WhatMatters

California’s public schools lost more than 160,000 students amid the pandemic, the largest enrollment drop in two decades and a likely harbinger of serious educational and financial challenges. The sharp 2.6% decline, announced Thursday by the California Department of Education, doesn’t capture the full effects of the pandemic. The enrollment tally comes from a one-day […]

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, April 22. Central Valley wants in Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a regional drought emergency Wednesday, but stopped short of issuing a statewide proclamation or mandating water conservation measures — a decision that drew ire from some lawmakers. Newsom’s emergency declaration applies to the Russian River watershed, which spans Sonoma and […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom and top California lawmakers pledged to continue combating police brutality and racism after ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter charges in the death of George Floyd last summer. But many of the sweeping police reforms promised in the wake of Floyd’s death and nationwide protests stalled […]

California is incentivizing businesses to require customers show proof of vaccination, suggesting that the Golden State is moving toward a “vaccine passport” system despite health officials’ comments to the contrary. The state Department of Public Health last week unveiled little-noticed revisions that allow conferences, live events and performances, stadiums, family entertainment centers and other gatherings […]

It’s a troubling trend: For two out of three months in 2021, California’s unemployment rate shrank partly from thousands of people dropping out of the workforce. The Golden State’s unemployment rate hit a pandemic low of 8.3% in March, down from 8.5% in February, according to figures released Friday by the Employment Development Department. But […]

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, April 16. Nearly halfway there California is at its pandemic best. No counties are left in the state’s most restrictive reopening tier. California has the lowest coronavirus positivity rate in the country. And 49% of eligible residents are at least partially vaccinated — a number sure to have crossed the […]

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, April 15. Minimal in-person learning Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday touted the state’s progress in reopening schools, even as California continues to offer its students the least amount of in-person learning in the country. At a press conference at a Sonoma County elementary school that had reopened two days before, […]

Just when Gov. Gavin Newsom sheds one political headache, another emerges. A controversial bill that would have banned fracking and other oil extraction methods and prevented gas wells from operating near homes, schools and health care facilities died in the state Legislature on Tuesday — freeing the governor from having to take a stance on […]

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, April 13. Solutions elusive When it comes to California’s big problems, big money isn’t always enough. Today, Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign into law a $536 million wildfire prevention bill lawmakers sent to his desk on Monday. But even as the state Assembly and Senate unanimously passed the bill — […]

Welcome to open season. On Thursday, California will expand vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and older — the same day the vast majority of counties will get the green light to resume indoor concerts, conferences, weddings and other gatherings under certain conditions. But the promising news comes amid some not-so-promising numbers: The Golden State’s vaccine […]