CALMatters | Mountain View 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:

Newsom signs controversial bill letting relatives care for kids if parents are deported

Immigrants’ rights groups and child advocates say the new law will help parents prepare for emergencies, such as a deportation. It caused a firestorm of controversy among conservative and religious activists who said it would allow adults to traffic kids.

Mon, Oct 13, 2025 5:30 am

California’s Prop. 36 promised ‘mass treatment’ for defendants. A new study shows how it’s going

The biggest study yet on California’s tough-on-crime ballot measure Proposition 36 shows few people are finding their way into the treatment it promised.

Mon, Oct 13, 2025 5:29 am

Judge shuts down California tribes’ latest bid to crush their casino rivals

California card rooms emerged victorious in the latest battle over whether tribes should have exclusive rights to offer Las Vegas-style gambling.

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 4:55 pm

Why ‘no tax on tips’ may have limited benefits for California workers

Experts doubt the effectiveness of ‘no tax on tips,’ especially for California workers who are facing cuts in other benefits.

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 3:06 pm

New California law expands Newsom’s mental health court. Will it help more people?

Gov. Newsom introduced CARE Court to bring more people experiencing severe mental illness into treatment. It has helped fewer people than he projected, but a new law will make more people eligible for it.

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 10:05 am

Gavin Newsom signs law overhauling local zoning to build more housing

After weeks of waiting, California’s governor signed a bill that will allow mid-rise apartment buildings near major transit stops in California’s biggest metro areas.

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 9:32 am

Another rich town stares down the CA housing department

Scheduling note: WhatMatters is taking Indigenous Peoples’ Day off and will return to your inboxes Tuesday. When the town council of Los Altos Hills approved construction of new apartment buildings two years ago, it was a big deal for the affluent Santa Clara County community, writes CalMatters’ Ben Christopher. For decades the mansion-studded town permitted […]

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 6:00 am

California expungement law offers a fresh start to rehabilitated people held back by a conviction

An estimated 1 in 5 Californians live with a conviction on their record. A 2022 law gives many of them a chance to expunge their record and make greater contributions to their communities.

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 5:30 am

Does Prop. 50 divide California communities? Depends how you measure it

Prop. 50 would enact a congressional map that helps Democrats, but a new analysis finds it doesn’t change Californians’ representation much on other measures.

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 5:30 am

California’s long-running saga over local tax measures might return to the ballot

A recent appellate court ruling over a 2020 ballot measure in San Diego marks the latest front in California's ongoing saga over local tax initiatives. Tax gadflies vow to put a measure on the 2026 ballot.

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 5:00 am