By one count, the number of in-person journalists covering the CA legislature has fallen from peak of 134 to 17 due to budget cuts to state and local news. With the old model broken, we need new tools for state govt oversight. Seeing this, we @Arnold_Ventures funded @CalMatters starting in 2015 to create a tool tracking every word spoken in public hearings, political donation, bill introduced, and vote cast in the CA legislature. This info had been hard or impossible to get previously. Ten years on from our first support, legendary investigative journalist @dicktofel just called it "one of the most interesting recent developments in local news." Now using AI, the tool is primed to scale, first to Texas and Hawaii and hopefully to dozens more states in the coming years with support from us and others. Robust statehouse reporting is necessary for a vibrant democracy. While coverage of national issues has never been stronger, the papers covering state and local politics continue to struggle. Tools like Digital Democracy lower the cost and hurdles to statehouse reporting.

We're gathering some of our nation’s sharpest problem-solvers for a two-day summit in Sacramento this summer called the CalMatters Ideas Festival. Together, they’ll swap and share ideas on how to make CA a better place to live, work and run a business. #calmattersfest 1/5

I’m thrilled to announce that today is my first day at @CalMatters! 🤩 I’m so excited to be returning to journalism at an organization I've long admired for its transparency, high-impact reporting, and service to its California community. 1/2

Personal news: I’m joining @CalMatters as a deputy editor and my first day is Monday. I’m excited to be a part of the powerful newsroom @davelesher and @chaseneil created in just 8 years. Can’t wait to get to work with the great team they built.