This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In his attempts to solve a multibillion-dollar state deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom's new budget plan would terminate a legislative experiment that increased pay for juries in an effort to make them more fairly represent the communities they serve....
‘I’m Really Scared’: Elderly and Disabled Californians Could Lose Medi-Cal Over $2,000 Limit
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Cynde Soto, a quadriplegic who requires around-the-clock care, has been on Medi-Cal for most of her life. Recently, she came into a modest inheritance, about $8,000, that has helped cover her daily expenses. But it also means that...
Why California’s Biggest Local Effort to Fight Homelessness Is Starting All Over Again
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. For three decades, the city and county of Los Angeles managed California's biggest homelessness crisis together. They had equal say in big funding decisions, and worked in tandem to coordinate housing programs through a joint city-county agency called...
California Lets Students Wear Tribal Regalia at Graduations. Why It’s Still Controversial
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Eight years ago, California passed a law requiring high schools to allow students to wear eagle feathers, abalone necklaces and other regalia at graduations. But so many schools — more than half, by one estimation — have thrown...
Should CA’s Climate Budget Pay for High-Speed Rail, Firefighters?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to tap at least $2.5 billion from the state’s climate fund to pay for state firefighting crews and the long-troubled high-speed rail project. In his budget proposal unveiled last week, Newsom announced that...
Despite Budget Woes, Gov. Newsom Wants More Tax Credits for Hollywood
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Staring down a $12 billion budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed steep cuts to California's health care services and public universities — all while promising more dollars to Hollywood. Newsom on Wednesday doubled down on his proposal to...
Is the Secret to CA Housing Affordability Buried in the Building Code?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. As lawmakers scramble to turbocharge post-fire recovery efforts in Los Angeles and to tackle a housing shortage across the state, a new addition may be coming to California’s building code: A pause button. Assembly Bill 306 would freeze...
Can Middle Schoolers Handle College? This San Jose School Is Finding Out
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. By 2:45 p.m. the regular school day at August Boeger Middle School had already ended, but one class is about to start. More than 20 eighth graders drop their backpacks and settle into desks — not for extra...
Trump Tariffs, Rising Health Care Costs Knock CA Budget Back Into Deficit
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Facing a long horizon of budget deficits, California officials stretched and scrimped and massaged the numbers to stabilize the state’s finances last year. But an unforeseen economic downturn, spurred by President Donald Trump’s chaotic tariffs strategy, has knocked...
California Released 15,000 Prisoners Early During COVID. New Data Reveals What Happened to Many of Them
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Nearly one-third of California prisoners released early during the pandemic by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration ended up back in prison, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation data. The records, obtained and analyzed by CalMatters, offer the...