Protesters gather over the 101 freeway in downtown Los Angeles in support of the "Day Without Immigrants" march, in February. (Photo by J.W. Hendricks for CalMatters)
Each year is unique in the joy, wonder, and heartache it can bring. Each year is the same in that our photographers and visual journalists spend it traversing the state to bring you those moments.
This year also marked CalMatters’ 10th anniversary as a nonpartisan, nonprofit newsroom. Our visual essay reflected on a decade of visual journalism that has helped tell California’s stories with depth and clarity.
Whatever 2026 holds, we look forward to sharing it with you.
A person is surrounded by wildfire smoke on Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in January. The fire devastated the coastal communities of Pacific Palisades and Malibu. (Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters)First: Firefighters work to put out a fire in the rubble of a home that burned down on Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, as a result of the Palisades Fire in January. Last: Workers with the California Conservation Corps carry sandbags and compost filter socks as they work on various erosion, flood and debris control efforts to help mitigate flooding and debris flow ahead of forecasted rain following the Eaton Fire in the Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles in January. (Photos by Ted Soqui and Jules Hotz for CalMatters)A chinook helicopter releases water over the Palisades Fire as it burns in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles in January. (Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters)Dream Resource Center Lead D’arcy Corwin at Pierce College in Woodland Hills near Los Angeles in January. The Dream Resource Center supports undocumented students, providing resources like free legal services, educational workshops, scholarship information, and more throughout their academic journey at the school. (Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters)California lawmakers are considering several bills that would lead to more oversight of mental health insurance denials. (Illustration by Gabriel Hongsdusit/CalMatters)First: Sam Strgacich, left, and his wife Rossana Valverde, right, at their home in Pasadena in April. Valverde and Strgacich are working with their home insurance to reach a settlement to cover costs associated with repairing damage caused by smoke from the Eaton Fire earlier this year. Next: Loreal Duran with her children, ages one and seven, in front of her apartment complex in Los Angeles in February. Loreal’s husband, Giovanni Duran, was born in El Salvador and was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as part of nationwide operation in late January and is currently being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. Last: Jerrod Tejeda holds a framed photo of his daughter Cassi Tejeda, at his home in Visalia in March. Cassi was killed by a drunk driver with two prior DUIs in January of 2022. (Photos by Joel Angel Juarez and Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters)A state report provided to CalMatters says 200 agencies reported no automation around sensitive decisions. Some called the report befuddling. (Illustration by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters/iStockAnna Nusslock at home in Eureka in February. Providence St. Joseph Hospital refused Nusslock an emergency abortion after she had a miscarriage at 15 weeks pregnant, despite serious risks to her health. (Photo by Alexandra Hootnick for CalMatters)Students prepare for a graduation ceremony at Mi Escuelita, a therapeutic preschool in San Diego for children affected by domestic violence in June. The school provides on-site therapy and social-emotional learning to help students heal from trauma. (Photo by Adriana Heldiz for CalMatters)Faced with a shortage of counselors, California schools are offering AI chatbots to more students. They’re offering advice on college and career options. (Illustration by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters/iStock)First: Federal immigration authorities face off against protesters during an ICE raid at Ambiance Apparel in Downtown Los Angeles in June. Last: California National Guard soldiers stand with shields outside the Federal Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles in June. (Photos by J.W. Hendricks and Ted Soqui for CalMatters)California Highway Patrol troopers attempt to clear demonstrators from the 101 freeway in downtown Los Angeles in June. (Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters)A farmworker harvests banana peppers at a farm near the town of Helm in July. (Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local)First: Mayra Lara, director of Southern California partnerships and engagement for EdTrust-West, in Long Beach in September. Last: Maximilian Raphael Rose in San Pedro in October. The 29-year-old is wrestling with loneliness, a feeling many men across the country are increasingly experiencing. Recently, Rose joined a men’s walking group in hopes of building friendships. (Photos by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters/Catchlight)Mauricio Oropeza hugs his daughter inside his home in Santa María Ajoloapan, Mexico, in September. (Photo by Christopher Rogel Blanquet for CalMatters)U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa listens to a comment from an attendee during a town hall meeting at the Chico Elks Lodge in August. (Photo by Salvador Ochoa for CalMatters)First: Californians rejected the anti-slavery ballot measure Proposition 6, which would have forbid forced prison labor. Reparations advocates want to try again in 2026. Illustration by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters; California State Library, California Prison Industry Authority Last: California made it easier for young people convicted of serious crimes to get a second chance, except for those sentenced to life without parole. New legislation could change that. (Illustration by Gabriel Hongsdusit/CalMatters)Maximilian Raphael Rose grabs a flower during a walk around his neighborhood in San Pedro in October. The palm trees and flowers remind him of the beauty that still exists, he says. (Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters/Catchlight)Emma Harris holds a belt buckle she was awarded as a prize for winning a branding competition, at the Brass Rail Bar & Grill in September. (Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters)First: Joe Del Bosque, owner of Del Bosque Farms, stands in one of his melon fields as they are being harvested outside of Firebaugh in September. Last: Fairgoers walks around the Kern County Fair in Bakersfield in September. (Photos by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local)National Guard troops sort fresh produce at Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in preparation for the end of SNAP benefits in Los Angeles in October. (Photo by J.W. Hendricks for CalMatters)(Illustration by Gabriel Hongsdusit/CalMatters)San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre wears a respiratory filter mask while standing near a section of the Tijuana River in San Diego in November. (Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters)Jodeah Wilson, 22, on his laptop at his off-campus apartment near Sacramento State in October. Wilson, a former Sacramento State student, left school this semester after being unable to afford tuition. (Photo by Felix Uribe for CalMatters/Catchlight)Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, exits the Robert T. Matsui Federal Courthouse in Sacramento after her arraignment in November. (Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters)First: H.R., a physical education teacher at a high school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District , in November. H.R., who immigrated to the U.S. two years ago, may have to return to his home country due to a new H-1B visa fee implemented by the Trump administration. Last: Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to the press after Proposition 50 was passed by California voters, at the California Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento in November. (Photos by Manuel Orbegozo and Jungho Kim for CalMatters)Kelly Frost holds a photograph of her father, Jeffrey Butler, in Douglas City in December. (Photo by Salvador Ochoa for CalMatters)
