Kamala Harris

Gov. Gavin Newsom; President-elect Joe Biden. Photos by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters; Gage Skidmore via Flickr

WhatMatters

A new era for California? Newsom asks Biden for aid

What a difference a day makes. On Tuesday, California was still wrangling with the Trump administration, as evidenced by nine final-hour lawsuits filed by Attorney General Xavier Becerra — bringing his four-year total to a staggering 122 lawsuits. Today, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as president and vice president of the […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• January 20, 2021

Alex Padilla photographed in his secretary of state's office in July. In an interview on the eve of being sworn in as California's newest U.S. senator, he talked about the challenges ahead. Photo by Aric Crabb, Bay Area News Group

Politics

Day 1: New Sen. Alex Padilla wants Trump’s ‘enablers’ out of U.S. Senate

As he's sworn in today by Vice President Kamala Harris to take her old seat, California's newest senator says the outgoing president and some fellow senators must be held accountable for the deadly siege of the Capitol.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• January 20, 2021

Alex Padilla fotografiado en su oficina de secretario de estado en julio. En una entrevista en la víspera de ser juramentado como el senador estadounidense más nuevo de California, habló sobre los desafíos que se avecinan. Foto de Aric Crabb, Bay Area News Group

CalMatters en Español

Día 1: el nuevo senador Alex Padilla quiere que los ‘facilitadores’ de Trump sean eliminados del Senado de EE. UU.

Hoy Alex Padilla prestará juramento ante la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris para ocupar su antiguo escaño, el senador más nuevo de California dice que el presidente saliente y algunos compañeros senadores deben rendir cuentas por el mortal asedio del Capitolio.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• January 20, 2021

Pasadena Public Heath Department gives Pasadena firefighters the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Fire Station 36 in Pasadena on December 28, 2020. Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG

WhatMatters

Severe reactions put batch of vaccines on hold as new virus strain raises concerns

The problems keep racking up for California’s vaccine rollout. State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan on Sunday recommended providers stop administering doses from a specific batch of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine following “a higher-than-usual number” of possibly severe allergic reactions at a mass vaccination site in San Diego. Although fewer than 10 people appeared to experience […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• January 19, 2021

Then democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris walks on stage during a gun safety forum, Oct. 2, 2019, in Las Vegas. Today, Joe Biden announced Sen. harris as his running mate. Photo byJohn Locher, AP Photo

Commentary

Being Indian American today: Kamala Harris as vice president is a huge step forward in our national journey

A drive for achievement and success is a quintessential Indian-American trait, and I’m delighted to rejoice in Kamala Harris’ accomplishment.

By

Guest Commentary

• January 14, 2021

Assemblymember Shirley Weber gives a press conference in the capitol following the passage of her bill AB 392 which would limit the use of deadly force by police in California on July 8, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Politics

Next secretary of state aims to teach Californians “how fragile the democracy is”

Seventy years ago, sharecroppers David and Mildred Nash refused to back down in a dispute with a white farmer, and fled from a lynch mob in Hope, Arkansas. With their 2-year-old daughter in tow, they found a new home out west in a place so different her grandfather, who would die without ever being able […]

By

Ben Christopher

• January 5, 2021

Recapping the stories that epitomized California in 2020. Image via iStock

Politics

With 2020 hindsight: Recapping the stories that defined California life

Coronavirus, of course, detonated our every expectation of 2020. For the most fortunate, this created room for new pastimes, new priorities. For the least so, it hollowed out holes that can never be filled. Nor was COVID our only profound challenge. There were raging wildfires, again. There was an overdue reckoning with racism, again. There […]

By

CalMatters Staff

• December 31, 2020