WhatMatters

From CalMatters politics reporter Maya C. Miller: State lawmakers are already taking legislative steps to “Trump-proof” California’s elections, starting with a bill designed to keep President Donald Trump off of California’s ballot in 2028. The bill from Sen. Tom Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat and chairperson of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would make it illegal […]

Days after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, Californians across the state took to the streets to voice their opposition against federal immigration enforcement tactics and President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Over the weekend thousands of demonstrators gathered in Sacramento, San Francisco and the Bay […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom will deliver his preliminary state spending plan today — his final budget proposal as California’s governor. On his plate: A projected $18 billion budget gap for 2026-27; the loss of some federal funding; and continued economic uncertainty under President Donald Trump. During his State of the State address Thursday, the governor dropped […]

From CalMatters local news fellow Cayla Mihalovich: California Democrats passed a batch of bills in 2025 to push back against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, and new ones are in the works at the start of this year. On Tuesday Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes, a Democrat from San Bernardino, introduced legislation to prevent federal immigration […]

One year ago today, the Palisades and Eaton wildfires erupted in Los Angeles County. Together they burned more than 58 square miles of land — destroying over 16,000 structures, displacing thousands of households and claiming at least 31 lives. As one of the costliest wildfires in history, the estimated economic losses caused by the blazes […]

The top artificial intelligence and tech companies in California may be swimming in cash for now, but as skepticism grows over whether this current AI boom will continue or bust, so do concerns over the state’s budget and its reliance on the AI industry. As CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay explains, California’s biggest source of revenue is […]

California legislators return to Sacramento today to kick off the second year of the Legislature’s two-year session. In addition to dealing with a state budget deficit projected to reach nearly $18 billion this year and a 2026 primary election, lawmakers will introduce and weigh in on new bills. Expect many: In 2025, more than 900 […]

Scheduling note: WhatMatters is taking a holiday break and will return to your inboxes on Monday, Jan. 5. For five years, 39-year-old Sarah Jolly has been trying to start a family with her husband. After both participated in multiple tests, the Central Coast couple has yet to receive a clear-cut answer to their infertility issues.  […]

A mental health clinician with a bullet-proof vest is helping change the way a Bay Area city responds to some of its emergency calls. That’s what CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich found when she visited the San Mateo Police Department earlier this month to check out a new approach for mental health calls.  The city was one […]

You can kill someone with your car in California and not even have a point on your license.  A criminal justice reform bill passed in 2020 allows judges to effectively erase a misdemeanor case from existence, shielding people accused of “low-level” crimes from the stigma of having a conviction on their record, something that can […]