From climate-driven natural disasters to crumbling infrastructure and threats of mass shootings, modern dangers are sending California kids home from class in record numbers. The trend [...]
Our reporters are tracking California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies as he seeks to tackle big issues including housing, climate change, health care and more.
Only hard options remain for dealing with California’s wildfire crisis. From controlled burns to burying power lines to breaking up PG&E, what are the odds?
One-stop shop for what you need to know going into California's 2018 election.
With fresh political attention on mental health, advocates are hoping California embraces humane and effective ways of averting some problems and solving others.
A new California law aims to reduce police shootings and the use of deadly force by law enforcement. Here's a deep look at the issue in [...]
In California, wildfire season is nearly year-round. CALmatters explores why, and what could help fireproof the state.
Half the state's households struggle to afford the roof over their heads. Here’s what you need to know about one of California’s most vexing issues.
California's population is about to hit 40 million. Here's who we are, where we're going and why the census is so important to us.
President Trump has threatened to roll back Obama-era standards, jeopardizing a decades-old exemption that lets California make its own clean air rules.
In the last days of California's 2019 legislative session, hundreds of bills landed on the governor's desk. We're tracking the most consequential.
The modern American gun debate began in 1967 in California's Capitol. In the years since, California has enacted more gun control laws than any other state. [...]
In the final days of California's 2018 legislative session, hundreds of bills landed on the governor's desk. We're tracking the fate of the most consequential here. [...]
The cost of retirement benefits for public employees from California's state state and local governments and schools and colleges has more than tripled since 2003—putting so [...]
Addressing sea-level rise will cost a staggering sum of public and private money, and will particularly impact the poor and vulnerable. A look at the challenge [...]
It's a complex subject. We explain what it all means.
California’s tax system, which relies heavily on the wealthy for state income, is prone to boom-and-bust cycles. Here's what you need to know.
The cost of a college degree is soaring in California, where public universities were once free. What happened? And what can be done for students and [...]
In California, wildfire season is nearly year-round. CALmatters explores why, and what could help fireproof the state.
Wildfires. Bad weather. Dangerous contamination. Explore the emergencies leading to school closures in California.
In this news game about college affordability, play the role of a student as you navigate your way through college as debt-free as possible.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has been using the courts to try and stop policies coming out of the White House that harm Californians, and it's [...]
We designed this interactive to improve your understanding of where taxes come from and where all that money goes. Let’s build your version of the Golden [...]
CALmatters is teaming up with student journalists to track some of the most important college affordability bills working their way through the California Legislature.
Over the past four decades, California middle-class incomes have stagnated, income inequality has grown, and more than half of Californians born that year made less than [...]
An interactive guide to figure out how you may want to vote on all 11 of California's ballot measures for the 2018 election.
There are more white men named Jim in the California Legislature than black and Asian-American women—combined. And that’s not even including another white.
California prides itself on diversity. But how representative are members of the state’s Legislature when it comes to key demographics?
A podcast about California's attempts to reduce police shootings.
A look into California's housing crisis and how it impacts you.
Californians now list mental health care as their number one health priority—a testament both to its importance and to the gap between need and reality.
An ongoing look into California's growing pension crisis.
California is casting off fossil fuels on its way to becoming a fully electrified state. But it's unclear whether the aging electricity grid can deliver.
A slow-moving emergency is lapping at California’s shores.
For Californians from all walks of life, there’s an increasingly pervasive feeling that achieving the California Dream is just harder than it used to be.
Protecting California from wildfires won't be easy. It's costly, requires us to change the way we think about fire and accept some hard facts. Are Californians [...]
California’s aging electricity grid is in need of a massive overhaul. The complex system needs to adapt as the Golden State aims for lofty environmental goals [...]
Last year, you could buy 32 NFL teams. Before that, it was the Lakers times 60. Watch this two minute breakdown of California's new state budget [...]
And the people to thank are the Black Panther Party and former Gov. Ronald Reagan (yeah, that guy who became president).
CALmatters' Pulitzer Prize-winning environmental reporter Julie Cart explains how the Golden State became a key international player in the fight against a changing global climate.
For many Californians battling a severe mental illness, the road towards long-term care begins with a stop behind bars. Here’s a look at how the mental [...]
From 2018 voter guide at calmatters.org: CALmatters' reporter Ben Christopher explains how to vote in California.
After the police shooting of Stephon Clark, California lawmakers introduced AB 931, which would have required police to only use police force when "necessary" to prevent [...]
Through the Years contains state of the state speeches from 2011-2017.
Here's what you need to know about the 2018-19 California state budget.
From 2018 voter guide at calmatters.org: Candidates for governor are not willing to share the answers they provide in questionnaires to an array of special interests. [...]
The governor just authorized more than $180 billion in state spending. Where is that money going?