Cal Matters

California’s local governments rush to ask for tax increases before voters get the chance to curb them

November’s ballot is dominated by measures that would alter how California levies taxes, including one that would make it more difficult for local governments to gain voter approval of

By Cal Matters

/ 26 Aug 2026

Voter filling out ballot at polling location in Chico, California during 2026 election

Counting votes quickly and accurately are not mutually exclusive. Here’s how California can do it

California is the home of the artificial intelligence boom, smartphones and some of the most valuable technology companies on earth. We have built systems that process billions of transactions in

By Cal Matters

/ 26 Aug 2026

Election workers sorting and organizing ballots at Fresno County Elections Warehouse in Fresno, California

California must grow ‘connective tissue’ to better link employers to young people seeking careers

Ask a Los Angeles employer whether they’d give a young person their first real shot at a career and most would say yes. Ask them to pull it off

By Cal Matters

/ 25 Aug 2026

Vocational training instructor demonstrating pipe cutting techniques to pre-apprenticeship students in Fresno, California

As California demands less plastic in packaging, manufacturers say you’ll pay more for stuff

More than two dozen California Assembly Democrats and one state senator sent a letter Wednesday to legislative leaders asking them to delay fees under SB 54, the state’s landmark

By Cal Matters

/ 21 Aug 2026

Plastic bottles and waste materials sorted in a blue recycling bin at a residential home in Sacramento, California

Newsom’s wildfire recovery proposal will make sure Californians get paid first

Six years ago, the Creek Fire tore through the Sierra National Forest. Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee with almost no warning, leaving their homes with only

By Cal Matters

/ 18 Aug 2026

Firefighter spraying water on burning house during Eaton Fire in Pasadena, California, January 2025

Which version of Gavin Newsom will voters see if he runs for president?

All politicians are, to some extent, chameleons who align their personas with the prevailing moods of the voting public. That can be tricky in an era of extreme political volatility,

By Cal Matters

/ 12 Aug 2026

Governor Gavin Newsom speaking at a press conference in Hayward, California on March 2, 2026

California lets teens pre-register to vote before they’re 18. It doesn’t teach them how

Americans recently marked the nation’s semiquincentennial — 250 years since a band of revolutionaries staked everything on the idea that a people could govern themselves. Anniversaries invite us to look

By Cal Matters

/ 11 Aug 2026

Student filling out voter registration form at Sacramento State University in Sacramento, California

California nearly achieved universal healthcare. Now, millions are losing coverage

Two years ago, California hit a milestone decades in the making: Nearly every person in the state qualified for health insurance, regardless of immigration status and income, pushing the state’

By Cal Matters

/ 5 Aug 2026

Healthcare provider examining patient at Los Angeles clinic during California's Medi-Cal coverage crisis

California voters have approved billions of dollars in bonds. Why don’t we track results?

Californians have consistently invested in new government programs. Over the past quarter century, voters have approved tens of billions of dollars in state bonds to build schools, improve water systems,

By Cal Matters

/ 5 Aug 2026

Construction workers building affordable housing units in Bakersfield, California

Keep an eye on these 5 deals as California lawmakers close out the legislative session

Lawmakers have returned to Sacramento ready to hammer out — and potentially spike — several legislative deals before they adjourn for the year on Aug. 31 and hit the campaign trail. Think

By Cal Matters

/ 4 Aug 2026

California state legislators debating on the Assembly floor in the state Capitol building in Sacramento

California needs to preserve clean air and public oversight. Why Prop. 45 must be stopped

By Mabel Tsang, Special for CalMatters This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California voters will decide the fate of a proposal that speeds up

By Cal Matters

/ 3 Aug 2026

California needs to preserve clean air and public oversight. Why Prop. 45 must be stopped

Two cities burned in LA fires settle YIMBY lawsuit

By Ben Christopher, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Homeowners in Malibu and Pasadena who saw their neighborhoods burn in the Eaton and

By Cal Matters

/ 1 Aug 2026

Two cities burned in LA fires settle YIMBY lawsuit