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The two-day CalMatters Ideas Festival wrapped Thursday with more than a dozen events examining critical policy issues impacting the lives of millions of Californians. In addition to discussions about climate change, reparations and transportation, the conference also explored California’s: In other highlights Thursday: (CalMatters invited the other announced candidates for governor, who declined.) Focus on […]

Over the last decade, nearly 50 maternity wards have closed across California, with more than half shutting down in just the last four years. Seventeen were in Los Angeles County, where maternity ward closures have far outpaced the region’s declining birth rate. But there’s a notable exception: Nonprofit and government-run hospitals, write CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang, […]

State officials often tout how easy it is to vote in California: Everyone gets a ballot in the mail a month before Election Day, which can then be mailed back for free, dropped off in ballot boxes or turned in at polling places. But for some groups of voters, access is still a problem — […]

For families seeking affordable health insurance, the state’s health insurance marketplace, Covered California, can provide major relief. But if they’re not careful, they can get hit by an unexpected federal tax bill. As CalMatters health reporter Ana B. Ibarra explains, enrollees can sometimes unknowingly receive too much aid if they underestimate their income the following […]

If you want to see the resistance to California’s liberal governance up close and personal, meet Jeff Burum.  He’s a real estate developer who is behind the secession effort in San Bernardino County, and CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff spent some time with him to understand his reasons and motivations. After moving to California to […]

About 2.6 million public school students in California attend campuses with little or no shade or trees.

A celebrity was in the house for the state Senate’s floor session Thursday: Hollywood actor Danny Glover, as “an advocate for the arts,” according to Democratic Sen. Anthony Portantino of Glendale, who introduced him. Glover’s visit comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes to slash $22.5 million in state arts funding in his latest budget plan […]

It’s one solution to fix a flaw in a California law designed to stop farmworkers from being killed in crashes on the way to the fields. But another state mandate — more electric vehicles to slow climate change — could undermine the CalVans program, explains CalMatters Capitol reporter Jeanne Kuang. Established in 2012, CalVans provides […]

Bail is one part of California’s justice system that has vexed judges, lawmakers and voters alike for years.  In 2020, the bail bond industry spent millions to successfully persuade voters to overturn a law that did away with cash bail. One result: Californians spend months, sometimes years, behind bars without being convicted of anything while […]

We’ve launched a partnership with PBS SoCal for two-minute video stories each weekday. While many will be based on prior CalMatters stories, some will be exclusive to SoCalMatters. The first aired Monday and it focuses on a crossing at the Mexico border near San Diego known as “Whiskey 8.” Migrants, sometimes by the hundreds, camp […]