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In a state with a Democratic-supermajority Legislature and a reputation for being a “climate leader,” how does Big Oil get its way? CalMatters Digital Democracy reporter Ryan Sabalow and data journalist Jeremia Kimelman dive into the curious alliance between oil companies and the powerful State Building and Construction Trades Council.  The 450,000-member union of Teamsters, […]

Health care is even more top of mind for Californians as we go through the year-end ritual of enrolling in insurance for 2024.  For those families on Medi-Cal, the state’s insurance program for the poor, it can be even more complicated, writes CalMatters health reporter Ana B. Ibarra. Six months after the state restarted its […]

Today, CalMatters launches a collection of concise summaries of what happened this year for key players and on key issues in California policy and politics.  In such a dynamic state, it isn’t always easy to remember all the important developments on the state budget, homelessness, education and more. CalMatters has you covered. The first installments […]

The biggest outcome from the United Nations climate change conference was the breakthrough agreement by nearly 200 nations to phase out fossil fuels. The pact is expected to mark the “‘beginning of the end’ of the fossil fuel era,” the U.N. declared after COP28 wrapped up Wednesday in Dubai. California is already in the process […]

Democrats in California and elsewhere are divided on the Gaza war. But there’s another bloody war, in Ukraine, and on that, key California members of Congress are also split from the White House.  Sen. Alex Padilla, the state’s first Latino U.S. senator, and Rep. Nanette Barragán, chairperson of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, are warning the […]

For the record: We have updated the headline of a Dec. 12, 2023 article and newsletter on a Los Angeles homeless housing program to better reflect what happened to displaced participants in the HOPICS rapid rehousing program. We use the terms “eviction” and “evicted” in the article and newsletter based on the common understanding of […]

For Californians, it’s not just finding affordable home insurance that’s a problem. Many motorists are having trouble getting auto insurance, citing delays in getting coverage and higher-than-usual premiums. As CalMatters economy reporter Levi Sumagaysay explains, the predicament is the result of inflation and state regulations. The latter has helped consumers save billions but insurers call […]

If you thought California’s $30 billion-plus budget deficit for 2023-24 was bad, the projection for 2024-25 from the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office paints an even bleaker picture. In its fiscal report published Thursday, the nonpartisan office found that the state faces a $68 billion budget deficit, explains CalMatters’ Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff. The second straight […]

Can a nearly 40-year-old law meant to protect children from abusive parents and caregivers do more harm than good? Some advocates — who were once victims of violence themselves — argue that it can. Like most states, Calmatters contributor ChrisAnna Mink explains, California has a “failure to protect” law that authorizes child welfare agencies to […]

How well are state legislators representing Californians? And how do you even measure whether a lawmaker is truly carrying out the desires of constituents? As CalMatters Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal explains in the first of a series of stories, the laws outlining the official duties of California legislators are scant. Other than defending the U.S. […]