Past Events
Missed a CalMatters event? Watch recorded sessions and learn from influential speakers discussing California's most pressing issues.
See upcoming events →
Hybrid, Sacramento Sessions
What to Look for in 2024 California Politics
December 12, 2023 • 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
CalMatters Studio, 1303 J Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95814
What were the biggest political stories this year and what can we look forward to in 2024? Join CalMatters political reporters Alexei Koseff, Sameea Kamal and Yue Stella Yu as they consider California's hot labor summer, the U.S. Senate race, a parade of 2024 ballot measures and more.
Hybrid, Sacramento Sessions
Hidden Hazards: California's Toxic Trash Problem and How to Fix It
November 15, 2023 • 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
CalMatters Studio, 1303 J Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95814
California produces millions of tons of hazardous waste every year. The toxic detritus can leach into groundwater or blow into the air, explode, spark fires, eat through metal containers, destroy ecosystems and sicken people. But over the past four decades, the number of facilities that manage hazardous waste has dwindled. What’s left is a tattered system of older sites with a troubling history of safety violations and polluted soil and groundwater. And most are located in communities of color, often ones with high rates of poverty.
Hybrid, Sacramento Sessions
Can the Dream of Debt-Free College Come True in California?
October 24, 2023 • 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
CalMatters Studio, 1303 J Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95814
California expanded a scholarship program to help more UC and Cal State students graduate debt-free, including an increased emphasis on middle-class students. A recent CalMatters analysis shows that the grant worked largely as intended in its first year, sending more money to students of higher-income families. Yet some critics say the funds are urgently needed elsewhere: the state's lowest income students, including those attending community colleges.
Hybrid, Sacramento Sessions
California’s Bet on Rehabilitation Over Incarceration
September 19, 2023 • 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
CalMatters Studio, 1303 J Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95814
Rehabilitation for prisoners and parolees is a centerpiece of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to change California’s criminal justice system. He’s reshaping San Quentin State Prison and steering more resources to so-called reentry programs. But do taxpayers know what they’re funding? And do the programs work?
Hybrid, Sacramento Sessions
Can California’s Clean Car Revolution Bridge its Economic Divide?
August 15, 2023 • 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
CalMatters Studio, 1303 J Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95814
The electric car revolution is already underway in California’s wealthiest neighborhoods, fueled by mostly White and Asian drivers who can afford to install chargers in private garages and pay premium prices for electric vehicles. Electric cars are almost nonexistent, however, in Black and Latino and low-income and rural communities. Can California’s efforts to improve charging infrastructure and reduce the price of electric cars transform EV ownership from a privilege of a wealthy few to the basis of a new, cleaner transportation system?
Hybrid, CalMatters Live
Legalize Everything: Lessons From Fresno on Housing Affordability
June 15, 2023 • 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Fresno Art Museum & Virtual, 2233 N First St, Fresno, CA 93703
Fresno was still relatively affordable until the pandemic opened the opportunity for more remote work. Now, Fresno renters are facing some of the highest increases of any metro across the US. And despite few zoning restrictions, home builders say they are limited by several barriers to new construction.
Hybrid, Sacramento Sessions
Fatal Shootings: California's Bid to Police Its Police
June 13, 2023 • 8:30 am - 9:30 am
CalMatters Studio, 1303 J Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95814
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota at police hands, California stepped up with a plan: Put the state in charge of investigating police shootings of unarmed people. So far, the state’s Justice Department is struggling to keep up, with only two cases closed since 2021. This conversation will consider the challenges of investigating police shootings and why so few cases have been closed since the law took effect. Is the issue a lack of resources? Or are there other challenges inherent to these investigations?
Hybrid, Sacramento Sessions
Generation Locked Out: Is Homeownership in California Now Only for the Rich?
May 23, 2023 • 8:30 am - 9:30 am
CalMatters Studio, 1303 J Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95814
The housing market soared during the pandemic as low mortgage interest rates drove home buying and families sought space to work remotely. The recent decline in home prices masks a new reality: high mortgage costs have left the state more unaffordable than at any time since the last boom. This conversation will feature top experts and advocates close to the state’s efforts to address the affordability crisis and what that means for first-time homebuyers.
Hybrid, CalMatters Live
How News Media Cover Cannabis
April 20, 2023 • 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Cal Poly Humboldt, Student Activities Center, SAC 131 1 Harpst St, Arcata, CA 95521
A panel of journalists, media professors and cannabis studies experts, moderated by CalMatters CEO Neil Chase, explores and critiques media coverage of cannabis-related stories. Telling the stories of regulated and unregulated cannabis provides an entry point for a larger discussion of the role of journalism in a democratic society.