Adam Echelman CalMatters

Dec 14, 2024 | napavalleyregister.com | Adam Echelman CalMatters

In January 2023, and continuing throughout the spring, rain swelled many of California’s reservoirs and creeks, engulfing homes and businesses and killing 21 people. One federal estimate says it cost the state nearly . Now, nearly two years later, it’s Alexis Ramirez’s job to help pick up the pieces, clearing debris from a damaged park. For him, and hundreds of others across the state, the disaster isn’t just about loss — it’s also an opportunity for temporary work.

Nov 23, 2024 | ivpressonline.com | Adam Echelman |Adam Echelman CalMatters

At California’s community colleges, conservative professors and students are making their voices heard — not just in the classroom but in court. Their lawsuits have already led community colleges to pay millions in settlements and legal fees. CalMatters identified at least seven cases filed since 2020 in which professors or students have sued their community college districts for issues related to free speech.

Oct 31, 2024 | ivpressonline.com | Adam Echelman |Adam Echelman CalMatters

In 2019, California changed the course of college athletics by allowing student athletes to cash in on the big business of college sports. For the first time, students could make brand deals, earning thousands of dollars from companies such as Gatorade or Body Armor. “This is the beginning of a national movement,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement after signing the 2019 bill, which allowed athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.

Oct 23, 2024 | ivpressonline.com | Adam Echelman |Adam Echelman CalMatters

The sewer systems at two Los Angeles community colleges are about to fail — “catastrophically.” Nearby, in Torrance, a community college shut down multiple buildings, some for weeks at a time, because the heating and cooling system is so old it broke. Seismic engineers delivered a dire prediction to a Sacramento community college last year: a central building on campus might collapse. Come Nov. 5, California voters will have a chance to help repair these ailing community college facilities.

Sep 13, 2024 | ivpressonline.com | Briana Mendez-Padilla |Adam Echelman |Adam Echelman CalMatters

Despite the Los Angeles Harbor College student ID that proves otherwise, Citlali Gonzalez hasn’t felt like a college student. Yes, she recently finished her associate degree in human services and, yes, she is transferring to Cal State Dominguez Hills this fall. Still, as someone who for the past year has been mostly taking online classes, college doesn’t feel like the social experience she’d imagined fresh out of high school five years ago.