CALMatters | Almanac 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:

An execution at Parchman Farm

Anyone who has witnessed an execution never forgets it. The memory of August (Boogie Woogie) LaFontaine's death by lethal gas, pushed far back into the darkest shadows of my mind, came to light again with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement of his moratorium on the state’s death penalty, an action taken in four states in recent years.

Sat, Mar 23, 2019 8:00 am

Weekly CALmatters 03/22/2019

Highlighting all of CALmatters' work over the past week

Fri, Mar 22, 2019 6:45 pm

California’s public school chief says education no place for competition

Two months into the new job, Tony Thurmond seems to be exactly the man that his most loyal backers hoped (and his opponents feared) he would be. In a Commonwealth Club discussion with CALmatters' education reporter Ricardo Cano, the state’s public schools superintendent didn’t hold back in a wide-ranging discussion Thursday night: He raised doubts about the value of charter schools, criticized school districts for the state’s wave of teacher strikes, questioned the severity of public pension debt and insisted the state must spend more to educate its students.

Fri, Mar 22, 2019 1:00 pm

Online wine yes, coffee no: Scrambling to keep up with California’s new Prop. 65 toxic warnings

California's new toxics warning rules apply to something that didn’t even exist when Prop. 65 first took effect: online markets for products, including wine. It's the latest expansion for the measure, whose signs are ubiquitous at gas stations, retailers and even Disneyland. But after pushback, coffee is getting a pass.

Fri, Mar 22, 2019 11:43 am

Weekly Walters 03/22/2019

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

Fri, Mar 22, 2019 5:46 am

Tough talk and naked mannequins

Newsom on death. Trump on oil. San Francisco on youth crime. Thurmond on charter schools. Athletes on gender equity. And good fences make good neighbors in Santa Rosa.

Fri, Mar 22, 2019 4:30 am

Charter schools’ have a destructive impact on public education

Some charter parents assert their children’s charter school experience is positive. I can believe it. But sincere charter parents need to understand that while for some students charters can be beneficial, their overall impact on public education is destructive.

Fri, Mar 22, 2019 4:29 am

Women surfers push beyond equal pay—even if it means letting men into the water, too

California legislation sparks a broader debate over how to advance equality for women in male-dominated sports.

Thu, Mar 21, 2019 1:32 pm

Homeless solution

Thu, Mar 21, 2019 9:03 am

Spring assortment: Scooters, speech, shopping, gardens, homes, wildlife

A wet winter turns to spring, two die in e-scooter wrecks, California comes for paper receipts, a pesticide verdict, mountain lions, falcon eggs, tweets.

Thu, Mar 21, 2019 4:30 am

Proposition 187’s real impact: A generation that will never forget

To a 6-year-old child considering Proposition 187 of 1994, the question was simple: How could a government deny a human being the right to an education or health care just because they didn’t have proper documentation to live in this country?

Thu, Mar 21, 2019 4:29 am

School accountability good for some, not others?

If community colleges and charter schools should be accountable for academic outcomes, why not public K-12 schools?

Thu, Mar 21, 2019 12:01 am

Skip the slip? California lawmaker wants email receipts to replace paper ones

As with plastic bags and plastic straws, California lawmakers are considering another first-in-the-nation crackdown on another ubiquitous, litter-creating product of modern existence—lookin' at you, paper receipts.

Wed, Mar 20, 2019 4:41 pm

College cheating, tax returns, bipartisan tears and Devin’s cow

Lawmakers take up the college cheating scandal. A widow brings lawmakers to bipartisan tears. Payday loans, taxes, PG&E's boss and follow Devin Nunes' cow.

Wed, Mar 20, 2019 4:30 am

Here are 263 reasons to support this gun safety bill. But one is enough

Between 2010 and 2017, stolen firearms were used in at least 60 homicides in California, and 203 youths ended their lives because of unauthorized access to a firearm. AB 276 will hold gun owners accountable by requiring all firearms to be securely stored with Department of Justice-approved firearm safety devices.

Wed, Mar 20, 2019 4:29 am

Democrats defying the will of voters

California's Democratic politicians aren't very democratic when it comes to respecting the will of voters.

