Newsletters

From CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu: Voters have to wait until early February to pick their candidates in the March 5 primary.  But for California Democratic Party delegates, decision time is now.  Welcome to the endorsement convention this weekend in Sacramento for the nation’s biggest statewide party.  The party will set its agenda for […]

With emotions running high over the Gaza war, University of California regents met Wednesday with a crucial item on the agenda: How to respond to the antisemitism and Islamophobia that have rocked college campuses since Oct. 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel, followed by Israel’s military operations in response. The result of the debate: A […]

From CalMatters’ health reporter Ana B. Ibarra: Maternity wards across the country are closing at an alarming rate, including in the Golden State. This year alone, 11 California hospitals closed or indefinitely suspended their labor and delivery departments.  These hospitals include: El Centro Regional Medical Center in Imperial County, Doctors Hospital in Manteca in San […]

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on and more Palestinian civilians die in Gaza, the response is getting louder, especially on California’s college campuses.  CalMatters’ higher education reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn takes a deep dive into the tensions, fears and free speech debates surrounding the students who are vocal supporters of Israel and Palestine. Last week at […]

In the legislative session’s waning days, California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom approved deals for two major pay increases for healthcare and fast food employees. But the cost to employers and the impact on the broader economy is only now starting to become clearer. The minimum wage hike for healthcare workers won passage without a […]

From CalMatters higher education reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn:  The faculty union of the California State University plans to hold one-day strikes at four campuses in early December, significantly ratcheting up their pressure on the nation’s largest four-year public university to secure 12% raises and other key concessions. The planned dates and campuses are: Those schools, which […]

I’m CalMatters Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal, in for Lynn. You can call it advocacy, or influence peddling or the more neutral lobbying. But whatever the name, it can help determine the fate of key legislation — and it’s a big business at the state Capitol. How big? Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, more than […]

I’m CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu subbing for Lynn. Most of us can now insert, swipe or tap our bank-issued credit or debit card.  But for Electronic Benefits Transfer card users — in California and across the nation — they can only swipe the cards to access benefits. Without a security chip, experts say […]

From CalMatters investigative reporter Lauren Hepler: You think you know the story: As pandemic shutdowns rocked California, the state’s unemployment system came unglued, delaying millions of payments and allowing massive fraud. But now, as the California Employment Development Department begins an unprecedented five-year, $1.2 billion overhaul, a year-long CalMatters investigation uses internal documents to tell […]

I’m CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu subbing for Lynn. A key part of CalMatters’ mission of explaining California policy and politics is to be a forum for reasoned and diverse voices on the biggest issues facing the state.  Today, we elevate that priority with the launch of California Voices, an expanded and reimagined commentary […]