CALMatters | Almanac Online |

CALmatters is a Sacramento-based nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. It works with more than 130 media partners throughout the state that have long, deep relationships with their local audiences, including Embarcadero Media (publisher of the Palo Alto Weekly, Mountain View Voice, Pleasanton Weekly and The Almanac in Menlo Park and their websites.)

Here are the most recent stories reported by CALmatters' team of journalists:

My turn: How to lead California on water

Felicia Marcus genuinely listened, didn’t shy away from tough decisions, and maintained a fierce dedication to public safety, economic security, and environmental health priorities of the state she loves. Her leadership will help her successors, E. Joaquin Esquivel and Laurel Firestone who bring experience in community-based work to the board.

Mon, Feb 18, 2019 8:30 am

Felony murder law repealed? Maybe not

Last year, the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown virtually repealed California's "felony murder" law, but a judge has ruled that the repeal is unconstitutional.

Mon, Feb 18, 2019 12:01 am

My turn: Protecting clean car standards is a moral, health and economic imperative

Automakers must understand that if state and federal clean car standards are weakened, as a result of their lobbying, public health, climate emissions, the economy and job creation will suffer in California. We are calling on all automakers to view these standards from a moral perspective and halt any and all efforts to roll them back.

Sun, Feb 17, 2019 8:30 am

Newsom’s activist agenda fits historic trend

Gavin Newsom has a very ambitious agenda as governor, but ambitious governors haven't fared very well in the past.

Sun, Feb 17, 2019 12:01 am

My turn: How much time do we need to overcome racism?

What have we learned from the decades of lynchings in this country? What have we learned from the roll call of the dead in the civil rights battles? What have we learned from the brutal slayings of nine people in an historic black Charleston, S.C.

Sat, Feb 16, 2019 8:30 am

Weekly CALmatters 02/15/2019

Highlighting all of CALmatters' work over the past week

Fri, Feb 15, 2019 8:48 pm

Weekly Walters 02/15/2019

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

Fri, Feb 15, 2019 4:46 am

Police misconduct, guns rights, disasters and taxes

The fight for continues for police misconduct records, a pioneering state gun law is being challenged by red states, and a court ruling is creating tax chaos.

Fri, Feb 15, 2019 4:30 am

My turn: California votes will be wasted in 2020 presidential primary. Here’s why

By moving the presidential primary election date to March 3, 2020, the Legislature sought to hit the moving target of relevance based on circumstances that can neither be controlled or known. If the past is any guide, hundreds of thousands of voters will waste their ballots on candidates who no longer will be running by primary election day.

Fri, Feb 15, 2019 4:29 am

Should California buy disaster insurance?

Hoping to save California taxpayers some money after spending nearly $1 billion to fight wildfires last year, Napa Democratic Sen. Bill Dodd, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Treasurer Fiona Ma say it’s time to look at purchasing disaster insurance for the state.

Thu, Feb 14, 2019 3:29 pm

California’s Supreme Court has thrown cities—and citizens—into chaos over local taxes

San Francisco, Oakland, and Fresno are getting sued—all because the California Supreme Court has yet to answer a simple question: How many votes does it take for a new tax to become law?

Thu, Feb 14, 2019 2:40 pm

Future disasters, future power, future Trump relations

Happy Valentine’s Day, California. “I’m not going this time. I’ve got 35 chickens and a daughter who won’t leave them behind. So we’re staying.”—Lake Elsinore real estate Tim Suber, as Riverside County sheriff’s deputies sought to evacuate wildfire burn areas prone to mudslides during Wednesday’s epic rain. Suber told the Associated Press that between last […]

Thu, Feb 14, 2019 4:30 am

Long alliance of Democrats and police union erodes

The decades-long alliance between Democratic politicians and police unions has been eroded, as two legislative battles illustrate.

Thu, Feb 14, 2019 12:01 am

California’s ‘smart’ energy future glows on the horizon—but how to get there?

In a redesigned electricity system, people may choose where to get power—even cars will be able to charge up their homes. Fossil fuels will be gone.

Thu, Feb 14, 2019 12:01 am

Another take: Online lenders provide innovative and much needed financial services

Online lead generators and lenders provide innovative financial services that reach Californians who aren’t being served by banks and credit unions. Ensuring laws are modernized, embrace innovation and protect consumers should be the Legislature’s top priority.

Wed, Feb 13, 2019 1:40 pm

Frustrated by government’s slow response, Californians are serving homeless neighbors themselves

As inequality increases and encampments sprout in virtually every city statewide, some Californians are taking it upon themselves to address the pressing needs of homeless people in their neighborhoods—doing the work they think government should be doing, but isn’t.

