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The outer framing of a gray and red bricked building that was burned during a wildfire.

WhatMatters

After wildfire, CA’s small businesses struggle to rebuild in Altadena

More than a year after the Eaton Fire ripped through Los Angeles County’s Altadena neighborhood, small businesses in the area still face various hurdles as they struggle to recover from a disaster that killed at least 19 people. As CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay explains, the wildfire destroyed more than 9,000 structures, wiping out about half of […]

By

Lynn La

• January 20, 2026

CalMatters staff in the newsroom on Dec. 5, 2023. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

WhatMatters

Deal with Google to help local news continues to get worse for local news

Scheduling note: WhatMatters is taking Monday off to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and will be back in your inboxes Tuesday. In 2024, California and Google made a deal to spend $175 million over five years on local journalism. This deal came after Google spent $11 million lobbying against two bills that would have required […]

By

Lynn La

• January 16, 2026

WhatMatters

Bonta says CA will investigate Grok’s sexually explicit deepfakes

“@grok put her in a bikini” Writing nothing but a short prompt, users on the social media platform X can quickly generate nonconsensual and sexually explicit images of women and children — a disturbing trend that has prompted California to launch a probe into X’s artificial intelligence tool. As CalMatters’ Khari Johnson explains, California Attorney […]

By

Lynn La

• January 15, 2026

An aerial view of construction workers working on the wooden framing of two homes.

WhatMatters

CA lawmakers seek $10 billion for housing

Riding the momentum of a handful of successful pro-housing bills last year, some Democratic lawmakers are advancing a $10 billion bond proposal that aims to ease California’s housing crunch, writes CalMatters’ Yue Stella Yu. Last week the Senate Housing Committee progressed a bill that would place the housing bond before voters during this year’s primary […]

By

Lynn La

• January 14, 2026

A view from behind of a person, wearing a gray suit, standing in the middle of a room filled with white voting booths as they cast their ballots.

WhatMatters

Trying to ‘Trump-proof’ California’s 2028 ballot

From CalMatters politics reporter Maya C. Miller: State lawmakers are already taking legislative steps to “Trump-proof” California’s elections, starting with a bill designed to keep President Donald Trump off of California’s ballot in 2028. The bill from Sen. Tom Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat and chairperson of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would make it illegal […]

By

Lynn La

• January 13, 2026

A protester wearing a dark hoodie raises a clenched fist amid smoke during a demonstration in an urban plaza, as a crowd behind them holds signs reading “Los Angeles Writers Say No to ICE” and other protest messages, with palm trees and office buildings in the background.

WhatMatters

Thousands of Californians rally after ICE shooting of Renee Good

Days after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, Californians across the state took to the streets to voice their opposition against federal immigration enforcement tactics and President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Over the weekend thousands of demonstrators gathered in Sacramento, San Francisco and the Bay […]

By

Lynn La

• January 12, 2026

California Gov. Gavin Newsom gestures with one hand while speaking from a wooden podium inside the state Capitol, a microphone in front of him and a large dark display mounted behind.

WhatMatters

How will Newsom deal with a projected $18B budget deficit?

Gov. Gavin Newsom will deliver his preliminary state spending plan today — his final budget proposal as California’s governor. On his plate: A projected $18 billion budget gap for 2026-27; the loss of some federal funding; and continued economic uncertainty under President Donald Trump. During his State of the State address Thursday, the governor dropped […]

By

Lynn La

• January 9, 2026

Assemblymember Eloise Gomez-Reyes at a press conference announcing the California Green New Deal Act on opening day of the 2020 legislative session

WhatMatters

CA legislation seeks to curb immigration arrests

From CalMatters local news fellow Cayla Mihalovich: California Democrats passed a batch of bills in 2025 to push back against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, and new ones are in the works at the start of this year. On Tuesday Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes, a Democrat from San Bernardino, introduced legislation to prevent federal immigration […]

By

Lynn La

• January 8, 2026

A person stands in front of a window with open shutters as they look down.

WhatMatters

Southern California fires: One year later

One year ago today, the Palisades and Eaton wildfires erupted in Los Angeles County. Together they burned more than 58 square miles of land — destroying over 16,000 structures, displacing thousands of households and claiming at least 31 lives. As one of the costliest wildfires in history, the estimated economic losses caused by the blazes […]

By

Lynn La

• January 7, 2026

An aerial view shows a large data center complex surrounded by warehouses and industrial buildings in a dense urban area. The main structure has a white facade with vertical window slits and a flat roof filled with cooling units, pipes, and mechanical equipment, while streets, parked cars, and power lines run along the perimeter. A hazy cityscape stretches into the distance beyond the industrial zone.

WhatMatters

How much does California need AI?

The top artificial intelligence and tech companies in California may be swimming in cash for now, but as skepticism grows over whether this current AI boom will continue or bust, so do concerns over the state’s budget and its reliance on the AI industry. As CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay explains, California’s biggest source of revenue is […]

By

Lynn La

• January 6, 2026