CalMatters

From left, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former California State Controller Betty Yee at the California gubernatorial candidate debate in San Francisco on Feb. 3, 2026. Photo by Laure Andrillon, AP Photo

It’s official: Eight Democrats and two Republicans say they have filed paperwork for the June 2 primary ballot in the California governor’s race bit.ly/4lhWSxV

📸 Laure Andrillon, AP

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 10, 2021. Photo by Ting Shen-Pool, Getty Images

Longtime Republican Rep. Darrell Issa will not seek reelection, he announced Friday. His decision comes four months after his San Diego-area congressional district was redrawn to favor Democrats. bit.ly/4aUU99V

📸 Ting Shen

Opinion | Democratic angst and gerrymandering threaten these political reforms California's Democratic leaders likely won't want to keep the top-two primary system or the independent redistricting commission after this year.

Opinion | Democratic angst and gerrymandering threaten these political reforms

California's Democratic leaders likely won't want to keep the top-two primary system or the independent redistricting commission after this year.

Why California cops and firefighters are pushing for a new perk on top of their pensions California Highway Patrol officers and Cal Fire firefighters are asking the state for a new retirement option that would complement their CalPERS pensions. It might reduce payroll costs to the state.

Why California cops and firefighters are pushing for a new perk on top of their pensions

California Highway Patrol officers and Cal Fire firefighters are asking the state for a new retirement option that would complement their CalPERS pensions. It might reduce payroll costs to the state.

Employees load an apartment unit, built at Factory_OS in Vallejo, onto a trailer at the facility on July 26, 2019. The company builds modular housing in the Bay Area. Photo by Yalonda M. James, San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Opinion | A new study by UC-Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation declares that factory-built housing could reduce costs for apartments... bit.ly/4lhPRwX

📝 Dan Walters
📸 Yalonda M. James

A student bikes past the "Sit-in to Stop Genocide" at Stanford University in Stanford on Nov. 6, 2023. Photo by Juliana Yamada for CalMatters

Opinion | At this moment, when constitutional protections are ignored unless they benefit those in power, the use of conspiracy laws effectively erodes social movements and destabilizes the ability to organize. bit.ly/40fuDpS

📝 Bobbie Stein
📸 Juliana Yamada

An illustration in green, red, blue and yellow tones that shows a desktop computer screen with an open window tab that resembles a Pokemon battle scene. At one end of the screen is a pixelated student and at the other is a wolf that represents a chatbot. The illustration includes a bubble text that reads "where can students get free food on campus?" alongside other bubbles of text with red exclamation points.

Community colleges are spending millions on AI-powered chatbots that students say often give inaccurate answers. bit.ly/4rlWakt

🎨 Adriana Heldiz

A skier takes to the slopes at Mammoth Mountain resort in California's Sierra Nevada on Jan. 26, 2018. Photo by Christopher Weber, AP Photo

A deadly ski season in California raises urgent questions. Why doesn’t the state track resort injuries or deaths, and who’s protecting people on the slopes? bit.ly/4rqBgRq

📸 Christopher Weber, AP

Flanked by lawmakers and advocates, Gov. Gavin Newsom signs legislation into law at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on Sept. 26, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Last year, conservative podcaster Shawn Ryan gave Gavin Newsom a SIG Sauer handgun, which the governor has yet to take home. To do so, Newsom would have to navigate a complicated web of California gun laws. bit.ly/4bxxhfZ

📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

Los Angeles City Hall on Aug. 7, 2019. The City Council will decide whether voters can vote on the size of the council in June. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Opinion | Should the city be served by a larger council, one whose members serve significantly smaller districts? It’s a controversial notion, but one that voters at least deserve the right to consider. bit.ly/3OMyxEd

📝 Jim Newton
📸 Anne Wernikoff

People vote at Assumption Church in Los Angeles on March 3, 2020. California's top-two primary will be June 2 this year. Photo by Kyle Grillot, Reuters

Opinion | California is destined to lose at last four and perhaps five seats in total after the 2030 census, due to population stagnation. bit.ly/40gzoPV

📝 Dan Walters
📸 Kyle Grillot

Remember: No tool is completely secure, but Signal and snail mail are the best options for maintaining discretion.

Ways to send a news tip to CalMatters: Email (info@calmatters.org), Signal ((917) 407-0635) or snail mail (1017 L Street #261 Sacramento, CA 95814)

Some of our hardest-hitting stories started off as tips from readers. Here’s how to get in touch:

DJ Nunley in Albany on Feb. 27, 2026. DJ attends UC Berkeley and serves as a College Corps fellow. He tutors and mentors incarcerated youth at the Alameda County Juvenile Hall Detention Center. Photo by Manuel Orbegozo for CalMatters

For college students seeking a job that fits around their academic schedules, and the opportunity to do meaningful work in their communities, a popular state program offers both. bit.ly/4bcWeNn

📸 Manuel Orbegozo

U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley questions former Special Counsel Jack Smith as he testifies during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Jan. 22, 2026. Photo by Al Drago, Getty Images

The two-term congressman from Roseville announced this week that he will file paperwork to run for the Sacramento-area 6th Congressional District after California’s Proposition 50 dramatically reshaped his current district into a solid pickup for Democrats. bit.ly/46KZVIJ

