california reopening

Yusef Miller, of the North County Equity and Justice Coalition, speaks at the dais during a CLERB meeting at the San Diego County Administration Center on Oct. 17, 2023. The Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board meeting at the San Diego County Administration Center on Oct. 17, 2023. Photo by Kristian Carreon for CalMatters

Capitol

Some California officials can meet remotely. For local advisory boards, state lawmakers say no

A bill to allow local advisory boards to keep COVID remote meeting rules fails in the Legislature. The debate centered over making it easier for board members to participate — or giving Californians the chance to address public officials face to face.

By

Sameea Kamal

• June 11, 2024

Hotel owner Patty Baird, left, speaks with server Krisann Smith while checking the kitchen at Cedar House Sport Hotel in Truckee on July 23, 2021. Baird works long days, frequently including double shifts, in order to prevent burnout among her employees who she describes as “family.” Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Economy

‘Is something around the corner?’ Small businesses reopen to find new challenges

California’s economy is no longer at its nadir. But small businesses are still working to get back to normal, and are struggling with hiring, childcare for their workforce and the uncertainty of future outbreaks.

By

Grace Gedye

• July 28, 2021

WhatMatters

Newsom faces COVID quandary

About five weeks after Gov. Newsom reopened California, COVID-19 is surging again, with the Sept. 14 recall election looming.

By

Emily Hoeven

• July 26, 2021

For the past year and a half, Newsom has dominated the pandemic headlines, whether receiving adulation or harsh criticism. But what has his life been like behind the scenes? Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

WhatMatters

Newsom spills on his pandemic life

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, June 18. Behind-the-scenes look Gov. Gavin Newsom is peeling back COVID-19 restrictions and handing out prizes, but as California tries to regain its balance, much of the fallout is landing at his feet. Cal/OSHA, the state’s workplace safety agency, voted Thursday to allow most fully vaccinated workers to forgo face […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• June 18, 2021

Joshua Rayburn, with a mask on, and Blake Whytock, without a mask, prepare drinks for customers inside The Good Bar in Long Beach, on June 15, 2021. Rayburn has decided he wants to wait before being maskless inside public spaces. Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

WhatMatters

California’s not-so-big reopening

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, June 16. For many, masks here to stay Rome wasn’t built in a day — and neither did California reopen in one. Flanked by minions, Smurfs and Transformers at Universal Studios Hollywood, a maskless Gov. Gavin Newsom drew $15 million worth of prizes in the state’s vaccine lottery and declared […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• June 16, 2021

People ride the rollercoaster at Santa Monica Pier on May 29, 2021. Photo by Damian Dovarganes, AP Photo

WhatMatters

After 453 days, California reopens

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, June 15. State tries to boost travel Today’s the day — at last. A staggering 453 days after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the nation’s first stay-at-home order, shutting the state down overnight, most businesses will be able to reopen at full capacity. Fully vaccinated Californians will be able to ditch […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• June 15, 2021

Pedestrians with suitcases walk through union square in San Francisco on June 14, 2021. The intersection of Geary and Powell Streets would have been busy with traffic, street cars and throngs of foot traffic before the pandemic. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Economy

Will travel and tourism return with California reopening?

As California drops capacity and social distancing rules, experts are tempering expectations on a full rebound of the state’s tourism industry. Domestic travel won’t recover fully until 2023 and international visitors remain half of pre-pandemic levels. Still, state and local tourism officials express optimism.

By

Miranda Green

• June 15, 2021

Peatones con maletas caminan por Union Square en San Francisco el 14 de junio de 2021. La intersección de las calles Geary y Powell habría estado llena de tráfico, tranvías y multitudes antes de la pandemia. Foto de Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

CalMatters en Español

¿Volverán los viajes y el turismo con la reapertura de California?

A medida que California reduce la capacidad y las reglas de distanciamiento social, los expertos están moderando las expectativas sobre un repunte total de la industria turística del estado. Los viajes nacionales no se recuperarán por completo hasta 2023 y los visitantes internacionales siguen siendo la mitad de los niveles previos a la pandemia. Aún así, los funcionarios de turismo estatales y locales expresan optimismo.

By

Miranda Green

and

CalMatters Staff

• June 15, 2021

Signage at a car dealership in Oregon City says that masks are not required with proof of vaccination on June 3, 2021. California health authorities have said businesses may use a similar system. Image via iStock

WhatMatters

Newsom: Vaccine verification system in works

One key component of California’s reopening may come down to semantics. What’s the difference between a “vaccine verification system” and a “vaccine passport”? Hard to say — but Gov. Gavin Newsom distinguished between the two during a Friday press conference, suggesting the state is working on an electronic system that businesses can use to check […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• June 14, 2021

Rick Moran, kneeling, who lost his wife, Georgina, a hospital phlebotomist, to COVID-19 last year, holds a framed photo of her as he is comforted by his colleague Wallace Pippen during an event held to honor health care workers and those who lost loved ones to the virus at Providence St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton on May 10, 2021. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

Coronavirus

As California reopens, 6 things you need to know about COVID-19

Around 1,000 Californians are still newly infected every day, hospitalizations have hit a new low, people of color remain at high risk and almost half of eligible people aren’t fully vaccinated.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• June 14, 2021

California Reopening