Explainers

When budget season arrived in 2022, state lawmakers enjoyed the excitement and possibilities over how to spend a record $97.5 billion budget surplus, a shocking figure coming at the end of a bruising COVID-19 pandemic. But the two ensuing years have played out like a mirror universe as the state stares down a budget deficit […]

Read this explainer in English. Desde el principio, ha habido un gobierno estatal. Incluso antes de que existiera un gobierno federal, hubo una colección de estados organizados bajo los Artículos de la Confederación en 1781. Pero las 13 entidades separadas con diferentes intereses pronto se dieron cuenta de que necesitaban un organismo global para hacer […]

But how much do you really know about how California’s state government works? CalMatters answers many of the most important questions in this explainer.

Here are some of the most interesting new laws that take effect in California for 2023, including ones on money, health and education.

Read this explainer in English. En 2022, la Legislatura de California aprobó casi 1,200 proyectos de ley, y casi 1,000 se convirtieron en ley con la firma del gobernador Gavin Newsom. Muchas de las nuevas leyes son correcciones menores a leyes que los legisladores y el gobernador promulgaron anteriormente. Otras son más bien reducidas o […]

After a flurry of called races, victories proclaimed and concessions offered across 52 congressional districts, 100 state Assembly and Senate contests, nine statewide races for constitutional offices and seven propositions on the California ballot, it can be hard to wrap your head around what exactly happened. Fortunately, we’ve boiled it down to a few pictures […]

While there aren’t widespread problems, officials are ramping up efforts to protect the 2022 election.

Native American tribes have huge sway over what kinds of gambling can be done where in California, and sports betting is no different.

Track the most consequential and interesting bills in California as the 2022 legislative session comes to a close.

Wage theft takes hundreds of millions of dollars from the pockets of thousands of California's lowest paid workers.