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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

People in sweaters and warm clothing walk with picket signs on signs outside an Amazon warehouse in front of an Amazon van parked. The signs the people are holding say, “ Amazon is Unfair.”
Various Chinook salmon swim in water, with rocks underneath them, as bubble from waves form overhead. The image has a sense of action and frenzy.
A person in a navy suit and red tie sits indoors against a backdrop of ornate gold decorations, looking to the side.
A row of colorful stucco houses in San Francisco with garage doors at street level, closely lined up in a uniform architectural style. One house in the foreground is painted teal with a matching garage door, while others are in shades of olive green, blue, tan, and beige. Trimmed boxy shrubs sit in front of some houses, and cars are parked in the narrow driveways. Overhead utility lines stretch across the scene under a gray, overcast sky.
Flames from a wildfire devour the inside of a home as the air fills with fire smog and darkens the sky.
A lawmaker stands in front of a microphone as they speak in a room packed with other lawmakers sitting at their desks. The desks are decorated with small American flags. The room is adorned with mint green and beige fixtures.
A person wearing a white shirt points to a cheering crowd while holding red "Make American Great Again" hats with his other hand.
A wide view of students playing on an asphalt playground on a clear day. Trees, dirt and some growing vegetation can be seen nearby. The top of a wired fence can be seen in the foreground.
A group of heavily armed federal agents in full tactical gear emerge from the back of an armored vehicle labeled “LENCO ARMORED VEHICLES” on a sunlit urban street. Most wear camouflage fatigues, body armor, helmets, and goggles, with visible patches reading “POLICE” and insignias from U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security. Some agents carry rifles and one has zip cuffs and canisters clipped to their vest. A media photographer in a press vest films nearby. Palm trees and a clear blue sky suggest a Southern California location.

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