economic challenges

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, December 10. Newsom at an inflection point Even as 59% of Californians expect the state to be bogged down by widespread unemployment and financial depression for the next five years, 58% approve of how Gov. Gavin Newsom is handling the economy. The findings, from a statewide Public Policy Institute of […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 10, 2020

WhatMatters

Calls grow for data behind state restrictions

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, December 9. ICUs under pressure As California races past grim coronavirus milestones — more than 10,000 hospitalizations, more than 20,000 deaths, 100% ICU capacity in some counties — pressure is increasing on the state to provide data justifying its restrictions. A superior court judge on Tuesday issued a withering rebuke […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 9, 2020

WhatMatters

Newsom avoids the elephant in the room

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, December 8. New app coming Thurs. Against a backdrop of escalating crises, Gov. Gavin Newsom gave a 90-minute press conference Monday in which he unveiled a coronavirus exposure app and public education campaign but failed to address some of the state’s biggest challenges. The app, CA Notify, launches Thursday. Once […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 8, 2020

WhatMatters

Biden taps California AG for Cabinet health job — handing Newsom a rare opportunity

Let the political jockeying begin — again. With the surprise announcement Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden chose California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his secretary of health and human services, Gov. Gavin Newsom could be staring down at least two — and quite possibly three — high-stakes political appointments. If Becerra is confirmed by the […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 7, 2020

WhatMatters

Inside Newsom’s new regional shutdown

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, December 4. Vaccine doses on the way Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a regional stay-at-home order Thursday after nearly a week of anticipation — but the state’s strictest measure in months doesn’t currently apply to any of California’s counties. The order, which goes into effect Saturday afternoon, stipulates that if a […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 4, 2020

WhatMatters

Schools unlikely to reopen in January

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, December 3. Calls to prioritize teacher vaccines It’s the question on everyone’s minds: When will Gov. Gavin Newsom announce a new stay-at-home order? The governor hasn’t made a public appearance since Monday, when he said he planned to be “ubiquitous” during “an incredibly important week in the history of this […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 3, 2020

WhatMatters

Credibility at stake: The French Laundry saga followed by others

California elected officials are rapidly losing credibility at a critical point in the pandemic, with hospitalizations at an all-time high and Gov. Gavin Newsom expected to announce a state lockdown today. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle broke the news that Mayor London Breed attended a dinner party with seven other people at the three-Michelin-starred […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 2, 2020

WhatMatters

With ICUs filling up, Gov. Newsom says state lockdown possible this week

Another stay-at-home order could be in the cards for California as early as this week. Citing a record level of coronavirus hospitalizations and rapidly filling intensive-care units, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned in a Monday press conference that another lockdown may be necessary to curb the virus’ spread in counties in the most restrictive purple tier, […]

By Emily Hoeven • December 1, 2020

WhatMatters

Restrictions ramp up as California coronavirus hospitalizations soar to new heights

Starting today, millions of Californians will be subject to new stay-at-home orders amid a third wave of COVID-19 infections that has hospitalized a record number of residents. Under Los Angeles County’s new stay-at-home order — which lasts through Dec. 20 — almost all gatherings are banned, and retail stores must further limit capacity. Santa Clara […]

By Emily Hoeven • November 30, 2020