CalMatters is a left-of-center media organization that publishes articles covering current events and politics in the state of California. ¹ CalMatters publishes legislative trackers and voter guides for California voters, publishing the status of California state legislation and information regarding all elected positions. Its guides align with a broadly left-leaning policy outlook. ^{2 3}

Background

Founded in 2014, CalMatters is a California-based, left-of-center nonprofit media organization that began publishing in July 2015, originally advocating for environmentalist policy and against the use of conventional energy sources. It publishes political news articles on California’s current events and uses a left-leaning framing to “explain” the implications of reported stories. ¹

In 2021, CalMatters reported having over 10 million website viewers, 60 million impressions on social media, 150 thousand email subscribers, and 2 million engagements. As of July 2022, Calmatters reports having 1 million monthly website viewers, not including media organizations that pick up its stories, including Apple News and Patch. ⁴

Activities

Voter Guides

CalMatters publishes voter guides specific to California elections. Prior to the June 2022 primary elections, CalMatters reported that its 2022 voter guide had over 600,000 viewers. ⁵ The voter guide provides a description on what is expected of each elected position and takes a left-leaning framing on what issues the position can address. ⁶

Legislator Tracker

CalMatters’s website has a “Legislator Tracker” that provides an analysis and update on proposed California state legislation. It uses the Legislator Tracker to assign values of legislators and political candidates, using its own metrics to label how liberal or conservative politicians are based on what legislation they have supported or opposed. The Legislator Tracker also highlights legislators’ race, gender, and identity. ³

Staying Sheltered Newsletter

CalMatters has a “Staying Sheltered” newsletter that reports on families and people who are having financial issues to advocate for extending California’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium or another form of government welfare to subsidize housing. ⁷

Environment Newsletter

CalMatters’s “Environment” newsletter publishes articles covering updates on energy legislation in the state of California as well as other policies that affect the environment. Articles within the newsletter support environmentalist policy and advocate for policy that restricts the use of conventional energy sources. ⁸

California Divide Newsletter

CalMatters has a “California Divide” newsletter that advocates for increased social programs that distribute various forms of welfare relief to individuals contingent on the status of their race, gender, and nationality. The newsletter also supports increasing the California minimum wage as well as creating additional regulations on businesses. ^{9 10 11}

People

David Lesher is a co-founder of CalMatters and worked as an editor and CEO until December 2018 when he became editor-in-chief. He previously served as director of government affairs for the Public Policy Institute of California. Lesher has spent over 25 years as a journalist, most notably as a political writer for the Los Angeles Times,  editor of California Journal magazine, and California director for the New America Foundation. ¹²

Marcia Parker was publisher and COO of CalMatters from February 2017 to June 2022. In June 2022, she became vice president of philanthropic partnerships for the New York Times. Parker has chaired the board of directors for the Institute for Nonprofit News since December 2017. ¹³

Funding

In tax filings covering 2022, CalMatters reported total revenue of $13 million. The average annual revenue reported in tax filings for the four years from 2015 through 2018 was less than $2.2 million. ¹⁴

As of June 2024, CalMatters reported receiving a combined total of at least $18 million from at least two dozen left-leaning donors and donor foundations. ¹⁵

Some of the donors credited by CalMatters with giving grants totaling $1 million and more included the Kerfuffle Foundation, Ann and John Doerr, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the College Futures Foundation, the Emerson Collective, the James Irvine Foundation, the Blue Shield of California Foundation, the Enlight Foundation, Simone Otus and Tench Coxe, the Walton Family Foundation, the Knight Foundation, and the California Health Care Foundation. ¹⁵

Some of the donors credited by CalMatters with giving grants totaling $500,000 and more included the 11th Hour Project, Schmidt Family Foundation,  Arnold Ventures, the Hellman Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, the Horace W.Goldsmith Foundation, Len and Mary Anne Baker, and the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation. ¹⁵

Some of the donors credited by CalMatters with giving grants totaling $100,000 and more included the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the FThree Foundation, the Battery Foundation, the California Community Foundation, Facebook, the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Baker Street Foundation, the Smidt Family Foundation, Report for America, the Ralph M Parsons Foundation, the Goldhirsh Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation. ¹⁵

1. “Explainers.” CalMatters. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://calmatters.org/category/multimedia/explainers/.
2. Christopher, Ben. “Governor – Voter Guide 2022.” CalMatters, July 15, 2022. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/governor/.
3. “About the California Legislator Tracker.” CalMatters, August 23, 2021. https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/about/#cm-ld-about__section-data-topics.
4. “Impact.” CalMatters. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://calmatters.org/about/impact/.
5. Kamal, Sameea. “2022 Voter Guide.” CalMatters, April 29, 2022. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/.
6. ^[1] Christopher, Ben. “Governor – Voter Guide 2022.” CalMatters, July 15, 2022. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2022/governor/.
7. “Staying Sheltered.” CalMatters. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://calmatters.org/staying-sheltered/.
8. “Environment.” CalMatters. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://calmatters.org/category/environment/.
9.  “California Divide.” CalMatters. Accessed July 25, 2022. https://calmatters.org/category/california-divide/.
10. Kuang, Jeanne. “Proposal to Boost State Minimum Wage to $18 Won’t Go on Ballot .” CalMatters, July 1, 2022. https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2022/07/minimum-wage/.
11. Kuang, Jeanne. “Covid Pulls down Latino, Black, Asian Life Expectancy More than Whites, Study Says.” CalMatters, July 7, 2022. https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2022/07/california-life-expectancy/.
12. Lesher, David. “Author – David Lesher.” CalMatters, December 10, 2021. https://calmatters.org/author/dave-lesher/.
13. “Marcia Parker – Vice President, Philanthropic Partnerships – LinkedIn.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 31, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/marciaaparker.
14. Calmatters. EIN: 47-2474086. ProPublica IRS 990 forms. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/472474086
15. “How We’re Funded.” CalMatters. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://calmatters.org/about/funding/