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I’m back from holiday and am remaining decidedly happy to fight off any post-vacation blues. But most Californians, apparently, aren’t feeling too happy — a stark reality that the Legislature just tried to dig into. In the latest survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, most California adults (55%) said that the state is […]

I’m CalMatters higher education reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn, filling in for Lynn, who will return to your inboxes on Tuesday: Student advocacy was no match against institutional forces: The University of California Board of Regents approved the purchase of less-lethal weapons, and Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have let undocumented students work on […]

Good morning, Inequality Insights readers. I’m Wendy Fry. On the heels of a crushing loss for California’s reparations advocates, I got to speak last week with author and professor Joel Edward Goza about his latest book “Rebirth of a Nation: Reparations and Remaking America,” which is out on Sept. 24.  During our conversation, Goza and […]

I’m CalMatters Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal, and I’m in for Lynn today. From CalMatters homelessness reporter Marisa Kendall: Whose fault is the California homelessness crisis?  According to Gov. Gavin Newsom, cities and counties are to blame for failing to get people off the street — despite all the money he’s given them to do so. […]

I’m CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff, and I’m subbing for Lynn today. The state Capitol would normally be fairly empty this time of year, as lawmakers scatter to their districts across California to work on constituent services or run for re-election. It is not, however, a normal year. Gov. Gavin Newsom has summoned the Legislature […]

I’m CalMatters politics intern Jenna Peterson, pinch-hitting for Lynn today.  A few weeks ago, I wrote about a bill that would let California teachers decide when to call the police on a student. When the state Senate voted against sending the bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom in the legislative session’s final days, I wondered what […]

I’m CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu, and I’m in for Lynn today. With each batch of bill signings and vetoes by Gov. Gavin Newsom, it’s becoming more and more noticeable: He isn’t approving many bills authored by state senators.  Is he holding their legislation hostage to get the Senate to play ball on his […]

I’m CalMatters higher education reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn, and I’m subbing for Lynn. If a rule isn’t followed in the forest and no one was there to enforce it, was it really broken? That tortured metaphor, compliments of a college philosophy class I took 20 years ago, is a central theme in my story today with […]

Good morning, Inequality Insights readers. I’m Wendy Fry. California’s inland regions are experiencing dangerous heat waves, exacerbated by rapid population growth. As more people move away from the expensive coastal areas to more affordable inland communities, these regions are seeing significant demographic changes and spiking electricity bills. CalMatters reporters Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and Arfa Momin covered […]

I’m Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters Capitol reporter, and I’m subbing for Lynn today. For five years, California officials responding to the homelessness crisis had to work around one big restriction imposed by the federal courts: Because they didn’t have enough shelter beds, cities generally couldn’t make homeless camps illegal.  It made getting people to leave encampments […]