In summary

It’s been a long year. Take a look back at 2024 with CalMatters visual journalists.

If you feel like so much happened in 2024 that it could fill several years, you’re not alone.

Throughout the year, CalMatters covered the many big stories in California, and our photojournalists, illustrators and contributors documented them — often through the faces of those most directly affected.  

There were concerns about health care, including abortion access, maternity ward closures and affordability. Artificial intelligence took center stage, along with debates about data privacy. The homelessness crisis — and the billions spent to address it — continued to grab the attention of the public and politicians. Protests over the Gaza war again embroiled college campuses, as they tried to balance public safety and free speech. Nature also made news, with an atmospheric river in November and a tsunami scare in December.

And yes, we had an election. The presidential race became far more California-focused than expected when President Joe Biden dropped out and anointed Vice President Kamala Harris — a Californian who had been the state’s attorney general and represented it in the U.S. Senate. Harris drew a lot of enthusiasm and carried California by 20%, but lost vote share compared to Biden in every California county except Inyo — and lost the national vote and Electoral College to Donald Trump.

As you look back on 2024, here’s a selection of some of the year’s most compelling images:

Leila Cormier at Sacramento State. Cormier is a student leader at the school’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center. Photo by José Luis Villegas for CalMatters
A pro-Palestinian protester is arrested after being surrounded by LAPD officers during a protest in Alumni Park at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on April 24, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters
A memorial for seven farm workers killed while driving to work in Madera County. California lawmakers acted to regulate the vans that take farmworkers to the fields. However, few vehicles are covered under the regulations now, leaving it less clear who is responsible for workers’ safety. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
First: A pro-Palestinian protester is arrested after being surrounded by Los Angeles Police Department officers during a protest in Alumni Park at the University of Southern California in April. Last: A memorial for seven farmworkers killed on the way to work in February in Madera County. California lawmakers acted to regulate the vans that take farmworkers to the fields. However, few vehicles are covered under the regulations now, leaving it less clear who is responsible for workers’ safety. Photos by Jules Hotz and Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters
Jen Saeta, a primary caregiver for Josh, shares a moment with her brother in the family’s living room at their home in Santa Rosa Valley, on March 11, 2024. In 2017, Josh visited West Hills Hospital for abdominal pain and the doctor ordered him to be sent to the ICU. Staff never transferred him and he had a heart attack and suffered a catastrophic brain injury as a result. His family has taken care of him since, but over time they’ve learned more details about the conditions in the hospital that caused them to file the lawsuit. Photo by Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters
Jen Saeta, a primary caregiver for Josh Saeta, shares a moment with her brother in the family’s living room at their home in Santa Rosa Valley.  In 2017, Josh visited West Hills Hospital for abdominal pain. His condition deteriorated and he suffered a catastrophic brain injury. His family is suing the hospital, alleging that insufficient nurse staffing contributed to his injury. Photo by Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters
Midwife Madeleine Wisner measures Chloé Mick's belly during a maternity care consultation at Mick's home in Sacramento on Feb. 6, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters
The morning after giving birth, Detranay Blakenship holds her child, Myla Sqmone Grace Thimbrel, while recovering at Martin Luther King Community Hospital in Los Angeles, on March 23, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters
First: Midwife Madeleine Wisner measures Chloé Mick’s belly during a maternity care consultation at Mick’s home in Sacramento. Last: The morning after giving birth, Detranay Blakenship holds her child, Myla, while recovering at Martin Luther King Community Hospital in Los Angeles, on March 23, 2024. Photos by Miguel Gutierrez Jr. and Jules Hotz for CalMatters
Illustration by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters; iStock
Trash flows along a section of the Tijuana River following days of heavy rains and flooding in San Ysidro on Feb. 2, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters
First: Debris, mud, household items, and battered vehicles covered Caribou Lane in the Beverly Glen neighborhood in the hills of Los Angeles. The damage occurred during a storm that battered California, bringing an atmospheric river and dramatic weather. Last: Trash flows along a section of the Tijuana River following days of heavy rains and flooding in San Ysidro . Photos by Mark Abramson and Adriana Heldiz for CalMatters
A woman sits in her home with a quiet face looking straight at the camera through a glass window. Some leaves from outside frame the left side of the image and the glass window reflects branches and leaves from outside.
Laura Robinson in her home in Irvine on May 20, 2024. Robinson, who was in a car accident last year while working for Instacart, was recently informed she will receive occupational accident insurance after months of effort. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters
