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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 quiet indoor stairwell with two flights of gray and dark tile steps, divided by a gray metal handrail. Soft light from a window brightens the hallway area, which features a door at the end.
A person wearing a beige jacket and cap walks down a city street, pulling a large, crumpled blue tarp. The scene is framed by tall buildings, parked cars, and a modern glass structure in the background. The muted urban setting is illuminated by soft, natural light, highlighting the quiet and solitary moment.
A gloved hand points to a holding cell at the hospital ward of the Twin Towers jail in Los Angeles on April 16, 2020. About 3,000 inmates were recently transferred out of jails to prisons, but on Thursday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation again suspended transfers following a rise in coronavirus cases. Photo by Chris Carlson, AP Photo
A mom embraces and kisses the head of a young child standing in front of them. Another young child stands near by and plays with the mother's hair tie that is wrapped on her left wrist.
A white ambulance truck is parked in front of a light brown building with a sign that reads "Plumas Hospital District."
A student scrolls through their laptop during class at Point Loma High School in San Diego on May 3, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters
Aerial view of a stretch of coastline with waves moving towards a sandy beach line, spread throughout the frame, and with a bluff of cliffs just beyond the sand.
The back of a person as they stand holding up a white sign that reads "Congress Can Only Tax! Not Trump" while they stand behind a crowd-control barrier overlooking the U.S. Supreme Court building
A view from behind of a person, wearing a gray suit, standing in the middle of a room filled with white voting booths as they cast their ballots.
Traffic on a highway drives under an overpass bridge with signs hanging above reading “Worried? Register to Vote,” and another reading “Vote Yes on Prop 50.” Next to the signs are American Flags hanging on the fence and people holding signs.

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