Nonprofit & Nonpartisan News

Join us at the CalMatters Ideas Festival on May 21. 💡 Get your tickets now.

Laurel Rosenhall

Contact Latest Stories

Laurel covered California politics for CalMatters, with a focus on power and personalities in the state Capitol. She's been included in the Washington Post’s list of outstanding state politics reporters and was named Journalist of the Year by the Sacramento Press Club. Laurel helped launch CalMatters in 2015 after more than a dozen years covering politics and education for the Sacramento Bee. A lifelong Californian, Laurel holds a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.

Contact

Email X

Latest Stories

Consumer advocates say people should know what’s in everyday products; industry lobbyists say too much information on labels can create fear and harm sales.
Environment
In California battles over product labels, industry usually wins
(Update: On Oct. 15, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law SB 258. Manufacturers will now be required to list chemical ingredients on cleaning-product labels.) Nail polish and hair dye. Cleaning products. Plants and flowers for the garden. California lawmakers have been considering new labels for them, triggering an annual conflict in the state Capitol over […]
By • May 31, 2017
Teachers unions and charter school advocates are battling for the future of California's classrooms.
Education
California’s next election will be a tug-of-war on education
Sandra Lowe reminisced about the good old days as she addressed a roomful of Democratic activists at the California party’s annual convention last week in Sacramento. It used to be, the teachers union leader told the crowd, that it didn’t take much to win a school board race: a short statement in the election handbook, […]
By • May 24, 2017
A view of the east side of Los Angeles, The Burlington Northern Hobart Yard — the largest intermodal freight yard in the U.S., located in City of Commerce, on the East side of Los Angeles. Photo by Doc Searls via Flickr
Environment
California Capitol focuses on environmental injustice—but will it lead to real results?
A new generation of legislators and the growing clout of eco-advocates from urban communities is changing the focus of environmental debates in California. Once sidelined as a fringe voice of activism, the “environmental justice” perspective—focused on how environmental decisions impact poor communities and people of color—is now at the center of high-profile deliberations.
By • May 17, 2017
Kevin McCarthy, Congressman from Bakersfield and House Majority Leader photographed in the lobby of his childhood elementary school in Bakersfield. Photo by Brian L. Frank
Politics
Trump’s Man in Congress: Few on Capitol Hill are closer to President Trump than Bakersfield’s Rep. Kevin McCarthy
On paper, McCarthy is the second-most powerful member in the House after Speaker Paul Ryan, but in reality, no politician has more clout with the Trump White House than he does. McCarthy was one of the first Republican leaders to express support for Trump, and when Ryan and other Republicans disowned him after the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape, McCarthy held his tongue and served as a go-between.
By • May 17, 2017
Wealthy cattle rancher B. Wayne Hughes Jr. made the rounds lobbying the governor and lawmakers for a bill to assist veterans accused of low-level crimes.
Justice
A rich reformer lobbies California for merciful justice
A cattle-ranching billionaire headed into Gov. Jerry Brown’s office last week with redemption on his mind. Redemption for prisoners who wind up behind bars because their own tortured childhoods lead them to lives of crime. Redemption for veterans who bring home wartime scars that cause addiction and violence. And redemption, perhaps, even for himself—born into […]
By • April 12, 2017
Gov. Jerry Brown, flanked by Democratic legislative leaders and construction workers, announces $52 billion plan to repair state roads. Photo by Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters
Politics
In California, it’s Democrats struggling to keep party unity
California Democrats are expected to face a key test of their unity this week, with Gov. Jerry Brown leaning on state lawmakers to pass a landmark tax increase to fix what he calls a massive backlog of repairs to the state’s rutted roads and weakened bridges. The $52 billion plan will only pass if two-thirds […]
By • April 3, 2017
Politics
To make voters care about gerrymandering, cast it as a villain?
Grab a powerful political tool that few voters understand. Plan to fight in courts, statehouses and ballot boxes. Add an infusion of celebrity and more than a dash of cash. It’s a recipe some activists are trying as they work to export to other states California’s model for drawing political lines—a change that ultimately could […]
By • March 15, 2017

Gift this article