Elon Musk

Workers install lighting on an "X" sign atop the company headquarters, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, on July 28, 2023. Photo by Noah Berger, AP Photo

Technology

California orders Elon Musk’s AI company to immediately stop sharing sexual deepfakes

Attorney General Rob Bonta said it is a violation of California law to create and distribute of nonconsensual sexual AI images as xAI has done.

By

Khari Johnson

• January 14, 2026

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at San Quentin State Prison announcing that the facility will be transformed to focus on training and rehabilitation on March 17, 2023. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

Commentary

Gavin Newsom’s fables create a target-rich environment for his critics

A fake Elon Musk YouTube video criticizing Newsom is a taste of the social media scrutiny he'll endure while running for president.

By

Dan Walters

• October 27, 2025

A person in a dark jacket holds a microphone and a large ceremonial check for $1,000,000 made out to Ekaterina Distler from "America PAC," while standing on a stage in front of a large American flag backdrop.

Politics

Elon Musk gave $1 million to Donald Trump voters. California lawmakers want to ban that

Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, gave out $1 million checks to gin up support for Donald Trump. California lawmakers want to ban big cash payments to registered voters.

By

Ryan Sabalow

• June 17, 2025

A photo collage illustration of southern California background of a pink sunset, palm trees and warm-colored mountains as a Tesla cybertruck drives away with luggage and a box of office supplies strapped to the roof as 100 dollar bills float around.

Economy

How to stay calm when Elon Musk says he’s leaving California — and other lessons from business relocations

Lea esta historia en Español When oil giant Chevron said over the summer that it would be moving its corporate headquarters to Houston from San Ramon, the headlines were dire. “Chevron Dumps California for Texas After 145 Years,” read one. Another called the move a “Snub to California.” A third noted that the departure came […]

By

Levi Sumagaysay

• October 9, 2024

Commentary

Recall of self-driving Tesla cars doesn’t go far enough. California must take action

A nationwide recall of more than 362,000 Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving software fell short on several key areas. One of the company's biggest critics is calling on California leaders to take additional measures to guarantee safety.

By

Guest Commentary

• March 16, 2023

From the left: State Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire, a Healdsburg Democrat, Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, a Stockton Democrat join legislators in a hearing to discuss petroleum windfall profits penalties and whether Californians will get relief at the gas pump, at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Feb. 22, 2023. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

Newsletters

Do California’s energy policies conflict?

Sacramento and Palo Alto offered up a tale of two California energy policies Wednesday as legislators considered the best way to stick it to Big Oil and Gov. Gavin Newsom talked up Tesla’s expansion plans. The two events reflected two contrasting — arguably, contradictory — policy imperatives that the state faces: That was highlighted at […]

By

Ben Christopher

• February 23, 2023

A Twitter sign outside of the company's headquarters in San Francisco on Oct. 26, 2016. Photo by Jeff Chiu, AP Photo

WhatMatters

Elon Musk’s Twitter buy puts California on edge

CalMatters is dedicated to explaining how state government impacts our lives. Your support helps us produce journalism that makes a difference. Donate now. In California, it all comes back to housing — even Monday’s blockbuster news that Twitter accepted Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer to take the company private. Musk, in a since-deleted April 9 […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• April 26, 2022