Wed, Feb 13, 2019 12:46 pm

What could be worse than the next big fire? The next big fire caused by PG&E

Customers will likely pay more and victims will get less should PG&E be liable for another major wildfire while the company is in bankruptcy.

Wed, Feb 13, 2019 10:02 am

My turn: Here’s how rooftop solar can combat wildfires

We have a short period of time until the next fire season hits us. PG&E’s troubles have Californians demanding better solutions from their utilities, now. Sustainable business models and partnerships with solar leaders looking to protect fire-prone communities are a start.

Wed, Feb 13, 2019 8:30 am

Newsom stirs high speed rail furor

Newsom's State of the State throws the Central Valley a peace offering on the Delta tunnels, creates high speed rail confusion and offers a big social plan.

Wed, Feb 13, 2019 4:30 am

Five ways Gavin Newsom made it clear he’s not Jerry Brown

Gov. Gavin Newsom used his state of the state speech to make his strongest showing yet that Jerry Brown is no longer in charge.

Tue, Feb 12, 2019 7:06 pm

Newsom’s State of the State, Annotated

Gov. Gavin Newsom's 2019 State of the State address, annotated by CALmatters reporters.

Tue, Feb 12, 2019 2:02 pm

Newsom downgrades Brown’s pet projects

Gov. Gavin Newsom lays out ambitious agenda that sets a high mark for his political future.

Tue, Feb 12, 2019 1:02 pm

My turn: Gov. Newsom can confront climate change by restoring what we once had

Floodplain reforestation projects are biodiversity hotspots and climate-protection powerhouses that cost far less than old-fashioned gray infrastructure of levees, dams and reservoirs. They provide highly-effective flood safety by strategically spreading floodwater.

Tue, Feb 12, 2019 7:38 am

The border, the next wildfire, oil and water

Newsom pulls border troops, an 'un-American' transgender ban, the next big fire, a possible oil tax, Felicia Marcus may be out, and the State of the State.

Tue, Feb 12, 2019 4:30 am

Live analysis of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s State of the State address

Can Gov. Gavin Newsom really do everything he’s setting out to do? Our team of state reporters break down his first State of the State address today—in a live YouTube panel discussion and our in-house Slack chat. You’ll find them both below. You can also read his speech, with our annotations, here. CALmatters Analysis of […]

Mon, Feb 11, 2019 4:45 pm

What happens when the next big wildfire hits?

As political pressure mounts with every disaster, California is scrambling to prepare for the coming fire season, from firefighting to utilities to the law.

Mon, Feb 11, 2019 10:57 am

My turn: ‘Green chemistry’ makes products safer. Here’s how California can do better

California's green chemistry program can protect families and the environment from hazardous chemicals, and stimulate economic innovation. But after 10 years of progress, California legislators must expand this important effort with a stronger Safer Consumer Products Program.

Mon, Feb 11, 2019 8:30 am

State of the State, Kamala Harris and homeless encampments

A new governor in town, and at the the border. Why free community college isn't so free. Don't underestimate Kamala Harris. And the State of the State.

Mon, Feb 11, 2019 4:30 am

How future-proof is Gavin Newsom’s master plan for California?

As Gavin Newsom delivers his first State of the State speech, how do his plans prepare California for that dream—not just next year, but 5, 20, 30 years from now?

Mon, Feb 11, 2019 12:01 am

Newsom wants more accountability for schools

Jerry Brown's unwillingness to monitor how local school districts are educating their students is giving way to successor Gavin Newsom's pledge to increase accountability.

Mon, Feb 11, 2019 12:01 am

My turn: We must protect California from Trump’s war on women

As President Trump works to undermine access to health care, we’re counting on the Legislature to join Gov. Newsom in making a new $100 million investment in reproductive health care a reality. Lives are depending on it.

Sun, Feb 10, 2019 8:30 am

School districts set poor example for students

California school districts set poor example for their students when they overspend revenues and then seek bailouts from Sacramento and/or voters.

Sun, Feb 10, 2019 12:01 am

Weekly CALmatters 02/08/2019

Highlighting all of CALmatters' work over the past week

Sat, Feb 9, 2019 11:42 am

Huntington Beach legislator: Newsom housing lawsuit “seemed like selective prosecution”

A conservative Huntington Beach legislator called a state lawsuit aimed at compelling the Orange County city to build more housing a "literal cannonball" from Gov. Gavin Newsom and said it "seemed like selective prosecution" when dozens of other California cities could be blamed for not doing their fair share to alleviate California's housing shortage.

