Sonoma County

An ambulance rides past the Oakland Fox Theater on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland during the first shelter-in-place order on March 24, 2020. Photo by Ray Chavez, Bay Area News Group

WhatMatters

With ICUs filling up, Gov. Newsom says state lockdown possible this week

Another stay-at-home order could be in the cards for California as early as this week. Citing a record level of coronavirus hospitalizations and rapidly filling intensive-care units, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned in a Monday press conference that another lockdown may be necessary to curb the virus’ spread in counties in the most restrictive purple tier, […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• December 1, 2020

Due to high winds and dry conditions PG&E will turn off the power to over 361,000 customers in 36 counties to protect them from possible wildfires caused by downed power lines. Photo by Jose Carlos Fajardo, Bay Area News Group

WhatMatters

Orange County besieged with blazes; Northern California largely spared

All things considered, California is faring better than expected amid the worst fire conditions of the season. Though desiccated winds topping 70 miles per hour ignited more than two dozen small fires in the northern part of the state, firefighters had fully contained all but two of them by Monday afternoon, and ongoing fires didn’t […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• October 27, 2020

one of the 1,555 structures the Glass Fire left in its path of destruction. Photo by Marco Torrez

California Wildfires

How to vote in a pandemic when you’ve lost your home in a wildfire

Lea este artículo en español. In August, as lightning strikes ignited fires around his Napa County home, Ian MacMillan escaped the flames with his wife, three kids and mother-in-law. A month later, when another wildfire roared through Northern California’s wine country, they had to flee their home again. “It sounded like a war zone,” MacMillan, […]

By

Isabella Bloom

and

Marco Torrez

• October 21, 2020

Taylor Craig stands for a portrait on the edge of his family’s property outside of Vacaville on Oct. 2, 2020. Charred trees and ground on the adjoining property were caused by the LNU Lightening Complex Fire in August; Craig was able to fight off the flames and protect his home from the fire after not receiving an evacuation warning. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

California Wildfires

‘Totally inadequate’: Most Californians in wildfire-prone counties aren’t signed up for emergency alerts

The systems that warn people about evacuations have dangerous drawbacks. Millions of Californians are relying on alerts that may never arrive. In some counties, only 1% of adults are signed up.

By

James Bikales

• October 7, 2020

The Glass Fire burns behind Kelly Fleming Wines in Calistoga on Sept. 28, 2020. All of Calistoga was under mandatory evacuation Monday night. Photo by Jose Carlos Fajardo, Bay Area News Group

WhatMatters

What will become of Wine Country?

California’s Wine Country, one of the most famed and iconic tourist destinations in the state, is at a tipping point. Gone is the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood, home to the region’s most celebrated fine dining. Gone are sections of well-known wineries, including Chateau Boswell, Castello di Amorosa, Hourglass Winery and Spring Mountain Vineyard. Gone are […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• September 30, 2020

Residents of all ages gather together at a CHP checkpoint on Highway 1 to bring attention to the Santa Cruz Mountain community of Bonny Doon on August 21, 2020. Families have had to evacuate and say there aren't enough firefighters assigned to the area to save the community. Photo by Kevin Painchaud, Santa Cruz Sentinel

Education

Wildfires set school plans ablaze for more than 70,000 students

Already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, schools in rural areas like Bonny Doon must now contend with wildfires and related problems like blackouts, poor air quality and damaged internet infrastructure.

By

Ricardo Cano

• August 26, 2020

Scorched wheelchairs rest outside Cypress Meadows Post-Acute, a nursing home leveled by the Camp Fire in Paradise on Dec. 4, 2018. Photo by Noah Berger, AP Photo

Environment

How we analyzed where older Californians are at increased risk for wildfire

The average age of those who died in the 2018 Camp Fire was 72. The average age of those who died in the fires that burned across Sonoma and Napa a year before: 73. As wildfires grow more devastating in California, some of the most vulnerable are older people who live independently and who live […]

By

Lo Bénichou

,

Molly Peterson

and

Lisa Pickoff-White

• August 10, 2020

A masked bartender pours a drink at Ristorante Allegria in downtown Napa on May 22, 2020 as restaurants were permitted to reopen for indoor dining. Today, Gov. Newsom announced the closure of all indoor dining, bars and movie theaters state-wide. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Economy

Newsom closes indoor businesses statewide; clamps down further on some counties

As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to spike, California Gov. Gavin Newsom closes indoor activities at restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, museums and card rooms while also ordering breweries and bars to close all operations, indoors and out.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• July 13, 2020

Coronavirus

California just hit all-time high number of people hospitalized with coronavirus

Lea este artículo en español. Updated June 22, 2020 Climbing over the past week, California’s numbers for statewide coronavirus-related hospitalizations this weekend exceeded the record levels set in late April, CalMatters’ hospital data tracker shows. The tracker, which pulls from state data, shows that on Sunday, 3,702 patients who’ve tested positive for the novel coronavirus were […]

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• June 18, 2020

The Uptown theater in downtown Napa remains closed to the public on May 8, 2020. Today, businesses in Napa County were permitted to reopen for curbside pickup. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

WhatMatters

As cases rise, some counties hit brakes

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, May 29. “We are walking into the unknown” As most California counties accelerate their reopening pace, some of the first to do so are now hitting the brakes or backpedaling as coronavirus cases mount — a potentially cautionary tale for the rest of the state as restrictions loosen. Sonoma County […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• May 29, 2020