On this episode of “Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast,” CalMatters’ Manuela Tobias and the Los Angeles Times’ Liam Dillon sit down with Jack Lahey, homeless services coordinator in San Luis Obispo, to discuss the mixed results of a federal rental assistance program.

This is excerpted for classroom use from the CalMatters Explainer about this year’s ballot propositions by reporters Ben Christopher and Sameea Kamal. After months of signature gathering, fundraising and legislative wrangling, we have details on the ballot measures that you can vote on this fall. Proposition 1: Putting abortion safeguards in the California constitution: After the […]

Two other states – but not California – face cuts to Colorado River water in 2023 as the federal government escalates its drought response. But a deal remains out of reach.

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” is the name of a 2022 film, but it could also describe the cascade of changes confronting California schools as they welcome students back to campus after more than two years of pandemic-disrupted education. Although many COVID restrictions have loosened — most schools have ended mandatory testing programs, made face […]

This is a modified version of the original story by CalMatters reporter Sameea Kamal for use in classrooms. The 2020 Census confirms California’s status as one of the nation’s most diverse states — second behind only Hawaii, despite a likely undercount of Latino and Black voters. About 40 percent of Californians speak a language other […]

It’s climate crunch time in California. Starting today and lasting through Thursday, generators and transmission-line operators should delay any scheduled maintenance to avoid possible power outages as Californians crank up their air conditioners to deal with an expected onslaught of 100-plus degree heat, the state’s electric grid operator said Friday. The California Independent System Operator’s […]

This is a modified version of the original story by CalMatters reporter Sameea Kamal for use in classrooms. California voters have the new districts they’ll use to elect members of Congress and state legislators. The state commission voted last December to approve its final maps.  These districts took effect with the June 2022 primaries. They will continue […]

This is a modified version of the original story by CalMatters reporter Sameea Kamal for use in classrooms. The 2020 Census confirmed California’s status as one of the nation’s most diverse states. It is only second to Hawaii. About 40 percent of Californians speak a language other than English at home. This includes more than […]

This is a modified version of the original story by CalMatters reporter Sameea Kamal for use in classrooms. The 2020 Census confirmed California’s status as one of the nation’s most diverse states, despite a likely undercount of Latino and Black voters. It is only second to Hawaii. About 40 percent of Californians speak a language […]

In some ways, the suspense file that state lawmakers churned through on Thursday — a lengthy list of hundreds of bills that they either silently sent to their death or let survive another day — didn’t live up to its reputation. That’s because the secretive, twice-annual process — which allows legislators to shelve bills they […]