Legislator Card

Politics

Potential COVID exposure sidelines legislators

Multiple members of the California Legislature, including Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, were absent Jan. 6 after potential COVID-19 exposure at a going-away event for colleague the first week of the new session.

By Alexei Koseff • January 6, 2022

Politics

The California Legislature is back: What to expect in 2022

As the Legislature reconvenes, Californians can expect lawmakers to continue focusing on housing and climate, plus COVID-19, healthcare and how to spend another budget surplus.

By Sameea Kamal • January 3, 2022

Politics

Fund the police: Newsom responds to California crime concerns

Gov. Newsom puts on a tough face about California crime, defends past reforms and proposes $350 million-plus to stop organized retail thefts.

By Ben Christopher • December 17, 2021

Coronavirus

Did California get its money’s worth from $1.7 billion COVID test contract?

The Valencia lab, a public-private venture between the state and PerkinElmer, processed only 1 to 8% of all Californians’ COVID tests in the first 10 months of the contract. And the lab was riddled with dozens of problems, according to an inspection report.

By Kristen Hwang and Ana B. Ibarra • December 16, 2021

Health

The case of the vanishing fine: How a massive nursing home penalty eluded consumer detection

A Fresno nursing home was fined more than $900,000 in 2018 for poor patient care, but consumers have been hard-pressed to find any public record of the massive penalty or many other big fines.

By Jocelyn Wiener • December 15, 2021

Health

From maggots to sex abuse, nursing homes sue California to overturn citations, fines

California nursing homes have filed more than 400 lawsuits since 2016 to appeal state citations and fines alleging poor patient care. Regulators downgraded nearly a third of sanctions involving a death. Advocates say the appeals system favors nursing homes.

By Barbara Feder Ostrov • December 6, 2021

Higher Education

Exclusive: Cal State blunder may mean loss of 3,000 new student housing beds

Thousands of affordable student housing slots are in jeopardy after the Cal State system misread the fine print for a new $2 billion state student housing program, CalMatters has discovered. With the deadline for applications passed, a solution remains unclear.

By Mikhail Zinshteyn • November 29, 2021

WhatMatters

California’s climate change irony

The gap between California climate change policy and daily reality becomes clear as state regulators expand Aliso Canyon during U.N. summit.

By Emily Hoeven • November 5, 2021

Environment

As UN tackles twin climate threats, California struggles with them, too

UN nations have pledged to reduce climate-changing methane and forest destruction within 10 years. California has been trying to handle both problems, with limited success.

By Rachel Becker and Julie Cart • November 5, 2021

Economy

Here’s what California could do to help fix the supply chain

Global supply chain problems have led to a massive backup at Southern California ports. California lawmakers are asking experts about what the state could do to help — including locating temporary storage, growing the truck driving and warehouse workforces, suspending regulations and creating a new inland port.

By Grace Gedye • November 5, 2021