covid-19

Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs speaks during a press conference by Big City Mayors, a coalition of mayors from California’s 13 largest cities focused on finding solutions to homelessness, at the California Capitol on March 9, 2020. Tubbs has launched a universal basic income initiative, Mayors for Guaranteed Income, following the success of a similar program in Stockton. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

California Divide

Coronavirus pandemic puts a spotlight on Stockton’s guaranteed income experiment

Mayors for a Guaranteed Income is the brainchild of Michael Tubbs, the 29-year-old mayor of Stockton, California.

By

Laurence Du Sault

• July 26, 2020

Farmworkers around the Watsonville community pick strawberries as the Watsonville Campesino Appreciation Caravan passes through on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Today, Gov. Newsom announced a new housing program for farmworkers that will provide hotel rooms for those who need to isolate due to COVID-19. Photo by David Rodriguez, The Salinas Californian

Economy

Newsom signals more protections coming for essential workers, including hotel rooms for farmworkers

The new program, which will rely mostly on federal money, will provide hotel rooms for agricultural workers who test positive or were exposed to the coronavirus so they can safely isolate.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• July 24, 2020

CalMatters en Español

Newsom señala que habrá más protecciones para los trabajadores esenciales, incluyendo habitaciones de hotel para trabajadores agrícolas

El nuevo programa, que dependerá principalmente del dinero federal, proveerá habitaciones de hotel para los trabajadores agrícolas que den positivo o que hayan estado expuestos al coronavirus, para que puedan aislarse de manera segura.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• July 24, 2020

Commentary

Students can learn during school closures, but a new approach is needed for distance learning

Distance learning will never be as good as in-person learning, but we can do a lot better. New research provides key lessons for how to ensure high-quality educational opportunities.

By

Guest Commentary

• July 24, 2020

Commentary

California must quickly implement policies for tracking and controlling health care costs and price increases

To protect Californians from rising health care costs, the state needs to strengthen price transparency and price competition.

By

Guest Commentary

• July 24, 2020

Coronavirus

COVID contact tracers: Inside the work of California’s disease detectives

What's it like to try to track the spread of a coronavirus outbreak? CalMatters goes inside the world of Los Angeles County's busy contact tracers.

By

Meredith Lackey

• July 23, 2020

Commentary

California must invest in a contact tracing workforce led by people of color

Given California’s rich cultural diversity, the state needs contact tracers that are able to speak with patients in their native language and with cultural sensitivity.

By

Guest Commentary

• July 23, 2020

CalMatters en Español

Opinión: Newsom podría haber errado en la reapertura en medio de la pandemia, pero ha aceptado asumir responsabilidades

Algo gracioso sucedió en nuestro camino hacia la reapertura durante la pandemia. Teníamos unas 100 millas por delante, y entonces el gobernador Newsom nos dijo que era seguro tomar un atajo.

By

Guest Commentary

• July 21, 2020

Commentary

Here are four priorities for state’s new strategic plan for suicide prevention

California has launched a comprehensive suicide prevention campaign to ensure people receive the support they need before reaching a crisis point.

By

Guest Commentary

• July 21, 2020

Lucia Soares helps her two younger children, Emily, 9, and Daniel, 16, with their school work in their Modesto home. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

WhatMatters

For 90% of students, school will be online

Good morning, California. It’s Monday, July 20. Parents scramble for alternatives It’s official: At least 90% of California students will begin the school year with online learning. The order, which Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday, marks an unprecedented level of state intervention into the operations of more than 1,000 local districts. It also carries massive […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• July 20, 2020

Covid-19