Public Policy Institute of California | CalMatters

Kathleen Bils in her San Diego home on May 1, 2021, a year after her son was killed by a sheriff’s deputy. Photo by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters

Is California’s new police deadly force law making a difference?

by Byrhonda Lyons and Laurel Rosenhall May 11, 2021May 11, 2021

Cases in San Diego and San Leandro will test the stricter standards on when officers can shoot to kill. Training of officers on the new law is inconsistent.

A lone woman with a suitcase walks on an empty street. California's population is projected to shrink.

California’s population shrank in 2020, but don’t call it an exodus

by Ben Christopher May 7, 2021May 7, 2021

racial equity

American Rescue Plan provides billions for a down payment toward racial equity

by Guest Commentary May 7, 2021May 6, 2021

UC system

California needs a new Master Plan for Higher Education

by Guest Commentary May 3, 2021May 3, 2021

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to the press during a visit to Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Alameda on March 16, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

More good news for Newsom

by Emily Hoeven April 29, 2021April 29, 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

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

by Guest Commentary April 27, 2021April 27, 2021

Gov. Gavin Newsom receives the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles on April 1, 2021. Photo by Shae Hammond for CalMatters

Carrots, sticks and jabs: What will California do to win over vaccine skeptics?

by Ben Christopher April 1, 2021April 1, 2021

drought

As drought alarms sound, is California prepared?

by Guest Commentary March 16, 2021March 15, 2021

San Francisco native Veronica Garcia sits for a portrait at Bernal Heights park on Feb. 18, 2021. Garcia says when she entered San Francisco City College in 2008 she was required to take remedial classes which caused her to take more than four years before she was able to transfer to a four-year university. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Tens of thousands of community college students still taking unnecessary remedial classes

by Mikhail Zinshteyn February 19, 2021February 19, 2021

Members of the California Nurses Association and supporters rally at the State Capitol calling for a single-payer health plan on June 28, 2017, in Sacramento. When running for governor in 2018, Gavin Newsom vowed to implement single payer healthcare and the pressure is mounting to make good on that promise. Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo

The squeeze is on: Amid recall threat, Newsom faces single-payer dilemma

by Ben Christopher February 19, 2021February 20, 2021