Health

Capitol

Newsom cracks down on vaping — and asks the Legislature for help

With new executive order Newsom wants to crack down on black market vaping products, fund more public awareness campaigns and raise taxes on e-cigs.

By Ben Christopher • September 16, 2019

Health

Five things to know now about California’s new vaccine law

The law takes effect Jan. 1. It gives health officials final say on medical waivers, with the authority to reject them. Opponents hope to overturn it.

By Elizabeth Aguilera • September 15, 2019

Newsletters

Finding a friend in Oregon, Newsom’s lawsuit pays off and the Nazi next door

Oregon may join California's cap-and-trade market. Why CSU students pay more for parking. Tom Steyer wades into a new political fight.

By Ben Christopher • June 7, 2019

Commentary

Organic food is a rich bounty. Policymakers can help it grow

California agriculture is presented with an opportunity it has only begun to tap. Despite rapid growth in organic food production, only 4 percent of all agricultural land in the state is being farmed organically. We need policies that use organic agriculture as a practical, evidence-based approach to solving the complex challenges facing California.

By Guest Commentary • February 26, 2019

Health

California made it hard to avoid vaccinating kids. Medical waivers have tripled. Now what?

Three years after California stopped allowing families to easily opt out of childhood vaccines, the number of kids getting medical waivers has tripled—the result, critics say, of some doctors loosely issuing exemptions to help families get around the law. Legislators and health experts are debating what to do next. One proposal would be modeled on an existing state requirement that any veterinarian seeking to exempt a sick dog from rabies vaccination must obtain approval from a health official.

By Elizabeth Aguilera • February 7, 2019

Commentary

My turn: L.A. teacher’s union can avert a strike and help kids. Here’s how

The Los Angeles Unified School District should stop subsidizing health insurance for retirees who are entitled to these federally funded insurances or subsidies. That money could be used to reduce class sizes, raise teachers' salaries, and hire more staff.

By Guest Commentary • November 20, 2018

Elections

How Gov-Elect Newsom aims to take on California’s 7 biggest issues

Gavin Newsom first ran for governor in 2010, an effort he abandoned and then relaunched in 2015 with the long, long campaign that crescendoed tonight. Now that California voters have given the 51-year-old Democrat the job he has sought for eight years, he is about to discover that winning was the easy part. Governing is […]

By CalMatters Staff • November 7, 2018

Newsletters

Work undone, deals unraveled

Calfornia shelved a big police reform bill, the bail bonds industry announced plans to launch a referendum, SB 100 went to the goverrnor, and a lead paint deal failed.

By Dan Morain • August 30, 2018

California Divide

Becerra requests Trump administration emails, internal records about immigration crackdown

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a federal records request today for information about the impact of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy on immigrant children’s mental and physical wellbeing. The Freedom of Information Act request seeks all records related to the creation of the policy and the federal government’s determination of its ability to […]

By Courtney Fong • August 8, 2018

Newsletters

Soda ducks one tax, but may face another

Thanks to legislation, the soda industry averted new local taxes, but it could face an initiative that would impose a new statewide tax.

By Dan Morain • July 3, 2018