Wed, Mar 20, 2019 12:01 am

California lawmakers debate how to prevent another college admissions scandal

As UC reacts to the college cheating scandal, some urge them to lock the side door, reconsider the SAT and ACT for admissions and scrutinize athletic recruiting.

Tue, Mar 19, 2019 7:04 pm

JUUL and tobacco

Tue, Mar 19, 2019 1:49 pm

Policing the police, a college networks, poppypalooza and Nunes sues

California news groups join forces on police records. Networking at the online community college. Poverty towing. Super bloom gridlock. And Nunes sues.

Tue, Mar 19, 2019 4:30 am

Finally, a new path toward managing water, rivers and the Delta

We who are part of the California water community and who work every day from one perspective or another are paralyzed and in our respective bunkers. We must take a leap of faith to admit that the current rigid rules on Delta management fail all of our missions. And that only together can we do a better job managing our water resources going forward.

Tue, Mar 19, 2019 4:29 am

Connected Bay Area recruiter gets no bid contract as online community college staffs up

Heather Hiles, president and CEO of California's new online college, advocated for granting a no-bid contract to executive recruiter Carolyn Carpeneti. Before becoming an executive recruiter, Carpeneti was a political fundraiser whose clients included then San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. Brown and Carpeneti became romantically involved and had a daughter in 2001.

Mon, Mar 18, 2019 8:31 pm

JUUL Labs is committed to eliminating cigarettes

The JUUL system represents an unprecedented opportunity to help adult smokers switch off combustible cigarettes.

Mon, Mar 18, 2019 1:29 pm

Legislators test Newsom, school layoffs, mind-bending hemp rules

Legislators to test Newsom with new bills, more school districts plan layoffs, why industrial hemp still isn't legal, panel continues death penalty work

Mon, Mar 18, 2019 4:30 am

Newsom does it again with death row reprieve

Gov. Gavin Newsom's blanket reprieve for those on death row is another headline-grabbing gesture—and it could backfire.

Mon, Mar 18, 2019 12:01 am

I’ve got a secret: Daily struggle for the people’s right to know

Bureaucracies love secrets. They pay lip service to transparency, but have a powerful instinct to dummy up. This predilection for secrecy clashes on a daily basis with Californians’ fundamental right to information about how their government is working—a right granted by statute and enshrined in the state Constitution.

Sun, Mar 17, 2019 7:00 am

Slowing economy could hit state budget

Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes to have a balanced state budget through his first term. But some economic clouds are looming on the horizon.

Sun, Mar 17, 2019 12:01 am

Weekly CALmatters 03/15/2019

Highlighting all of CALmatters' work over the past week

Fri, Mar 15, 2019 8:09 pm

Unionizing daycare? California’s child care workers seek a seat at the big kids’ table

Some at-home child care workers who depend on state subsidies are hoping to join forces with an unlikely ally: organized labor.

Fri, Mar 15, 2019 9:47 am

Weekly Walters 03/15/2019

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

Fri, Mar 15, 2019 5:46 am

College cheating, UC immigration, drought ends and rent control returns

More college cheating scandal fallout, UC gives legal aid to undocumented students and their families, rent control returns and drought ends.

Fri, Mar 15, 2019 4:30 am

To combat climate change, California must wean buildings off fossil fuels

Construction, heating, and operating of our work and homes account for nearly 40 percent of our nation’s CO2 emissions. But California still doesn’t have a comprehensive statewide plan to help cities cut pollution from homes and commercial buildings. That’s like having a global naval military strategy that omits the Pacific Ocean.

Fri, Mar 15, 2019 4:29 am

Amid Trump’s border showdown, UC immigration lawyer comforts and fights

California is funding immigration attorneys for students and their families as federal courts weigh the fate of DACA and politicians battle over border enforcement.

Thu, Mar 14, 2019 4:59 pm

San Diego’s mayor explains why he became a “YIMBY”

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer has a message for his fellow California Republicans when it comes to grappling with the state's housing crisis: Embrace more development.

