In 2019, his first year in office, California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched the Cradle-to-Career Data System, a new state entity that aims to track students’ progress from preschool through employment. The data system was supposed to release its first public dashboard last spring.
StateWatch
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Newsom’s MAGA-curious podcast mystifies listeners — and sets Dem lawmakers on edge
Gavin Newsom’s podcast launch baffles allies and critics alike as the California governor disappears from public events, raising questions about his leadership priorities and political future.
Posted inLatest News
The high cost of fixing Lake Tahoe: Famed alpine lake still murky after decades of efforts
Billions of state and federal dollars are spent on Lake Tahoe. But is all this attention actually protecting this unique treasure? Pollutants pour in, while development continues. Funding has shifted in focus to tourism and traffic projects, while money spent directly on fixing the lake has declined.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California Republicans say they’re making a comeback. Can they keep Trump at arm’s length?
At their spring convention over the weekend, California Republicans moved to capitalize on their November victories and break the Democratic supermajority in Sacramento while balancing the influence of President Donald Trump.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A loophole in California law makes it hard to prosecute threats against schools. Will lawmakers close it?
After a man threatened an elementary school in her San Diego district, Assemblymember Darshana Patel wants to close a loophole in the law that makes it harder to prosecute threats against places than individuals.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Katie Porter vows to stand up to Trump as she enters race for California governor
After months of hinting that she would run, former Orange County congressmember Katie Porter formally launched her 2026 gubernatorial campaign Monday with a video posted to social media in which she touts her independence from corporate interests and lambastes President Donald Trump.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Have federal agents served warrants at California’s Capitol? The Legislature doesn’t want you to know
California’s legislative leaders are refusing to disclose whether federal agents are investigating state lawmakers for corruption or if any taxpayer money was spent on their legal defense. Open government advocates argue that the public has a right to know.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
First-of-its kind court order halts sweep of California homeless camp
A recent order stopping Vallejo from clearing a homeless encampment appears to be the first such injunction since the U.S. Supreme Court let cities crack down on such encampments in California and beyond.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Towing companies can sell your car — and the DMV gets to keep the profit without telling you
Since 2016, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has collected more than $8 million from nearly 5,300 car sales, according to a CalMatters analysis.
Posted inHousing & Development
‘Too damn hard to build’: A key California Democrat’s push for speedier construction
Oakland Democrat Buffy Wicks said California lawmakers will soon see 20 bills to speed up housing construction, along with more on energy, water and transit.