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:

How will CA handle youth fentanyl overdose crisis?

Expect a lot of debate over how California should respond to the state’s mounting fentanyl epidemic when state lawmakers return to Sacramento early next year. Bills dealing with the super-powerful synthetic opioid are already piling up, many of them focused on youth in the wake of a stunning analysis that found fentanyl was responsible for […]

Fri, Dec 9, 2022 5:00 am

More street medicine teams tackle the homeless health care crisis

Homeless people often have sporadic or no access to health care, resulting in costly, chronic conditions. A new statewide effort encourages Medi-Cal insurers to partner with street teams to improve care.

Thu, Dec 8, 2022 5:30 am

California students are struggling to read. If adopted, these education strategies will help

California students continue to struggle with essential reading skills. Adopting proven "structured literacy" strategies can make a difference.

Thu, Dec 8, 2022 5:30 am

California budget season starts off with a bang

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step — like the one Assembly Democrats took Wednesday, when they unveiled their budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. The move marks a start to months-long negotiations between Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers over how money should be divided between key programs — […]

Thu, Dec 8, 2022 5:00 am

California jails failed to monitor or report COVID data. Some didn’t even bother

Many California jails failed to track crucial pandemic data, making it difficult to gauge the effectiveness of COVID policies. There are also signs that sheriff's offices, which manage local jails, did not comply with public health mandates.

Wed, Dec 7, 2022 5:30 am

More housing, fewer prisons: California outlines game plan

Hanging over the heads of California’s newly sworn-in state lawmakers — and likely to be top of mind when they return to Sacramento next month — are the state’s intertwined housing and homelessness crises. That was made clear Tuesday, when Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco introduced for the third time a bill […]

Wed, Dec 7, 2022 5:00 am

Is Newsom’s gas profits penalty really a tax?

Originally, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a tax on excess profits on gasoline sales, but now terms it a penalty, which would make it easier to win legislative approval.

Wed, Dec 7, 2022 12:01 am

Nuevos rostros y nuevos desafíos: La Legislatura de California inicia una sesión especial

EN RESUMENUna nueva Legislatura de California con un número récord de mujeres y muchas caras nuevas asumió el cargo. El gobernador Gavin Newsom les da de inmediato los parámetros para una controvertida sanción a las ganancias de la industria petrolera. Read this article in English. Los reguladores de California limitarían el margen de ganancias de […]

Tue, Dec 6, 2022 5:36 am

Help is on the way for California truckers grappling with EV regulations

Freight trucks are critical for the economy but represent a major source of California pollution. Many programs, from the federal to local level, are available to help pay for the transition to zero-emission vehicles.

Tue, Dec 6, 2022 5:30 am

New blood, Big Oil: California Legislature starts special session

A new California Legislature with a record number of women and plenty of new faces is sworn into office. Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately gives them the outline of a controversial penalty on oil industry profits.