A new nonprofit hopes to fill a void in coverage of California

In 2010, California journalists estimated that the number of full-time editors and reporters covering the capitol had dropped as much as 65 percent over the previous decade. The cutbacks appear to have slowed a bit since then, but there’s been no major reversal. A Pew census in 2014 counted 43 statehouse reporters in California: still more than any other state except Texas, but less than you might think, given the Golden State’s size and significance.

As newspapers and television and radio stations pull back in Sacramento (CA), though, Web-based outlets are picking up some of the slack. The newest one, a nonprofit called CALmatters, is planning a July launch and has already made some hires with strong credentials: editor Gregory Favre, a former Sacramento Bee executive editor and McClatchy Newspapers vice president; and well-regarded reporters including Laurel Rosenhall, a Bee veteran: Kate Galbraith, formerly of The New York Times and Texas Tribune; and Pauline Bartolone, of Capitol Public Radio. “Our goal is to do long-form explanatory pieces and deeply reported narratives on state policies and political topics, many of which are essentially unknown and have major consequences for citizens in the state of California,” Favre said. “We want to narrow the void between ordinary citizens and what exists in Sacramento.”