Newsletters

From CalMatters investigative reporter Robert Lewis: State lawmakers held a joint oversight committee hearing Wednesday to question officials from California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control about how it’s going with various reform efforts. (It was definitely more of an annual teeth cleaning than a root canal.) Among the topics of discussion was an ongoing CalMatters […]

From CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang:  If Gov. Gavin Newsom was hoping amendments introduced to his mental health overhaul last week would sufficiently appease critics, Tuesday’s back-to-back committee hearings only revealed how much further he has to go to reach a compromise. The big idea: Newsom wants counties to prioritize behavioral health spending on homeless […]

It was a tale of two opposing events on parents’ role in California schools — though one was postponed because of Tropical Storm Hilary. In one corner was the California Family Council, a nonprofit, religious organization rallying at the state Capitol on Monday with pastors, attorneys and Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified School District board […]

California received a one-two punch from Mother Nature as Tropical Storm Hilary unleashed torrential record rains and flooding across Southern California, and an earthquake struck near Ojai — all during what has historically been the state’s wildfire season. The wild weekend prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to head south, declaring a storm state of emergency even […]

San Francisco isn’t going to take last week’s robotaxi decision by the California Public Utilities Commission lying down. Joined by the city’s transit authority board, fire department and board of supervisors, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed motions on Wednesday to halt the unrestricted expansion of autonomous vehicles for commercial use. Last Friday, the […]

The California Chamber of Commerce has its annual “job killer” list, with a track record of spiking bills that is the envy of other industry groups. By its count, only 58 of the 824 bills labeled “job killers” between 1997 and 2022 made it into law without at least significant changes it wanted. Similarly, California […]

How can California make sure the electric vehicle revolution isn’t just for the wealthy few? That was the big question in a CalMatters panel discussion Tuesday. While bringing down the cost of EVs is crucial, so is the availability of chargers. And that is something of a chicken-and-egg proposition. Some on the panel — moderated […]

California has been spared many devastating wildfires so far this year. But for a reminder of the death and destruction they can bring, you only need to look at the searing images of the island paradise of Maui going up in flames last week — just as Paradise in California was turned to ashes in […]

From CalMatters’ state Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal:  The California Legislature returns today for the final five weeks of the session — and Gov. Gavin Newsom has some marching orders. He popped into a background briefing with reporters Friday to outline his priorities: mental health reform, education and gun safety.  Newsom said while he didn’t expect […]

Weighing technology and safety in a closely-watched decision, the California Public Utilities Commission agreed Thursday to allow more Waymo and Cruise self-driving cars to roam San Francisco’s streets.  After six-and-a-half hours of public comment, the commission voted 3-1 to permit the two companies to expand their driverless car operations, enabling them to charge passengers for […]