Explainers

Arial view of Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Delta.

Explainers

Water is life. It’s also a battle. So what does the future hold for California?

An explanation of the state’s water development, as well as the challenges, of providing water for California’s people, places and things.

By

Alastair Bland

• February 27, 2020

Explainers

Mind the achievement gap: California’s disparities in education, explained

Sweeping reforms have pumped billions of dollars into high-needs school districts. So why has the needle been so slow to move?

By

Ricardo Cano

and

Joe Hong

• February 3, 2020

President Donald Trump, in his 2020 reelection bid, often seems to be campaigning against California — evoking it as a Democratic dystopia. Illustration by Dan Hubig for CalMatters

Elections

‘Out of Control’: Candidate Trump casts California as cautionary tale

President Trump really seems to have it in for California, which he describes as a Democratic dystopia. We fact-check his claims and California's record.

By

Ben Christopher

• January 14, 2020

California has become a laboratory for progressive policies. Illustration by Dan Hubig for CalMatters

Elections

Nine ways Joe Biden and Kamala Harris aim to make the U.S. like California

Many policies proposed by Democratic White House contenders already are law in California, which has become a lab for big blue ideas. How are they working?

By

Laurel Rosenhall

and

Ben Christopher

• January 8, 2020

Explainers

How California is rewriting the law on online privacy

California's new data privacy law is the nation's toughest. Here's what it will and won't do to help you control the use of your data online.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• January 2, 2020

A tent encampment by the West Oakland BART station. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Explainers

California’s homelessness crisis — and possible solutions — explained

California's most vexing issue is also its most shameful: the large and rising number of residents who lack a safe place to call home. Here's what you need to know about the problem — and possible solutions.

By

,

,

,

and

• December 31, 2019

Higher Education

Watch new 2020 law #10: California increases oversight of college admissions

The nationwide Varsity Blues scandal posed an important question about college admissions: As California Assemblyman Kevin McCarty put it, “How do we reassure the public that the system is not totally rigged?” State legislators sought to address this challenge with two new laws increasing oversight of the admissions process, both of which take effect in […]

By

Felicia Mello

and

Byrhonda Lyons

• December 30, 2019

Explainers

Risks, rewards and robots: The future of work in California

Are robots coming for your job? Why is pay falling behind as productivity rises? What about college? And could unions save California's middle class?

By

Judy Lin

• November 25, 2019

Handguns on display at a gun shop in Fresno County on March 15, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Explainers

How California got tough on guns

The modern American gun debate began in 1967 in California's Capitol. In the years since, California has enacted more gun control laws than any other state.

By

Ben Christopher

and

Erica Yee

• November 14, 2019

Explainers

The soul-crushing cost of college in California, explained

The cost of a college degree is soaring in California, where public universities were once free. What happened? And what can be done for students and families?

By

Felicia Mello

• November 13, 2019