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

Avatar photo

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)

Contact

Email

Latest Stories

A family visits booths. Somali Family Service, one of the groups receiving state anti-hate money, hosted immigrant families, including refugees and asylum seekers, at a resource fair in San Diego on Sept. 9, 2023.
A close-up shot of a person wearing a brown cap that reads “U.S. Border Patrol,” sunglasses that block out their eyes, and a face mask with an American flag design.
Five immigration agents, dressed in camouflage riot gear and holding weapons, stand in the middle of a street while facing a crowd of bystanders and protesters.
A person wearing a blazer and white shirt stands on a stage, speaking and gesturing with both hands. A small microphone is clipped to their shirt, and a star-shaped pin is visible on the lapel. The background is dim, with a curtain and soft lighting suggesting a formal speaking event or forum.
Young children work with various school supplies inside a classroom as two instructors stand nearby.
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.

Gift this article