Los Angeles County

Nine-year-old Tag, a 1,000 lb Kodiak bear, lays in the sunshine while recall candidate John Cox speaks to the press at a campaign event at Miller Regional Park in Sacramento on May 4, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

WhatMatters

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, May 5. Elections and bears, oh my If, like me, you didn’t have “California political candidate campaigns with 1,000-pound Kodiak bear” on your 2021 bingo card, you were not prepared for the excesses of a gubernatorial recall election. The effort to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom from office entered a new […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• May 5, 2021

Park-goers enjoy the sunshine at Dolores Park on the Fourth of July in San Francisco on July 4, 2020. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

WhatMatters

Inside California’s stunning COVID reversal

How the tables have turned for California. The state’s seven-day coronavirus positivity rate fell to 1.2% on Tuesday, the lowest rate in the country. Just four months ago, California’s positivity rate was a staggering 17.1% and hospitalizations were surging to record levels, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a regional stay-at-home order. Contrast that with […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• April 28, 2021

Blossom Sergejev, left, and her mother, Amika Mota, are photographed at their home in Concord on April 26, 2021. Sergejev says she and Mota were only able to speak for a few minutes a month during the six years Mota was incarcerated. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Commentary

High-priced jail phone calls: $15 to talk to your daughter

Research shows that the more people stay in touch with their families while in jail, the better they do when they get out.

By

Guest Commentary

• April 27, 2021

Cuando Blossom Sergejev, a la izquierda, estaba creciendo, solo tenía unos minutos para hablar por teléfono con su madre Amika Mota. No podían permitirse hablar más tiempo, no con tarifas de alrededor de $15 por una llamada de 15 minutos desde la cárcel. Foto de Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

CalMatters en Español

Llamadas telefónicas de alto precio en la cárcel: $15 para hablar con su hija

Las investigaciones muestran que mientras más personas se mantengan en contacto con sus familias mientras están en la cárcel, mejor les irá cuando salgan.

By

Guest Commentary

• April 27, 2021

Capitolio de California. Foto de Anne Wernikoff para CalMatters

CalMatters en Español

Comentario: California se invierte, ahora cierra prisiones

California triplicó el número de sus prisiones durante las décadas de 1980 y 1990, pero ahora, a medida que la población de reclusos disminuye, está comenzando a cerrar algunas instalaciones más antiguas.

By

Dan Walters

• April 19, 2021

Health

California oversight of nursing homes called ‘befuddling,’ ‘broken’

A CalMatters investigation reveals an opaque licensing process for California nursing homes, rife with indecision and contradictions. Officials have let the state’s largest nursing home owner and his companies operate 18 homes for years while failing to decide whether to grant the required licenses.

By

Jocelyn Wiener

• April 6, 2021

Una investigación de CalMatters plantea interrogantes sobre la supervisión de los hogares de ancianos en California y su proceso de concesión de licencias. Imagen a través de iStock

CalMatters en Español

La supervisión de California de los asilos de ancianos se llama ‘desconcertante’, ‘rota’

Read this article in English. Una investigación de CalMatters revela un proceso de concesión de licencias opaco para los hogares de ancianos de California, plagado de indecisiones y contradicciones. Los funcionarios han permitido que el propietario de un asilo de ancianos más grande del estado y sus empresas operen 18 hogares durante años sin poder decidir […]

By

Jocelyn Wiener

• April 6, 2021

WhatMatters

How CA’s backlogged court system delays justice

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, March 31. Years-long waits It’s a shocking statistic: 75% of the inmates in California’s county jails — more than 44,000 people — have not been convicted or sentenced for a crime. Instead, they’re largely waiting for arraignment, trial or sentencing. At least 1,300 people have been waiting for more than […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• March 31, 2021

Justice

Waiting for justice: Defendants locked up for years awaiting trials, sentencing

Across California, 44,241 people are being held in a county jail without being convicted or sentenced for a crime. That’s three quarters of all inmates. At least 1,317 people have been waiting in county jails for more than 3 years. For 332 of them, it’s been longer than 5 years. In 32 counties that gave […]

By

Robert Lewis

• March 31, 2021

WhatMatters

Is a fourth coronavirus wave coming for California?

President Joe Biden said Monday that states should pause their reopening efforts amid a new surge in coronavirus cases, creating a potential political liability for Gov. Gavin Newsom as he ushers California into its fastest reopening yet. Biden’s comments came the same day that Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• March 30, 2021