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A pharmacy tech, at the bottom right side of the frame and wearing teal scrubs, fills prescriptions in front of a row of shelves with pill bottles at La Clinica in Oakland.

Health

These middlemen say they keep drug prices low. California lawmakers don’t buy it

Pharmacy benefit managers attempt to negotiate cost savings for insurers. California is considering new rules that would require them to pass their discounts on to consumers.

By

Kristen Hwang

• August 28, 2024

A lawmaker, wearing a tan suit and blue tie, standing in front of a podium with white pillars and red curtains in the background of the Senate Floor at the state Capitol in Sacramento.

Digital Democracy

Lawmakers say Newsom staff ‘inflated’ cost of failed health care bills

A trio of California Democratic lawmakers say they’re frustrated by high cost estimates that helped kill their health care legislation. Did the Newsom administration inflate the numbers to quietly kill the bills?

By

Ryan Sabalow

and

Jocelyn Wiener

• August 27, 2024

A photo collage illustration in a orange and blue tone showing a credit score meter and half of a round pill container surrounded by pills and money signs.

Health

Millions of Californians have medical debt. It wouldn’t hurt your credit under proposed rules

About 4 in 10 Californians are carrying medical debt. Lawmakers are advancing a bill that would prevent that debt from affecting credit scores

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• August 27, 2024

A police officer leads a student across a busy street near a school after reports of a shooting.

Capitol

When should police be involved at school? A California bill would let teachers make the call

In the final week of session, legislators are debating whether to give more leeway to public school teachers when to report students to law enforcement. Supporters say disabled and students of color are unfairly disciplined, but opponents say school safety is at risk.

By

Jenna Peterson

• August 26, 2024

An active oil derrick near homes in the city of Signal Hill in Los Angeles County on Oct. 19, 2022. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

Environment

Technically, California won’t delay an oil well protection law — but Newsom axes funding to enforce it

The governor backed off his controversial plan to extend deadlines for oil and gas operators to comply with a new law on wells. But he also wiped out the funding state agencies say they need to hire staff and carry out the regulations.

By

Julie Cart

• August 24, 2024

Someone wearing blue latex gloves injects a syringe into a small glass bottle over a counter with multiple unused syringes and a box of latex gloves.

Education

Taxpayers cover tuition at California’s for-profit schools. The results? Low-wage, high-turnover jobs

California officials have warned students for years that for-profit schools may make misleading career claims — leaving them with "a mountain of debt" but no job. Still, many for-profit schools remain on the state’s list of recommended job training programs.

By

Adam Echelman

• August 21, 2024

People walk a long a beach nestled between the ocean and a bluff during a foggy day in Del Mar.

Housing

Push to build more homes on California coast stifled after lawmakers derail housing bills

Several efforts to minimize the power and influence of the California Coastal Commission have stalled.

By

Ben Christopher

• August 19, 2024

A person sits in a medical chair while they're hooked up to a dialysis machine.

Health

Big California health care businesses win exemptions from proposed hedge fund rules

A California Democrat who made a name for himself by taking on the health care industry is carrying a bill to regulate private equity stakes in the sector.

By

Kristen Hwang

• August 19, 2024

A green active oil pump jack surrounded by two-story homes and a street intersection in the background.

Environment

California legislators debate giving oil companies until 2031 to monitor wells for leaks

The last-minute Newsom administration plan would delay by four years a law’s deadline for safety rules at oil wells near homes and schools.

By

Julie Cart

• August 16, 2024

Constructipn near 7th Street and Broadway in Santa Monica on May 24, 2023. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters

Housing

Billions more for California housing? Why some construction unions aren’t sold yet

California’s most unaffordable region is set to vote on a record-breaking affordable housing bond. Will state Democrats add a pro-union requirement to win over a powerful labor coalition?

By

Ben Christopher

• August 13, 2024

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