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Open book with an upside down pages and pile of books. Reading, education, e-book, literature, encyclopedia. Vector illustration in flat style

WhatMatters

High school ethnic studies controversy heats up: Guiding principles ‘compromised’

The politically fraught work of developing an ethnic studies curriculum for California public high schools just got more contentious. In a Wednesday letter to the state Board of Education and Department of Education, the original curriculum’s authors and former advisory committee members demanded their names be removed from the text because its “guiding principles … […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• February 5, 2021

WhatMatters

School reopening battle hits fever pitch

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, February 4. SF sues itself New lines have been drawn in the sand of California’s school reopening battle. Gov. Gavin Newsom at a Wednesday press conference said he believes schools can safely reopen before all teachers have received the COVID-19 vaccine — a stance that puts him at odds with […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• February 4, 2021

WhatMatters

Counties to get more money for vaccinations

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, February 2. Divided using equity formula California’s flagging vaccine rollout may have just gotten a shot in the arm. On Monday, the state Department of Finance formally notified lawmakers that California had received an unanticipated $1.7 billion in federal funds to help with its coronavirus response and vaccination efforts, according […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• February 2, 2021

California Divide

Surprising rise in California entrepreneurs daring to start new businesses during pandemic

Lea este artículo en español. The pandemic and stay-at-home orders have forced thousands of financially dried up California businesses to shut down, but for Dan Zhao, they became the reason to start a new one. “Before the pandemic, I just had a regular job,” said Zhao, a product manager at a San Francisco-based software company. But when […]

By

Laurence Du Sault

• February 1, 2021

Dan Zhao, izquierda, y su padre Keguang Zhao empaquetan un Kung Pao Tofu en Cozy Wok, un restaurante chino vegetariano de entrega y comida para llevar, en Oakland, el jueves 28 de enero de 2021. Dan Zhao, gerente de producto en una empresa de software con sede en San Francisco y su padre Keguang Zhao abrieron el restaurante, que está abierto por las noches y los fines de semana, durante una pandemia. Foto de Anda Chu, Bay Area News Group

CalMatters en Español

Sorprendente aumento de empresarios de California que se atreven a iniciar nuevos negocios durante la pandemia

Read this article in English. La pandemia y las órdenes de quedarse en casa han obligado a cerrar a miles de negocios de California agotados financieramente, pero para Dan Zhao, se convirtieron en la razón para comenzar uno nuevo. “Antes de la pandemia, solo tenía un trabajo regular”, dijo Zhao, gerente de producto de una empresa […]

By

Laurence Du Sault

and

CalMatters Staff

• February 1, 2021

Los Angeles residents wait in line in their cars to receive a covid-19 vaccine at Dodger Stadium, on Jan. 26, 2021, in Los Angeles. California is revamping its vaccine delivery system to give the state more control over who gets the shots following intense criticism of a slow and scattered rollout by counties. Photo by Richard Vogel, AP Photo

Coronavirus

Sacrificing equity for speed? California’s COVID vaccine rollout stirs concern

As disparities emerge in California’s vaccine rollout, many fear that low-income communities and essential workers are being pushed to the end of the line.

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• January 31, 2021

Guillermo Hernandez sits in his van in Richmond on Jan. 28, 2021. Hernandez, who uses his van for his businesses buying and selling second hand goods, lost work after having his license suspended in 2013 for failure to pay a ticket. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Justice

State lifts suspensions of half a million driver’s licenses

Legal advocates are trying to roll back California’s hefty traffic ticket fines and fees, which are among the highest in the nation. One attorney called them a “blunt instrument” punishing people “when in reality, for many Californians, traffic tickets are simply too expensive to take care of.”

By

Robert Lewis

• January 29, 2021

Mykhailo Achey, an IT consultant who moved into better housing in San Francisco. during the pandemic, takes in the balcony view from his downtown highrise, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. Photo by Karl Mondon, Bay Area News Group

California Divide

Deals in Bay Area renter’s market favor luxury seekers

Three months’ free rent on a 2-bedroom apartment with a pool in West San Jose. A Lake Merritt studio in Oakland at a 50% discount for the first six months. Two months of “complimentary rent plus a $2,000 MasterCard gift card” on a luxury high rise renting for $4,375 a month in San Francisco’s Potrero […]

By

Laurence Du Sault

• January 15, 2021

WhatMatters

New vaccine strategy exposes big challenges

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, January 14. Some counties low on doses Six million Californians 65 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine — a major shift in strategy that could help accelerate the Golden State’s sluggish vaccine rollout even as some counties say they’re unprepared to handle increased demand. Gov. Gavin Newsom […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• January 14, 2021

Penny Bailey, a technology recruiter for Figma, works from home in San Francisco, on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Photo by Jane Tyska, Bay Area News Group

California Divide

Pandemic creates ‘weird boom time’ for some Bay Area remote workers

Lea este artículo en español. Millions of California workers have faced at least one of two gut-wrenching situations this past year: losing their jobs or risking their lives by showing up in person at work during a pandemic. But for the others — the “work-from-home” contingent — things have been, well, mostly fine. “My career, […]

By

Laurence Du Sault

• January 11, 2021