WhatMatters

Today is the practical deadline for the state Legislature to pass bills before adjourning and lawmakers are in the final frenzy to cross the finish line. Many proposals still need to be resolved before they’re sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom. It’s his final year in office and Newsom’s last round of signatures and vetoes will […]

As public backlash against artificial intelligence data centers grows, tech companies are spending big bucks to influence and dissuade state lawmakers from reining in the facilities, report CalMatters’ Katherine Ortiz and Khari Johnson. The Legislature is currently considering bills that would shift electric infrastructure costs toward data center operators and away from residential customers. Other […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom knows his changes to California prisons will be part of his legacy, from suspending the death penalty to refashioning San Quentin as a hub for rehabilitation. “It was always about public safety,” Newsom told a San Quentin press conference in February. “It was about dealing with the fundamental fact that 95% of […]

Comparing utility companies to terrorists, Democratic state lawmakers are pushing back against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s complex proposal that would reduce how much utilities pay for the wildfires they cause. As CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang and Levi Sumagaysay explain, the proposal’s most controversial provisions include capping compensation for fire victims; curbing insurance companies’ right to recover wildfire […]

We know two of California’s top public universities are paying tens of millions of dollars a year to student athletes, and now CalMatters is suing to find out the details of how taxpayer dollars are being spent. As CalMatters’ Adam Echelman explains, in 2021 California allowed college athletes to profit off their own name, image […]

Hotter, wilder and more destructive fires in America’s dry West are forcing a reckoning in how to manage the blazes, prompting a cascade of disagreements between the Trump administration and some states. Reporters from half a dozen newsrooms spanning six states, including Rachel Becker of CalMatters, collaborated on two stories that unpack the central tension […]

Near-misses with a kid whizzing by on an electric bicycle may be a common nuisance these days, but some incidents can end in tragedy. As a growing number of e-bike related accidents — particularly ones involving children — raise alarm among residents and legislators, two bills that aim to expand e-bike safety in California are […]

Xavier Becerra considers it just being careful — though his critics could call it being noncommittal. Unlike his Republican opponent Steve Hilton who is campaigning on big promises such as $3-a-gallon gas and halving electricity bills, the Democratic candidate has avoided tying himself to lofty goals in his bid to lead California, reports CalMatters’ Jeanne […]

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 — […]