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As the setting for John Steinbeck’s 1950s classic “East of Eden,” Salinas has long been known as a working-class, farming community. Nestled between two mountain ranges and located a few miles inland of Monterey Bay, the city’s geographic location lends itself a beautiful, serene setting.  But recently, CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones explains, Salinas parents, students and […]

In the days and weeks following the January Los Angeles County wildfires, Gov. Gavin Newsom and his office moved quickly to manage the response and begin recovery efforts after the blazes were contained. Since then, the governor has been singularly focused on the region, describing his approach as “an extended period of engagement” with L.A. […]

Against the recommendation of his staff experts, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara denied a request from State Farm to green light “emergency” rate increases for insurance policy holders. As CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay explains, earlier this month the largest insurer for California homeowners sought rate increases averaging 22% for homeowners, 15% for renters and 38% for […]

Scheduling note: WhatMatters is honoring America’s presidents on Monday and will return to your inboxes on Tuesday. From the CalMatters environmental team: In large swaths of Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties scarred by fires, thousands of residents were on edge through the night as the heaviest storm of the season hit. Debris flows were […]

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang: After a 2022 CalMatters series documenting long waits and low payouts for workers who claim their employers have shorted them on wages, California lawmakers have now proposed bills to try to ease the backlogs.  One measure, Senate Bill 310 by San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, would allow workers […]

The Palisades Fire that ignited in January and killed 12 people engulfed several luxury homes, beachfront properties and celebrity mansions. But it also razed the homes of those living in more affordable communities, including two mobile home parks.  For those residents, the long road to recovery includes even more uncertainties and barriers, writes CalMatters’ Felicia […]

Following President Donald Trump’s directive in January to temporarily freeze certain federal aid to states and agencies (an effort that has since been halted by a federal judge), the administration moved to cut another source of key funding, reports CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn. On Monday the National Institutes of Health planned to enact its new policy […]

For years, former Democratic Assemblymember Evan Low of Cupertino raised money for a tech nonprofit foundation run by people closely tied to him, including his former chief of staff. Now, the state’s campaign finance regulators say there’s probable cause to believe that the same nonprofit made more than $113,000 in non-monetary donations to Low’s re-election […]

While some are characterizing Donald Trump’s second presidency as one with “a lack of dissidence” so far, residents across California rallied together this week to protest the administration’s pledges to conduct mass deportations. Demonstrators also gathered Wednesday at the state Capitol to oppose Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk. Thousands across California protested against Trump’s […]

Some California Republicans have capitalized on the country’s new GOP administration by introducing (or reintroducing) legislation that they say align with President Donald Trump’s policies. State Sen. Shannon Grove, for example, is reintroducing a bill to establish a state fund that parents could access so their kids can attend private or religious schools. In a […]