Taxes

After record budget surpluses during the pandemic, the California budget deficit could mean painful spending cuts going forward. The projection for 2024-25 has risen to $68 billion in the red.

Although Democrats dominate California's politics, left-leaning organizations feel frustrated in their efforts to remake the state.

California politicians have steadfastly refused to deal with the volatile revenues that plague the state budget. They now face a whopping $68 billion deficit.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that the state's economy is "booming" in a recent debate. A new report shows that it is actually slowing, and that the governor faces a huge budget problem as income tax revenues lag behind.

From CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu:  There is no shortage of political wealth in California — and certainly not in the 2024 U.S. Senate race. With less than five months until the March 5 primary, the five top Democrats and Republicans have collectively raised roughly $50 million — more than the $40 million the […]

In what it described as a “historic agreement,” the California Department of Managed Health Care announced Thursday that it has settled with Kaiser Permanente over the company’s failure to deliver adequate behavioral health care services to its patients.  The settlement, CalMatters’ health reporter Ana B. Ibarra writes, includes a $50 million fine (the department’s biggest […]

The Legislature is approving lots of significant bills in the final days of the session. But the final call is up to the governor, and he isn’t shy about using his veto pen.

American Medical Response has poured more than $3 million into a November 2024 initiative to raise requirements for levying taxes and fees. The company says it’s looking out for patients, but local officials say it’s about the money.

From CalMatters investigative reporter Robert Lewis: State lawmakers held a joint oversight committee hearing Wednesday to question officials from California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control about how it’s going with various reform efforts. (It was definitely more of an annual teeth cleaning than a root canal.) Among the topics of discussion was an ongoing CalMatters […]

A chess move by California Capitol leadership last week could undercut a pending ballot measure seeking to restrict new taxes. A similar strategy was used by Republicans in Ohio attempting to restrict abortion rights.