San Francisco

Hundred dollar bills. Image via iStock Photo

California Divide

$500 a month without strings: Bay Area’s latest guaranteed income program

Lea este artículo en español. South San Francisco this month sent out the first $500 monthly checks to around 150 low-income families to spend however they see fit. South San Francisco is the latest Bay Area city to launch a guaranteed income pilot program – in which participants receive monthly cash payments with no strings attached – […]

By

Jesse Bedayn

• November 30, 2021

A security guard stands outside the Nordstrom store at Broadway Plaza on Nov. 22, 2021, in Walnut Creek. Dozens of looters robbed the store on Saturday night. Photo by Aric Crabb, Bay Area News Group

WhatMatters

State beefs up Highway Patrol around stores and malls after brazen thefts

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that Californians could expect to see “substantially more” law enforcement officers near “highly trafficked” retail stores starting immediately, as businesses prepare for hordes of holiday shoppers after a weekend wave of Bay Area robberies that saw thieves abscond with thousands of dollars of merchandise. He directed the California Highway Patrol […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• November 23, 2021

Pedestrians walk past vacant store fronts along Powell Street in the Union Square shopping district in San Francisco on June 14, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

WhatMatters

After looters ransack Bay Area stores, crime rises as 2022 state campaign issue

For evidence that crime will likely be a key issue for California voters in next year’s election, look no further than this weekend. On Sunday, a pack of looters robbed a jewelry store in a Hayward mall, smashing glass cases and absconding with the valuables into waiting cars. Also Sunday, Walnut Creek police recommended that […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• November 22, 2021

A food bank volunteer waits to load an incoming vehicle at the Regional Food Bank's distribution event at Franklin D. Roosevelt Park, in Los Angeles, on March 23, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake

California Divide

Most Californians say economic inequality is getting worse, new survey shows

Seven in 10 Californians say the gap between rich and poor is getting larger, according to a statewide survey.

By

Melissa Montalvo

• November 11, 2021

CalMatters en Español

Nueva encuesta muestra que la mayoría de los californianos creen que la desigualdad económica está empeorando

En resumen Siete de cada 10 californianos dicen que la brecha entre ricos y pobres está aumentando, según una encuesta estatal. Read this article in English. Siete de cada 10 californianos dicen que la brecha entre ricos y pobres es cada vez mayor, según un estudio estatal lanzado el martes. La encuesta, realizada el mes pasado por el grupo […]

By

Melissa Montalvo

• November 11, 2021

A map of California in puzzle pieces. The U.S. Census Bureau issued raw data from its 2020 count Image via iStock

WhatMatters

Who’s up, who’s down? The Census gives us a new picture of California

After months of delay, the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released the raw data that cities, counties and states need to finally start drawing their election maps for the next decade. A few key factoids: California’s population grew by 2.3 million since 2010 — a 6% increase. That was slower than the nation as a […]

By

Ben Christopher

• August 13, 2021

Commentary

California needs public health responses to behavioral health needs

Our government can do better to promote public safety by prioritizing resources on expanding treatment and housing, not jails, for people with untreated behavioral health needs.

By

Guest Commentary

• July 28, 2021

Maskless patrons enjoy tropical cocktails in the tiny interior of the Tiki-Ti bar as it reopens on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles on July 7, 2021. California COVID cases are climbing, especially in Los Angeles, just weeks after the state's broad reopening. Photo by /Damian Dovarganes, AP Photo

CalMatters en Español

Casos de COVID aumentan en California un mes después de la reapertura

Read this article in English. Un mes después de que la reapertura de California quitara la mayoría de las restricciones pandémicas, los casos de COVID-19 y las hospitalizaciones están aumentando, lo que preocupa a los funcionarios de salud pública mientras lidian con la más infecciosa variante Delta y el lento ritmo de vacunación en algunas comunidades. […]

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• July 16, 2021

Coronavirus

COVID cases surging in California a month after reopening

Lea este artículo en español. A month after California’s reopening lifted most pandemic restrictions, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising, worrying public health officials as they contend with the more infectious Delta variant and the lagging pace of vaccinations in some communities. Los Angeles County has drawn particular concern, with five straight days of more than […]

By

Barbara Feder Ostrov

• July 15, 2021

The southern section of Stevens Creek Reservoir at Stevens Creek County Park in Cupertino on June 7, 2021. Photo by Nhat V. Meyer, Bay Area News Group

Environment

Water shortages: Why some Californians are running out in 2021 and others aren’t

Drought resilience depends on location but also extraordinary engineering — determining which California places are running out of water this year and which remain in good shape.

By

Rachel Becker

• June 23, 2021