Maya C. Miller covers politics and government accountability for CalMatters, with one eye on the state Legislature and the other on California’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. She will help lead CalMatters’ coverage of campaigns, voters and elections in the run-up to the 2026 midterms.
Maya came to CalMatters in June 2025 by way of the New York Times, where she covered Congressas the David E. Rosenbaum fellow in Washington, D.C. She hit the 2024 campaign trail and delivered deeply reported stories from five different states across the country. From Nebraska, a deep red state, Maya introduced readers to an independent candidate –– a mechanic with no political experience –– who nearly unseated Republican Senator Deb Fischer after riding a populist wave. And in Maine, she showed readers how Representative Jared Golden, a three-term Democrat, persuaded Trump voters in his in his conservative-leaning district to split their tickets.
From the halls of the Capitol, Maya reported on how constituents overwhelmed the Congressional phone system shortly after President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration as outraged Democrats and energized Republicans tried to get the ear of their elected officials. She covered House Republicans’ herculean effort to pass Trump’s ambitious domestic policy agenda and also explained how the G.O.P. ‘s unprecedented repeal of California’s Clean Air Act waivers threatened to blow another hole in the filibuster.
Maya graduated from Duke University with a degree in public policy. She grew up in Des Moines and credits the Iowa caucuses with sparking her love for journalism and current events.
El Senado de California aprobó un proyecto de ley que facilitaría demandar a agentes federales por violaciones de derechos civiles. Los recientes tiroteos contra civiles a manos de agentes de inmigración en Minnesota dieron urgencia a la medida, una de varias dirigidas contra ICE.
The California Senate passed a bill that would make it easier to sue federal officers over civil rights violations. Recent shootings of civilians by immigration agents in Minnesota lent urgency to the measure, one of several targeting ICE.
Más de la mitad del bloque legislativo demócrata de California pidió el cierre del gobierno y presentó proyectos de ley para responsabilizar a los agentes federales.
Newsom ya ha prometido rechazar una iniciativa de ley que impondría un impuesto sobre el patrimonio del 5% a los multimillonarios del estado para reforzar Medi-Cal. Los legisladores progresistas y sus aliados en los sectores laboral y de la salud parecen tener la esperanza de que Newsom apoye una idea de financiación diferente y poco viable.
Newsom has already vowed to tank a proposed ballot initiative that would impose a 5% wealth tax on the state’s billionaires to bolster Medi-Cal. Progressive lawmakers and their allies in labor and health seem hopeful that Newsom could support a different long-shot funding idea.
New Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón is the first Latina, first mother and only second woman to lead California’s upper legislative chamber. A tough budget year will test her ability to keep the caucus united while whittling its spending priorities.
LaMalfa was known for his dedication to water access and forestry management, key issues for his largely rural district. His death leaves House Republicans with an even more precarious majority that could struggle to pass Republican legislation.
Republicans and the Trump administration are hoping a panel of federal judges in Los Angeles will halt the new Prop. 50 maps from taking effect. But given the Supreme Court’s recent ruling greenlighting Texas’s redrawn maps, their odds are long.
The recent retirements of Nancy Pelosi and other longtime House Democrats have led to more calls for aging members to pass the torch. Incumbents argue their experience is crucial as the executive branch is upending the balance of power in Washington.
Maya C. Miller covers politics and government accountability for CalMatters, with one eye on the state Legislature and the other on California's congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. She will help lead CalMatters' coverage of campaigns, voters and elections in the run-up to the 2026 midterms. Maya came to CalMatters in June 2025 by way of the New York Times, where she covered Congress as the David E. Rosenbaum fellow in Washington, D.C. She hit the 2024 campaign trail and delivered deeply reported stories from five different states across the country. From Nebraska, a deep red state, Maya introduced readers to an independent candidate –– a mechanic with no political experience –– who nearly unseated Republican Senator Deb Fischer after riding a populist wave. And in Maine, she showed readers how Representative Jared Golden, a three-term Democrat, persuaded Trump voters in his in his conservative-leaning district to split their tickets. From the halls of the Capitol, Maya reported on how constituents overwhelmed the Congressional phone system shortly after President Donald J. Trump's inauguration as outraged Democrats and energized Republicans tried to get the ear of their elected officials. She covered House Republicans' herculean effort to pass Trump's ambitious domestic policy agenda and also explained how the G.O.P. 's unprecedented repeal of California's Clean Air Act waivers threatened to blow another hole in the filibuster. Prior to the New York Times, Maya reported for The Sacramento Bee, where she resurrected the dormant state worker beat, reported closely on contract negotiations and pioneered a newsletter that informed more than 250,000 civil servants in California. She has also reported for The Seattle Times, the Minnesota Star Tribune and the Des Moines Register. Maya graduated from Duke University with a degree in public policy. She grew up in Des Moines and credits the Iowa caucuses with sparking her love for journalism and current events. Languages spoken: Spanish (conversational)