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

WhatMatters

Will this make California’s electorate more representative?

More than 7.7 million Californians voted in the March primary — a turnout of 35% among registered voters that was nearly 2 percentage points higher than the June 2022 primary. But it was only 29% of all those eligible to vote, which reinforces a key priority for voting advocates: Millions of Californians who could vote […]

Lynn La

• June 18, 2024

WhatMatters

California labor unions flex their muscles

California labor unions cleaned up in the Legislature last session, and often get their way on the bills they care about. There are reasons for that: Unions invest a lot of money into electing their allies, donating at least $22 million to current lawmakers’ campaigns since 2020. And, as CalMatters Digital Democracy reporter Ryan Sabalow […]

Lynn La

• June 17, 2024

WhatMatters

How abortion pill ruling fits into California access

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, California’s Democratic leaders have sought to make the state a haven for abortion rights. They persuaded voters to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution, approved a bill package to shore up reproductive rights and passed a law in […]

Lynn La

• June 14, 2024

WhatMatters

Will this plan fix California’s home insurance crisis?

Tens of thousands of California homeowners, especially those who live in areas at risk of wildfires, have lost their insurance or have to pay more to keep coverage. One after another, major companies have pulled out of the state, many citing the cost of claims. For more than a year, politicians and policymakers have been […]

Lynn La

• June 13, 2024

WhatMatters

It’s time to make deals on California budget

From CalMatters K-12 education reporter Carolyn Jones: As the Legislature hammers out its state budget this week, education advocates are waiting to learn the fate of Proposition 98, the decades-old funding mechanism for California’s public K-12 schools and community colleges. Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed lowering the minimum amount of money guaranteed to schools by […]

Lynn La

• June 12, 2024

WhatMatters

California’s fight over remote public meetings

Among the many changes caused by the COVID pandemic, remote work has continued — and that applies to public meetings as well. California officials are still trying to find the right balance: While the Legislature and local elected boards are back to meeting in-person, state lawmakers agreed last year to allow state advisory boards to […]

Lynn La

• June 11, 2024

WhatMatters

Crunch time on California ballot measures

This is CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang, filling in for Lynn, who will return in Tuesday’s WhatMatters. It’s make-or-break month for which ballot measures will actually go before California voters in November. The Legislature has until June 27 to make deals with proponents to pull initiatives off the Nov. 5 ballot. One measure that is […]

Lynn La

• June 10, 2024

WhatMatters

Exploring big ideas for California

The two-day CalMatters Ideas Festival wrapped Thursday with more than a dozen events examining critical policy issues impacting the lives of millions of Californians. In addition to discussions about climate change, reparations and transportation, the conference also explored California’s: In other highlights Thursday: (CalMatters invited the other announced candidates for governor, who declined.) Focus on […]

Lynn La

• June 7, 2024

WhatMatters

The California maternity wards that are staying open

Over the last decade, nearly 50 maternity wards have closed across California, with more than half shutting down in just the last four years. Seventeen were in Los Angeles County, where maternity ward closures have far outpaced the region’s declining birth rate. But there’s a notable exception: Nonprofit and government-run hospitals, write CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang, […]

Lynn La

• June 6, 2024

WhatMatters

Which California voters still don’t have full access?

State officials often tout how easy it is to vote in California: Everyone gets a ballot in the mail a month before Election Day, which can then be mailed back for free, dropped off in ballot boxes or turned in at polling places. But for some groups of voters, access is still a problem — […]

Lynn La

• June 5, 2024