Justice

A graphic titled “Agents of Chaos” shows masked, uniformed men in military-style gear with highlighted faces, alongside logos for CalMatters, Bellingcat and Evident over a map background with lines pointing toward Chicago.

Investigation

Agents of Chaos: Border Patrol’s year of unchecked force

'The first thing that you do when you give an agent a gun and a badge and the authority over American people is to make sure that they follow the Constitution, period.'

By

Sergio Olmos

• March 17, 2026

A person wearing a colorful ascot and a flannel shirt on a city street, looking off to the side, with trees and buildings along a busy city street softly blurred in the background.

Justice

Teens walked out of school to protest ICE. Police are investigating the adults who helped them

High school students all over California walked out of class in protest over the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement. Police in two cities, conservative Clovis and liberal Los Angeles, issued warnings about potential arrests to adults who helped them.

By

Nigel Duara

• March 17, 2026

A person in a suit speaks into a microphone during a public hearing or meeting. Several officials sit behind them at a raised dais, listening as the speaker gestures while talking.

Investigation

‘We’re talking about people’s lives:’ California lawmakers grill DMV director on deadly failures

The state Senate's hearing on driving laws was spurred by a CalMatters investigation into California's approach to deadly drivers.

By

Lauren Hepler

and

Robert Lewis

• March 11, 2026

Two people holding a baby close to them in an embrace as they pose for a photo in the backyard area of a home. The background is a grassy hill behind rows of fences.

Justice

California’s foster care system is buckling under the weight of this unexpected cost

Critical infrastructure that holds up California’s foster care system is quietly collapsing in the wake of sex abuse lawsuits, leaving children at risk.

By

Cayla Mihalovich

• March 11, 2026

A group of officials and staff walk down a roadway beside a high chain-link fence topped with razor wire outside a large facility, with parked cars and low hills in the background under bright afternoon sun.

Justice

San Diego County sues ICE after it blocked health inspection at detention center

San Diego County is suing the Trump administration for illegally blocking officials from inspecting ICE detention centers. There have been ‘alarming reports’ about unsafe conditions inside the centers.

By

Wendy Fry

• March 10, 2026

A person in a black suit stands in the front row of a courtroom while looking directly into the camera on their right side.

Investigation

After his crash killed a child, the DMV renewed his license – then it hid his records

‘There is either moral culpability or legal liability on them,' the Placer County DA said, 'and they are actively seeking to prevent that from being disclosed.'

By

Robert Lewis

• March 9, 2026

A close frame of a person wearing a CHP police uniform, with straight brimmed hat. In the background, more officers in the same uniform are out of focus, but visible.

Digital Democracy

Why California cops and firefighters are pushing for a new perk on top of their pensions

Unions for California Highway Patrol officers and Cal Fire firefighters are asking the state for a new retirement option that would complement their CalPERS pensions. It might reduce some pension-related payroll costs to the state.

By

Adam Ashton

• March 5, 2026

Four people face an audience as they sit on chairs set up on a stage inside an auditorium with mahogany walls. A projector set up behind the four speakers displays a graphic titled "The Evolution of Crime and Punishment in California: What's Next?."

Justice

Newsom changed California prisons. What will the justice system look like after he leaves?

Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed California's prison system to embrace rehabilitation for incarcerated people. Will it be a lasting shift?

By

Adam Ashton

• February 26, 2026

A roadside device mounted on a small trailer sits on the shoulder beside a two-lane road as a blurred van drives past, with utility poles, trees, and rocky hills in the background under a clear sky.

Justice

He saw an abandoned trailer. Then, he uncovered a surveillance network on California’s border

Southern California residents are noticing new license plate readers that appear to be operated by the Border Patrol. Some have had confusing encounters with agents.

By

Wendy Fry

and

Khari Johnson

• February 26, 2026

A burned SUV sits inside the entrance of a damaged store, its exterior charred and paint blistered, surrounded by soot-blackened walls and debris. Red shopping carts line the left side, while stuffed toys and shattered glass lie scattered across the wet floor in the foreground.

Justice

Mexico takes out ‘El Mencho’: What the violence could mean for the U.S. border

Violence broke out in at least a dozen Mexican states after the slaying of a cartel kingpin known as 'El Mencho'. The instability could drive migrants to the U.S. border.

By

Wendy Fry

• February 23, 2026