All Statewide Region Articles


All articles shown on the County Overview. (More in Topics)

Image caption: A commitment to justice and accountability is carved in stone, so to speak, in the California constitution, which gives every citizen the right to serve on their county's civil grand jury.
Citizens Investigating Governments

Over the past week, citizens empowered as members of civil grand juries issued reports of their investigations of local governments. It's an honorable institution, and they found some dishonorable stuff.

Image caption: In civil grand juries, citizens make sure the actions of California’s local governments add up.
2024 Civil Grand Jury Reports

We celebrate California's Civil Grand Jury session of 2023-2024 with a review of some findings and results from across the state.

Image caption: Participation on Civil Grand Juries is open to all Californians of voting age.
How Civil Grand Juries Make Government Better

Civil Grand Juries are a powerful means by which ordinary citizens investigate local governments and provide recommendations for improvement.

Image caption: Um, how much for the fire extinguisher?
Staying Safe and Sane

The celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is always a booming success for the fireworks industry.

Image caption: Where there's smoke, there's fire. Watch Duty has all the details in one place.
Volunteers Keeping Watch Over California

The Watch Duty team monitors a variety of real-time information resources and compiles all the information in one place.

Image caption: An image from September 2020 of Lake Tenaya in Yosemite National Park, with sunlight and shadows cast in the wildfire smoke hanging over the lake water.
Fire Season Begins with a Roar

Summer is here, and with it, fire season.

Image caption: Hundreds of Internet-connected cameras  provide a birds eye view of California.
On the Lookout for California Wildfires

The UC San Diego-managed ALERTCalifornia network of mountaintop cameras act as remote eyes for fire fighters, and the public.

Image caption: Many of Robert Kerbeck’s neighbors in Malibu Park lost their homes in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which left behind lots where only chimneys still stood.
Give Your Home a Fighting Chance in a Wildfire

California wildfires are becoming larger, more frequent and more ferocious. ‘Malibu Burning’ author Robert Kerbeck shares simple steps you can take to protect your home.

Image caption: Completed in 1967, with a storage capacity of about 2 million acre feet, the San Luis Reservoir is the fifth largest in California. Work is already underway to add an additional 130,000 acre feet of capacity.
The Future of Water in California

State water planners are preparing for a hotter and drier climate in the coming years.

Image caption: The Sacramento San Joaquin Delta, aka the California Delta, is one of the largest estuaries on the West Coast, and supplies the state with two-thirds of its water.
Californians Saving Trees and Water

Logging for the future, starting in 1946, and building water resiliency, starting now.

Image caption:
The Importance of Planning

It's impossible to predict the future—unless you set your mind to make something happen and build a coalition to execute your plan. That's how democracy works. And, frankly, how California works.

Image caption: Incorporated communities in California must manage local resources and your tax dollars according to a plan.
The Central Role of Planning in California Government

General Plans, mandated by the state and carried out by local counties, cities, and other municipalities, serve as a locality’s ‘constitution'.

Image caption: A large neon art installation gracing one of the entrances to the Grand Central Market in DTLA.
DTLA: A Good Thing Gets Better

Downtown LA is turning into a good thing.

Image caption: A typically joyful scene in the pool at the city of Sacramento's Clunie Community Center.
Celebrating California's Diversity, Homegrown Food, and DTLA

Kamala Harris, Tiger Woods, and 23 more AAPI Californians; DTLA flourishes, and a homemade birthday cake.

Image caption: If you really look, you will find some good things are happening in California.
We Have Some Real Good News

Our brand new book, "How California Works: Building Democracy in the Golden State," tells a true story that you'll be glad to know. And: Learn how, if you look closely, you'll see that things are truly getting better.

Image caption: New garbage and recycling receptacles! A new raised path through the rainy-season swamp!
Things Are Getting Better

All across California, municipalities and nonprofits are making their communities better.

Image caption:
How California Works: an Editors' Note

True stories about how, at its best, California has resisted and pushed back against anti-democratic forces. The histories and policies, deeply human characters, and controversies that have led us to where we are today.

Image caption: Dalip Singh Saund,  the first Sikh, Indian American and Asian American to be elected to Congress and Kamala Harris, the first Asian American vice president.
25 AAPI Leaders From California

California has been home to many Asian American and Pacific Islanders who have transcended barriers and reshaped society, from education to advocacy, art to sports, politics, and beyond.

Image caption: Construction of multifamily housing developments is set to skyrocket in the next half decade.
Here Comes the California Housing Boom

The state has pledged to build 2.5 million housing units by 2030, and one agency is charged with that task. Meet the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

Image caption: 207 units of market rate housing in Santa Cruz almost ready for occupancy in May 2024
How California Manages Housing as a Public Resource

Like the 33 million acres of forest in California, the nearly 15 million units of housing in the state are tended and managed with future generations in mind. Meet the California Department of Housing and Community Development.