WhatMatters

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, June 10. School: Yes. Work: Maybe. Masks at school, but not at the store. Well, unless you work at the store. But store employees may only have to wear masks until June 28. As long as they’re fully vaccinated. But it’s up to businesses to figure out how to verify […]

Less than a week away from California’s full reopening, key details remain unresolved. On June 15, the state will eliminate the color-coded blueprint that’s governed our lives for much of the past year — another six counties moved into less restrictive tiers on Tuesday, by the way — and allow businesses to reopen at full […]

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, June 8. Lots of uncertainty remains “The one thing I’m certain of is there’s uncertainty in the future,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a Friday press conference that cast doubts on the extent of the state’s grand reopening next week. It was difficult not to think of that comment when […]

Friday wasn’t a lucky day for Gov. Gavin Newsom. The stage was set — literally — for a positive announcement. Newsom, standing in front of shimmery gold and red curtains and a Wheel of Fortune-style gizmo in the California Lottery Building in Sacramento, randomly selected the first 15 winners of a $50,000 cash prize from […]

The more things change, the more things stay the same. California is set to fully reopen its economy and end its mask mandate on June 15 — but it appears many of us could still be wearing masks well past that date. That’s because the state’s workplace safety agency on Thursday night passed rules that […]

California churches are coming out of the pandemic smelling like roses. The state agreed this week to two settlements that block it from imposing new coronavirus restrictions on houses of worship tougher than those for similar secular activities, CalMatters’ Ben Christopher and I report. It’s the latest legal blow churches have dealt Gov. Gavin Newsom’s […]

California kicked off a two-year study into how the state might compensate African Americans for slavery and its lingering effects on Tuesday, when a newly formed reparations committee met for the first time. The first-in-the-nation committee is the result of Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signing a bill authored by then-Assemblymember Shirley Weber, whom he […]

The death penalty in California could be on the precipice of a dramatic change. On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court will begin hearings in a case challenging the state’s application of the death penalty. The state’s highest court will consider whether to raise the bar for when a jury can sentence a defendant to capital […]

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, May 28. Note: Due to Memorial Day, the newsletter will pause until Tuesday. More money up for grabs Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday unveiled the country’s largest vaccine incentive program at a high school in Los Angeles — a city in which only 7% of high schoolers have returned for […]

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, May 27. Surge in gun violence A Wednesday mass shooting at a San Jose rail yard that left nine people dead, including the gunman, has revived what seems to be an endless cycle: calls for immediate action that eventually peter out until the next crisis hits. President Joe Biden, condemning […]