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Scheduling note: WhatMatters is celebrating the Fourth of July and will return to your inboxes on Monday, July 8.  California lawmakers met into Wednesday night to finish the November ballot before heading off on summer vacation until Aug. 5. They sent voters two bond issues: $10 billion for climate programs (60-5 in the Assembly, 33-6 […]

Tuesday night, Gov. Gavin Newsom made a shocking U-turn: He withdrew the proposed ballot measure he and Democratic legislative leaders just announced as a smarter way to tackle retail theft and fentanyl trafficking.  Their measure was supposed to win voters’ favor over a November ballot measure backed by Republican lawmakers, law enforcement groups and prosecutors […]

California Democrats control most of the levers of power — if they stick together.  But Democratic leaders aren’t taking any chances with their ballot measure to tackle retail theft and fentanyl, which proposes less sweeping changes to Proposition 47 than a measure already on the November ballot backed by Republicans and many prosecutors.  Democrats are […]

There was no rest for the weary over the weekend, as lawmakers advanced two bonds that will likely appear on the November ballot. In five months, voters could decide whether the state can borrow $20 billion to fight climate change and repair schools. Climate change bond: Democratic leaders on Sunday said they reached an agreement […]

Good morning, Inequality Insights readers.  I’m CalMatters reporter Wendy Fry. Tuesday was one of those perfect Southern California summer days. While the beaches near La Jolla and Del Mar were packed, the coastline in San Diego’s South County was nearly empty.  That’s because more than 100 billion gallons of raw sewage had washed up from […]

Coming out of the March primary, it appeared that California’s November ballot could be crowded with more than a dozen propositions, if not more. But as of Thursday night, the Nov. 5 ballot was down to nine measures, the Secretary of State’s office announced. Then again, that number could still increase by next week, with […]

Five days before the new fiscal year begins, California lawmakers voted Wednesday night to approve the budget deal announced by the Legislature’s Democratic leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The outcome was never in doubt since the agreement was unveiled Saturday: Democrats control both the Assembly and Senate and don’t need any Republican votes to pass […]

California’s massive workers’ comp insurance system — which is supposed to provide medical care for workplace injuries — is failing the firefighters who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems. As CalMatters environmental reporter Julie Cart explains, Cal Fire firefighters have to fight the system, often hiring attorneys, to get their […]

The most recent measure to let the state borrow billions barely passed in March. In a poll out this month, nearly two-thirds of Californians said it’s a bad time to issue more IOUs. But that isn’t stopping supporters of climate action and school construction from trying to get bond issues on the November ballot — […]

With Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democratic-led Legislature coming to a budget agreement on Saturday, some winners and losers of the spending plan have become clear. As CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff explains, many programs saw funding cuts, deferrals and delays to find $46.8 billion in fiscal solutions and balance the budget. The effort, according […]