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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

Dr. Kyle Patton gives supplies and checks on medical records for his patient Stephanie while checking on her encampment on Feb. 28, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
An adult reaches to grab something on their desk while they play with a child during a therapy session. The child, wearing a plastic safari hat, stands in front of a small red wooden stand that reads 'therapeutic help" as they are surrounded by toys and puppets.
A view of cars crossing the Bay Bridge headed into San Francisco, on August 24, 2022. Photo by Carlos Barria, Reuters
Aerial view of rolling golden hills with winding dirt trails and scattered trees, bordered by a residential neighborhood with houses surrounded by greenery. A freeway and roundabout cut through the landscape in the upper part of the image.
Red flames burning from two cylinder structures create smoke clouds in the sky and illuminate the night.
A political sign saying “No on Prop 50” posted on a grassy area near a busy highway along a chain-linked fence on a bright sunny day.
A person walks alongside a small dog through a large encampment in an open grassy field. Makeshift shelters constructed from tarps and tents are surrounded by scattered belongings, including folding chairs, coolers, bicycles, and debris. In the background, trees and urban structures, including a domed building, are visible through morning haze.
A line of California National Guard members in full riot gear stands shoulder to shoulder, holding transparent shields labeled “CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD.” They wear helmets with face shields and camouflage uniforms. The photo is taken at face level, with tall downtown buildings visible in the background on a sunny day.
Person in a light blue work uniform, cap, and white gloves holding a green printed circuit board while loading it into a vertical storage rack filled with similar boards inside an electronics manufacturing facility.

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