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:

My turn: Here’s where gas tax repeal would hurt the most

Californians would see a minor decrease in gas prices at the pump if voters approve Proposition 6 and repeal the gasoline tax. But aside from this small change, the only other immediate effect would be the continued poor quality of the roads servicing the agricultural areas of our state.

Thu, Sep 20, 2018 9:30 am

Housing, Hollywood Forever and weed

California's housing crisis, drug industry donations against Proposition 10, cannabis equity, Hollywood Forever gets spirits and the governor's friends.

Thu, Sep 20, 2018 4:30 am

Want a state job? Get close to Jerry Brown

During his second governorship, Brown's displayed a penchant for appointing old friends and trusted aides to powerful and/or well-paying state positions.

Thu, Sep 20, 2018 12:01 am

Party Crasher: Moderate Tom Campbell aims to launch new political party in California

Tom Campbell—centrist former congressman, former state senator and former Republican—is out to launch a third party in California, predicting legislative candidates will run under the new banner as soon as 2020. He insists it might not even be that hard.

Wed, Sep 19, 2018 3:56 pm

My turn: This isn’t junk land, no matter what cannabis growers say

Our rural neighborhood has been overrun by marijuana growers. Too many of them seem to have little regard for our canyon’s beauty. They run heavy equipment, do unpermitted grading on steep slopes, and run heavy water tanker trucks on our narrow road.

Wed, Sep 19, 2018 9:30 am

Universal preschool, Hollister Ranch access

California's achievement gap needs universal preschool, Hollister Ranch and Martin's Beach brace for battle and de Leon eyes San Francisco's water supply.

Wed, Sep 19, 2018 4:30 am

Political expediency worsens long-term consequences

When politicians take the easy way out and ignore reality, it comes back to haunt them and their constituents, whether it's delayed infrastructure maintenance or providing salary unaffordable salary increases.

Wed, Sep 19, 2018 12:01 am

Report: To close California’s achievement gap, spend a lot more on preschool

California lags other states in closing the achievement gap for disadvantaged students. A new 10-year report suggests a major state investment in preschool.

Tue, Sep 18, 2018 1:52 pm

My turn: What the next governor should do about the housing crisis

The next governor is going to need to do more than simply decry the cost of a split-level suburban home to solve one of the state’s worst human crises.

Tue, Sep 18, 2018 9:00 am

De León on Kavanaugh, and an EV perk ends

California tightens ZEV carpool decals, de León criticizes Feinstein on Kavanaugh letter, gig economy lawsuits, achievement gap, homeless, women on boards.

Tue, Sep 18, 2018 4:30 am

Homelessness: I feel your pain, or do I?

As cities look for ways to tackle homelessness and the state pours half a billion dollars into finding solutions, we look at the science of empathy.

Mon, Sep 17, 2018 1:34 pm

De León isn’t backing off criticism of how Feinstein handled allegation against Kavanaugh

Running to unseat fellow Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein, state Sen. Kevin de León continued to criticize her response to a constituent’s accusation of sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Mon, Sep 17, 2018 5:19 pm

My turn: Why more women aren’t on corporate boards

Publicly held corporations are more profitable and productive when women serve on the boards. SB 826 is a reasonable approach that would require publicly traded corporations based in California to have at least one woman on their boards.

Mon, Sep 17, 2018 7:30 am

Limit immigration

Mon, Sep 17, 2018 7:23 am

What’s next after Brown’s climate summit

Boalt Hall, lessons from the Global Climate Action Summit, Newsom and Cox on climate, Denti-Cal, Toni Atkins' UC regent confirmations, and CALmatters wins an Online News Association award.

Mon, Sep 17, 2018 4:30 am

Study provides new ammo for K-12 schools battle

A new study of California's K-12 schools concludes that the "achievement gap" remains large, and more efforts—along with a lot more money—are needed to close it.

Mon, Sep 17, 2018 12:01 am

Proposition 8: More regulation of kidney dialysis centers

Yes on Proposition 8: Kidney dialysis centers need more regulation for patient safety. No on Proposition 8: This initiative would harm patient care.

Sun, Sep 16, 2018 9:00 am

Gov. Jerry Brown’s carbon-free legacy—at what cost?

Gov. Brown wants California to be a global leader in reducing or eliminating carbon emissions to fight global warming. But what that entails, and how much it costs, are blanks to be filled in later.

Sun, Sep 16, 2018 12:01 am

A blizzard of pledges, a planet-scanning satellite: Brown wraps up his climate summit

The conference featured promises to reduce greenhouse gases, vows to banish carbon, multilateral pacts and sincere handshakes.

Fri, Sep 14, 2018 6:45 pm

In California, saving teeth and money—one mouth at a time

State officials hope to improve dental care for low-income residents by signing up more dentists, paying them better and emphasizing prevention.

Fri, Sep 14, 2018 3:26 pm

Majority Report: Our weekly recap of California’s hottest House races

A weekly recap of the most significant (or most funny or interesting or just plain weird) developments across California’s 53 congressional districts:

Fri, Sep 14, 2018 3:21 pm

Weekly CALmatters 09/14/2018

Highlighting all of CALmatters' work over the past week

Fri, Sep 14, 2018 11:27 am

Weekly Walters 09/14/2018

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

Fri, Sep 14, 2018 5:46 am

Scenes from the climate summit, struggling seniors and a quiz

California pledges to reduce transportation emissions, one in five elderly Californians lives in poverty and political pundits predict a blue wave in California.

Fri, Sep 14, 2018 4:30 am

The road to California’s coveted electric highway is congested; will a new pact help clear the way?

The state wants 5 million clean vehicles on the road by 2030. There's a long way to go.

