California Divide

Covering income inequality across the state

Families carry boxes full of fresh produce during a food bank event at El Verano elementary on Nov. 1, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

How hungry is California? Millions struggle to eat well in an abundant state

How bad is California hunger? A lot depends on your access to food aid, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic but is being reduced.

Rya Jetha

Jeanne Kuang

and

Jeremia Kimelman

A ground-level of a person, wearing a black hat and orange shirt, laying on a wet concrete floor while they put their hands behind their back as an immigration agent grabs them. The agent is dressed in a green uniform.

Justice

How immigration levels in the U.S. changed since President Trump’s second term

California is at the center of President Donald Trump's aggressive deportation campaign for unauthorized immigrants. Now, the population of immigrants is decreasing across the U.S.

Wendy Fry

• August 21, 2025

Justice

What it’s like to live through LA’s long deportation summer

There’s a certain beauty in the notes not played. An entire symphony, if you’re listening. The cars not backfiring. The sirens not wailing. The fireworks not erupting in sonic booms that bounce off hills and peal across valleys. This is the consequence of the largest planned deportation in American history. The Trump administration’s goal is […]

Nigel Duara

• August 13, 2025

Medical students — wearing face masks, scrubs and lab jackets — gather around a doctor who points to a computer monitor in the hallway of a hospital.

Health

Republicans cap student loan debt. Why that’s bad news for California medical students

Doctors regularly need to pay more than $300,000 for medical school, including tuition and housing. New regulations signed by President Donald Trump cap their federal borrowing at $200,000 for medical degrees.

Mikhail Zinshteyn

and

Kristen Hwang

• July 15, 2025

our U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, wearing jackets labeled "POLICE" and "ERO" (Enforcement and Removal Operations), escort a handcuffed individual down a narrow hallway in what appears to be an office or apartment building. One officer carries a red folder as they proceed under fluorescent lighting.

California Divide

ICE targets men on Inland Empire church grounds

Church officials complained after several men on the grounds of two Inland Empire Catholic churches were detained by immigration enforcement officers.

Deborah Brennan

• July 2, 2025

A person waves a Mexican flag while standing on the guard railing over a highway next to a highway street sign in downtown Los Angeles. In the background, protesters hold up signs and flags on both sides lined up along the railing.

Politics

California’s population shrank in Trump’s first immigration crackdown. It could happen again

California could lose votes in the electoral college and suffer economic setbacks if President Trump's immigration crackdown deters people from moving to the state.

Mikhail Zinshteyn

• June 27, 2025

Students walk across a sunny campus courtyard in front of a modern white building with large glass windows and curved architectural elements. Trees and orange banners displaying “Summer” and “Online” line the walkway, and a few students are gathered near a ladder at the building’s entrance.

Education

Lawsuit says federal government discriminates by funding Hispanic-serving colleges

The group whose lawsuit resulted in the US Supreme Court striking down affirmative action in college admissions is behind this challenge which could affect dozens of California colleges.

Denise Amos

• June 18, 2025

A law enforcement official dressed in a green uniform stands in front of a podium while speaking during a press conference. Three American flags can be seen in the background.

Investigation

He misled the public about his last big immigration sweep. Now he’s leading the Border Patrol in LA

The immigration raids across Los Angeles have all the hallmarks of Gregory Bovino's Kern County sweep, which a federal judge says likely violated the Constitution.

Andrew Donohue

Sergio Olmos

and

Wendy Fry

• June 13, 2025

California Divide

Geologically rich but economically poor, Salton Sea communities want a say in their lithium future

The Salton Sea will soon become a major hub for California's renewable energy economy, prompting the legislature to take steps to ensure future investments benefit local communities that have long been left behind.

Deborah Brennan

• May 14, 2025

A group of people participate in a demonstration outdoors, holding signs in support of transgender rights. One sign reads "Protect Trans Kids," while another states "Trans People Have Always Been Here!" A person with red hair, wearing a denim jacket and a face mask, raises an arm while holding a sign that says "Let All Kids Play." Others in the crowd wear pink bandanas and buttons, standing among trees with autumn-colored leaves. The late afternoon sunlight casts a warm glow on the scene.

California Divide

Another California school board takes aim at transgender athletes

Redlands Unified school board can't legally ban transgender athletes, but a majority of its board voted for a resolution opposing them anyway.

Deborah Brennan

• April 30, 2025

A person wearing a dark jacket, backward cap, and face mask pulled down crouches on a sidewalk, sorting through a stack of papers spread out on a yellow envelope. A black backpack and a cane rest nearby. The background features a city street with parked cars, buildings, and a hotel sign.

Housing

They tried to pay their overdue rent. Their landlord wouldn’t accept it

It’s legal in California to evict tenants for nonpayment even when they can pay all their overdue rent. A proposal pending in the Legislature seeks to change that.

Felicia Mello

• March 10, 2025