Sameea Kamal
CalMattersSameea Kamal is a reporter at CalMatters covering the state Capitol and California politics. She joined CalMatters in June 2021 from the Los Angeles Times, where she was a News Desk editor. Sameea was one of three 2020 IRE Journalist of Color fellows, and previously worked for the Center for Public Integrity. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia Journalism School.
-
Public transit agencies in California are struggling to avoid a “fiscal cliff” — and to persuade riders to return after the COVID pandemic. Advocates and legislators are seeking more state aid, but there are no simple solutions.
-
Gov. Gavin Newsom starts defining his legacy on a four-day statewide tour that focuses on priorities interrupted by crisis and the COVID pandemic, including homelessness, criminal justice and health care.
-
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Gov. Gavin Newsom has sought to make California a sanctuary state for those seeking abortions. He just threw yet another pebble in that pond – but it’s unclear how long and far it’ll ripple.
-
Advocates and lawmakers are calling for fully independent commissions to decide election districts for cities and counties across California. While about a dozen new commissions drew maps after the 2020 Census, in many other places, politicians or their appointees did.
-
California doesn’t really need 2,600 new laws, right?
-
State legislators sometimes exempt themselves from the laws they pass, but this session, they could change course on an emblematic bill: To allow their own staffers to form a union.
-
California’s projected $22.5 billion deficit means budget cuts are almost inevitable — much to the chagrin of climate activists, public health advocates and others who have criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal since its unveiling this week.
-
President Biden signed a law banning nearly 4 million federal employees from having TikTok on their government phones, over national security concerns.
-
The California Legislature reconvenes with record diversity, but with several key questions and many significant challenges.
-
California has expanded voting access and participation, but that can delay election results. Are there ways to count votes faster without undermining election security?
-
While female candidates still face challenges, voters could elect a record number of women to the state Legislature in November. The roster of female lawmakers could rise to 45 of the 120 seats, according to a CalMatters analysis.
-
Shut out from winning statewide offices, the state GOP is seeking to capitalize on parents’ anger to win local school board races in 2022 and motivate Republican voters. The party’s “Parent Revolt” program is its most ambitious school board candidate recruitment and training program ever.