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CalMatters

@calmatters.org

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CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization. We write stories about California, for Californians.

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 21d

We’re here to answer any questions you have about Proposition 50 or how to vote.

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 22d

Great interactive voter guide from excellent @calmatters.org

It's on Prop 50, to re-district CA /gain Dem seats. Enter your address and see how district would change. Eg, w minor shift of lines, would change my home district from 37/33 GOP to 44/25 Dem. (cont.)

calmatters.org/california-v...

Map of San Bernardino county, showing how current congressional district is 37/33 GOP. Change would make it 44/25 Dem.

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 16m

Newsom signed bills that will encourage more housing projects near transit, cap insulin copays and boost wages for incarcerated firefighters. https://cal.news/3J7fpOF

📝 Lynn La

Newsom signed nearly 800 laws — including big ones on housing and insulin

Newsom signed bills that will encourage more housing projects near transit, cap insulin copays and boost wages for incarcerated firefighters.

cal.news

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 16h

Hundreds of California state prisoners worked to put out this year's deadly Los Angeles wildfires, inspiring new laws that will improve their pay and open other opportunities. https://cal.news/3WBzQWZ

California's incarcerated firefighters to see a ‘historic' pay increase in laws Newsom signed

Hundreds of California state prisoners worked to put out this year's deadly Los Angeles wildfires, inspiring new laws that will improve their pay and open other opportunities.

calmatters.org

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 23h

It’s been nearly a year since Californians overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime measure providing what backers called “mass treatment” for those facing certain drug charges. Here's what the data shows: https://cal.news/4n2lNEU

California’s Prop. 36 promised ‘mass treatment’ for defendants. A new study shows how it’s going

The biggest study yet on California’s tough-on-crime ballot measure Proposition 36 shows few people are finding their way into the treatment it promised.

cal.news

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 23h

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed a bill allowing a broad range of relatives to step in as children’s caregivers if their parents are deported, a measure that had provoked a firestorm of conservative criticism. https://cal.news/42BRVHY

📝 @jeannereporter.bsky.social

New California law will let immigrant parents name a caretaker in case they’re deported

The law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom lets more adults step in as caregivers if parents are deported. Critics call it dangerous. Supporters say it protects kids.

cal.news

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 23h

Gov. Newsom today announced that he has signed Senate Bill 243, legislation that adds guardrails to AI-powered chatbots that operate in the state.

The legislation had divided tech industry representatives and child safety advocates. https://cal.news/4oij2jN

New California law forces chatbots to protect kids' mental health

California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved mandatory monitoring and reminders when kids use chatbots. Child advocates backed a different bill.

cal.news

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 3d

Commentary:

Although the mistakes of my past do not define who I am today, my old record still stands in the way of simple things, such as passing a background check so I can volunteer at my grandchildren’s school. https://cal.news/479Ni9I

📝 Joanna Hernandez

Opinion | California expungement law offers a fresh start to rehabilitated people held back by a conviction

A 2022 law gives many Californians a chance to expunge old convictions and make greater contributions to their communities.

calmatters.org

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 3d

Gov. Newsom introduced CARE Court to bring more people experiencing severe mental illness into treatment. It has helped fewer people than projected, but a new law will make more eligible for it. https://cal.news/4mXd9Hq

📝 @jocelynwiener.bsky.social & @marisakendall.bsky.social
📸 Adriana Heldiz

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law today expanding eligibility for CARE Court, one of his signature mental health programs. Here, he announced a successful 2024 mental health ballot initiative at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego on March 19, 2023. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP, Pool

Hed: Newsom signs law expanding one of his marquee mental health programs
Will it help more people?

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 3d

Thousands of residents from Altadena and surrounding areas say Eaton fire victims are excluded and shortchanged by Edison's compensation plan https://cal.news/4mTV25d

📝 @malenacarollo.bsky.social
📸 Ted Soqui

Altadena residents say Southern California is not offering enough compensation for the Eaton fire, coming up short on funds for temporary housing and excluding some residents. Firefighters attempt to put out a fire at a home in the unincorporated community on Jan. 8, 2025. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters

Hed: Edison’s Eaton Fire compensation plan isn’t enough, residents say

CalMatters @calmatters.org · 3d

Prop. 50 would redraw California's congressional districts to favor Democrats. Both sides claim their map better represents communities. Here's the reality. https://cal.news/4q3eyPH

📝 @jeannereporter.bsky.social

Jerome Jones, 56, casts her ballot while holding her two-year old grandson at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration polling station in Los Angeles on Nov. 8, 2022. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

Hed: Does Prop. 50 divide California communities?
Depends how you measure it

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 4d

After weeks of waiting, California's governor signed a bill that will allow mid-rise apartment buildings near major transit stops in California's biggest metro areas. https://cal.news/4n3hzge

📝 @frombenc.bsky.social
📸 Ray Chavez

Passengers look on as a BART train didn’t stop at the Rockridge BART station due to a systemwide closure that affected all BART stations, in Oakland on March 9, 2025. Photo by Ray Chavez, Bay Area News Group

Hed: Breaking: Gov. Newsom signs massive California housing overhaul

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 4d

For the record: An earlier version of this article contained a number of erroneous characterizations and conclusions based on an incorrect interpretation of campaign finance data. The article has been corrected to reflect that Prop. 50 is not the third most expensive campaign in state history.

