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For the first time in years, some California cities are seeing a decline in fatal drug overdoses. And some prosecutors are getting more aggressive charging drug dealers with murder if their buyers overdose.  But a rise in fatal drug overdoses at work has public health experts, union leaders and employers sounding the alarm, write CalMatters […]

Pledging to take on the affordable housing crisis and bring down health care costs, Adam Schiff was sworn in Monday by Vice President Kamala Harris as California’s junior U.S. senator. The Burbank Democrat will serve out the remaining term of the late Dianne Feinstein after winning a special election for the unexpired term. In January, […]

It has been eight years since California voters repealed a 1998 law directing public school districts to essentially eliminate their bilingual programs. But the fallout from the state’s vacillating history of bilingual education has led to California falling short of providing a quality education not only to non-English speakers but also to students who want […]

From CalMatters’ Wendy Fry at the U.S.-Mexico border: Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday, railing against President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats and the economic damage a 25% tax on goods coming from Mexico would likely have on the binational region and the state.  “Is the president-elect embarrassed by his own leadership as it […]

During Donald Trump’s first presidency, California tried and failed to ban new federal immigration detention centers from opening. As Trump returns to the Oval Office in January with pledges of mass deportations, the agency overseeing immigration enforcement has been scoping out locations for a new detention center — possibly near San Francisco. As CalMatters’ Wendy […]

From CalMatters investigative reporter Lauren Hepler: Money vanishing from EDD debit cards. Big-dollar bets on the technology that powers California’s job safety net. Billions in unemployment debt with no clear path forward. No, this isn’t a pandemic flashback.  It’s today’s unsettled reality for the California Employment Development Department and the workers and businesses who still […]

I am grateful to be here for you every weekday, walking you through California’s vital news. The stories by my CalMatters colleagues are crucial to keeping you and your fellow community members informed and engaged. Our work helps you understand complex issues that impact your quality of life and keep tabs on your elected officials. […]

I hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving break because the state Legislature is already raring to go. Today, the Assembly and Senate are swearing in lawmakers and kicking off a special session called by Gov. Gavin Newsom to prepare for the incoming Trump administration. For the new two-year legislative cycle, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas of […]

Scheduling note: WhatMatters is giving thanks for our readers and other blessings, and will return to your inboxes on Monday, Dec. 2. I’m CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff, subbing for Lynn. As a new legislative session gets underway in Sacramento next week, officials are sending mixed signals about the state of the state budget and […]

I’m CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu, subbing for Lynn. Why do California voters keep electing progressive prosecutors and keep voting them out of office? That’s the question some criminal justice advocates are asking themselves after the defeats of two progressive district attorneys — Pamela Price in Alameda County and George Gascón in Los Angeles […]