San Francisco

Commentary

How will raising bridge tolls affect San Francisco Bay Area’s economic recovery?

Tolls on San Francisco Bay Area bridges are rising sharply and that could affect the economy of a region still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Dan Walters • July 4, 2023

Housing

Is housing a human right? California voters could decide

More than 170,000 people are homeless in California. Some Democrats want to make the state the nation’s first to declare housing a human right, but opponents worry it would be costly.

By Marisa Kendall • June 13, 2023

K-12 Education

Veteran teachers: Why some stay in tough classrooms

Students at high-poverty schools pose challenges that can cause many newer teachers to leave. But some teachers with decades of experience stay at those schools because they believe they can make a difference in students' lives.

By Joe Hong • May 2, 2023

WhatMatters

Spotlight on California leaders after abortion pill rulings

From CalMatters’ health reporter Kristen Hwang: Doctors and patients in California can rest assured that the abortion pill mifepristone is legal to prescribe and take — for now.  Late Wednesday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the most significant part of U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s ruling last week out of Texas that the […]

By Lynn La • April 14, 2023

Capitol

Why California public transit is at a pivotal moment

Public transit agencies in California are struggling to avoid a "fiscal cliff" — and to persuade riders to return after the COVID pandemic. Advocates and legislators are seeking more state aid, but there are no simple solutions.

By Sameea Kamal • April 5, 2023

WhatMatters

California mental health funding may get overhauled

With little notice given to those working closely with the Californians who would be most impacted, a proposal announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom is once again leaving advocacy groups shocked and worried. During his State of the State tour in March, the governor announced that he plans to reroute money from the 2004 voter-approved Mental […]

By Lynn La • April 3, 2023

Newsletters

California housing politics enters uncharted waters

For northern California housing politics, judgment day has come. Cities across the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area had until Wednesday to show state regulators how they plan to approve a sufficient quantity of housing over the next decade.  Some submitted their plans on time. Most did not. Some made an earnest effort to comply. Others […]

By Ben Christopher • February 3, 2023

California Divide

To fight wage theft California gets strong assist from worker centers

As California investigates businesses for wage theft, worker centers act as behind-the-scenes allies, helping convince employees to cooperate.

By Alejandro Lazo and Jeanne Kuang • November 15, 2022

WhatMatters

An ominous warning for California economy

Economic warning signs are mounting in California — foreshadowing potentially tough budget decisions for the state officials and policymakers who emerge victorious from the Nov. 8 election. One particularly eye-popping statistic: Just nine companies headquartered in the Golden State went public in the first three quarters of 2022, compared to 81 during the same period […]

By Emily Hoeven • October 20, 2022

WhatMatters

What’s behind Newsom’s safe injection sites veto?

Read between the lines of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Monday veto of a controversial bill that would have allowed San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles to launch trial supervised drug injection sites in a bid to curb California’s epidemic of fatal overdoses, and you might catch a glimpse of the political tightrope he’s walking. Although the […]

By Emily Hoeven • August 23, 2022