WhatMatters

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, March 10. High stakes for governor Buckle your seatbelts: It’s officially election season in California. That much was evident from the ambience of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s State of the State speech Tuesday night. The governor stood at a podium in Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, flanked by massive screens that alternated […]

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, March 9. Significant speech Gov. Gavin Newsom has a lot riding on his State of the State speech tonight. The annual address comes at a pivotal moment for both California and Newsom’s own political career, which could be why the governor will deliver it at 6 p.m. from Dodger Stadium […]

California’s coffers — already overflowing with a $25.3 billion surplus — could soon see another massive infusion of cash. California’s state and local governments are set to reap $40 billion of the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package that narrowly passed the Senate on Saturday and which President Joe Biden is expected to sign this week […]

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, March 5. Lots of changes at once Gov. Gavin Newsom is leading California into its largest and fastest reopening since the state first shut down nearly a year ago — even as questions remain as to whether the necessary infrastructure is in place. State lawmakers on Thursday sent to Newsom’s […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration announced changes late Wednesday night to California’s tiered reopening system that will make it easier for businesses to reopen and increase pressure on school districts to bring kids back to campus. Under the new system, California will earmark 40% of its COVID-19 vaccine doses for low-income communities spread out across 400 […]

California should push for a federal jobs guarantee, raise wages, double the amount of workers who have access to benefits, and help workers form unions. Those were among the recommendations in a report released Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Future of Work Commission, which outlines steps the Golden State should take in order to achieve […]

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, March 2. Third time’s the charm? The school reopening deal Gov. Gavin Newsom and top lawmakers unveiled Monday stops short of requiring campuses to reopen — raising questions about whether it will actually accelerate students’ return to the classroom. The $6.6 billion proposal would incentivize schools to bring their youngest […]

Good morning, California. It’s Monday, March 1. (Yes, you read that correctly.) National criticism mounts Gov. Gavin Newsom was skewered in this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live for dining at the French Laundry and for California’s chaotic vaccine rollout — adding to growing national criticism as he fends off a potential recall. In SNL’s […]

Health care operations company OptumServe has quietly been assuming an ever-larger role in California’s pandemic response — including its vaccine rollout — despite numerous counties expressing dissatisfaction with its services. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced plans to open 11 OptumServe vaccination sites to serve “some of the hardest-hit or most at-risk communities” in the […]

This week, 10 counties in the inland portions of Central and Southern California were slated to transition to the new vaccine distribution system helmed by Blue Shield — but limited communication, technical challenges and lack of transparency have resulted in delays for at least three counties. Meanwhile, the state is overhauling its equity program after […]