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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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WhatMatters
Latest unemployment scandal: State paid inmates $1B in fraudulent claims
California may have paid up to $1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims filed on behalf of prison and jail inmates in what prosecutors are calling “the most significant fraud on taxpayer funds in California history.” The state paid more than 35,000 claims under state prisoners’ names, with one inmate collecting nearly $49,000, a group of […]
By • November 25, 2020
A restaurant in Oakland remains closed on Sept. 1, 2020. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
WhatMatters
As COVID soars, a chaotic moment for California, a dire one for restaurants
As Thanksgiving approaches, the mood in California isn’t too festive. Los Angeles County, which will ban outdoor dining starting Wednesday, is considering another stay-at-home-order that would bar residents from leaving their homes unless they’re essential workers or accessing essential services. Ninety-four percent of California residents are currently under a curfew, and more could join them […]
By • November 24, 2020
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla OK'd the controversial Vote Safe California contract to a firm with ties to fellow Democrat Joe Biden's presidential campaign. AP Photo/Eric Risberg
WhatMatters
CA could stick ‘Team Biden’ firm with $35M bill
Good morning, California. It’s Monday, November 23. Padilla vs. Yee Remember the controversial $35 million contract that Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office awarded to a public affairs firm tied to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign? The firm, SKDKnickerbocker, was tasked with leading a statewide campaign explaining new pandemic voting procedures. But California hasn’t paid the […]
By • November 23, 2020
WhatMatters
Most of California under curfew
Good morning, California. It’s Friday, November 20. Limited lockdown Starting Saturday night, nearly all Californians will be subject to a curfew aimed at curbing a statewide surge in coronavirus infections. Under the terms of the “limited stay-at-home order” Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled Thursday, nonessential work and gatherings will be prohibited between 10 p.m. and 5 […]
By • November 20, 2020
WhatMatters
California’s $26B surplus raises tough choices
Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, November 19. Spend or save? Even with a rosier-than-expected budget forecast, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have some hard choices ahead of them. Wealthy Californians who made financial gains amid the pandemic and a booming stock market helped the state reap $26 billion in one-time surplus funds, according to […]
By • November 19, 2020
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
Is California prepared for shutdown #3?
Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, November 18. State of the state As California enters its third shutdown of the pandemic, is it better prepared to tamp down the spread of the virus — and handle the economic fallout — than it was when Gov. Gavin Newsom initiated prior lockdowns in March and July? Here’s a […]
By • November 18, 2020
A man wearing a mask walks past a boarded up restaurant in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco on April 7, 2020. California is entering the fourth week of sheltering in place to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
WhatMatters
Newsom considers statewide curfew
Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, November 17. Reopening on pause Gov. Gavin Newsom found himself in the unusual position Monday of apologizing for flouting his administration’s public health guidelines even as he directed massive swaths of California’s economy to close down under the most restrictive statewide order since July. Citing California’s fastest increase yet in […]
By • November 17, 2020
Regal Cinemas in Jack London Square remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic in Oakland on Sept. 9, 2020. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
WhatMatters
A grim coronavirus picture
Good morning, California. It’s Monday, November 16. More shutdowns? Here we go again. As Thanksgiving approaches, California is racking up a series of grim statistics. On Thursday, it became the second state to surpass 1 million coronavirus cases — the same day it recorded more new infections than all but nine other days of the […]
By • November 16, 2020
WhatMatters
2020 rematches on 2022 ballot?
Good morning, California. It’s Friday, November 13. Some fights aren’t over California still has 1.2 million votes left to count from last week’s election, but the 2022 ballot is already taking shape — and some potential measures may fight 2020 battles all over again. When voters approved Proposition 22 — exempting Uber and Lyft from […]
By • November 13, 2020

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