Fri, Feb 8, 2019 11:20 am

CalTrans issues

Fri, Feb 8, 2019 9:38 am

Weekly Walters 02/08/2019

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

Fri, Feb 8, 2019 4:46 am

Healthcare, taxes, $2 million, and Stormy Daniels

California needs health workers—stat. Medical exemptions to vaccination laws are spiking. And Stormy Daniels wants a stripper exemption to Dynamex.

Fri, Feb 8, 2019 4:30 am

VIDEO: Why California is so strict on guns

Tragedy strikes, California responds. Tragedy strikes, California responds. But how did a state once the epitome of the gun-slinging wild, wild west wind up with more gun control laws than another state in the country? This video explains:

Thu, Feb 7, 2019 11:30 pm

California made it hard to avoid vaccinating kids. Medical waivers have tripled. Now what?

Three years after California stopped allowing families to easily opt out of childhood vaccines, the number of kids getting medical waivers has tripled—the result, critics say, of some doctors loosely issuing exemptions to help families get around the law. Legislators and health experts are debating what to do next. One proposal would be modeled on an existing state requirement that any veterinarian seeking to exempt a sick dog from rabies vaccination must obtain approval from a health official.

Thu, Feb 7, 2019 7:04 pm

Not-so-free college: The limits of California’s Promise program

Tuition-free community college programs are springing up around the country, including in California. But to many struggling students, “free” doesn’t really mean free.

Thu, Feb 7, 2019 6:58 pm

CALQuiz: The 2020 polling begins, a plan to fight fires, and a schism over police shootings

Thu, Feb 7, 2019 5:02 pm

My turn: Here’s how to avert California’s next health care crisis

California faces a serious gap in health care workers. Seven million Californians, the majority of them Latino, African American, and Native American, live in Health Professional Shortage Areas — a federal designation for counties experiencing shortfalls of primary care, dental care, or mental health care providers. The California Future Health Workforce Commission offers solutions.

Thu, Feb 7, 2019 3:12 pm

My turn: Self-driving cars must not leave the rest of us behind

Self-driving vehicle technology could exacerbate entrenched social and environmental problems, if we don’t make deliberate policy choices, especially for marginalized groups. We can easily imagine a dystopian scenario in which people with money purchase personal self-driving cars, while the rest of us are mired in congested streets, with reduced mobility as public transit gets short-changed due to ridership loss.

Thu, Feb 7, 2019 1:48 pm

Polling on property tax, Newsom and Pelosi, and online college gets a tech CEO

A new California poll shows the Golden State loves Pelosi. Newsom settles a bet and spotlights housing. CA's new online college gets a tech CEO.

Thu, Feb 7, 2019 4:30 am

Will the one-percenters flee California’s high taxes?

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blames a shortfall in state income tax revenues on the flight of rich taxpayers to Florida because federal tax laws no longer allow them to write off state and local taxes. What about California?

Thu, Feb 7, 2019 12:01 am

My turn: Public-private partnerships are an industry gimmick that don’t serve public well

Californians rejected Proposition 6 in November, and voted to continue spending billions of dollars each year to rebuild our transportation infrastructure. Not a penny of that money or any other broad-based transportation funding should be diverted to finance risky privatization schemes. When it comes to “public-private partnerships,” those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

Wed, Feb 6, 2019 2:34 pm

California’s new online community college taps tech entrepreneur for top job

Heather Hiles, founder of Pathbrite and a Newsom appointee when he was San Francisco mayor, will run the controversial new online college signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Wed, Feb 6, 2019 2:20 pm

Two CA polls in one day offer encouragement to Newsom, the new Legislature, and Kamala Harris for president

A new poll released finds Californians feeling positive about Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's priorities and the new Legislature. And a second poll issued the same day indicates that the state's junior U.S. senator, Kamala Harris, has an early home state advantage—just as long as more high-profile Democrats don’t jump into the race.

Wed, Feb 6, 2019 5:00 am

Becerra v. Trump, police shootings, teen car insurance

Turns out the nonbinary gender law impacts everyone who's a teen driver. A deal on a police shooting bill dissolves. A 2020 poll. And CA's privacy law.

Wed, Feb 6, 2019 4:30 am

Weak authority undermines Sacramento Mayor’s agenda

Darrell Steinberg has an ambitious agenda as mayor of Sacramento, but as he works on it, he must deal with the fact that he has little executive authority.

Wed, Feb 6, 2019 12:01 am

Last year, the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown virtually repealed California's "felony murder" law, but a judge has ruled that the repeal is unconstitutional.

Gavin Newsom has a very ambitious agenda as governor, but ambitious governors haven't fared very well in the past.