📸 Al Drago

The home of Rossana Valverde and her husband Sam Strgacich in Pasadena on April 26, 2025. Valverde and Strgacich are working with their home insurer to reach a settlement to cover costs associated with repairing damage caused by smoke from the Eaton Fire. Photo by Joel Angel Juarez for CalMatters

In November, Californians will vote for “the second-hardest job in the state behind the governor.” bit.ly/3PhvV14

📸 Joel Angel Juarez

Yusen Terminals at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on Feb. 11, 2025. Photo by Joel Angel Juarez for CalMatters

California and 23 other mostly Democratic states on Thursday sued the Trump administration over its new justification for the president’s wide-ranging tariffs. bit.ly/3P5bDb7

📸 Joel Angel Juarez

An aerial view of a 33 megawatt data center with closed-loop cooling system in Vernon on Oct. 20, 2025. A surge in demand for AI infrastructure is fueling a boom in data centers across the country and worldwide. Photo by Mario Tama, Getty Images

A California watchdog released a report Tuesday urging policymakers to act fast on the state’s fast-growing data-center industry – before soaring electricity demand from artificial intelligence lands on the bills of ordinary households. bit.ly/4rMQm4x

📸 Mario Tama

Dr. Matthew Beare examines a patient's foot at a meeting area near the Kern River on March 16, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

A majority of California’s roughly 180,000 people experiencing homelessness have health insurance through Medi-Cal. Providers predict that many will lose insurance under President Donald Trump’s upcoming work mandates even if they qualify for exemptions. bit.ly/408kKKB

📸 Larry Valenzuela

The California Highway Patrol hosts a swearing-in ceremony for more than 100 new officers at the CHP Academy in Sacramento on Sept. 13, 2024. Photo by Florence Middleton, CalMatters

This year, the unions that represent CHP officers and state firefighters are seeking a different end-of-career incentive: The opportunity to accumulate one big check in addition to that annual pension. bit.ly/46F2I6h

📸 Florence Middleton

Workers demonstrate carbon capturing at a natural gas power plant in Pittsburg, California on July 14, 2023. Photo by Semantha Norris for CalMatters

Opinion | High energy costs strangle the California Dream. When electricity and fuel get expensive, everything gets expensive — housing, food and freight. bit.ly/40aOJl6

📝 Tracy Hernandez
📸 Semantha Norris

A mental health worker speaks with an inmate through a cell door at the Tulare County Adult Pre-Trial Facility on Sept. 18, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Opinion | Failing jails diminish public safety, disrespect taxpayers and negatively impact incarcerated individuals and the correctional workforce. bit.ly/4r7mu1t

📝 Gregg Hart
📸 Larry Valenzuela

The California gubernatorial candidate debate stage in San Francisco on Feb. 3, 2026. The nine Democrats running for governor in California could tip the race in favor of the Republicans if some don't drop out, the chair of the Democratic party warns. Photo by Laure Andrillon, AP Photo

The nine Democrats vying for governor in California’s primary could win the race – for the Republicans – if some don’t drop out, the state’s Democratic party chair says. bit.ly/4ub8AhK

📸 Laure Andrillon, AP

AFSCME union members and cardroom employees protest outside Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office in Sacramento on Oct. 22, 2025. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Opinion | The state Capitol’s longest running political conflict — going at least a half-century and still counting — pits business interests against a quartet of left-leaning groups. bit.ly/40IkP7N

📝 Dan Walters
📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

A poster with information for students on using ChatGPT, an AI platform, in English teacher Jen Roberts' class at Point Loma High School in San Diego on May 3, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

The challenge, created by an executive order in April, is part of the Trump administration’s push to accelerate artificial intelligence education and prepare students for an “AI-driven economy.” bit.ly/4slSmAq

📸 Adriana Heldiz

How does a college generate $25 million more a year by enrolling 800 more students?

I explore how California campuses are in an enrollment doom loop and how they plan to get out of it.

This story relies on records requests + 13 interviews

📸 @zinchiang.bsky.social

calmatters.org/education/hi...

Student Vanessa Menera, 18, in the Innovation and Instruction Building at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson on Feb. 19, 2026. Photo by Zin Chiang for CalMatters

Several Cal State campuses are caught in a spiral of declining enrollment, threatening their budgets and programs. One in LA is focused on retention and re-enrolling students who dropped out. bit.ly/406vJUT

📸 Zin Chiang

Ben Richards, center, founder of SoCal Parents Advocates uses a megaphone to lead protestors in favor of the transgender notification policy outside the Orange Unified School District building in Orange on Sept. 7, 2023. Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register via Getty Images

The state has existing laws requiring teachers to use students’ preferred pronouns; schools are required to offer gender-neutral bathrooms; and sports teams and clubs must be open to all students. Those policies remain in place. bit.ly/4aNLdmL

📸 Leonard Ortiz

Former Congresswoman Katie Porter, candidate for governor of California, speaks during the afternoon general session at the California Democratic convention at Moscone West in San Francisco on Feb. 21, 2026. Photo by Jungho Kim for CalMatters

California Democratic candidates for governor can’t stop talking about single-payer health care — again. bit.ly/409uCUk

📸 Jungho Kim

Assemblymember Carl DeMaio speaks before lawmakers during an Assembly floor session at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Aug. 21, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

Carl DeMaio, a divisive state lawmaker, continues to upset his colleagues as he works to amass influence through his political organization Reform California — one of the state’s biggest conservative fundraising machines. bit.ly/4blsQ8W

📸 Fred Greaves