WhatMatters

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, April 13. Solutions elusive When it comes to California’s big problems, big money isn’t always enough. Today, Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign into law a $536 million wildfire prevention bill lawmakers sent to his desk on Monday. But even as the state Assembly and Senate unanimously passed the bill — […]

Welcome to open season. On Thursday, California will expand vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and older — the same day the vast majority of counties will get the green light to resume indoor concerts, conferences, weddings and other gatherings under certain conditions. But the promising news comes amid some not-so-promising numbers: The Golden State’s vaccine […]

TGIF, California! It’s April 9. This is CalMatters politics reporter Ben Christopher. Emily Hoeven will be back in your inbox on Monday. Biden goes California on guns After yet another wave of mass shootings, including one in Orange County, President Biden took aim at gun violence Thursday — and a page from California’s playbook. In […]

California election officials are running out of time. Let’s work backwards through the process:  Before the state holds its primary election in 2022, it has to give candidates the opportunity to file to run; Before that, it has to create district maps so that those candidates know who and what they’ll actually be running to […]

Howdy, California. It’s Wednesday, April 7. This is CalMatters politics reporter Ben Christopher filling in for Emily Hoeven who really is still on vacation. Await the ides of June California’s collective year-long ordeal spent shuttered and sheltered-in-place finally has a tentative expiration date: June 15. Assuming all goes as planned, that’s the day that California […]

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, April 5. CalMatters politics reporter Ben Christopher here, filling in for Emily Hoeven. Emily will be back next week. Rife with indecision and inconsistencies As California nursing homes slowly recover from the COVID-19 siege that killed thousands, the role of state regulators in protecting the frail and elderly has come […]

Good morning, California! It’s Monday, April 5. I’m CalMatters politics reporter Ben Christopher, filling in for Emily Hoeven, who is enjoying a much-deserved week off. A “gold rush” amid the calamity This much is not news: California’s Employment Development Department, the state agency responsible for shelling out unemployment claims to millions of jobless Californians, is still […]

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, April 2. Note: My colleague Ben Christopher will take over the newsletter next week while I’m on vacation. See you on April 12! Baseball season off with a swing The Golden State seemed to turn a corner on Thursday. Fans were in the stands in Oakland, San Diego and Anaheim […]

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, April 1. Future J&J supply halted Today, California’s vaccine floodgates will open to millions of people 50 and over — even as some mass vaccination sites close due to a lack of doses and health officials warn of weeks-long appointment backlogs.  Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Sonoma County Board of […]

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, March 31. Years-long waits It’s a shocking statistic: 75% of the inmates in California’s county jails — more than 44,000 people — have not been convicted or sentenced for a crime. Instead, they’re largely waiting for arraignment, trial or sentencing. At least 1,300 people have been waiting for more than […]