Fresno

Large red flags with a black eagle emblem ripple in the wind above a crowd gathered outdoors, many wearing red shirts and holding protest signs. Trees and a multi-story building rise in the background under a clear blue sky, situating the demonstration in a civic or campus setting.

Justice

Trump administration acknowledges it needs immigrant farmworkers as it moves to cut their pay

The Trump administration handed down a rule that would cut the minimum wage for immigrants with H-2A visas, including farm workers. The United Farm Workers sued, arguing the change would depress pay to all agricultural employees.

By

Sergio Olmos

and

Wendy Fry

• March 19, 2026

A statue is fully covered in black fabric and plastic sheeting, tied at the base, standing on a paved campus walkway. Behind it, a modern building with large windows and a few people walking by suggests an active public space.

Justice

California is renaming César Chávez’s holiday. Now, cities are slowly erasing his name from streets

California lawmakers say they'll change the name of César Chávez Holiday. Taking his name off of streets and buildings likely will take much longer.

By

Nadia Lathan

and

Nigel Duara

• March 19, 2026

A person with long gray hair speaks into a microphone at an outdoor press conference, their expression focused and serious. Several people stand behind them, including individuals in business attire, while additional microphones and a partially visible sign in the background suggest a media-covered public statement.

Justice

UFW president: ‘We do not condone the actions of César Chávez’

Stunning allegations about California labor icon César Chávez led the organization he co-founded, United Farm Workers, to distance itself from him.

By

Sergio Olmos

and

Wendy Fry

• March 18, 2026

A person wearing a colorful ascot and a flannel shirt on a city street, looking off to the side, with trees and buildings along a busy city street softly blurred in the background.

Justice

Teens walked out of school to protest ICE. Police are investigating the adults who helped them

High school students all over California walked out of class in protest over the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement. Police in two cities, conservative Clovis and liberal Los Angeles, issued warnings about potential arrests to adults who helped them.

By

Nigel Duara

• March 17, 2026

Construction on the High-Speed Rail above Highway 99 in south Fresno on March 3, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Politics

Some California high-speed rail records could remain secret under proposed law

California created an inspector general to monitor its long-delayed high-speed rail project. Now, one lawmaker wants to allow that office to withhold some investigative records from the public.

By

Yue Stella Yu

• February 3, 2026

A truck driver wearing work gloves stands beside a large blue semi-truck in a yard, with tools and equipment in the foreground and other trucks parked nearby under a clear sky.

Economy

California canceled thousands of trucking licenses. One community bore the brunt of the hit

A third of California truck drivers are believed to be Sikh, members of a religious group that hails from India. They're hurting after a mass cancellation of commercial driver’s licenses.

By

Gagandeep Singh

• January 31, 2026

A semi-truck drives toward a Waste Management facility entrance marked by a large sign, with rolling green hills in the background under a clear sky.

Environment

Residents of a polluted California town pinned hopes on new state rules. They’re still waiting

A 2015 law required the state Department of Toxic Substances Control to overhaul its permitting process to consider how multiple sources of pollution impacts health. Advocates now say the overdue rules aren’t protective enough.

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• January 27, 2026

A collage-style illustration, in blue and yellow tones, that shows a gray statue statue of lady justice holding scales with a large yellow sticker on it that says "sale!"

Investigation

The WalMart of public defense: How justice gets sold to the lowest bidder in rural California

Flat-fee contracts have been banned in other parts of the country. But, as the story of one law firm shows, they have flourished in the Golden State.

By

Anat Rubin

• December 17, 2025

A person carries a large plastic bucket filled with produce on their shoulder while working in a field of green crops during harvest. Surrounded by others bending over the plants, the individual wears a long-sleeve shirt, hat, and face covering for sun protection.

Economy

‘They still need care’: Why California migrant workers are avoiding medical clinics

Fearful of sharing sensitive information, California farmworkers started staying away from mobile medical clinics after President Trump took office. “There’s a lot of distrust,” said a doctor in Fresno County.

By

Larry Valenzuela

• December 1, 2025

Economy

California court tosses Wonderful Company lawsuit over farmworker unionization law

The Wonderful Company sued to overturn a farmworker unionization law, but a California appeals court found the lawsuit was premature. The company contends the law is unconstitutional.

By

Jeanne Kuang

• November 26, 2025