WhatMatters

A week after President Donald Trump sent the military to Los Angeles, tens of thousands of Californians took to the streets Saturday to protest his policies on his birthday. Known as No Kings Day, the rallies took place in the northern part of the state including Shasta County, as well as Sacramento, the Bay Area, […]

During a news conference held by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on Thursday, California Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed by federal agents after entering the press briefing and attempting to ask Noem a question. He was later forced to the ground and handcuffed, but was not detained. At his […]

In March 2024, voters narrowly passed Proposition 1 — a mental health measure championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that included a $6.4 billion bond to pay for the creation of housing and treatment facilities.  More than a year later, how has the money been spent? As CalMatters’ Marisa Kendall and Jocelyn Wiener explain, $4.4 billion […]

Amid protesters rallying against immigration raids in Los Angeles, and California suing President Donald Trump for mobilizing National Guard troops without state approval, the California Legislature is still in session. Besides releasing a state budget agreement Monday, legislators shook up their leadership in the Senate and pushed for bills. Let’s dive in: Focus on Inland […]

After President Donald Trump deployed California National Guard troops in Los Angeles Sunday over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, California is moving to sue the federal government on the grounds that the president acted unlawfully. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Monday that the state seeks an injunction to halt the president’s 60-day federalization […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the California National Guard out of Los Angeles. He released a letter Sunday criticizing President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops over the weekend, a move that Trump said he made to protect immigration enforcement officers. As CalMatters’ reporters explain, beginning Friday federal agents conducted raids in downtown L.A. and in the […]

An ambitious proposal that would require fossil fuel polluters to pay for climate disasters caused by the greenhouse gases they emit appears to have stalled in the face of strong opposition from those same fossil fuel polluters. As CalMatters’ Alejandro Lazo explains, a bill by Assemblymember Dawn Addis would require multinational oil and gas companies […]

For 32 years, the kidnapping and murder of 6-year-old Willie Cook remained a mystery.  Then, in 2008, sheriff’s deputies in Siskiyou County got their first big break: A man came forward to say he had witnessed the kidnapping. Steve Marshall was only 10-years-old when Willie disappeared, but his memory of that August day remained vivid.  […]

Would paying teachers-in-training more money help California solve its teacher shortage? One state lawmaker thinks it should, but faces an uphill battle as California also grapples with a $12 billion budget shortfall, reports CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones.  To become a California K-12 public school teacher, candidates need a bachelor’s degree and a teaching credential. The credential […]

As California grapples with a $12 billion budget deficit, that state’s peer-run phone service that provides free 24/7 mental health support to thousands of residents across the state could face deep funding cuts, or even a shutdown. The California Peer Run Warm Line — which is different from 911 and the federal 988 mental health […]