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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 three people standing behind podiums up on a stage while the person in the middle speaks. A royal blue curtain can be seen in the background.
A person wearing a navy suit points to a monitor with a line chart on it during a press conference. The California state seal, state flag and the American flag can be seen behind them.
A person wearing a tan suit smiles and looks at another person sitting to their right while they both sit at a table inside the courtroom.
The silouhette of a person as they pass by a stag illuminated by studio lights and decorated with red curtains; red, blue and white banners with the text "Voters Decide" and "The Governor's Debate."
A person wearing glasses and a red shirt holds out a phone while speaking to someone in a suit at an indoor event, with others standing in the background.
A person wearing a blue baseball cap stands with their hand up, pointing, and their other arm wrapped around a person dressed in an orange shirt. The background is a marketplace corridor inside a store.
An older adult sits in a wheelchair by a window, hands clasped, looking toward light coming through blinds; a table with medications and a walker are nearby
A person in a grey suit stands on a stage in front an audience. Other panelists can be seen in the background, along with a banner that reads “Affordability and Rural California" and the U.S. flag.
A close-up view of two hands holding a yellow ballot envelope that reads "official election mail" outside a vote center in San Diego.
Several candidates sit in chairs on a stage, facing a crowd. Behind the candidates is a banner that reads “Affordability and Rural California,” with decor of an American flag, a California flag, and potted plants.

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