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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 is walking up a set of stairs, their back to the camera, toward a blue-and-white mobile clinic truck, while a staff member holds the door open. The scene is framed with two people walking by between them.
A close-up view of dark purple round banners displayed at the top of a room filled with attendees at a conference. The banners include text that say, "to value fast ..." and "AI, data, and ..."
A back view of a person in work clothes and a hat walking through a field of watermelons as workers harvest in the background on a tractor.
A stone-faced building with a sign that reads “Alameda Healthcare & Wellness Center” sits behind trees and shrubs on a rainy day. Blurred plant leaves frame the foreground. A “Bike Lane Begin” sign is posted near the corner of the building.
A gray and white commercial truck drives down a street. Another green and white commercial truck can be seen up a hill in the distance alongside several cargo containers labeled "Matson" on the side.
A ground-level of a person, wearing a black hat and orange shirt, laying on a wet concrete floor while they put their hands behind their back as an immigration agent grabs them. The agent is dressed in a green uniform.
A quiet indoor stairwell with two flights of gray and dark tile steps, divided by a gray metal handrail. Soft light from a window brightens the hallway area, which features a door at the end.
A person wearing a beige jacket and cap walks down a city street, pulling a large, crumpled blue tarp. The scene is framed by tall buildings, parked cars, and a modern glass structure in the background. The muted urban setting is illuminated by soft, natural light, highlighting the quiet and solitary moment.
A gloved hand points to a holding cell at the hospital ward of the Twin Towers jail in Los Angeles on April 16, 2020. About 3,000 inmates were recently transferred out of jails to prisons, but on Thursday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation again suspended transfers following a rise in coronavirus cases. Photo by Chris Carlson, AP Photo

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