Thu, Sep 13, 2018 7:39 pm

CALQuiz: Steyer flexes his vocab, California UCs rank high, and a campaign consultant gets mad

Thu, Sep 13, 2018 6:00 pm

The Gimme Shelter one year anniversary spectacular

It's been one year of Matt and Liam talking about California's housing crisis. They reflect on the biggest stories of the past twelve months, and what they expect to be on the podcast in the year ahead.

Thu, Sep 13, 2018 4:27 pm

California political insiders say “meh” to top two primary

The California top two primary system was supposed to bring bipartisan comity to state politics. But among political insiders, ambivalence abounds.

Thu, Sep 13, 2018 4:00 pm

My turn: Protect small businesses from predatory lending

Thu, Sep 13, 2018 8:00 am

E-cigs, climate summit and hard politics

FDA's crackdown on e-cigarettes, Global Climate Action Summit opens in SF, Cole Harris' website is hacked by an insider and don't hold your breath for a third party

Thu, Sep 13, 2018 4:30 am

Two education bills do the right things

Overcoming powerful opposition, the Legislature passed two bills that would, if signed, make it easier for adolescent students to learn and easier for older students to obtain college degrees.

Thu, Sep 13, 2018 12:01 am

Experts: California’s a climate policy leader, but with missteps

California has been a leader in developing climate policy, yes, but there have been missteps, and there’s more work to do.

Wed, Sep 12, 2018 9:43 pm

Surf the crest or batten down the hatches? California insiders predict Dem wave

California's political cognoscenti we surveyed unanimously predict Democrats here will gain gain at least one congressional seat—and more than a quarter say they’ll gain five or more.

Wed, Sep 12, 2018 7:24 pm

Judge sides with California, faults DeVos for delaying student borrower protection

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Education’s delay of rules meant to protect student loan borrowers from predatory practices was “arbitrary and capricious,” granting a legal victory to the state of California and borrowers who say their colleges defrauded them. If upheld, the ruling could make it easier for students like […]

Wed, Sep 12, 2018 6:58 pm

Cole Harris’ campaign may be over, but his consultants aren’t finished with him

Republican Cole Harris lost his bid for lieutenant governor in June, but a message on his web site says he owes $1.1 million to his campaign consultants. The Glendale investor responded to queries with referrals to Instagram.

Wed, Sep 12, 2018 6:21 pm

Proposition 10: Should California expand rent control?

Wed, Sep 12, 2018 3:27 pm

Santa Monica offers cash to seniors to help with rent

As senior homelessness spikes in some parts of the state, Santa Monica is trying out rental subsidies to help keep its seniors off the streets.

Wed, Sep 12, 2018 1:19 pm

Climate summit guide, a big debt and rent control

Global Climate Action Summit opens in SF, Gov. Jerry Brown considers licenses for ex-felons, local governments make moves on rent control and school chief candidates split over school start times.

Wed, Sep 12, 2018 4:30 am

Feinstein, Harris pursue agendas in Kavanaugh hearings

California's U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris both played big roles in last week's confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. While Feinstein was critical of the circus-like atmosphere of the hearings, Harris contributed to it. But both were pursuing personal political goals.

Wed, Sep 12, 2018 12:01 am

The one idea that has the state teachers’ union allied with Tuck over Thurmond

In a role reversal, the candidates vying to become California’s next schools' superintendent disagree about a bill that would require later instruction start times for middle and high school students.

Tue, Sep 11, 2018 10:17 pm

Third party threat? In survey, California political establishment doesn’t see it coming

California political establishment says political establishment is here to stay: results from new Target Book Insider Track Survey.

Tue, Sep 11, 2018 5:09 pm

The one thing the California DMV does make it easy to do

Republicans running statewide in California don’t have numbers on their side, with just one-fourth of the state’s voters registered GOP. But they do have the DMV, which sure is making it easy for the underdogs to attack California’s Democratic-controlled state government. First came the absurdly long wait times—more than four hours at some DMV offices. […]

Tue, Sep 11, 2018 4:23 pm

My turn: Regulations and taxes stifle family businesses

Tue, Sep 11, 2018 12:38 pm

My turn: Students need the right tests, not more tests

California students need more than a test score. They need a test that opens the door to college.

Tue, Sep 11, 2018 9:16 am

What’s next on climate, and more

California sets carbon-free goal, youth football tackle ban back in play, UC campuses among the best colleges and transportation remains an obstacle for low-income Californians.

Tue, Sep 11, 2018 4:30 am

CALmatters Explains: California’s War on Climate Change

What happens when California—a state that is responsible for about 1 percent of the world's greenhouse gases—goes all-in on climate change.

Mon, Sep 10, 2018 8:50 pm

My turn: How to fix broken immigration system: Vote

Marches in support of immigration does matter. But voting is our pathway to fundamentally change immigration policies and so much more.

Mon, Sep 10, 2018 8:00 am

Climate, Delta fight and Nancy Pelosi’s cover

The spotlight is on climate change in San Francisco, California eyes Delta tunnels, did California get its money's worth on stem cell research and Pelosi remains a powerhouse

Mon, Sep 10, 2018 4:30 am

How a transportation safety net could keep more people off the streets

Discounted transit fares and subsidies for new shared mobility tech, like scooters and ride-share, could help low-income people stay on their feet.

Mon, Sep 10, 2018 12:16 am

Once again, most ‘job killer’ bills rejected

Despite the overall left-of-center tone to the Legislature's just-concluded session, the California Chamber of Commerce sidetracked all but one of the 29 liberal bills it labeled as "job killers."

Mon, Sep 10, 2018 12:01 am