CalMatters @calmatters.org · 10d

With five weeks until election day, the fight over changing congressional districts in California to favor Democrats has already become one of the most expensive ballot measures in recent state history. https://cal.news/4mJ8eK7

📊 Jeremia Kimelman

A bar graph that shows that Prop. 50 is already the third most-expensive ballot measure in California history.

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 4d

Commentary:

Decades ago, I quoted two researchers who projected California’s future as “the possible emerging of a two-tier economy.” Any objective description of 2025 California would conclude they hit the nail squarely. https://cal.news/4q0pAoD

📝 Dan Walters

Opinion | California's two-tier economy mirrors Great Britain's 'Upstairs, Downstairs' past

The state's upper class espouses equality politics and social justice, while pushing policies that keep low wage workers living in poverty.

cal.news

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 4d

Rep. Mike Levin said Congress members have proposed the “Pay our Troops Act,” which would extend military pay during the shutdown.

“I don’t think our service members should be caught in the middle of that,” he said. https://cal.news/4mPswlf

📷 U.S. Marine Corps

U.S. Marine Corps recruits with India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion present arms during a final drill evaluation at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, on Sept. 19, 2025. Photo by Corporal Sarah M. Grawcock, U.S. Marine Corps

HED: This California city will feel the government shutdown hardest. Its many service members are bracing for missed paychecks

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 4d

California’s K-12 students are emerging from the pandemic malaise, posting the most significant academic improvements in years, according to state test scores released today. https://cal.news/4pYIfl3

📷 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

Students at a classroom at St. HOPE's Public School 7 Elementary in Sacramento on May 11, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

HED: Student test scores surge, but still lag behind pre-pandemic levels

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 4d

An El Segundo refinery fire has renewed questions about who is investigating the state’s oil industry after serious accidents. With the U.S. Chemical Safety Board defunded, California has yet to fill the gap. https://cal.news/3KFsCi8

📷 Daniel Cole, Reuters

Flames and smoke from a large fire rises from the Chevron refinery in El Segundo on Oct. 2, 2025. Photo by Daniel Cole, Reuters

HED: Federal oversight is disappearing as multiple refineries explode. Who’s in charge now?

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 4d

Exclusive - California’s outgoing cybersecurity commander tells us the state is mismanaging its limited cybersecurity resources by letting unqualified officials set priorities. https://cal.news/4q1i1hH

📝 @khari.bsky.social

After getting fired, California's top cybersecurity official calls for change

The governor fired the top California cybersecurity official. He says the people who oversaw him were unqualified.

cal.news

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 4d

On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice said it arrested a former Pacific Palisades resident suspected of starting the fire that eventually became the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed over 6,000 structures in January. https://cal.news/4pTJ3HE

📝 Lynn LA

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 4d

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a measure that requires K-12 schools to phase out foods with potentially harmful ultraprocessed ingredients over the next 10 years. https://cal.news/47i6Fyo

📷 Richard Vogel, AP Photo

Cafeteria workers prepare pizza for student lunches at Firebaugh High School in Lynwood, on April 3, 2024. Photo by Richard Vogel, AP Photo

HED: Newsom signs first-in-nation law to ban ultraprocessed school meals

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 5d

It seems even California's governor is fed up with obnoxiously loud advertisements that pop on when he's streaming his favorite shows https://cal.news/4o75asv

Gov. Gavin Newsom just banned loud ads on Netflix. Here's why

It seems even California's governor is fed up with obnoxiously loud advertisements that pop on when he's streaming his favorite shows

calmatters.org

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 5d

Los Altos Hills agreed to legalize some apartment buildings. Now, with a project proposed at Twin Oaks that would include the town’s first-ever affordable housing units, the wealthy Bay Area suburb is having second thoughts. https://cal.news/47hCdV6

📝 @frombenc.bsky.social

Why this wealthy Bay Area suburb is at the center of the next big fight over California housing

Los Altos Hills agreed to legalize some apartment buildings. Now it wants a do-over.

cal.news

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 5d

Thank you! With the Whatmatters newsletter, folks have been receiving it via email, but we were also able to get it back up on the website as of today.
- Michael

CalMatters @calmatters.org · 5d

We are nonpartisan! And also transparent. You can find our funders here: calmatters.org/about/funding/

- Michael

How We're Funded

CalMatters is funded through foundations, advertisers, major donors, sponsorships and members. We spend the majority of our funding on reporters, editors, photographers, researchers and people who sup...

calmatters.org

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 5d

Thank you for engaging our work and sharing your views with us! - Michael.

CalMatters @calmatters.org · 5d

California’s K-12 schools will take far-ranging steps to prevent sexual abuse on campus — including building a database of teachers under investigation for misconduct — under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. https://cal.news/46KbeRS

📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

The hallway of an elementary in Sacramento on May 11, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Hed: Newsom signs bill to prevent sex abuse in schools

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 5d

Campaign strategists and election watchers agree there are two big questions whose outcomes could decide the race — who can sell a simpler message, and which side can convince more uninformed voters to turn out. https://cal.news/3IPS440

📸 Larry Valenzuela

Reno Lanfranco, owner of Reno’s Hardware, stands in one of the aisles of his business. Photos by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Quote: “I’m telling everybody — all my employees, if they want to listen to me or not, and all my customers — vote no on it."

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