Explainers - CalMatters

Betting odds are displayed at a hotel casino in Las Vegas. Photo by John Locher, AP Photo

Your guide to sports betting and everything else to know about gambling in California

by Grace Gedye September 7, 2022September 9, 2022

Native American tribes have huge sway over what kinds of gambling can be done where in California, and sports betting is no different.

The state Capitol in Sacramento on July 6, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

Newsom’s call now: Tracking California bills passed in the 2022 legislative session

by CalMatters August 31, 2022September 30, 2022

Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters; iStock

California Divide

When employers steal wages from workers

by Alejandro Lazo, Jeanne Kuang, Lil Kalish and Erica Yee July 25, 2022July 26, 2022

A voting sign outside of a polling station in Los Angeles on June 7, 2022. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

California ballot measures: What you need to know

by Ben Christopher and Sameea Kamal June 30, 2022July 1, 2022

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, 2022September 27, 2022

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, 2022July 21, 2022

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