WhatMatters

From CalMatters economy reporter Levi Sumagaysay: California homeowners and renters should prepare for their insurance premiums to rise: The Insurance Department on Thursday approved the first catastrophe model that insurers can factor into the rates they charge policy holders.  Citing increased fire risks and rising costs, insurers have pulled back from providing homeowners and fire […]

As American troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban regained control of the country, hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled to the U.S. California housed more of these immigrants than any other state, but they remain imperiled as President Donald Trump’s administration strips away legal protections and support, writes CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff. Nearly […]

For children of migrants who must travel across the state with their parents alongside the seasonal harvests, keeping up with school can be challenging. But a statewide migrant education program that helps tutor some of these children has recently been defunded by President Donald Trump — forcing some California school districts to cut staff and […]

The nation is in the midst of a mental health crisis with more people wanting help than can get it. That tension is reflected in a dispute playing out in the rural Sierra foothills between an addiction treatment center and California’s second largest health insurer.  As CalMatters’ Jocelyn Wiener and Byrhonda Lyons explain, in June […]

Let’s dive into some news about immigration and the raids conducted under President Donald Trump’s administration:  Today is your last chance to have your gift matched dollar-for-dollar by our board of directors in our 10-year anniversary drive. We’ve been informing the public and holding the powerful in check, but need your support now to safeguard […]

From CalMatters Digital Democracy reporter Ryan Sabalow: California’s court reporter shortage has gotten so bad that thousands of people, including alleged domestic violence victims, no longer have a written record of their civil cases, making it harder for them to exercise their constitutional right to appeal. But it appears controversial legislation that court reporters were […]

President Donald Trump pulled half of the troops he sent to Los Angeles out of the city this week, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging him to hurry up and send home the other half.  The governor spoke about the withdrawal during a Wednesday news conference at Downey Memorial Christian Church, where masked and armed […]

Tucked inside the sweeping budget bill that President Donald Trump signed earlier this month is a provision to slash the amount of money medical school students can borrow in federal loans. While the new rule will directly affect medical students, it could also have substantial impacts on Californians across the state seeking medical care. As […]

When thimble-sized mussels were first detected last year in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, biologists quickly rang the alarm over how severely this invasive species could threaten the state’s water supply systems.  Now, nine months after the mollusks’ appearance near Stockton, officials are in a race to rein in golden mussels as their larvae spread through […]

The surprise win of a progressive candidate in the New York City mayoral Democratic primary is serving as an indication for some California progressives that they could have a shot at winning key offices in upcoming elections. As CalMatters’ Yue Stella Yu explains, earlier this month New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani defeated eight other candidates […]