WhatMatters

Any time a California politician makes it to the national stage, the epithets follow: California radical, San Francisco liberal, etc. It’s happened to Gov. Gavin Newsom, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the list goes on. But what if it’s the Democratic nominee for president and possibly the first woman to hold the nation’s highest office? […]

Sky-high rent is among Californians’ biggest concerns. Nearly 30% of tenants spend more than half their income on rent; and the median rent is $2,850 a month, 33% higher than the national average. Two propositions on the Nov. 5 ballot address this issue — though one does so in a rather roundabout way. The more […]

Democratic leaders’ public safety ballot measure flamed out when Gov. Gavin Newsom shockingly withdrew the proposal at the last minute. Now, legislators are pushing ahead with a retail theft bill package in their continued opposition of Proposition 36 — a November ballot measure backed by law enforcement groups and Republicans (and some Democrats) that would […]

On their first day back from summer recess, California lawmakers made clear that the budget crunch isn’t over.  The Senate appropriations committee sent dozens upon dozens of bills — that have a price tag of at least $50,000 to $150,000 and that may also be politically dicey — to the dreaded suspense file, where many […]

The California Legislature gets back to work today, starting a one-month sprint to adjournment on Aug. 31. Lawmakers have a lot to finish up: More than 1,300 bills are still in play, though many will not reach Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. One high-profile measure is Assembly Bill 1825, which would prohibit library review committees. As […]

Many landlords in California can only raise the rent a certain amount. Thursday, they — and their tenants — found out how high.  A 2019 law caps how much landlords can bump up rent, starting each Aug. 1: Either by 5% plus inflation, or by 10% (whichever is lower). In California, the average median rent […]

The November election is less than 100 days away, and CalMatters will have the lowdown on each of the ballot’s 10 propositions. Today we’re highlighting Proposition 32, which seeks to raise California’s minimum wage, as well as Prop. 35, which proposes to ensure that a tax on health care plans is spent on low-income patients. […]

Ballooning to more than three times the surface area of Lake Tahoe, Park Fire is now the fifth largest fire in California’s history. Last week, investigators arrested a 42-year-old Chico man suspected of starting the blaze by pushing a burning car into a ravine. But that’s not the most unusual way some of California’s destructive […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom is picking and choosing his political friends and foes, depending on the day. On his black list at the moment: Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, who threatened to move the headquarters of X (formerly known as Twitter) and SpaceX from California to Texas after Newsom signed a law earlier this month prohibiting […]

Park Fire — the largest wildfire in California this year, and one of the largest fires in the state’s history — continues to rage, burning more than 360,000 acres. The conflagration began last week near Chico, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for Butte and Tehama counties. Evacuation orders or warnings […]