California Community Colleges

During the 2022 campaign, CalMatters state Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal wrote about how the state Republican Party — struggling to win statewide office in deep-blue California — decided to focus on local school boards with its “Parent Revolt” program.  The GOP’s goal: To capitalize on parents’ anger over COVID-19 shutdowns and concerns about “critical race […]

Many California colleges and universities define “first-generation college student” differently, creating a confusing situation for students to navigate.

California has spent more than $600 million over the past decade to house and rehabilitate parolees in the state’s single-largest reentry program for former prisoners. After all that money, state officials can’t say whether those services were effective in preventing future crime. That’s because the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has not tracked whether […]

Two of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s major initiatives that he’s trying to jam through the Legislature are facing blowback this week. And as environmentalists and children’s advocates rally against his proposals, legislators are trying to wrap up budget negotiations with the governor before the new fiscal year starts July 1. First: Disagreements over the proposed Delta […]

We’re getting down to crunch time at the state Capitol — with a Friday deadline for bills to pass their first house and a June 15 deadline for lawmakers to pass a budget and still get paid. Gov. Gavin Newsom will be a looming presence over both. The prospect of a veto is one factor […]

California offers financial aid to undocumented students, but a new report found that only 14% took advantage last year. Consolidating the convoluted application process and expanding work opportunities so undocumented students could cover the gaps left by a lack of federal aid could help.

Japan, Portugal, Switzerland — this is just a small sample of the many far-flung locations where California legislators travel, paid for by interest groups and nonprofit organizations. For the sake of transparency, lawmakers must submit trip reports to the Fair Political Practices Commission every year. The groups that pay for the travel, on the other […]

Many Californians who lost jobs during the pandemic have been facing ongoing battles to receive unemployment benefits. During the first few months of the COVID shutdown, the state Employment Development Department became inundated with 29 million jobless claims. Since then, it has paid out $188 billion in unemployment benefits. But as CalMatters’ investigative reporter Lauren […]

With thousands of homeless and food insecure students, state legislators funded new programs to offer support to community colleges. CalMatters asked each college how it’s going.

If you’re the author or supporter of a bill before the California Legislature, this is one list you dread: While getting sent to the “suspense file” doesn’t seal a measure’s fate, it does put it at some risk of being killed for the year.  Leading up to the big suspense file decision day next week, […]