CalMatters
CalMatters is an award-winning, nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters.
We were founded to fill the gap left by a shrinking press corps in order to empower people to engage on key issues, hold the powerful accountable, and create a better California for all. In six years CalMatters has established ourselves as a trusted brand and “go-to” hub for in-depth news and information on statewide issues. Our office is in Sacramento, but our team of award winning reporters and photo journalists are found throughout California.
Environment, education, health care, housing, justice, economic inequality – the debates on these vital issues and others have a profound impact on the lives of 38 million Californians and beyond.
Our team of more than 50 experienced journalists, data, audience, product, revenue and partnership professionals, with the time and resources to dig deep, is committed to meaningfully informing Californians about the players, politics, and interests that shape the issues that affect our lives.
We reach 1 in 10 Californians across the state by posting our work online and by sharing our stories at no cost with more than 200 media partners. We have readers and listeners in every major metropolitan area and hundreds of smaller towns and cities.
Our work has led to changes in policy, new legislation and investigations and discussions at the Capitol, in political groups and beyond — and created an awareness of important issues that aren’t getting covered anywhere else.
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The new rules will improve access to health care in many communities where it is lacking, supporters say. Some physicians are concerned the rules will expand the scope of services nurse practitioners provide. -
The penalty is the maximum the ranchers — who pumped Shasta River water for eight days — could face under state law. It amounts to about $50 per rancher, which is no deterrent, ranchers and officials agree.
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Religious opponents of abortion, led by the Catholic Church, are mobilizing against Proposition 1 on the Nov. 8 ballot. But the numbers in fundraising and in the polls are against them.
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The University of California aims to ease the transition from community college to university with a new dual admission pilot program launching this spring
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SB 951 increases leave payments to 90% of paychecks for lower-income workers in 2025, so more of them can afford time off for maternity leave or to care for ill family members.
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The state’s new Medi-Cal contracts are part of an overhaul to improve patient care. But some say the new providers aren’t fully prepared to handle more Medi-Cal patients.
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The state is the first in the world to require monitoring for tiny pieces of plastic, which contaminate people and wildlife globally.
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Proponents say AB 257 could curb wage theft, but restaurateurs say it could raise costs and prices and fundamentally change relationships with fast food chains.
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In California, 32,000 children under 18 have experienced the death of a parent or primary caregiver from COVID-19. The state has set aside $100 million for trust funds for children who are in low-income families to access when they turn 18.
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The new federal number is billed as an alternative to 911 for people experiencing mental health emergencies. A bill would allow California to fund call centers with new fees on phone lines.
