Anthony Rendon

Health

Advocates offer new remedy for health care woes as a bridge to single payer

Organized labor, consumer advocates and several Democratic lawmakers offered a new prescription for California's ailing health care system in the form a package of bills intended to rein in health care costs, fend off Trump administration efforts to undermine Obamacare, and provide lower-income Californians with greater access to care.

By

Dan Morain

• March 15, 2018

Elections

News Analysis: Who paid for ad attacking Gavin Newsom? A most unlikely source

Welcome to the wild ways of campaign money, circa 2018.

By

Dan Morain

• March 13, 2018

Politics

Can’t they all get along? New Senate leader vows to cut Capitol’s ‘us vs them’ rivalry

Toni Atkins is set to make history as the first person in more than 100 years to lead both houses of the California Legislature. While no one expects her to erase the Capitol’s deep rivalries, she is well positioned to tamp them down.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• March 6, 2018

Former Democratic Assemblywomen Patty Lopez (left) of San Fernando with Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (right) of Bell Gardens. File photo by Max Whittaker for CALmatters

Politics

The re-education of Patty Lopez: Capitol’s sexual harassment scandal gives her a second chance

Patty Lopez “is the unusual candidate who can go back out there and say… ‘I am one of you. I got elected to office, the big machine came and took me out, then look what happened to the big machine,’” said Eric Bauman, chair of the California Democratic Party.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• January 10, 2018

Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes chats with constituents at a veteran's event at the community college in her Riverside County district. Photo by Laurel Rosenhall for CALmatters

Politics

Millennial legislator who turned a red district purple is now a prime target

Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes’ tactical skills will be put to the test as she faces her first re-election campaign next year, a contest that could decide not only her own future in politics but also the balance of power in Sacramento.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• November 7, 2017

Students entering the UC Berkeley campus via Sather Gate. Photo via Wikimedia.

Education

California lawmakers chip away at state’s college affordability crisis

Update: Assembly Bill 19 was signed into law in 2017, paving the way to free community college for full-time, first-year students. California’s economy is one of the world’s largest, and according to a new report, the state needs 1 million more workers with bachelor’s degrees by 2030 to keep up with economic demand. The Public […]

By

Jessica Calefati

• July 6, 2017

A view of the east side of Los Angeles, The Burlington Northern Hobart Yard — the largest intermodal freight yard in the U.S., located in City of Commerce, on the East side of Los Angeles. Photo by Doc Searls via Flickr

Environment

California Capitol focuses on environmental injustice—but will it lead to real results?

A new generation of legislators and the growing clout of eco-advocates from urban communities is changing the focus of environmental debates in California. Once sidelined as a fringe voice of activism, the “environmental justice” perspective—focused on how environmental decisions impact poor communities and people of color—is now at the center of high-profile deliberations.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• May 17, 2017