WhatMatters

California Forever wanted a ‘yes’ — and fast.  In the weeks before the end of the legislative year last September, representatives for the tech billionaire-backed mega development emailed, called and texted Solano County officials, hoping to secure support for proposed legislation that would speed up environmental review for a shipyard that could yield thousands of new […]

About 15 years ago, the former prison towns of Blythe and Susanville were getting by relatively well. Many of towns’ residents were steadily employed by the state, and their good wages and benefits helped fuel the local, albeit isolated, economies. But after changes in California’s criminal sentencing laws led to fewer people being incarcerated — […]

Gregory Oveross’ job was to take care of his elderly clients’ money. Instead, state prosecutors say, he and his partner stole $6 million from his clients’ accounts.  And then he left key parts of his reports to the courts blank, according to court records.  Over the last two decades, California has set up systems to […]

Seven months ago I visited the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge in Stanislaus County, as part of a birding trip to see wintering migratory birds. Even on chilly January days in years past, it was possible to see and hear more than 100 kinds of birds at the Vierra Wetlands nestled inside the 7,500-acre […]

I last visited the California Museum in downtown Sacramento as a chaperone for an elementary school field trip. The kids crowded around a statue of Mickey Mouse for photos and elbowed each other to control an educational video game.  This week the museum is taking on a more controversial theme with a special exhibit looking […]

California Uber and Lyft drivers, who won the right to unionize last year, on Tuesday celebrated the formation of what they say will be the biggest ride-hailing driver union in the world. California is the second state to allow ride-hailing drivers to unionize after Massachusetts, and Illinois last week passed a law to allow its […]

Are California cities building enough housing to catch up with the state’s severe shortage of homes you can buy without inherited wealth or an AI windfall? You probably have a very good guess. And now we can see how far they’re falling behind. This summer signals the halfway mark for California cities and counties to […]

California legislators want to get a jump on regulating brain implants and sensors, as fears that neurotechnology could be exploited by employers to read workers’ minds without direct consent grow among critics, writes CalMatters’ Khari Johnson. Neurotech systems such as brain implants and sensors gather information using computer chips embedded in the brain or sensors […]

The days of small-batch whiskey and gin being delivered to your doorstep are almost over. An extensive lobbying effort to kill a proposal that would allow craft liquor distillers to keep shipping their products to California customers underscores how wealthy and powerful interests influence policy among lawmakers, writes CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow. During the COVID-19 pandemic, […]

The next time you’re driving along the highway, you may spot truckers cruising by, chatting on their cellphones. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to your safety or their mental health, writes Gagandeep Singh for CalMatters. Gagandeep spoke to truckers about their cellphone use on the road, where they drive long hours […]