What have we learned from the decades of lynchings in this country? What have we learned from the roll call of the dead in the civil rights battles? What have we learned from the brutal slayings of nine people in an historic black Charleston, S.C.

Highlighting all of CALmatters' work over the past week

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

The fight for continues for police misconduct records, a pioneering state gun law is being challenged by red states, and a court ruling is creating tax chaos.

Hoping to save California taxpayers some money after spending nearly $1 billion to fight wildfires last year, Napa Democratic Sen. Bill Dodd, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Treasurer Fiona Ma say it’s time to look at purchasing disaster insurance for the state.

San Francisco, Oakland, and Fresno are getting sued—all because the California Supreme Court has yet to answer a simple question: How many votes does it take for a new tax to become law?

The decades-long alliance between Democratic politicians and police unions has been eroded, as two legislative battles illustrate.

In a redesigned electricity system, people may choose where to get power—even cars will be able to charge up their homes. Fossil fuels will be gone.

Online lead generators and lenders provide innovative financial services that reach Californians who aren’t being served by banks and credit unions. Ensuring laws are modernized, embrace innovation and protect consumers should be the Legislature’s top priority.

As inequality increases and encampments sprout in virtually every city statewide, some Californians are taking it upon themselves to address the pressing needs of homeless people in their neighborhoods—doing the work they think government should be doing, but isn’t.

Customers will likely pay more and victims will get less should PG&E be liable for another major wildfire while the company is in bankruptcy.

We have a short period of time until the next fire season hits us. PG&E’s troubles have Californians demanding better solutions from their utilities, now. Sustainable business models and partnerships with solar leaders looking to protect fire-prone communities are a start.

Newsom's State of the State throws the Central Valley a peace offering on the Delta tunnels, creates high speed rail confusion and offers a big social plan.

Gov. Gavin Newsom used his state of the state speech to make his strongest showing yet that Jerry Brown is no longer in charge.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's 2019 State of the State address, annotated by CALmatters reporters.

Gov. Gavin Newsom lays out ambitious agenda that sets a high mark for his political future.

Floodplain reforestation projects are biodiversity hotspots and climate-protection powerhouses that cost far less than old-fashioned gray infrastructure of levees, dams and reservoirs. They provide highly-effective flood safety by strategically spreading floodwater.

Newsom pulls border troops, an 'un-American' transgender ban, the next big fire, a possible oil tax, Felicia Marcus may be out, and the State of the State.

As political pressure mounts with every disaster, California is scrambling to prepare for the coming fire season, from firefighting to utilities to the law.

California's green chemistry program can protect families and the environment from hazardous chemicals, and stimulate economic innovation. But after 10 years of progress, California legislators must expand this important effort with a stronger Safer Consumer Products Program.

A new governor in town, and at the the border. Why free community college isn't so free. Don't underestimate Kamala Harris. And the State of the State.

As Gavin Newsom delivers his first State of the State speech, how do his plans prepare California for that dream—not just next year, but 5, 20, 30 years from now?

Jerry Brown's unwillingness to monitor how local school districts are educating their students is giving way to successor Gavin Newsom's pledge to increase accountability.

As President Trump works to undermine access to health care, we’re counting on the Legislature to join Gov. Newsom in making a new $100 million investment in reproductive health care a reality. Lives are depending on it.

California school districts set poor example for their students when they overspend revenues and then seek bailouts from Sacramento and/or voters.

Highlighting all of CALmatters' work over the past week

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

California needs health workers—stat. Medical exemptions to vaccination laws are spiking. And Stormy Daniels wants a stripper exemption to Dynamex.

Tragedy strikes, California responds. Tragedy strikes, California responds. But how did a state once the epitome of the gun-slinging wild, wild west wind up with more gun control laws than another state in the country? This video explains:

Tuition-free community college programs are springing up around the country, including in California. But to many struggling students, “free” doesn’t really mean free.

A new California poll shows the Golden State loves Pelosi. Newsom settles a bet and spotlights housing. CA's new online college gets a tech CEO.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blames a shortfall in state income tax revenues on the flight of rich taxpayers to Florida because federal tax laws no longer allow them to write off state and local taxes. What about California?

Heather Hiles, founder of Pathbrite and a Newsom appointee when he was San Francisco mayor, will run the controversial new online college signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Turns out the nonbinary gender law impacts everyone who's a teen driver. A deal on a police shooting bill dissolves. A 2020 poll. And CA's privacy law.

Darrell Steinberg has an ambitious agenda as mayor of Sacramento, but as he works on it, he must deal with the fact that he has little executive authority.

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