This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Diablo Canyon, California’s sole remaining nuclear power plant, has been left for dead on more than a few occasions over the last decade or so, and is currently slated to begin a lengthy decommissioning process in 2029. Despite...
‘World-Class Nightlife’: CA Lawmakers Try Again to Extend Last Call to 4 AM
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Enjoy closing down a California bar at 2 a.m.? Hold my beer, say a pair of San Francisco Democrats. Assemblymember Matt Haney and Sen. Scott Wiener are bringing back a measure to allow some restaurants and bars in...
Border Patrol Said It Targeted Known Criminals in Kern County. But It Had No Record on 77 of 78 Arrestees
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. It was quiet on the border. A Border Patrol agent named James Lee was parked in the shade next to a 30-foot fence in Calexico. The windows of his SUV were rolled up, the engine making that noise...
CA’s Homeless Shelters Aren’t for Everyone. That Doesn’t Mean They Don’t Work
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Re: "7 takeaways from our investigation into California homeless shelters" For those who take a dim view of homeless shelters, I can only suggest they spend a night or two sleeping in alleys, under bridges or on freezing...
Is Your CA Career College or Training Program Legit? Check Its License or Violations
By Ross Teixeira, Erica Yee, and Adam Echelman, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. More Information About Our Tracker Licensed To operate, private institutions of higher education in California are required to obtain a license from the state’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education,...
Fight Over Phonics: Will CA Require the ‘Science of Reading’ in K-12 Schools?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Can you spell deja vu? The battle over the best way to teach children how to read has re-erupted in the California Legislature, as dueling factions haggle over a bill that would mandate a phonics-based style of reading...
Rural California, Reliant on the Trump Administration for Jobs, Braces for Cuts
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Far from the halls of power in Washington, the forested hamlet of Mount Shasta has long tied its economic fate to a functioning federal government. Yet even in a county where President Donald Trump’s cuts could hit the...
No More Calling ‘Shotgun?’ CA Could Ban Teens From Riding in Front Seat
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Calling “shotgun” to ride in the front seat may no longer be an option for small-sized California middle and high schoolers. Citing crash statistics that show small-framed children, regardless of age, are disproportionately hurt in crashes when not...
California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has regularly taken side jobs running Bay Area nonprofits during his tenure as California’s elected schools chief, earning tens of thousands of dollars to supplement his income, financial disclosures show. Thurmond...
Inside a $17 Billion Maintenance Backlog Plaguing California’s Universities
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Across California’s public university systems, students, faculty and staff are learning and working in aging academic buildings where air conditioning, roofs, plumbing and electrical systems are either deteriorating or not functional. Every year, maintenance costs for University of...