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Lynn La

Newsletter Writer

Lynn La is the newsletter writer for CalMatters, focusing on California’s top political, policy and Capitol stories every weekday. She produces and curates WhatMatters, CalMatters’ flagship daily newsletter with more than 150,000 subscribers.    

In the newsletter, Lynn analyzes the state’s policy issues for a broader audience, through original reporting and by summarizing and compiling stories from CalMatters and other news sources. Recently, she has reported on bills to address California’s worsening fentanyl epidemic, tackle retail theft and legislate happiness. She also reveals more about lawmakers by interviewing them for an occasional series on first-term legislators in 2023 and new committee chairpersons in 2024. 

Through WhatMatters, Lynn also plays a crucial role in CalMatters election coverage, helping to keep track of daily developments in key campaigns, including legislative and congressional races and ballot measures.  

Prior to joining CalMatters in March 2023, she wrote for the education technology startup Guild and was a senior editor at CNET. She also covered public health at The Sacramento Bee as a Kaiser media fellow and was an intern reporter at Capitol Weekly. 

Lynn is based in the Bay Area. She graduated from UC Davis and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Other languages spoken: Vietnamese (basic)

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Latest Stories

A close-up view of a person holding a white cell phone with both their hands. A ray of light softly illuminates the person's left hand.
Pro-abortion rights supporters marched in protest of a Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe vs. Wade, in Sacramento on June 25, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters
A mid-rise government building displays the words “COUNTY of SAN JOAQUIN” along its upper facade. The structure features vertical window panels and a blue band near the roofline, with taller office buildings rising behind it. Out-of-focus foliage in the foreground partially frames the lower portion of the image, adding depth.
Two people stand in front of a large cut-out drawing of an overweight man dressed in a blue suit with money coming out of his pockets and smoking a cigar. One of the two people in the frame holds a sign that reads, "taxing greed to pay for what we need."
A man in a grey suit sits on a chair on a stage in front of a banner that reads “Affordability and Rural California” with an American flag next to it.
A person with gray hair and a full beard stands outdoors in front of a stone wall, looking toward the camera with a calm, neutral expression. They wear a green sweatshirt with the words “The Original Hampton Tennis” printed on the front, while the background is softly blurred.
The back of an incarcerated individual with their hands placed behind them. The individual wears a jean sweater with the words "CDC Prisoner" on it.
Two people sit on chairs set up on a small stage overlooking a crowd. The person on the left wears a gray suit blazer with a white shirt, and l;ooks towards the person on the right, who wears a navy suit blazer with a white shirt. Banners with images of rural life can be seen behind them.
A person, with short blonde hair, smiles and waves to a crowd of attendees while sitting on top of a car during a parade. The person wears a beige turtle neck with a blue jacket.

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