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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A new law allows community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees, an option for students unable to attend a four-year institution. But California State University officials are objecting to many of those proposed programs. -
After a historic drop in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic, California community colleges are ramping up marketing efforts, spending more than $40 million in state and federal dollars to lure students back. Is it working? -
California’s electric rates are among the highest in the country. Three big power companies propose charging fixed rates based on income, saying low-income customers will save money. Critics doubt it’ll work. -
A Bay Area woman sued her husband’s employer after she became infected with COVID-19. The California Supreme Court found that giving her workers’ comp could set a precedent that would imperil the system. -
After several years of devastating wildfires, California lawmakers want to give hefty raises to Cal Fire firefighters. The deal could tie the governor’s hands in contracts. -
After California’s largest home insurance provider said it wouldn’t issue new policies, consumer and insurance industry groups have ideas for what they’d like to see California do. Here’s the debate over four of those ideas. -
Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled out a plan to speed construction of major public infrastructure and demanded quick votes from lawmakers. His Democratic allies put the proposals on ice. -
To fight the skyrocketing cost of insulin, California is using multiple tactics, including making its own generic versions. -
As hospitals and other health care facilities struggle with staffing shortages, health workers could get a wage increase under a legislative proposal. But some smaller facilities already struggling financially say they can’t afford it. -
A federal judge last year found that the room scans performed by some remote proctoring software are unconstitutional. But some California colleges continue to use the software, which is designed to prevent cheating in online exams.
