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California

Partner Newsroom

CalMatters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom committed to explaining California policy and politics.

Local Reporter

Adam Echelman covers California community colleges. Email him at aechelman@calmatters.org.

More from California

Read recent coverage from across the state about the role of college in equity and the workforce.

We also partner with Berkeleyside.

Posted inBerkeley

UC Berkeley wants to demolish mansion that long housed UC presidents

By Felicia Mello, BerkeleysideAugust 12, 2026August 17, 2026

Cal says the century-old villa at the center of Kensington’s Blake Garden has fallen into disrepair and is too costly to fix.

Posted inBerkeley

UC Berkeley reclaims status as most selective campus in the UC system

By Felicia Mello, BerkeleysideJuly 29, 2026August 5, 2026

UC Berkeley offered admission to about 19,000 undergraduates this year, posting the lowest first-year acceptance rate of any UC campus.

Posted inCalifornia

A new law holds colleges accountable if their grads don’t earn more than $36,000 a year

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersJuly 16, 2026July 24, 2026

A new law requires colleges to prove that their graduates earn more than someone with only a high school diploma or else students could lose access to federal loans. About 300 California programs may fail the test, including many cosmetology and some arts programs.

Posted inBerkeley

Should UC bring back the SAT for admissions?

By Felicia Mello, BerkeleysideJuly 15, 2026July 16, 2026

UC officials will speed up a decision on whether to revive a standardized testing requirement, after a push led by UC Berkeley math professors.

Posted inBerkeley

How Californians cope with the state’s staggering inequality

By Felicia Mello, BerkeleysideJuly 10, 2026July 10, 2026

For their book “Normalizing Inequality,” two UC Berkeley professors spoke with dozens of Californians clinging to a middle-class lifestyle — seeking to understand how they make sense of living here.

Posted inCalifornia

Trump wanted to cut the Department of Education into irrelevancy. A new report shows how he did it

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersJune 29, 2026June 30, 2026

The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education tried to assess the extent and impact of the Trump Administration’s initial layoffs and cuts in early 2025. The report shows which offices were hit hardest but leaves some questions unanswered.

Posted inCalifornia

Newsom promised to help Californians build new careers. Now, the money is running out

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersJune 18, 2026June 18, 2026

Gov Gavin Newsom made job training and the creation of a master plan for career education part of his agenda. Now, key workforce initiatives may get no new funding.

Posted inCalifornia

The federal government is offering new job-training grants. California says it’s not ready yet

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersJune 15, 2026June 15, 2026

The federal government is set to expand financial aid for students in short-term job training programs starting July 1, but Californians may have to wait until the fall to benefit because of administrative and regulatory challenges.

Posted inBerkeley

Trump admin suspended UC Berkeley grants over ‘foreign funding.’ Some researchers say they didn’t take any.

By Felicia Mello, BerkeleysideMay 29, 2026June 1, 2026

The National Science Foundation cited funding from U.S. allies like Australia and Switzerland in suspending millions of dollars of research, including studies on autonomous driving and the skin color of poison frogs.

Posted inCalifornia

‘I felt like I wasn’t learning’: Community college students struggle with online education

By Adam Echelman, CalMattersMay 27, 2026June 1, 2026

About 40% of California’s community college courses are online now, redefining education. These courses are more accessible, college officials say, but they come with serious drawbacks.

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