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Gov. Newsom vetoed two bills that would have helped improve the insurance-claims process for consumers but signed one that also addresses claims-related issues. cal.news/4jv93IA 📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

At center, Gayle Nicholls-Ali, an Eaton Fire survivor, holds a sign while protesting outside the Governor's Mansion in Sacramento on Aug. 25, 2026. The group was protesting proposed legislation related to wildfires and utilities. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

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A new law will require local agencies to publicly disclose audio recordings and written records of 911 calls originating from privately run immigration detention facilities. cal.news/4iWaik2 📸 Gregory Bull, AP

Immigration detainees walk down a hallway at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego on Aug. 23, 2017. Photo by Gregory Bull, AP Photo

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Even with an El Niño winter looming and memories of flooding still fresh, Gov. Newsom vetoed a bill aimed at shoring up the Delta’s aging levees and protecting the region and vital water infrastructure from flooding and sinking land. cal.news/4e5AzJ8 📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

A flooded field near a section of the Cosumnes River near Wilton on Jan. 18, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

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Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills Sunday designed to help his mental health court reach more vulnerable Californians. cal.news/4rHx0Pc 📸 Adriana Heldiz

People walk by the San Diego Superior Court in San Diego on Nov. 17, 2025. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

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The San Joaquin Valley has fewer doctors than other parts of California and a long history of poor access to medical care. New medical schools could help increase the pipeline of new physicians, though it will take years. cal.news/3ViQU6U 📸 Sarahbeth Maney

Julieta Muñoz, 23, a medical student at the UC San Francisco School of Medicine, stands outside the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay in San Francisco on Sept. 21, 2026. Photo by Sarahbeth Maney for CalMatters

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Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of laws that aim to check federal agents during the Trump administration’s deportation program and improve conditions in detention centers. cal.news/4z3JxyE 📸 Gregory Bull, AP

A woman is detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents outside a Home Depot in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 2025. Photo by Gregory Bull, AP Photo

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Democrat Eric Jones focused his primary campaign on young progressive liberals. But to unseat longtime incumbent Rep. Mike Thompson, a traditional “Blue Dog” Democrat, Jones has recently pivoted to court centrists and even Republicans. cal.news/4iQaDof 📸 Anna Hoch-Kenney

Eric Jones, a Democratic entrepreneur and former venture capitalist, speaks at a meet-and-greet in Napa on Sept. 23, 2026. Jones is running against U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson to represent the 4th congressional district. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney, CalMatters

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Gov. Newsom on Sunday night signed a law that’s meant to bring their compensation near to what cities and counties pay firefighters, narrowing a disparity that Cal Fire union representatives say leads to high turnover. cal.news/4ydVYbc 📸 Zin Chiang

Cal Fire firefighters carry a fire hose up a hillside during the Sandy Fire in Simi Valley on May 18, 2026. Photo by Zin Chiang for CalMatters

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Two new laws will force California counties to improve their public defender systems by limiting their use of low-pay contracts with private attorneys, mandating funding for defense investigations and more... cal.news/3U0duRn 📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

The courtroom in Department 20 at the Placer County Superior Court in Roseville, on Jan. 23, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

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Opinion | The answer is not to eliminate a lawful tool like Perkins operations. cal.news/4hPhs8p 📝 Vern Pierson 📸 Nelvin C. Cepeda

Sheriff's Deputies escort inmates down a secured hallway at downtown Central Jail in San Diego in 2015. Photo by Nelvin C. Cepeda, The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP Photo

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California has poured billions into childcare and preschool subsidies for low-income families, but extending those benefits to every family would be complicated. cal.news/3Tdtu2e 📸 Laure Andrillon

Children play outside at Kidango Toyon Early Learning Center in San Jose on Sept. 15, 2026. Photo by Laure Andrillon for CalMatters

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Becerra says he wants everyone to be insured, but hasn’t spelled out how he’d pay for it. Hilton wants greater price transparency and to redesign the marketplace, but it’s unclear how much his plans would actually help consumers. cal.news/4ADNuMb 📸 Greg Nash-Pool

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Have a gun? You’re going to need to take another safety class after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills Saturday that are a boon to gun control advocates and anathema to Second Amendment groups. cal.news/4d89rJa 📸 Francine Orr

Hector Corral listens during an L.A. Progressive Shooters firearms education course in Norwalk, on Oct. 29, 2023. Photo by Francine Orr, Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 27/09/2026

California lawmakers are cracking down on expensive concert experiences by targeting “ghost tickets” — so called because the person selling access to the show doesn’t actually own the ticket yet. cal.news/4xSfYzk 📸 Andrew Park

RAYE performs at a concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on May 12, 2026. Photo by Andrew Park, Invision via AP

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The two laws — Senate Bill 960 by Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, a Democrat from Napa, and Assembly Bill 2694 by David Alvarez — allow college districts to have anywhere from two to 12 new bachelor’s degrees a year starting in 2028. cal.news/4iN2scl 📸 Larry Valenzuela

A student walks through the Dolores Huerta Plaza at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton on May 7, 2026. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 27/09/2026

Recent polling shows voters narrowly support Prop. 40 — the billionaire tax — and two measures designed to kill it. Only one outcome can prevail. cal.news/4jaxVp9 📸 Jeff Chiu, AP

