This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. At 98, my father’s paper trail was long — in addition to his U.S. birth certificate, there were his discharge papers from his service in the Army Air Corps during World War II, his house deed, his children’s...
Floods Exposed Weaknesses in California Prisons’ Emergency Plans. They Still Aren’t Ready
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In 2023, amid record-breaking rain and snow, two prisons in the southern San Joaquin Valley faced a serious risk of flooding. But neither prison, California State Prison, Corcoran or the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility, had a robust evacuation...
Other States Are Showing California How to Protect Its Budget Without Cutting Needed Services
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. As California leaders and advocates enter prime budget negotiations, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised proposal may soon provide clarity, revealing an expected shortfall and a lot of uncertainty driven by federal leaders. At the...
Head Start Gets a Reprieve From Trump Budget Cuts, but the Fight Isn’t Over
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Chalk one up for the 4-year-olds. Thanks to a relentless onslaught of pleading, cajoling, lobbying and public pressure, Head Start appears to have dodged the federal budget axe — for the time being. Last month, President Donald Trump’s...
Kaiser in the Hot Seat as CA Lawmakers Blast Company for Skipping Mental Health Hearing
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Mia Bonta held the two-page letter in front of her. From her perch at the helm of the Assembly health committee Tuesday afternoon, she read an excerpt from the note, which a Kaiser Permanente leader had sent that...
LA Fire Survivors Accuse State Farm of Delaying Claims. Should It Get OK for a Rate Hike?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Rossana Valverde’s Pasadena home of 35 years is still standing after Los Angeles County’s devastating January fires — but more than 100 days later, she and her husband still can’t move back in. That’s because they’re waiting for...
Millions on the Street Virtually Overnight: How Trump’s Budget Proposal Could Affect CA
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. On Friday President Trump released a budget blueprint for the next fiscal year that would take a chainsaw to social, environmental and education programs. Some of the sharpest cuts are directed at housing programs that are meant to...
California Lawmakers Kill Bid to Force HOAs to Follow Open Meeting Laws
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Republican Assemblymember Joe Patterson says a woman slowly drives by his Placer County home about once a week and takes pictures. She’s not an angry constituent or a stalker. He said she’s a representative from his homeowners’ association...
California Democrats Backed Into a Corner Over Teen Sex Solicitation
By Jeanne Kuang, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California Republicans have developed something of a formula in the state Legislature. Push to raise penalties for certain kinds of sex crimes, like trafficking minors. Press the Democrats, many of whom remain wary of...
100 Days In, California Is Suing Trump at Almost Double the Pace of His First Term
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In its first hundred days, through a series of executive orders, the Trump administration has reimagined this country’s social contract with its citizens. The administration pledges more opportunities and fewer guarantees, less forgiveness and more consequences. Its 139...