Byrhonda Lyons

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Gov. Gavin Newsom greet each other during a press conference in Antioch on Aug. 11, 2022. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

Newsom gave his political rival a $380k job. Special interests helped foot the bill

June 18, 2025 at 6:03 a.m.

At the request of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a nonprofit paid former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa more than $380,000 to advise the governor for about 10 months on how to...

People inspect a vehicle at an auction at Bruffy's Tow in Marina Del Rey on Feb. 18, 2025. Photo by J.W. Hendricks for CalMatters

The DMV makes millions from auctioned cars, and doesn’t tell the owners

March 6, 2025 at 6:33 a.m.

After a Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster got towed in 2023, no one claimed it. The iconic sports car sat at a Torrance tow yard for five months, long enough that the...

Guards and inmates in the yard at San Quentin State Prison on March 17, 2023. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

As California closes prisons, correctional officers land a $1 billion contract with raises and more

August 29, 2023 at 12:59 p.m.

Thousands of California correctional officers are in line to get $10,000 bonuses through a new contract their union negotiated with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration as the state prepares to close...

Razor wire tops a fence at California State Prison, Sacramento, in Sacramento, California. (LUIS SINCO / LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES)

California spent $600 million to house and rehab former prisoners — but can’t say whether it helped

July 10, 2023 at 11:31 a.m.

As Gov. Gavin Newsom retools the state’s prison system to emphasize rehabilitation, his administration has little evidence that a privately run program for parolees costing taxpayers $100 million a year...

(Illustration: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./ CalMatters; iStock)

New police accountability laws up demands on state agencies

July 26, 2022 at 12:15 p.m.

New state laws on police accountability are testing the limits of several agencies, including the Department of Justice, which say they need more resources for these new duties.

The N. A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton on March 2, 2022. (Photo: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./CalMatters)

State’s juvenile prison workers score $50,000 bonuses

June 16, 2022 at 11:41 a.m.

As California dismantles its youth prisons, the governor and six labor unions strike a deal to pay out lucrative retention bonuses capping at $50,000.

California Highway Patrol lags local police, other states in officer body cams

March 3, 2022 at 12:30 p.m.

The CHP, one of California's largest police agencies, does not provide body cameras for 97% of its officers.

Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher at the Downieville Sheriff’s Department office. The department has experienced labor shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jan. 25, 2022. (Photo: Andri Tambunan/for CalMatters)

On the street: Omicron surge strains California police agencies

January 27, 2022 at 11:39 a.m.

Since the surge began in December, some smaller law enforcement agencies have been forced to increase overtime, reduce services and reroute non-emergency calls to online portals.

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