People visit the Billionaire Tax Now booth at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco on Feb. 21, 2026. Photo by Jeff Chiu, AP Photo

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Opinion | My path to advocating for ocean protection began when I was about 10, watching my dad and other Chumash community members build our traditional maritime tomols, or canoes, using redwood planks and yop, the tar and pine pitch. cal.news/4d6FxFc 📝 Eva Pagaling 📸 Reuven Bank

Members of the Chumash community participate in the Tomol crossing at Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Santa Barbara on Aug. 11, 2023. Photo by Reuven Bank, National Park Service

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Opinion | Tricking voters is election fraud as onerous as stuffing ballot boxes. Unfortunately, while officials may be a bit embarrassed if caught, such behavior does not invalidate a ballot measure that voters pass. cal.news/46EPwhr 📝 Dan Walters 📸 Juliana Yamada

Tasheena Braxton records her son Xavier Braxton, 19, as he drops off his ballot for the first time on Super Tuesday in San Francisco on March 5, 2024. Photo by Juliana Yamada for CalMatters

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Gov. Newsom signed into law four bills aimed at curbing a startling rise in DUI fatalities in recent years, including measures that make it easier to charge repeat drunk drivers with a felony and, if they kill someone, with murder. cal.news/46JEqYy 📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

A photo display of people who have died as a result of drunk driving and vehicular homicide at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento prior to a press conference announcing a series of bills aimed at reducing DUI fatalities and injuries in the state on Feb. 12, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

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After years of hoses run town to town during wildfires, Fire Chief Willie Sapeta built an alliance to fix it himself. cal.news/4dRAZ5J 📸 Fred Greaves

A remote hydrant unit is deployed for a firefighter training session in Clear Lake near Clearlake Oaks on Aug. 27, 2026. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

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The tension between tourists, Californians living in the state’s coastal enclaves, and the tech companies that profit from vacation rentals is coming to a boil. cal.news/3VcXE6j 📸 Kathryn Wheeler

Visitors gather at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica on Aug. 2, 2025. The beach is a major draw for tourists and surfers. Photo by Kathryn Wheeler

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Overall, unionized staff and faculty compensation at the California State University is on par with national averages for similar public universities, but about a third of workers’ total salary and benefits are below national averages. cal.news/4yXhRvr 📸 Fred Greaves

Supporters gather for a California Faculty Association “Hands Off Our Healthcare” rally at Sacramento State in Sacramento on Sept. 23, 2026. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

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Opinion | This crisis has largely occurred under the watch of California’s elected sheriffs. Since 1993, sheriffs have held sole and exclusive operating authority over California’s jails. cal.news/4hJ7eXg 📝 Paul R. Parker 📸 Jules Hotz

Protestors hold signs outside the John F. Tavaglione Executive Annex building in protest of jail deaths in Riverside County, on Oct. 31, 2023. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

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Opinion | It’s the latest episode of California officials confronting big corporate interests over some issue, loudly promising to make business executives change their ways and then caving in. cal.news/4hn5pxX 📝 Dan Walters 📸 Pablo Unzueta

A small group of people gather in front of the California Attorney General’s Office to protest Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery in Oakland on Sept. 20, 2026. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

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Breaking: It was illegal for Sheriff Chad Bianco's office to seize ballots from the Riverside County registrar, rules California Supreme Court. cal.news/4AqYEnz 📸 Noah Berger, AP

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco arrives at the Supreme Court of California in San Francisco for a hearing about his seizure and recount of more than half a million 2025 election ballots on Aug. 24, 2026. Photo by Noah Berger, AP Photo

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The Legislature is forcing the city and county of Sacramento to try something unusual in their fight against homelessness, and both critics and supporters of the controversial plan say it could have broad implications for the rest of the state. cal.news/4ydwfzJ 📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

At right, Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond speaks with an unhoused person during the city's point-in-time count on Jan. 26, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

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Recent polling shows voters narrowly support Prop. 40 — the billionaire tax — and two measures designed to kill it. Only one outcome can prevail. cal.news/4iGH9sR 📸 Jeff Chiu, AP

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Opinion | After all, if it can happen to Yosemite National Park, one of the crown jewels of our National Park system, no place is safe. cal.news/4yRabuD 📝 Mark Butler 📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

The Upper Yosemite Falls and Half Dome from the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail on July 7, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

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Opinion | All in all, this is a big win for the Ellisons, with just token concessions for Southern California — notwithstanding Bonta’s boasts. cal.news/4rvtSWz 📝 Dan Walters 📸 Pablo Unzueta

Annie Leonard, the co-founder of Committee for the First Amendment, voices her concerns about Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery in front of the California Attorney General’s Office in Oakland on Sept. 20, 2026. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

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Insurance companies are starting to write new policies in California again after years of holding back as wildfire risk climbed higher. cal.news/4rro1Br 📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

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A Sacramento charter school that the state auditor blasted last year for allegedly wrongly receiving $180 million is seeking a new home – and a new name – in Sutter County. cal.news/3V5TpcF 📸 Miguel Gutierrez Jr.

A Highlands Community Charter and Technical School located on Marconi Avenue in Sacramento on Sept. 21, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

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