WhatMatters

From CalMatters homelessness reporter Marisa Kendall: Youth homelessness has declined by nearly a quarter since 2019 in California, according to a new report that offers a bright spot amid the state’s ongoing struggle to bring people off the streets. Last year’s homeless census counted about 9,900 unhoused Californians under age 24 — a 24% reduction […]

After a rural California hospital shut down its maternity ward in 2022, pregnant women in Plumas County had to travel at least 70 miles to give birth. It was among dozens of California communities that lost labor and delivery services in the past decade.  That may change by next year, though, after Gov. Gavin Newsom […]

Scheduling note: WhatMatters is honoring our veterans on Tuesday and will return to your inboxes on Wednesday. First unveiled in 2017, Google Lens enables users of Google devices and software to look up physical objects, translate text and conduct visual searches within seconds. But with the proliferation of artificial intelligence, its use inside the classroom […]

Earlier this summer, California lawmakers including Gov. Gavin Newsom worked to close a multibillion-dollar deficit. But a closer look at “pork-barrel spending” raises questions about whether the state’s $325-billion spending plan is going to those who need it most, writes CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow. To win the favor of their constituencies and tip the scales for […]

From CalMatters economy reporter Levi Sumagaysay: The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday considered whether President Donald Trump is exceeding his authority in imposing wide-ranging tariffs on imports from most of the rest of the world. The nation’s highest court heard arguments about the Trump administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify […]

California voters passed Proposition 50 on Tuesday, clearing the way for the state to redraw its congressional districts in a manner that could enable Democrats to regain the U.S. House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections. Though the U.S. Department of Justice sent election monitors to five California counties — prompting state and some […]

In the latest battle between Democrats and President Donald Trump, the fate of the state’s Proposition 50 will be decided today. Californians who haven’t already submitted their ballots are heading to the polls to either approve or reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts in a way that favors Democrats through […]

Hundreds of Santa Cruz County families scrambling for child care arrangements are serving as a warning for what may come as the ongoing federal government shutdown puts more Head Start centers at risk for closure. As CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones explains, Encompass Community Services closed all its 11 Head Start centers last week because no staff […]

As millions of low-income Californians — most of whom are children and senior citizens — brace for the absence of federal food benefits starting Saturday, local officials, schools and organizations are scrambling to provide support for their communities. More than 5.5 million Californians depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as CalFresh in the […]

California used to be a leader in the anti-drunk driving movement.  A Sacramento mother started MADD, helping create some of the nation’s toughest DUI laws in the 1980s. They worked: California cut alcohol-related roadway fatalities by more than half. A new CalMatters investigation shows that things have changed, dramatically. California now has some of the […]