This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed a sweeping package of climate and energy policies to extend the cap-and-trade greenhouse gas emissions program, increase oil drilling and allow the state to create a Western regional electricity market. The overhaul that...
Billions in CA Research Grants Hang in Balance at Obscure Federal Court
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Following a complicated Supreme Court ruling in late August, the fate of billions of dollars of science research grants is now at the mercy of an obscure federal law known as the Tucker Act. “I had never spent...
These Rural Californians Want to Secede. Newsom’s Maps Would Pair Them With Bay Area Liberals
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Over several rivers and through even more woods, flags advocating secession from California flutter above hills dotted with cattle, which outnumber people at least sixfold. This ranching region with a libertarian streak might have more in common with...
Here’s How Newsom’s Maps Are Already Changing California’s Congressional Races
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to redraw California’s congressional map has kicked off a game of musical chairs as candidates evaluate which districts they’ll run in and see new possibilities to jump into districts that were previously not competitive....
California’s Sky-High Living Costs Afford It the Nation’s Highest Poverty Label — Again
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Last year’s presidential election underscored, particularly to Democrats, that the costs of living were a major factor in the outcome. Inflation had increased sharply during Joe Biden’s presidency, and voters’ angst about rising prices worked against Vice President...
While CA Squabbles Over ‘Local Control,’ People Head to Other States
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Across the world, cities have struggled to figure out how to provide more affordable housing to people in need. In Copenhagen, Denmark, so-called social housing accounts for 20% of the region’s housing stock. In Auckland, New Zealand, a set of...
California May Help Solar Bloom Where Water Runs Dry
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Ross Franson stood on the road between two fields, where nothing grows under the Fresno County sun. As a teen, Franson hauled a water tank to spray down the dust on roads like this — rolling past rows...
Gavin Newsom’s Snark Attacks on Trump Boost His National Standing — at Least for Now
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom has been waging a media war against President Donald Trump — particularly with uber-snarky social media posts — while promoting a ballot measure aimed at increasing Democrats’ congressional seats, portraying it as a way to...
‘I Will Do It Again.’ Mom of California OD Victim Pledges to Keep Fighting in Capitol
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Christine Matlock Dougherty received the text just after noon on the last Friday in August. The mental health legislation she’d been advocating for in memory of her son was dead, held indefinitely by the state Senate Appropriations Committee...
California Faces a Nursing Shortage. Community Colleges Can Help
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The road to becoming a nurse in California has been paved with roadblocks, sharp turns and bottlenecks. Where that education is offered has a lot to do with it. As someone who has lived every long mile and...