CALMATTERS

• Nevada utility to Lake Tahoe: Find electricity elsewhere
  March 20, 2026
  Lake Tahoe’s longtime power supplier, NV Energy, will cut off the region next year. It has said data centers are driving “unprecedented” demand.
• Scrubbing César Chávez from California
  March 20, 2026
  I’m CalMatters reporter Ryan Sabalow, and I’m pinch hitting for Lynn today.  No more César Chávez Day, California. Democratic leaders said Thursday they’re going to fast-track legislation to rename the March 31 holiday “Farmworkers Day.” […]
• Pebble Beach golf, Maui resorts, European tours: How special interests woo California lawmakers
  March 20, 2026
  Why learn about policy in Sacramento when you can do it in Maui? Special interests spent at least $1.2 million sending lawmakers to luxury destinations last year and handing out perks.
• It’s supposed to be a race for governor, but candidates and voters seem disengaged
  March 20, 2026
  Two Republican candidates are leading the pack of 10 main candidates for governor, while lukewarm Democratic support is split eight ways.
• If California forces state workers to commute, it passes up $225 million in savings. Can we afford that? 
  March 20, 2026
  State workers must go to offices four days a week starting July 1. But if lawmakers let them telework, they’d save on gas and reduce carbon emissions.
• Record heat, melting snow: What does it mean for California’s reservoirs?
  March 20, 2026
  A record-baking heat wave is scalding California, with major consequences for the state’s most important reservoir: its snowpack.  Providing about a third of the state’s water supply, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is a vital source […]
• Trump administration acknowledges it needs immigrant farmworkers as it moves to cut their pay
  March 19, 2026
  The Trump administration handed down a rule that would cut the minimum wage for immigrants with H-2A visas, including farm workers. The United Farm Workers sued, arguing the change would depress pay to all agricultural […]
• California is renaming César Chávez’s holiday. Now, cities are slowly erasing his name from streets
  March 19, 2026
  California lawmakers say they'll change the name of César Chávez Holiday. Taking his name off of streets and buildings likely will take much longer.
• Escuelas toman medidas para minimizar rol de Chávez en movimiento por los derechos civiles: “Apoyamos a las víctimas de la violencia”
  March 19, 2026
  El estado actualizará su plan de estudios de historia y ciencias sociales. Los estudiantes suelen aprender sobre Chávez en cuarto, noveno y undécimo grado.
• Presidenta de UFW: “No aprobamos las acciones de César Chávez”
  March 19, 2026
  Las impactantes acusaciones contra el ícono sindical californiano César Chávez llevaron a la organización que cofundó, United Farm Workers, a distanciarse de él.