WhatMatters

From CalMatters’ Wendy Fry:  In a significant escalation of immigration enforcement, the Pentagon said today that 1,500 active-duty troops will be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border.  This follows President Donald Trump’s “Day One” executive orders ostensibly aimed at bolstering border security. The troops’ responsibilities will include operating helicopters, assisting border patrol agents, providing airlift support […]

From CalMatters criminal justice reporter Nigel Duara: Resistance state Round 2 officially began Tuesday when California filed its first lawsuit against the new Donald Trump administration. Eighteen states, including California, filed a lawsuit in federal court, challenging an executive order by Trump that would revoke the right of guaranteed citizenship to anyone born in the […]

With assurances that “sunlight is pouring over the entire world,” President Donald Trump was sworn into office Monday for his second term. He wasted no time taking potshots at California. During his 30-minute inauguration speech, Trump said the Los Angeles County wildfires, which broke out two weeks ago, burned without “a token of defense.” (This […]

Scheduling note: WhatMatters is taking Monday off to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and will be back in your inboxes Tuesday. Describing the active wildfires in Southern California as a “catastrophe at an unprecedented scale,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas of Salinas gathered with dozens of Assemblymembers on Thursday in Los Angeles to introduce new bills […]

Fires in Southern California continue to burn as people in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties remain under red flag warnings. Dry conditions are expected to last through today, according to Cal Fire, but this weekend is expected to bring “calmer and more humid weather.”  To date, the death toll has climbed to at […]

In a striking setback to reduce California’s air pollution but a win for trucking companies, state regulators have walked away from their ambitious plan to phase out diesel trucks less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. As CalMatters’ Alejandro Lazo explains, in 2023 the California Air Resources Board voted […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders plan to set aside $50 million in state money to pay for the legal costs of fighting President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.  The deal comes two months after Newsom first called a special session on how to address Trump’s presidency.  The Assembly is expected to consider a bill that […]

Firefighters continue to battle wildfires that broke out Tuesday in Southern California as more than 100,000 residents remain under evacuation orders.  To date, the fires have killed at least 24 people and destroyed 12,000 structures. Powerful Santa Ana winds, which have come on the heels of an unusually dry season, show no signs of letting […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is unveiling its 2025-26 state budget proposal today, laying the groundwork for negotiations between the governor and legislative leaders over the state’s fiscal priorities, write CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn and Yue Stella Yu.  Following last year’s endeavor to close a $46 billion budget shortfall, Newsom on Monday said lawmakers are working to […]

Powerful Santa Ana winds reaching speeds up to 100 mph continue to fuel at least five fires in Los Angeles County as firefighters work through Wednesday evening to battle the blazes that began Tuesday.  The biggest is the Palisades Fire, which has destroyed at least 1,000 structures and forced tens and thousands of residents to […]