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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 person in a suit speaks emphatically at a podium surrounded by microphones, with others standing nearby. A large sign next to the podium reads, "Defend Fair Elections."
Two videographers film two women across from them sitting on a grey couch. The woman on the right is crying while the woman on the left sits and listens with her hands folder on her lap.
A wide-view of lawmakers standing and talking to each other in the middle of a legislative floor filled with desks. A white chandeliers hangs above the room and the room is decorated with beige and green fixtures.
A lawmaker wearing glasses and a tan blazer sits at a desk on the California Assembly floor, looking toward the front of the chamber. Other legislators, microphones and desks are visible around her, with several people in the foreground and background out of focus.
A teenager sits on outdoor steps looking at a smartphone while wearing headphones around their neck. Several other teens sit out of focus in the background, suggesting a school or campus setting.
A white and blue guard tower overlooking a prison located in flat farmland surrounded by desert shrub.
A brown grizzly bear stands in the middle of a grass field surrounded by brush.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wears a blue suit jacket and white shirt while speaking indoors, with several people standing behind him and a large red circular light in the foreground.
A view of people walking on a sidewalk in a busy downtown area of a city street. In the foreground, a person wearing a red dress can be seen walking just out of focus.

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