Thu, Mar 14, 2019 2:44 pm

High-speed rail

Thu, Mar 14, 2019 2:06 pm

Newsom’s death row reprieves, the mob hit that informed his decision, Edison’s fire report

Why Gov. Gavin Newsom issued death penalty reprieves, the mob hit that informed his decision, Southern California Edison power lines sparked the Thomas Fire

Thu, Mar 14, 2019 4:30 am

Don’t leave California’s climate goals stuck in traffic

At the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, we are far from naïve. We understand the political and economic challenges that face the completion of high-speed rail, and we are up for the fight and plan to fight along with every elected leader who is willing to fight for California’s quality of life, climate goals and middle-class jobs.

Thu, Mar 14, 2019 4:29 am

Sales tax bite looms for Internet consumers

Californians who buy things on the Internet have often been able to escape sales taxes. But that will end April 1.

Thu, Mar 14, 2019 12:01 am

Utilities pushed toward fire prevention as Edison is blamed for Thomas Fire

California lawmakers pressure utilities to improve fire safety as Southern California Edison is blamed for the 2017 Thomas Fire and ensuing mudslides.

Wed, Mar 13, 2019 6:42 pm

Newsom moves to end death penalty, college admissions fraud, legislator accused

Newsom to sign death penalty moratorium, Californians caught up in college admissions scandal, legislator charged

Wed, Mar 13, 2019 4:30 am

California can’t afford to skimp on computer science education

Computer science is an essential 21st Century skill for college, careers and civic participation. Yet many California students lack access to meaningful opportunities to learn computer science. If we are committed to closing the academic achievement gap, we must close the growing computer science access gap for all students.

Wed, Mar 13, 2019 4:29 am

Trumpies rightfully reduced Oroville Dam aid

The Trump administration is refusing to pay more than $300 million for repairs to Oroville Dam. California officials should be grateful it's not zero.

Wed, Mar 13, 2019 12:01 am

Saying death penalty no longer “an abstract question,” Gov. Newsom halts executions in California

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a longtime death penalty opponent, has announced a moratorium on executions in California. His move over-rides a decision the state’s voters made in 2016 to maintain capital punishment.

Tue, Mar 12, 2019 7:51 am

Newsom’s housing plan, warnings about new taxes, independent voters

Effort grows to abolish state tax board, legislature weighs new tax proposals, no-preference voters on the rise

Tue, Mar 12, 2019 4:30 am

Trump’s rule gagging doctors is a threat to women’s lives

Despite massive opposition, the Trump administration released coercive and unethical regulations governing Title X. The administration’s anti-abortion agenda has seeped into Title X, a program that doesn’t pay for or provide abortion services. Under these rules, doctors would not be able to tell patients where they can get an abortion, even if they ask. The best doctors could do is give a patient a list of healthcare providers, some of whom provide abortions.

Tue, Mar 12, 2019 4:29 am

California has a giant surplus—of ideas for new taxes. What’s up with that?

Democratic leaders at the state Capitol have pointedly cautioned against broad tax increases on working families. Whether their troops and the governor have gotten the memo, though, isn't clear.

Mon, Mar 11, 2019 9:00 am

The world is knocking at California’s door, and we welcome it

Enriched by the diversity of our communities, California represents a set of human values that nurture and free our minds and our economic system. And the world knows it. That’s why now, more than ever, the world is knocking on our door.

Mon, Mar 11, 2019 8:00 am

Anti-vaxxers, treating the mentally ill and poor, and Newsom’s focus—PG&E

Newsom joins battle over fate of PG&E, anti-vaxxers target new hepatitis A bill, gaps in mental health care persist

Mon, Mar 11, 2019 4:30 am

Both abortion factions try to silence opponents

Those who debate abortion are often willing to use law and politics to shut down the other side.

Mon, Mar 11, 2019 12:01 am

Hard truths about deinstitutionalization, then and now

Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown, two of the most consequential governors ever in California, led the state during two of the most well intended but poorly executed movements in this state’s history. The first was the de-institutionalization of the mentally ill. The second resulted in fewer prison inmates, and significant increases in homelessness and untreated mental illness.

