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

Economy
Democrats torn between shiny new ventures and old-school allies
Sharing. It sounds so simple, but as an economic trend, sharing is a divisive issue for Democrats. Tension over the so-called “sharing economy” has been on full display in Sacramento, with Democrats who control the Legislature facing mounting pressure. On one side are trendy tech ventures that are gearing up their political lobbies. On the […]
By • September 14, 2015
california emissions trump EV
Climate Change
Ad blitz heats up climate change fight
The oil industry helped Democrat Jim Cooper win his first election to the Legislature last year. Now it’s seeking his help fighting Democratic leaders in the state Capitol. Cooper is one of a handful of potential swing votes the oil industry is targeting as it tries to kill a controversial proposal to cut in half […]
By • August 20, 2015
Climate Change
A little town in Arkansas and its California connection
EL DORADO, Arkansas – On the east side of this small town, tucked away not far from the Louisiana border, sit two massive incinerators with a surprising link to a landmark environmental law in California. It’s a place where old paint, leftover pesticides, seized cocaine, recalled hairspray, expired pharmaceuticals and many other hazardous chemicals come […]
By • July 25, 2015
Climate Change
Sen. Fran Pavley: A quiet force in the climate storm
In a small hearing room decorated with paintings of birds and flowers, Sen. Fran Pavley – the great-granddaughter of a three-time presidential candidate – sat down to present the bill that will likely cement her legacy as the California Legislature’s most accomplished environmentalist. As usual, her tone was understated, and her style more patient schoolmarm […]
By • July 25, 2015
Climate Change
Cap and trade: Is California a leader or a loner?
It was mid-morning one day in May and somewhere deep inside a 25-story tower in Sacramento, an auction, cloaked in secrecy, was about to begin. Why this matters Cap and trade is among the most pioneering – yet controversial  – elements of California’s multi-layered approach to combating climate change. But the national reach of the program […]
By • July 25, 2015

Gift this article