Project Spotlight
Tracking California’s wildfires
This daily dashboard traces active wildfires, with historical context showing how they’ve become more common and destructive.
California Voices
California Voices: A conversation with first-time voters
CalMatters asked a mix of new voters to write essays about why they were voting this year.
“CalMatters sets a high bar, offering dedicated coverage and expert reporters that ask tough questions and hold our leaders responsible.”
Maricela, Montrose
Featured CalMatters Member
Members make our mission possible.
ENVIRONMENT
Commentary
California has enough debt. It doesn’t need $10 billion more for a climate bond
California voters will soon decide whether the state should authorize a $10 billion bond to help respond to climate change. The state’s highest-ranking Republican legislator argues California can’t afford the additional debt, especially for a questionable list of projects and programs.
EDUCATION
Commentary
Why every California student should have access to ‘gifted’ classes at school
California’s so-called Gifted and Talented Education program can be socially limiting and psychologically hurtful for students. Excluding students on standard or remedial tracks from these courses can equally cap their potential.
CAPITOL
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Commentary
Gov. Gavin Newsom may regret pledges to Black Californians
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promises to Black Californians about filling U.S. Senate seat and providing reparations for the lingering effects of slavery might be harder to fulfill than he originally thought.
Insurance looms as California Legislature nears end of session
There are just a few days remaining in the 2023 session of the California Legislature and it has nearly 1,000 bills still to process – and perhaps some late-blooming measures not yet drafted.
HOUSING
Commentary
If California won’t back affordable housing funding, well, you get what you pay for
California faces twin crises of homelessness and affordability, yet state leaders approved budget cuts and killed a proposed $10 billion affordable housing bond. You can’t solve the housing crisis on the cheap.
2024 ELECTIONS
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
CALIFORNIA VOICES
Guest Commentary
California can right a historic wrong by recognizing tribal authority for cultural burns
A bill on the governor’s desk would acknowledge tribal sovereignty over cultural burning for the first time in California history. As state embraces prescribed burns to help reduce wildfire risk, Native American tribes still face legal barriers to performing a cherished cultural practice.
California needs Prop. 36 to help bring accountability to the fentanyl crisis
California voters will soon decide whether to reclassify certain theft and drug penalties under Proposition 36. A formerly homeless man who misused drugs and was arrested for theft believes the ballot initiative will rightly restore accountability and compassion.
We want to hear from you!
Want to submit a guest commentary or reaction to an article we wrote? You can find our submission guidelines here. For questions, please email commentary@calmatters.org
DAN WALTERS
Californians back measure to crack down on crime despite Newsom’s opposition
A poll shows most voters support for Prop. 36, a sign Gavin Newsom’s governorship is approaching lame duck status.
CALIFORNIA DIVIDE
A statewide media collaboration to raise awareness about poverty and income inequality through in-depth journalism and community outreach.
Sign up for the Inequality Insights newsletter.
Commentary
California foster youth and COVID orphans gaining a sense of hope from trust fund program
A California program providing trust funds, or “baby bonds,” for foster youth and COVID orphans is giving traumatized young people a chance to pursue their dreams just like everyone else.
JUSTICE
Commentary
There are prison rehabilitation success stories across California. Prop. 36 puts future ones at risk
This fall, California voters will decide whether to reclassify certain theft and drug penalties under Proposition 36. If more people end up in prisons under…
HEALTH
Commentary
Warehouse regulation bill attracts strange bedfellows in support and opposition
Culminating years of debate over the environmental impacts of Southern California’s massive array of warehouses, the Legislature has passed a bill regulating future construction.
ECONOMY
Commentary
California’s water workforce is aging. Promoting the next generation of workers is essential
A career building and maintaining California’s water infrastructure might be unglamorous but it’s an essential and well-paying field as the state faces a looming shortage.
EXPLAINERS
Explore CalMatters’ explainer “card decks” to discover the data-driven context you need to make sense of big issues confronting California.
COLLEGE BEAT
More Coverage
WHATMATTERS NEWSLETTER
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Will Newsom get his bill on California gas prices?
I’m CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff, and I’m subbing for Lynn today. The state Capitol would normally be fairly empty this time of year, as lawmakers scatter to their districts…
