rob bonta

A wide view of white buildings behind a gray wired fence on a clear day.

Justice

California gave counties power to inspect ICE detention centers. They’re not using it

In the four counties where Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detention facilities, only one county health department conducts the kind of inspections that were explicitly allowed under a 2024 California law.

By

Wendy Fry

and

Jeanne Kuang

• October 2, 2025

A person lays on a white metal bunk bed as they hold up a book that covers their face. Clothing, bedding and other personal item can be seen around them inside a prison cell.

Justice

California sues Los Angeles County over ‘inhumane’ conditions in its jail system

About 14,000 people are housed in L.A.’s jail on a daily basis. The state’s lawsuit said they have been exposed to rats, spoiled meals and no clean water.

By

Cayla Mihalovich

• September 8, 2025

A side-by-side split image showing two men in suits, each standing in front of a blurred background. On the left, a man with light hair and a red tie looks directly ahead with a serious expression. On the right, a man with darker, slicked-back hair and a navy blue tie looks slightly off to the side with a focused expression.

Justice

100 days in, California is suing Trump at almost double the pace of his first term

California sued the Trump administration 16 times in the first 100 days of the Republican president's second term. It's a "high volume" pace shaped by his many executive orders.

By

Nigel Duara

• April 30, 2025

A view of a recreation area through a couple of fences with barbed wire on the top. Through the fence are a couple of soccer goals and a group of people wearing orange shirts and white shorts.

Justice

California sent investigators to ICE facilities. They found more detainees, and health care gaps

A California law empowers state investigators to check on conditions at ICE detention centers. A new report raises concerns about health care inside them.

By

Wendy Fry

• April 29, 2025

The Chevron refinery in Richmond is located behind a neighborhood on Feb. 21, 2024. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters

Climate Change

Trump targets California climate laws in new executive order

Trump ordered his attorney general to move against state climate programs that clash with his energy agenda. Legal experts say his claims about the laws being unconstitutional are an overreach.

By

Alejandro Lazo

• April 9, 2025

Climate Change

Who should pay billions for climate disasters? California and others target Big Oil — will that work?

California and other states and counties are using a legal strategy that took down Big Tobacco, hoping to make fossil fuel companies pay for damage they have long denied. But many obstacles remain.

By

Alejandro Lazo

• March 3, 2025

A person with short, slicked-back salt-and-pepper hair stands in a formal setting, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie. Green curtains hang in the background, and blurred figures in dark clothing frame the foreground.

Justice

Is the US in a constitutional crisis? California’s attorney general says not yet

Democratic attorneys general have different views on whether the U.S. is in a constitutional crisis during the new Trump administration.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• February 11, 2025

Two individuals stand on an airport tarmac, engaged in an intense discussion. One person, wearing a dark button-up shirt, gestures emphatically while speaking. The other individual, dressed in a blazer and a cap with gold lettering, looks on attentively. A large aircraft and a clear blue sky serve as the backdrop, with microphones visible in the foreground.

Commentary

Why California’s fire response could make or break the careers of several politicians

Several political figures in California could face a make or break moment in their careers depending on how they respond to the Los Angeles County fires and the threats from the federal government to condition aid.

By

Dan Walters

• January 28, 2025

Photo illustration of a split composition; one side shows Attorney General Rob Bonta, set against a background of the CA flag and Attorney General seal; the other side shows Donald Trump behind a stack of papers, set against a background of an oil refinery; the middle of the composition features the scales of justice

Politics

Tracking California’s lawsuits against the new Trump administration

California is suing the new Trump administration to protect birthright citizenship, stop the mass firing of federal workers and sustain funding for health and science research.

By

Mikhail Zinshteyn

• January 21, 2025

Two voters cast their ballots at a vote center, in Huntington Beach Sept. 14, 2021. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

Elections

New California voter ID ban puts conservative cities at odds with state

A new law prohibits local governments from mandating voter identification, but Huntington Beach is fighting back.

By

Alexei Koseff

• December 20, 2024

Rob Bonta