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Weighing technology and safety in a closely-watched decision, the California Public Utilities Commission agreed Thursday to allow more Waymo and Cruise self-driving cars to roam San Francisco’s streets.  After six-and-a-half hours of public comment, the commission voted 3-1 to permit the two companies to expand their driverless car operations, enabling them to charge passengers for […]

While much of the attention of “hot labor summer” has been focused on workers in the private sector — such as hotel workers, delivery drivers and Hollywood screenwriters — employees in the public sector are also demanding better pay and working conditions. On Tuesday, thousands of city workers across Los Angeles, including staff at LAX […]

From CalMatters’ state Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal:  California has taken a number of steps over the past decade to make voting easier: Mailing ballots to all registered voters, plus allowing early voting and same-day registration.  Yet, the electorate hasn’t shifted to match the state’s growing diversity: Frequent voters are far from representative of the majority […]

“A catastrophic hunger crisis.” That’s the dire warning from the California Association of Food Banks, after federal pandemic food aid ended earlier this spring.  But why does a state with so much food — California produces nearly half the country’s fruits and vegetables — and that spends so much on food aid have so many […]

The sexual misconduct scandal at California State University brought down one chancellor and looms as a huge challenge for the new leader. But how bad is the situation at America’s largest public university system? No one really knows — and the two most detailed looks at the problem came up with very different numbers. As […]

From CalMatters data reporter Jeremia Kimelman: As California’s 2024 election gets more crowded by the day, some ballot measure campaigns are already building their war chests for the costly fight to come, raising more than $60 million since January. Last year, nearly $700 million was spent, mostly by companies, to sway voters on seven November […]

From CalMatters’ state Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff: Californians have a legal right to “information concerning the conduct of the people’s business,” but actually getting those public records is easier said than done. In the past few months alone, a former employee of the San Jose mayor’s office sued the city for “perpetually extending its own […]

If you’re a parent, you know how difficult it can be to get your kids to take medicine that tastes bad.  Parents can remedy this by requesting their children’s prescription medicine to be flavored at the 3,000 pharmacies in California that are able to do so. But an unintended consequence of a 2019 law may […]

After California legalized medical marijuana in 1996 and then recreational cannabis two decades later, one might think that for many patients, the state would be a sanctuary for seeking treatment.  But as CalMatters’ state Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff explains, those who rely on cannabis to treat pain, seizures, glaucoma and other ailments say that despite […]

In a presidential year, California’s 2024 primary is in March instead of June, and the state is the biggest prize for the Republican nomination. Over the weekend, the state GOP changed the rules in a way that appears likely to boost former President Donald Trump and to make California the delegate “mother lode of the […]