WhatMatters

Coming out of the March primary, it appeared that California’s November ballot could be crowded with more than a dozen propositions, if not more. But as of Thursday night, the Nov. 5 ballot was down to nine measures, the Secretary of State’s office announced. Then again, that number could still increase by next week, with […]

Five days before the new fiscal year begins, California lawmakers voted Wednesday night to approve the budget deal announced by the Legislature’s Democratic leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The outcome was never in doubt since the agreement was unveiled Saturday: Democrats control both the Assembly and Senate and don’t need any Republican votes to pass […]

California’s massive workers’ comp insurance system — which is supposed to provide medical care for workplace injuries — is failing the firefighters who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems. As CalMatters environmental reporter Julie Cart explains, Cal Fire firefighters have to fight the system, often hiring attorneys, to get their […]

The most recent measure to let the state borrow billions barely passed in March. In a poll out this month, nearly two-thirds of Californians said it’s a bad time to issue more IOUs. But that isn’t stopping supporters of climate action and school construction from trying to get bond issues on the November ballot — […]

With Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democratic-led Legislature coming to a budget agreement on Saturday, some winners and losers of the spending plan have become clear. As CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff explains, many programs saw funding cuts, deferrals and delays to find $46.8 billion in fiscal solutions and balance the budget. The effort, according […]

A political bombshell exploded in California at 10 a.m Thursday: The state’s highest court removed an anti-tax measure from the Nov. 5 ballot, siding with Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders and angering business and taxpayer groups, writes CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff. The blocked initiative — known as the Taxpayer Protection and Government […]

California hasn’t executed anyone since 2006, and while voters have supported keeping the death penalty, Gov. Gavin Newsom overrode them by imposing a moratorium in 2019. Legal battles have continued during this stalemate, including over potential racial bias in how California metes out capital punishment. The issue is arising in Alameda County, explains CalMatters news […]

It’s possible that the final big deals on both the state budget and November ballot measures could be hammered out on the same day next week, or in the days leading up to it. Thursday, June 27 is the deadline for the Legislature to put measures on the Nov. 5 ballot or pull them off […]

More than 7.7 million Californians voted in the March primary — a turnout of 35% among registered voters that was nearly 2 percentage points higher than the June 2022 primary. But it was only 29% of all those eligible to vote, which reinforces a key priority for voting advocates: Millions of Californians who could vote […]

California labor unions cleaned up in the Legislature last session, and often get their way on the bills they care about. There are reasons for that: Unions invest a lot of money into electing their allies, donating at least $22 million to current lawmakers’ campaigns since 2020.  And, as CalMatters Digital Democracy reporter Ryan Sabalow […]