California Archives

California Governor Jerry Brown speaks during a press conference at the California State Capitol on March 7th, 2018, in Sacramento, California.

Remembering When Jerry Brown Pulled California, and His Political Career, Out of a Nose Dive

As the state's longest-serving governor leaves office buoyed by positive news stories, it's easy to forget the times when his governorship and the state budget seemed doomed to crash.

Jack Herrera

A desert smoke tree is illuminated by half-moon light in the Trilobite Wilderness region of Mojave Trails National Monument near Essex, California.

Environment

Could Machine Learning Be the Key to Better Plant Conservation?

A multi-institutional research team used the power of open-access databases to predict the conservation status of more than 150,000 plants.

Sue Palminteri

The Woolsey Fire spreads through Porter Ranch, California, on November 9th, 2018.

A Big Payout at Porter Ranch

The Southern California Gas Company settles claims.

Pacific Standard Staff

Firefighters try to control a back burn as the Carr Fire spreads toward the towns of Douglas City and Lewiston near Redding, California, on July 31st, 2018.

Environment

How Governmental Failure Amplified the Devastation of California’s Carr Fire

Every level of government understood the dangers of a potential fire in the region but took few, if any, of the steps needed to prevent catastrophe.

Keith Schneider

Economics

Inside California’s Legislative Movement Toward More Affordable Housing

It's California's original housing sin, a binding not-in-my-backyard clause that has forced municipalities to adopt creative workarounds to build low-income housing.

Kriston Capps

Senator Kamala Harris speaks to reporters on December 4th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

News in Brief

What Effects Will California’s Earlier Primary Have on the 2020 Presidential Election?

California will now be using early voting, which means Democrats in the state will be able to participate in the presidential nomination process around the same time as Iowa caucus-goers.

Seth Masket