WhatMatters

California voters passed Proposition 50 on Tuesday, clearing the way for the state to redraw its congressional districts in a manner that could enable Democrats to regain the U.S. House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections. Though the U.S. Department of Justice sent election monitors to five California counties — prompting state and some […]

In the latest battle between Democrats and President Donald Trump, the fate of the state’s Proposition 50 will be decided today. Californians who haven’t already submitted their ballots are heading to the polls to either approve or reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts in a way that favors Democrats through […]

Hundreds of Santa Cruz County families scrambling for child care arrangements are serving as a warning for what may come as the ongoing federal government shutdown puts more Head Start centers at risk for closure. As CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones explains, Encompass Community Services closed all its 11 Head Start centers last week because no staff […]

As millions of low-income Californians — most of whom are children and senior citizens — brace for the absence of federal food benefits starting Saturday, local officials, schools and organizations are scrambling to provide support for their communities. More than 5.5 million Californians depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as CalFresh in the […]

California used to be a leader in the anti-drunk driving movement.  A Sacramento mother started MADD, helping create some of the nation’s toughest DUI laws in the 1980s. They worked: California cut alcohol-related roadway fatalities by more than half. A new CalMatters investigation shows that things have changed, dramatically. California now has some of the […]

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang: California is one of 23 states suing President Donald Trump’s administration trying to force it to use emergency money to cover food benefits for millions of poor families during the federal government shutdown, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday.  More than five million Californians rely […]

With one week to Election Day, the Yes on Proposition 50 campaign has far outraised its opponent, and support for the redistricting measure is slightly ahead in the latest polls. Early in-person voting has also opened up in some counties, though President Donald Trump is discouraging voters from early and mail-in voting — putting California Republicans […]

At a planned rally today at UCLA, the faculty associations of UCLA and the wider University of California are taking a victory lap and urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to join their fight against President Donald Trump’s demands for a $1.2-billion settlement with the renowned public university. The federal administration’s 27-page settlement proposal was made public […]

San Francisco has avoided an aggressive immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump — for now.  As CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones explains, Bay Area officials and residents remain on alert after Trump called off his plans on Thursday for a “surge” of federal immigration enforcement in San Francisco. The move comes a day after the president sent […]

The possibility that President Donald Trump will deploy National Guard troops in San Francisco as part of a nationwide crackdown on crime is intensifying — but recent crime data doesn’t support his claim. During an interview on a Fox News show earlier this week, Trump said he was eyeing San Francisco next to send the […]