CALMATTERS

• California sues as Trump cuts $600M in public health grants to four states
  February 12, 2026
  The grants targeted help fund public health workforce and disease monitoring. Ending these grants could result in layoffs and worse health outcomes, according to a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Rob Bonta.
• Candidate comment: Insurers’ blockbuster profits enrich shareholders and CEOs, not customers
  February 12, 2026
  Guest Commentary written by Jane Kim Jane Kim is a civil rights attorney, consumer advocate and a former San Francisco Supervisor With the first anniversary of the devastating Southern California wildfires approaching, CalMatters asked candidates […]
• ‘Valleycrat’ or Mamdani wannabe?: California Democrats are split on how to win swing votes
  February 12, 2026
  After 2024 losses, Democrats split on strategy: move to the middle or embrace economic populism. A Central Valley congressional race encapsulates the divide.
• Good behavior musn’t determine if a California prison inmate lives in a safe environment
  February 12, 2026
  An incarcerated person's constitutional right to a safe and healthy environment in a single occupancy cell cannot be withheld on the condition that she or he be good.
• Could taxing multinational corporations erase California’s budget deficits? Not likely
  February 12, 2026
  As Gov. Gavin Newsom gears up for a presidential run, other California Democrats are weighing tax hikes to counter budget deficits and federal cutbacks.
• Newsom arremete contra los «tiburones de reclamos» de los veteranos firmando ley que prohíbe cobrar comisión por ayudar con el VA
  February 11, 2026
  Muchos veteranos recurren a empresas privadas para obtener ayuda para presentar reclamos por discapacidad en el Departamento de Asuntos de Veteranos y luego enfrentan facturas que ascienden a miles de dólares.
• Activista de salud mental para las tribus de California muere; posible víctima en asesinato-suicidio
  February 11, 2026
  Celinda Gonzales, de la tribu Yurok, trabajó para prevenir suicidios entre los nativos americanos tras sufrir pérdidas familiares. "Era amiga de muchos", afirmó la tribu.
• Reimagining Economic Opportunity as a Public Good
  February 11, 2026
  California researchers propose abundance-oriented policy solutions to make quality education, jobs, and internet access accessible for everyone.
• Judge rules on CA’s mask ban for law enforcement
  February 11, 2026
  A federal judge has pumped the brakes on a California law banning local and federal officers from wearing masks. But both sides — California lawmakers and the Trump administration — are claiming victory. In her […]
• California promised accountability for inmate deaths in jails. A year later, no results.
  February 11, 2026
  Lawmakers passed a law creating a state department to review inmate deaths, but it hasn’t completed a single death review in its first year.