Phil Matier

California lawmakers are trying to figure out how to find billions of extra dollars to fund high-speed rail in the state, as costs keep creeping up. For more, KCBS Radio's Eric Thomas & Margie Shafer are joined by KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

Governor Gavin Newsom says the state will no longer do business with Walgreens after the company decided to stop selling abortion pills in 20 states, most of which have restrictions on the procedure in place. The move comes after the Republican attorney's general in those states threatened legal action against the chain. KCBS Radio's Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart are joined by KCBS Insider Phil Matier for more.

In a newly proposed contract with the police union, the city of San Francisco said it would give officers a 10.75% raise over three years, which Mayor London Breed hopes will help with staffing levels in the city. For more, KCBS Radio's Margie Shafer and Eric Thomas spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier.  

Getting a parking ticket in San Mateo has gotten a whole lot more expensive since the start of the pandemic, with the cost of citations going up a whopping 86%. For more, KCBS Radio's Bret Burkhart and Patti Reising spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier.  

The Oakland A's took a trip to Las Vegas over the weekend, and that's just adding fuel to speculation that Oakland's push to keep the A's might not be strong enough. For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Margie Shafer and Eric Thomas spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

Vice President Kamala Harris comes home to the Bay Area this afternoon for a quick visit to the Bay Area, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis arriving in California on Sunday.  For more, KCBS Radio news anchors spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier and the former  Mayor of San Francisco Willie Brown.

While downtown San Francisco may be on a painfully slow rebound, traffic in the Bay Area is is not. At first glance, it would seem traffic should have eased with less folks communizing from all points into the city but that is not what the data show or what most Bay Area commuters will tell you. For more, KCBS Radio's Margie Shafer and Eric Thomas spoke with KCBS insider Phil Matier.

A program to help get the homeless off the streets of San Francisco during the COVID-19 pandemic has ended up costing the city much more than anticipated, as the hotels taking part in the program file claims for property damage caused by those they were housing. KCBS Insider Phil Matier spoke with KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart on the program's successes and shortcomings.

A megaproject that once envisioned a four-track rail crossing that would serve BART and other rail lines, looks like its going to be less ambitious than planned. For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Margie Shafer and Eric Thomas spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

San Francisco Supervisors are considering a controversial tweak to the City's long established Sanctuary City policy. what's the tweak and why is it controversial?

California is lifting its COVID-19 state of emergency today, although most of the restrictions related to the emergency order have already been dropped.  Several other states are still keeping their emergency orders in place. For more KCBS Radio news anchors Margie Shafer and Eric Thomas are joined by KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

As we've been reporting rising natural gas prices in the state are causing PG&E bills to soar. Some people are paying twice as much as they used to and while those bills are expected to go down soon, another price hike may be in the works. Why is that?  

As federal funding dries up, BART is trying to bring people back to their old pre-pandemic commutes, and spending a lot of money on social services interventions on trains to do it. Recently surveyed riders say they're frustrated by how BART manages homelessness and the all-too-common service delays. For more, KCBS Radio anchor Margie Shafer spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

Kaiser Permanente is planning to move over a thousand of its Oakland employees to Pleasanton and the city isn't happy about it. For more KCBS Radio's Eric Thomas is joined by KCBS Insider Phil Matier.  

BART is trying out a new way to bring back riders: the agency is doubling the number of officers on trains. For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkahrt spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

It's been nearly a year since gas prices took the first of several big leaps and 5 months since Governor Newsom called on state legislators to penalize oil companies for excessive profits but that doesn't show signs of happening anytime soon. For more, KCBS Radio's Eric Thomas is joined by KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

BART is in financial crisis with few options on the table to turn things around.  For more, KCBS's Eric Thomas is joined by KCBS insider Phil Matier.

As we've been reporting Bay Area Congresswoman Barbara Lee has made it official, announcing she is running for Senator Dianne Feinstein's seat. Lee has been a member of Congress since 1998 and her announcement creates a rare opportunity for politicians eyeing a position in the nation's Capitol.

The race is on for retiring Senator Dianne Feinstein's senate seat and Congresswoman Barbara Lee has officially thrown her hat into the ring this morning. For more,  KCBS Radio's Eric Thomas is joined by KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

More issues arise for California's high-speed rail project as officials are now saying that between supply-chain issues and worsening inflation, It's going to be even more expensive than they first thought to build a segment connecting Merced and Bakersfield. How much of a change are these newer estimates?