This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California has finally made real progress on one of its most stubborn problems: the housing crisis. After decades of paralysis, the state has begun to unwind the bureaucratic thicket that made it almost impossible to build new homes...
A New Invader Threatens California Water Supplies. Can State Stop Its Spread?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. One of the state’s best investigators was on the hunt for golden mussels — a dangerous new invader in California’s waters, with a reputation for destruction. Wearing a collar and a tongue-lolling grin, Allee, a Belgian Malinois, sniffed...
Heinous, Heartbreaking, Expensive: California Schools Face Avalanche of Sex Abuse Claims
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. When Samantha Muñoz was a second grader at Fancher Creek Elementary in Clovis, her teacher told her she “wasn’t that bright” and needed extra help with schoolwork. He’d make her stay in the classroom at recess, or tell...
Sick of Loud Ads on Netflix? A Proposed California Law Turns Down the Volume
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Ever been streaming a show or a movie and been jolted out of your entertainment reverie by an ad so loud it felt like it rattled the windows? If California’s lawmakers have their way, those blaring commercials on...
California, Epicenter of the Nation’s Housing Crisis, Is Finally Getting a Housing Agency
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. After years of soaring rents, increasingly out-of-reach home prices and an enduring homelessness crisis that touches every corner of the state, California is finally creating a state agency exclusively focused on housing issues. You might wonder what took...
Zohran Mamdani Jolted Progressives. Can California Candidates Replicate His Success?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. For California progressives, Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral bid offers something of a formula to follow. When the 33-year-old democratic socialist pulled off a historic upset in the primary last month, Golden State progressives rejoiced. Some deemed...
Higher Premiums and Lost Coverage: How Trump’s Budget Will Change Health Care in California
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The new federal budget signed into law by President Donald Trump is expected to raise some health care insurance premiums and force millions off coverage, reverberating the most in lower-income families and communities that are already struggling. Trump’s...
CA’s Population Shrank in Trump’s First Immigration Crackdown. It Could Happen Again
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. It hasn’t happened yet, but California is bracing for a demographic and economic hit under President Donald Trump’s multi-pronged effort to limit the entry of people born abroad and deport those already in the U.S. In fact, during...
Controversial Climate Rule That Could Raise Gas Prices About to Take Effect
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California’s revamped Low Carbon Fuel Standard takes effect on Tuesday, despite fierce Republican criticism and increasing Democratic trepidation over its potential to raise gas prices. The new rules — which expand a program to reduce climate-warming gases and...
Much of LA’s Community of Immigrants Is Hiding, Leaving a Hole in the Fabric of the City
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In immigrant-rich Westlake in Los Angeles, stores were empty Friday morning. The computer repair place was closed. Gates were down in front of a check-cashing operation. One of the area health clinics, where residents often line up for...