WhatMatters

For years, California has struggled to address a mounting backlog of workers claiming labor law violations, even as it collected millions of dollars from employers each year for enforcement. Now, a judge’s order may force the state to solve the problem.  The state’s Labor Commissioner’s Office faces a lawsuit this year from workers who say […]

Two years ago, proponents of Proposition 36 pledged the measure would curb crime, substance abuse and homelessness in California. So after voters overwhelmingly passed it, how well is the law working? We’re publishing a special report today looking at how the law is affecting lives on the ground in courts and in jails. CalMatters’ Marisa […]

Likely voters in California narrowly support Proposition 40, the hotly contested billionaire tax proposal — but slim majorities also support two billionaire-backed countermeasures that would nullify the big wealth tax.  That’s according to a new poll of over 1,100 likely voters released last night by the Public Policy Institute of California with two months to […]

Lawmakers this year allocated $400,000 to a mime troupe in San Francisco, $250,000 to a San Luis Obispo nonprofit advocating for beavers and $500,000 to a nonprofit benefitting Los Angeles youth interested in filmmaking. It’s all part of an opaque budgeting process, known as pork-barrel spending, that’s shielded from public scrutiny, writes CalMatters’ Yue Stella […]

President Donald Trump’s efforts to limit mail-in voting could encourage something that election officials and voting advocates have struggled to do for years: Get people to vote earlier. As more than 20 states and the Trump administration continue their legal battle over whether Trump can force the U.S. Postal Service to restrict vote-by-mail ballots in […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Thursday more than a dozen bills strengthening online protections for kids. One of the more controversial measures requires social media companies to make their platforms less addictive and another reins in artificial intelligence chatbots, writes CalMatters’ Colin Lecher. Assembly Bill 1709 requires companies to either omit addictive features on […]

You could be forgiven for thinking capital punishment is all but dead in California. In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom halted executions and removed the gas chamber chair from San Quentin.  Yet 546 men and 18 women are still sentenced to death in the state. A new analysis from The Marshall Project and CalMatters finds this […]

Saying “enough is enough,” Steve Hilton said he wants to get rid of the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Rallying in front of a DMV office in West Hollywood on Tuesday, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for governor said he wants to abolish the department by transferring its functions to a combination of online services and […]

With less than two months until Nov. 3, it’s time to get serious about the upcoming election. In addition to choosing the next governor, insurance commissioner and other state leaders, voters will decide on 14 statewide propositions, U.S. House representatives and most members of the state Legislature. It’s a lot to decide, especially considering that […]

Scheduling note: WhatMatters will rest Labor Day weekend and return to your inboxes Tuesday. We live in a blue state that elects Democrats year after year. But a slim majority of us would prefer a smaller government and lower taxes.  That’s one of the key findings from an August report by the Public Policy Institute […]