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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 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.
A herd of cows stands and grazes across a wide, grassy pasture under a gray sky; one cow with a white face looks toward the camera in the foreground, while others are scattered into the distance near a roadside lined with utility poles.
A voter at a polling center at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana on March 5, 2024. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters
A person speaks at a podium during a press conference beside a display board outlining a hospice fraud scheme, including dollar amounts and the number of suspects and companies involved.
A charred, partially collapsed building with exposed columns and archways stands in ruins after a fire. Debris is scattered across the ground, and the roof is entirely missing. Only portions of the scorched walls and a staircase remain intact. A palm tree and other tall trees are visible in the background under a clear blue sky.

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