CALMatters | Palo Alto Online |

CALmatters is a Sacramento-based nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. It works with more than 130 media partners throughout the state that have long, deep relationships with their local audiences, including Embarcadero Media (publisher of the Palo Alto Weekly, Mountain View Voice, Pleasanton Weekly and The Almanac in Menlo Park and their websites.)

Here are the most recent stories reported by CALmatters' team of journalists:

California cuts cannabis taxes to heal ailing industry

Gov. Newsom and the Legislature cut a California cannabis tax, but not everyone is convinced it's enough to stabilize the legal market. Social equity operators say the changes don't do nearly enough to help them.

Tue, Jul 5, 2022 5:32 am

Drug courts face choice: Close or expand access after Prop. 47 fallout

Proposition 47 removed the threat of jail time for simple drug possession. Now participation in drug courts is way down.

Tue, Jul 5, 2022 5:30 am

Tuition waivers for Native Americans are a step in the right direction

Tuition waivers can never atone for damage done to Native Americans. Not all need the help, but most people historically oppressed by government policy and abuse do.

Tue, Jul 5, 2022 5:30 am

Evidence-based reading system outweighs state’s ‘balanced literacy’ approach

By withholding a true science-based approach to reading in favor of the failed “balanced literacy” program, school leaders and elected officials are condemning many children to a life far more difficult than it needs to be.

Tue, Jul 5, 2022 5:25 am

More mass shootings, more gun laws coming to California

What’s more American than a mass shooting? That was the question posed by the Sacramento Bee editorial board following a spate of Fourth of July shootings in California and across the country: In Highland Park, Illinois, a gunman killed at least six people and injured dozens more during an Independence Day parade. In Sacramento, one […]

Tue, Jul 5, 2022 5:00 am

California’s chronic technology woes will be probed

California's state government has a sorry record on using information technology to make agencies more efficient, and a new audit aims to find out why.

Tue, Jul 5, 2022 12:01 am

Will more school money improve academic outcomes?

California schools are getting a big infusion of financing, but it's uncertain whether more money will translate into better academic outcomes.

Sun, Jul 3, 2022 12:01 am

Thousands of Californians in limbo as eviction protections end

The last statewide eviction protections for low-income California tenants affected by COVID-19 ended Thursday, but many still haven’t heard back about their rent relief applications. Some local protections are still in place.

Fri, Jul 1, 2022 5:30 am

Proposal to boost state minimum wage to $18 won’t go on ballot

Had the California Living Wage Act proposal succeeded, it would have increased base wages to $16 an hour next January and $18 by 2025.

Fri, Jul 1, 2022 5:30 am

State and federal restrictions make it harder for low-income families to get infant formula

For families receiving government assistance, the types of infant formula they are allowed to purchase is limited. When the shortage began, California couldn’t quickly expand its list of approved formula brands due to federal restrictions, leaving low-income families scrambling to find formula.

Fri, Jul 1, 2022 5:30 am

Gov. Newsom and the Legislature cut a California cannabis tax, but not everyone is convinced it's enough to stabilize the legal market. Social equity operators say the changes don't do nearly enough to help them.

Proposition 47 removed the threat of jail time for simple drug possession. Now participation in drug courts is way down.

Tuition waivers can never atone for damage done to Native Americans. Not all need the help, but most people historically oppressed by government policy and abuse do.

By withholding a true science-based approach to reading in favor of the failed “balanced literacy” program, school leaders and elected officials are condemning many children to a life far more difficult than it needs to be.

California's state government has a sorry record on using information technology to make agencies more efficient, and a new audit aims to find out why.

California schools are getting a big infusion of financing, but it's uncertain whether more money will translate into better academic outcomes.

The last statewide eviction protections for low-income California tenants affected by COVID-19 ended Thursday, but many still haven’t heard back about their rent relief applications. Some local protections are still in place.

Had the California Living Wage Act proposal succeeded, it would have increased base wages to $16 an hour next January and $18 by 2025.

For families receiving government assistance, the types of infant formula they are allowed to purchase is limited. When the shortage began, California couldn’t quickly expand its list of approved formula brands due to federal restrictions, leaving low-income families scrambling to find formula.

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