Newsletters

Now in its third week, the ongoing federal government shutdown will likely delay food benefits for millions of Californians — prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to set aside $80 million in state support and deploy the California National Guard to assist food banks. The governor unveiled the move today, days after the California Department of Social […]

The fundraising battle over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Proposition 50 isn’t close, but the race is.  Since July, the Yes on Prop. 50 campaign has raised nearly $97 million — which does not include the nearly $13 million that billionaire investor Tom Steyer has spent separately to run his own pro-Prop. 50 ads.  The No campaign, […]

The Trump resistance ignited again in the U.S. and California Saturday, underscoring a country that’s on multiple tracks to push back against the president as state lawyers prepare for two marquee court hearings against his administration this week and next. Nationwide, some protesters held colorful signs, chanted in unison and wore inflatable costumes. It was […]

From CalMatters homelessness reporter Marisa Kendall: California cities cannot punish outreach workers for helping people who sleep on the street — even if those people live in an illegal encampment — under the terms of a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this month.  Senate Bill 634, by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, says cities […]

For many young Californians, preschool is a place to run around, sing songs and develop early social skills. But for those enrolled in one San Diego program, preschool could also mean speaking to a mental health therapist, processing trauma and learning emotional regulation. As CalMatters’ Adriana Heldiz explains in a visual essay, Mi Escuelita is […]

In Tuesday’s newsletter, I mentioned some of the new laws California will enact. Now let’s dig into what didn’t make it past the governor’s desk. At the end of this year’s legislative session, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed 123 out of the 917 total bills lawmakers sent to him — a slightly lower veto rate of […]

On Monday Gov. Gavin Newsom decided the fate of the remaining bills lawmakers sent to his desk in September.  Throughout this legislative session, a total of 917 bills awaited the governor’s verdict, according to longtime lobbyist Chris Micheli. Newsom signed 794 into law and vetoed 123 — citing “significant fiscal implications that are not included […]

Scheduling note: WhatMatters is taking Indigenous Peoples’ Day off and will return to your inboxes Tuesday. When the town council of Los Altos Hills approved construction of new apartment buildings two years ago, it was a big deal for the affluent Santa Clara County community, writes CalMatters’ Ben Christopher. For decades the mansion-studded town permitted […]

Over the past decade, there have been at least a dozen major refinery explosions and fires in California — with the two most recent explosions erupting at PBF Energy’s Martinez refinery earlier this year and Chevron’s El Segundo refinery last week.  But as President Donald Trump’s administration works to weaken regulatory oversight and California lawmakers […]

With less than a month until Nov. 4’s special election, billboards, mailers and advertisements in support and opposition of Proposition 50 are reaching a fever pitch. But in California’s 22nd Congressional District — one of the handful of districts that would be most affected if Prop. 50 were to pass — some residents remain unfamiliar […]