Sun, Mar 10, 2019 8:00 am

Politicians like to keep us in the dark

A new legislative bill and a new threat by the attorney general are the latest attempts to undermine the state's Public Records Act.

Sun, Mar 10, 2019 12:01 am

Highlighting all of CALmatters' work over the past week

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

Newsom on death. Trump on oil. San Francisco on youth crime. Thurmond on charter schools. Athletes on gender equity. And good fences make good neighbors in Santa Rosa.

Some charter parents assert their children’s charter school experience is positive. I can believe it. But sincere charter parents need to understand that while for some students charters can be beneficial, their overall impact on public education is destructive.

California legislation sparks a broader debate over how to advance equality for women in male-dominated sports.

A wet winter turns to spring, two die in e-scooter wrecks, California comes for paper receipts, a pesticide verdict, mountain lions, falcon eggs, tweets.

To a 6-year-old child considering Proposition 187 of 1994, the question was simple: How could a government deny a human being the right to an education or health care just because they didn’t have proper documentation to live in this country?

If community colleges and charter schools should be accountable for academic outcomes, why not public K-12 schools?

As with plastic bags and plastic straws, California lawmakers are considering another first-in-the-nation crackdown on another ubiquitous, litter-creating product of modern existence—lookin' at you, paper receipts.

Lawmakers take up the college cheating scandal. A widow brings lawmakers to bipartisan tears. Payday loans, taxes, PG&E's boss and follow Devin Nunes' cow.

California's Democratic politicians aren't very democratic when it comes to respecting the will of voters.

As UC reacts to the college cheating scandal, some urge them to lock the side door, reconsider the SAT and ACT for admissions and scrutinize athletic recruiting.

California news groups join forces on police records. Networking at the online community college. Poverty towing. Super bloom gridlock. And Nunes sues.

The JUUL system represents an unprecedented opportunity to help adult smokers switch off combustible cigarettes.

Legislators to test Newsom with new bills, more school districts plan layoffs, why industrial hemp still isn't legal, panel continues death penalty work

Gov. Gavin Newsom's blanket reprieve for those on death row is another headline-grabbing gesture—and it could backfire.

Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes to have a balanced state budget through his first term. But some economic clouds are looming on the horizon.

Highlighting all of CALmatters' work over the past week

Some at-home child care workers who depend on state subsidies are hoping to join forces with an unlikely ally: organized labor.

A collection of commentaries by Dan Walters over the past week.

More college cheating scandal fallout, UC gives legal aid to undocumented students and their families, rent control returns and drought ends.

California is funding immigration attorneys for students and their families as federal courts weigh the fate of DACA and politicians battle over border enforcement.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer has a message for his fellow California Republicans when it comes to grappling with the state's housing crisis: Embrace more development.

Why Gov. Gavin Newsom issued death penalty reprieves, the mob hit that informed his decision, Southern California Edison power lines sparked the Thomas Fire

Californians who buy things on the Internet have often been able to escape sales taxes. But that will end April 1.

California lawmakers pressure utilities to improve fire safety as Southern California Edison is blamed for the 2017 Thomas Fire and ensuing mudslides.

Newsom to sign death penalty moratorium, Californians caught up in college admissions scandal, legislator charged

The Trump administration is refusing to pay more than $300 million for repairs to Oroville Dam. California officials should be grateful it's not zero.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a longtime death penalty opponent, has announced a moratorium on executions in California. His move over-rides a decision the state’s voters made in 2016 to maintain capital punishment.

Effort grows to abolish state tax board, legislature weighs new tax proposals, no-preference voters on the rise

Democratic leaders at the state Capitol have pointedly cautioned against broad tax increases on working families. Whether their troops and the governor have gotten the memo, though, isn't clear.

Enriched by the diversity of our communities, California represents a set of human values that nurture and free our minds and our economic system. And the world knows it. That’s why now, more than ever, the world is knocking on our door.

Newsom joins battle over fate of PG&E, anti-vaxxers target new hepatitis A bill, gaps in mental health care persist

Those who debate abortion are often willing to use law and politics to shut down the other side.

A new legislative bill and a new threat by the attorney general are the latest attempts to undermine the state's Public Records Act.

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