Lea este artículo en español. In Atherton, one of the nation’s richest towns, giant oaks and well-manicured hedges surround gated mansions owned by some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent billionaires, basketball stars, tech executives, and venture capitalists. Each set on an acre of land, six-bedroom estates, brick-paved pathways, neoclassical statues, and...
It’s Raining Now, but How Can California Boost Its Water Supply Later?
Lea este artículo en español. Over and over again, drought launches California into a familiar scramble to provide enough water. Cities and towns call for conservation and brace for shortages. Growers fallow fields and ranchers sell cows. And thousands of people discover that they can’t squeeze another drop from their wells. So where can California get enough water...
New Cost Estimate for High-Speed Rail Puts California Bullet Train $100 Billion in the Red
When Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled his scaled-down blueprint for the California bullet train four years ago, he proposed building a 171-mile starter segment in the Central Valley that would begin operating in 2030 and cost $22.8 billion. Today, the blueprint is fraying — costs now exceed future funding, an official...
Deadline for Seismic Upgrades at California Hospitals Fails to Recognize Rural Realities
Re the CalMatters article: “Why hospitals are struggling to meet earthquake safety deadline” The issue of seismic safety at hospitals is of utmost importance to the future of patients who live in remote areas in California. As the CEO of a rural hospital, I know California’s rural hospitals would love...
Hypocritical Newsom Touts Freedom While Disrespecting Reporters
A reporter for West Virginia’s public broadcasting system was fired last month after exposing the state health agency’s abuse of disabled people. Amelia Ferrell Knisley said she was axed after ignoring orders to stop reporting that the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources was hiding information about treatment...
California’s Boom or Bust Tax System Strikes Again
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s penchant for braggadocio was in full flower eight months ago when he declared that California had a $97.5 billion budget surplus and boasted that “no other state in American history has ever experienced a surplus as large as this.” He and the Legislature then wrote a 2022-23...
Abolishing School Police Should be Part of Reopening Plans
School districts, teachers and policymakers across California are determining how to get more students back to in-person learning as safely as possible. While these conversations are important, the continued decriminalization of Black and Brown students, and the abolition of school police, must be central to any plan for reopening schools....
How to House People and Achieve California’s Climate Goals
California faces a housing crisis and a climate emergency. We don’t build enough housing so we drive too frequently and too far in cars that generate most of California’s greenhouse gases. The solution is simple and obvious: build more housing in cities where people work so we don’t have to drive...
Watch New 2020 Law #7: Health Insurance About to Be Mandatory in California
By Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters In 2020, California will make health insurance mandatory — and charge a tax people to people without. For people who lack it now, there’s an upside: The state also will began giving subsidies to those who don’t qualify for assistance through the federal Obamacare program. In 2018,...
Walters: A Trifecta for Children?
Gavin Newsom’s website is topped by a photo of him talking to a group of children, and he has repeatedly stressed that as a governor and a father, he considers nurturing them to be one of hishighest priorities. Twice in recent weeks, Newsom has acted to protect California’s children from...