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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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Assemblyman David Chiu speaks to the press following the passage of AB 1482, a bill that would instate a rent cap, on September 11, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
WhatMatters
Lawmakers to Newsom: Pay unemployment now
Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, August 6. And overhaul entire department California lawmakers are not impressed with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attempts to address a massive backlog of claims at the state unemployment department. A bipartisan group of 61 legislators led by Assemblymember David Chiu, a San Francisco Democrat, sent Newsom a scathing letter Wednesday, arguing […]
By • August 6, 2020
WhatMatters
Glitchy tech systems impede pandemic response
Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, August 5. State, counties underreporting cases California’s glitchy tech systems strike again. Both the state and counties have been underreporting coronavirus cases and positivity rates due to data “getting stuck” in California’s disease reporting system, Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s health and human services secretary, said Tuesday. Ghaly: “We’ve discovered […]
By • August 5, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses his plan for the gradual reopening of California businesses during a news conference at the Display California store in Sacramento May 5, 2020.
WhatMatters
At last: some good coronavirus news
Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, August 4. Newsom guardedly optimistic For the first time in a long while, California has some good coronavirus news. The state’s positive case rate declined by 7%, hospitalizations by 10% and intensive-care admissions by 5% over the past two weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. One month ago, California’s positive […]
By • August 4, 2020
WhatMatters
Schools, unions leave parents in dark
Good morning, California. It’s Monday, August 3. Online learning plans up in air A week before some California districts start school, many parents remain in the dark about what online learning will look like as teachers unions and districts negotiate instruction plans — in some cases behind closed doors. Major points of contention include the […]
By • August 3, 2020
WhatMatters
Unemployment department under fire — nearly 1 million claims backlogged
With federal unemployment benefits of $600 per week set to expire today and nearly 1 million claims backlogged at California’s unemployment department, millions of Californians are teetering on the edge of a financial cliff — and increasingly desperate for answers from elected officials. State lawmakers on Thursday eviscerated the beleaguered agency for leaving many residents […]
By • July 31, 2020
A woman walks out of a liquor store past a sign requesting its customers to wear a mask Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Santa Monica. California is among the states seeing the greatest surge in cases now. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo
WhatMatters
Death surge prompts stricter enforcement
Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, July 30. State, counties, cities take hard stance Enforcement of coronavirus orders is ramping up across California as the state broke its single-day record for deaths twice this week amid a series of outbreaks in essential workplaces. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday withheld federal coronavirus relief funds from two Central […]
By • July 30, 2020
The coronavirus has played havoc with California's economy, state Democrats to consider exploiting a loophole to expand jobless benefits. Image via iStockmage via iStock
WhatMatters
California’s Plan B for unemployment benefits
Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, July 29. Could lose billons of $, thousands of jobs California has a lot riding on federal unemployment benefits set to expire this week. The Golden State could sink even deeper into recession and lose thousands more jobs if the Republican proposal to decrease weekly benefits from $600 to $200 […]
By • July 29, 2020
Keely Bosler, Director of Finance, right, discusses Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2020-21 revised state budget during a hearing of the Assembly “Committee of the Whole on the State Budget,” at the Capitol on May 26, 2020. Lawmakers were looking into the Newsom administration’s plan to fill an estimated $54.3 budget deficit created by the effects of the coronavirus. Seated at top left, is Assemblyman Phil Ting, chair of the Assembly budget committee, and at bottom left is Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, vice chair of the budget committee. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo/Pool
WhatMatters
5 weeks left to find pandemic solutions
Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, July 28. Democrats unveil $100 billion plan State lawmakers have just five weeks to come up with solutions to massive pandemic-related problems and prevent Californians of all stripes — tenants, landlords, small-business owners, essential workers — from falling off the edge of a cliff. Will they be able to do […]
By • July 28, 2020
A man walks past wooden boards and graffiti outside of the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland on July 26, 2020. Last night, protests in downtown Oakland in support of racial justice and police reform turned violent when "agitators" among the demonstrators set fire to a courthouse, vandalized a police station and shot fireworks at officers, according to authorities. Photo by Jeff Chiu, AP Photo
WhatMatters
Protests escalate across California
Good morning, California. It’s Monday, July 27. Government buildings targeted Peaceful protests against racism, police brutality and the intervention of federal agents in Portland, Ore. splintered over the weekend into destruction, vandalism and violence. Protests in Oakland, Los Angeles and Sacramento resulted in numerous arrests and hospitalizations, further inflaming tension between law enforcement and demonstrators. […]
By • July 27, 2020

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