covid-19

Orange County Chief Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick resigned June 8, after receiving threats over her order for residents wear to face masks in public to protect against the coronavirus. Quick is one of several local health officers in California to quit since the pandemic began. Photo by Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP

Coronavirus

‘Things have gotten ugly’ — pandemic pushback drives health directors to quit

Local public health officers haven’t been this important in a century. They’re also being second-guessed, harassed and threatened by residents angry about pandemic precautions.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• June 16, 2020

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra

WhatMatters

AG Becerra shifts on policing practices

California’s top law enforcement official Attorney General Xavier Becerra unveiled a series of proposals to reform police departments statewide.

By

Emily Hoeven

• June 16, 2020

Health

Newsom: California stabilizing coronavirus, but don’t get excited

Gov. Gavin Newsom said that some statistics show reasons for optimism, but the pandemic will linger for some time and people should proceed with caution.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• June 15, 2020

Members of the state Assembly met as a “Committee of the Whole on the State Budget” to question Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration about its plan to fill an estimated $54.3 budget deficit because of the coronavirus at the Capitol on May 26, 2020. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo/Pool

WhatMatters

Lawmakers to pass budget sans gov’s OK

California lawmakers are ready to pass a budget, but still disagree with Governor Gavin Newsom in key areas like education and undocumented immigrant aid.

By

Emily Hoeven

• June 15, 2020

Coronavirus

Who’s watching now? COVID-19 cases swell in nursing homes with poor track records

Lee este artículo en español. Long before the coronavirus began sickening Kingston Healthcare Center’s residents and staff, state and federal officials knew the Bakersfield nursing home had serious problems. During multiple visits last year, state inspectors identified 85 violations at the home, including failure to provide dental care to a resident with rotten teeth, allowing pressure […]

By

Jocelyn Wiener

• June 15, 2020

California Divide

The neighborhoods where COVID collides with overcrowded homes

The pandemic has layered a health crisis on top of a housing crisis on top of a class divide. A clear pattern has emerged as the coronavirus spares some California neighborhoods and strikes others: The virus takes a heavier toll in neighborhoods where people pack into overcrowded homes, according to a CalMatters analysis of neighborhood-level […]

By

Jackie Botts

and

Lo Bénichou

• June 12, 2020

Isidoro Contreras Flores, sells an arrangnment of flowers in Seaside, Calif, on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Photo by David Rodriguez, The Salinas Californian

California Divide

Close Quarters: California’s overcrowded homes fuel spread of coronavirus among workers

Until the pandemic struck, every day for the last 10 years, Isidoro Flores Contreras stood at the edge of the Sand City Costco parking lot, just a few feet from a set of McDonald’s arches, selling $15 flower bouquets. No matter the weather, he slowly walked back and forth along the sidewalk, a hitch in […]

By

Kate Cimini

and

Jackie Botts

• June 12, 2020

California Divide

How we analyzed the link between COVID-19 and crowded housing in California

When coronavirus began spreading in California, public health officials told people who fell ill to isolate themselves in their homes for two weeks. But many California families simply can’t do that. Forced by the high cost of living, parents squeeze into rooms with their children, cousins sleep on couches, grandparents convert living rooms into bedrooms […]

By

Jackie Botts

• June 12, 2020

Former Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands with Sen. Kamala Harris before the second of two Democratic presidential primary debates hosted by CNN, July 31, 2019 in Detroit. Photo by Paul Sancya, AP Photo

WhatMatters

Will Kamala Harris be the next VP?

California Sen. Kamala Harris is emerging as the top contender for Joe Biden's vice president amid protests over police brutality and racism in America.

By

Emily Hoeven

• June 12, 2020

CalMatters en Español

OPINIÓN: California debería ser líder en telesalud para las comunidades de bajos ingresos

Por Arturo Vargas Bustamante y Carmela Castellano-Garcia, en exclusiva para CalMatters Hello! We’re publishing more of our work in Spanish to better serve our diverse state. Make sure to click here to read the article in English. El aumento en el uso de la atención médica virtual, o telesalud (telehealth, en inglés), ha demostrado tener éxito en […]

By

Guest Commentary

• June 10, 2020

Covid-19