Californians will get cash and food assistance on more secure cards early next year — about six months later than promised, prolonging a massive recent theft wave that has been taking more than $15 million every month from the state's poorest families. New electronic benefits transfer cards that come with...
Project 2025 to California: Report Abortion Data or Lose Billions in Medicaid
Project 2025, the 900-page conservative playbook for the next Republican president, issues an ultimatum for California: track and report abortion data to the federal government or risk losing billions in Medicaid funding for reproductive health. California is one of only three states that do not report abortion data to the...
Should California Community Colleges Offer Bachelor’s Degrees in Nursing? Universities Say No
Is there a nursing shortage in California? Now, yes, though in a few years, probably not. By 2027, the state is projected to have as many nurses as it needs because of a rise in nursing program enrollment, according to UC San Francisco projections compiled for the state agency that...
Why the California Housing Market Is so Expensive in 2024
California is an expensive place to call home. It's such a fundamental part of California life it almost feels silly to say. Along with good weather, sunny beaches, Hollywood, and the Golden Gate Bridge, the sky-high cost of housing has become part of the state's national identity. The high cost...
‘I Won’t Let Them Drink the Water’: The CA Towns Where Clean Drinking Water Is Out of Reach
In a major milestone, state regulators announced in July that nearly a million more Californians now have safe drinking water than five years ago. But across the state, the problem remains severe: More than 735,000 people are still served by the nearly 400 water systems that fail to meet state...
Exclusive: California’s Homeless Population Grew Again This Year, Especially in These Counties
New data shows nearly 186,000 people now live on the streets and in homeless shelters in California, proving the crisis continues to grow despite increasing state and local efforts to stem the tide. That's according to an exclusive CalMatters analysis of the latest results of the point-in-time count, a federally...
The Architect of California’s COVID Response Is Stepping Down
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top health adviser during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic plans to step down. The governor praised Dr. Mark Ghaly as the country’s “most transformative leader in the health space” in recent years after announcing that the secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency is leaving the...
Hate Crimes Rise Against Indian Americans, Deepening a Divide Between Hindus and Sikhs
The vandalization of three California Hindu temples escalated fears about hate crimes against Indian Americans. Meanwhile, Sikhs are on edge from attacks against separatist leaders in North America. On a morning just days before the New Year, Kiran Thakkar received a worrying phone call. A friend had found anti-India graffiti...
California Fails Badly at Informing Parents on How Students & Schools Are Performing
California has a wealth of data about K-12 public schools — test scores, attendance rates, who's headed to college and more. Finding it is another story. Information about the state's 5.8 million students and their schools is spread across at least five websites, each outfitted with dozens of filters, drop-down...
Job Killer or Neighborhood Protector? Proposed Warehouse Rules Divide Inland Empire
California is poised to set new rules for warehouse locations and truck routes with a last-minute bill to curtail air pollution and traffic from distribution centers. But local government groups oppose the legislation, and business groups warn that it would place onerous requirements on warehouse developments and cities, threatening trade...