Explainers - Page 2 of 6 - CalMatters

California protesters hold signs backing abortion rights during a march in Los Angeles in 2021. Photo by Elsa Seignol, REUTERS

How California created the nation’s easiest abortion access — and why it’s going further

by Kristen Hwang April 21, 2022May 22, 2023

Sacramento Police Department officers stand watch behind crime scene tape at Arden Fair mall after a shooting killed two people in Sacramento on Nov. 27, 2020. Paul Kitagaki Jr./Sacramento Bee via REUTERS

California crime story: The numbers, explained

by Nigel Duara February 3, 2022February 2, 2023

The Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades in Sylmar, California in 2015. The aqueducts bring water 223 miles from the Owens River in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, and 137 miles from the Haiwee Reservoir, and are a major source of water for Los Angeles. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Danger in Droughtsville: California’s urban water at risk

by Erica Yee December 21, 2021December 16, 2021

Josefina Pulido, center, cheers while holding a sign that read 'America needs unions' during a Service Employees International Union rally for higher wages at McDonald's in San Jose on September 4, 2017. Bay Area workers are joining the national 'Fight for $15' protest and are part of a nationwide union organized Labor Day action. Photo by LiPo Ching, Bay Area News Group

California Divide

What’s the role of unions in the 21st century?

by Grace Gedye, Jesse Bedayn, Melissa Montalvo, Jackie Botts, Nigel Duara and Erika Paz September 23, 2021September 30, 2021

The State Capitol in Sacramento, California, September 10, 2015. California Bills.

Newsom’s call: Governor’s final say on the top 21 bills of ’21

by CalMatters September 8, 2021October 12, 2021

Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to speak at a press conference to announce a new requirement for all school teachers and employees to show proof of vaccination or to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, at Carl B. Munck Elementary School in Oakland on Aug. 11, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Gavin Newsom report card: What he has done, and what he hasn’t

by Ben Christopher and Sameea Kamal July 21, 2021July 21, 2021

A recall Newsom volunteer carries a sign during a petition signing event at SaveMart in Sacramento on Jan. 5, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Who’s running in Newsom recall? Politicians, activists, Californians of all stripes

by Laurel Rosenhall and Sameea Kamal July 17, 2021September 3, 2021

The coronavirus pandemic has changed Californians in hundreds of ways in the past year. Many of those changes left data trails. Illustration by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters; iStock

Fewer jobs, more wine: California’s deadly COVID year in 9 charts

by Jeremia Kimelman and Ben Christopher March 17, 2021April 20, 2021

California’s unemployment crisis, explained

by Lauren Hepler February 24, 2021April 10, 2021

Recall Newsom volunteer Pat Miller holds up a sign during petition-signing event at SaveMart in Sacramento on Jan. 5, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Recalling a California governor, explained

by Laurel Rosenhall January 27, 2021October 1, 2021