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California hasn’t executed anyone since 2006, and while voters have supported keeping the death penalty, Gov. Gavin Newsom overrode them by imposing a moratorium in 2019. Legal battles have continued during this stalemate, including over potential racial bias in how California metes out capital punishment. The issue is arising in Alameda County, explains CalMatters news […]

It’s possible that the final big deals on both the state budget and November ballot measures could be hammered out on the same day next week, or in the days leading up to it. Thursday, June 27 is the deadline for the Legislature to put measures on the Nov. 5 ballot or pull them off […]

More than 7.7 million Californians voted in the March primary — a turnout of 35% among registered voters that was nearly 2 percentage points higher than the June 2022 primary. But it was only 29% of all those eligible to vote, which reinforces a key priority for voting advocates: Millions of Californians who could vote […]

California labor unions cleaned up in the Legislature last session, and often get their way on the bills they care about. There are reasons for that: Unions invest a lot of money into electing their allies, donating at least $22 million to current lawmakers’ campaigns since 2020.  And, as CalMatters Digital Democracy reporter Ryan Sabalow […]

Good morning, Inequality Insights readers. I’m CalMatters reporter Wendy Fry. Every week, we ask our readers what types of stories they’d like us to explore and what they are interested in reading. Recently, an Inequality Insights reader suggested an interview with a City Councilmember from Ventura who is experiencing homelessness. CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff included some of […]

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, California’s Democratic leaders have sought to make the state a haven for abortion rights. They persuaded voters to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution, approved a bill package to shore up reproductive rights and passed a law in […]

Tens of thousands of California homeowners, especially those who live in areas at risk of wildfires, have lost their insurance or have to pay more to keep coverage. One after another, major companies have pulled out of the state, many citing the cost of claims. For more than a year, politicians and policymakers have been […]

From CalMatters K-12 education reporter Carolyn Jones: As the Legislature hammers out its state budget this week, education advocates are waiting to learn the fate of Proposition 98, the decades-old funding mechanism for California’s public K-12 schools and community colleges.  Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed lowering the minimum amount of money guaranteed to schools by […]

Among the many changes caused by the COVID pandemic, remote work has continued — and that applies to public meetings as well. California officials are still trying to find the right balance: While the Legislature and local elected boards are back to meeting in-person, state lawmakers agreed last year to allow state advisory boards to […]

This is CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang, filling in for Lynn, who will return in Tuesday’s WhatMatters. It’s make-or-break month for which ballot measures will actually go before California voters in November. The Legislature has until June 27 to make deals with proponents to pull initiatives off the Nov. 5 ballot. One measure that is […]