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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 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.
A family visits booths. Somali Family Service, one of the groups receiving state anti-hate money, hosted immigrant families, including refugees and asylum seekers, at a resource fair in San Diego on Sept. 9, 2023.
A close-up shot of a person wearing a brown cap that reads “U.S. Border Patrol,” sunglasses that block out their eyes, and a face mask with an American flag design.
Five immigration agents, dressed in camouflage riot gear and holding weapons, stand in the middle of a street while facing a crowd of bystanders and protesters.

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