WhatMatters

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 […]

California Republicans have a choice in their quest to snap a 20-year losing streak in statewide elections: Moderate their positions on certain issues to appeal to more voters, or lean further to the right to rile up support from the base.  Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, the San Diego Republican with a YouTube channel and his own […]

California built its health coverage system over decades, expanding Medi-Cal and helping millions of residents get insured. Now that progress is reversing. Facing state budget shortfalls and new federal restrictions, California is dismantling the very system that at one point almost covered everyone.  In a new documentary, CalMatters goes inside one clinic in Los Angeles […]

State lawmakers are returning to Sacramento today for the final month of session, which ends on Aug. 31. In the next few weeks, Democratic legislative leaders will attempt to hammer out deals between themselves, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other stakeholders on bills related to climate policy, speeding up urban development, wildfires and more, write CalMatters’ […]