How CalMatters kept our government transparent and our leaders accountable in 2025

In 2025, Californians used CalMatters’ and The Markup’s journalism to spark measurable change in the state and across the country.

State and federal lawmakers introduced eight new bills addressing issues ranging from government corruption to patient health insurance protections and wage theft. 

At least seven state or federal agencies took action, including actions to suspend or revoke licenses for drivers convicted of killing someone with their vehicle, fine a former lawmaker for violating campaign finance law and restore a $36 million grant to study dementia.

Multiple companies changed their practices. For example, more than 10 companies stopped hiding their data opt-out instructions from Google search.

Just as importantly, our journalism touched Californians on a personal level — reuniting families, prompting constituents to reach out to their legislators and helping voters make informed decisions.

CalMatters is a member-supported nonprofit newsroom, and we believe that independent journalism is critical to keeping our government transparent and our leaders accountable. We also believe that at its best, our reporting equips Californians — whether they’re community members, businesses, nonprofits, regulators or lawmakers — with the information they need to make critical decisions.

These beliefs drive our work year after year. And as journalists, we’re proud that this year, our reporting made a measurable and meaningful difference for people across California and beyond. 

This year, CalMatters’ and The Markup’s reporting led to:

• Nearly 200 drivers, who had all been convicted of killing someone with their vehicle, having their driving privileges suspended or revoked.
• California’s elected and appointed officials being required by law to tell the public when they’ve accepted a job offer from a new employer that might seek favors from them while they’re still in a position of power.
• Rural California getting a lifeline in school funding as Congress restores money it cut.
• Birthing centers getting help from a new law that tries to make staying open in rural and low-income areas easier, at a time when, after dozens of closures, vast areas of California have no hospitals or birth centers.
• State lawmakers calling for:
  • increased oversight of California’s billion-dollar shelter system, 
  • solutions to address when employers are stealing wages from workers and 
  • increased protections for patients’ health insurance eligibility during the first 28 days of treatment.
• Los Angeles County pushing to restrict sharing and retention of license plate data collected with high-tech surveillance cameras.
• State-run health exchange websites in California, Nevada and Massachusetts ending their practice of sending visitors’ sensitive data – like what medications they take and whether they’re pregnant or disabled — to big tech companies.
• California’s Republican congressional representatives calling for an investigation after scammers stole more than $10 million in federal financial aid from California’s community colleges.
• Families reuniting with their homeless loved ones.
• Multiple companies stopping their practice of hiding data opt-out instructions from Google search results.
• Los Angeles officials turning over secret homeless shelter complaints.
• Fremont removing a controversial clause from their city ordinance that could have punished those “aiding and abetting” homeless encampments.
• Constituents directly asking their legislators to explain their votes on a bill.
• Individual lawmakers bucking protocol and voting against their colleagues’ bills, even though lawmakers almost never vote “no” in the California Capitol. 
• A civil lawsuit against Match Group, the world’s largest dating app company, arguing that its dating apps could kick off serial rapists but don’t.
• California Highway Patrol planning to equip all 7,600 officers with body cameras by 2026, when three years ago, only 3% of officers wore body cams.
• The National Institutes of Health reversing its termination of a $36 million grant to a UC Davis researcher studying dementia.
• California’s political watchdog fining a former lawmaker $106,000 for violating campaign finance laws.
• Federal lawmakers calling for outlawing loopholes that let insurance companies charge more in Black neighborhoods.
• A federal judge issuing a temporary restraining order in July to halt warrantless immigration stops throughout a wide swath of California. The Supreme Court lifted the temporary restraining order in September.
• The Department of Homeland Security telling a federal court it will retrain more than 900 California-based Border Patrol agents on how to comply with the Constitution, following controversial immigration sweeps in Kern County in January.
• ICE releasing a deaf Mongolian immigrant after holding him for months without an interpreter.
• A nonprofit improving their early childhood mental health practices after learning more about how a San Diego preschool helps students who have experienced family trauma.

There are even more examples than what we’ve shared, such as when we hear from government agencies that our data helped them better understand a topic, or when companies tell us they’re going to make changes that take time to happen.

How readers used our reporting

As we close out 2025, I want to highlight another kind of impact that we’re incredibly proud of: When our journalism helps people make an informed decision or take action that’s meaningful to them. In our 2025 audience survey, 89% of readers said they’ve voted in local, state or national elections for 10 or more years. After reading a CalMatters article, more than 80% felt better informed and more than 20% have been inspired to write to a state official.

Here are a few examples of what readers have told us this year:

• From Cecilia, in Sacramento: “[CalMatters] helps me get the facts I need to assess my own political beliefs and the effectiveness of my preferred policies. Your explanations of ballot measures are also the best I have encountered. They’re excellent at distilling complicated subjects for all audiences.”
• From Omer, in Los Angeles: “I work in government and CalMatters’ deep coverage is so vital. I’ve used articles to research and justify policy action, so I feel indebted.”
• From Carol, in Morro Bay: “The License to Kill series, among many others, really blew my mind. I have written my elected officials several times each. I will not forget the negligence of not having a consequential action for these wrongful deaths.”
• From David, in Oceanside: “In a democracy, news becomes valuable when the electorate can inform their representatives about needed and proposed legislation. CalMatters’ My Legislators newsletter gives me that information, and it’s already helped me in a short window of time [to] contact my representatives on a variety of topics. CalMatters is bucking a dangerous trend by providing this valuable information.”

We only have the privilege of knowing about impact like this when you, our readers, tell us about it. This kind of impact is also one of the day-to-day reasons why we do this work. If our journalism has helped you, I’d love to hear about it. Let our team know at info@calmatters.org.