A child jumps over a cracked portion of an asphalt yard at a school. Other children playing can be seen in the background.
Land where California Forever plans on building its new city (foreground) in Solano County, Feb. 16, 2024. The contentious development would be located between Travis Air Force Base and Rio Vista. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters
First: Students run across cracks in the asphalt at Abbott Elementary School in Lynwood. Gus Gonzalez, facilities director for Lynwood Unified School District, said three elementary schools in the district are dealing with cracked asphalt. The district has tried to mitigate it, but the cracks keep expanding. Last: Land where California Forever plans on building its new city in Solano County. The contentious development would be located between Travis Air Force Base and Rio Vista. Photos by Alisha Jucevic and Loren Elliott for CalMatters
Illustration of a child with a backpack and cap seen from behind, standing amidst towering browser window; through a central opening, a sparkling emerald city is visible in the distance
Illustration by Dave Murray for CalMatters
A car burns during a training session, at the Los Angeles County Fire Department East County Training Center, in Pomona. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters
Ashley Estrada, 18, will graduate from Diego Rivera High School in South LA in 2024. A technical error is currently blocking students whose parents don’t have a social security number from completing their FAFSA forms, and Estrada is one of the students affected. Feb. 9, 2024. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters
A close-up view of a person's checkered pattern shoes as they lean over a voting booth at a vote center.
First: Ashley Estrada, 18, of Diego Rivera High School in South Los Angeles could not apply for financial aid earlier this year when a technical error blocked students from completing their FAFSA forms if their parents did not have a Social Security number. Next: A voter casts a ballot at a polling center at the Jack London Aquatic Center in Oakland. Last: Ken Wells of O&M Solar Services at South LA Cafe in Los Angeles. Wells runs a small residential solar company and tries to work with disadvantaged communities. He has been affected by a recent decision by the Public Utilities Commission to reduce financial incentives for solar installations. Photos by Lauren Justice and Florence Middleton for CalMatters
Angie Costales had a miscarriage in December 2023 and needed misoprostol, a medication used for miscarriage and abortion management. She and the nonprofit National Women’s Law Center assert that employees at her local CVS pharmacy refused to fill her prescription. Photo by Kristian Carreon for CalMatters
Angie Costales had a miscarriage in December 2023 and needed misoprostol, a medication used for miscarriage and abortion management. She and the nonprofit National Women’s Law Center assert in a legal demand letter that employees at her local CVS pharmacy refused to fill her prescription. Photo by Kristian Carreon for CalMatters
Illustration of the back of a person sitting in front of a judge; to the left of the judge, there is a vignette of a person standing in a cell; to the right, there is a line of people wrapping around a medical building
Photo illustration of a raised fist holding up crumpled up one-hundred dollar bills, a rifle and bullets
Illustrations by Hokyung Kim and Black Cale for CalMatters
Vice President Kamala Harris, wearing a tan blazer and black shirt, stands behind a podium with as hundreds of supporters stand behind her, waving signs with her name at a campaign rally.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the crowd during her presidential campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz.. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
Citlali Gonzalez, an incoming transfer student at Cal State Dominguez Hills, at her home in Wilmington. Gonzalez has been studying from her home and has benefited from online learning over the past couple of years while attending Los Angeles Harbor College, she said. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters
Student graduates walk through the aisles to receive their degrees at the Fresno State Chicano/Latino Commencement Celebration in the Save Mart Center in Fresno on May 18, 2024. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
Graduates walk through the aisles to receive their degrees at the Fresno State Chicano/Latino Commencement Celebration in the Save Mart Center in Fresno on May 18, 2024. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
Protestors display a Palestinian flag at Hepner Hall during a pro-Palestinian protest at San Diego State University in San Diego on April 30, 2024. Photo by Kristian Carreon for CalMatters
First: Protestors display a Palestinian flag at Hepner Hall during a pro-Palestinian protest at San Diego State University. Last: A pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA. Groups of student protesters gathered at the encampment. Photos by Kristian Carreon and Ted Soqui for CalMatters
Illustration of a Latina college student trying to focus on her laptop; she's surrounded by a bunch of desktop notifications and various distracting screens and windows
Illustration by Gabriel Hongsdusit, CalMatters
The silhouette of two people taking a selfie with their phone in front of a "Kamala For President" banner with Harris' photo at a watch party in Los Angeles.
A person wearing a red 'Trump' hat and jersey holds a large flag that reads 'Trump 2024' with an image of Donald Trump over a U.S. flag backdrop. They face a line of cars, some with passengers who have their arms raised, as they drive along a coastal road bordered by rugged cliffs and tall palm trees, illuminated by warm sunlight.
First: Attendees take photos in front of a “Kamala For President” banner at the California Democratic Party watch party in downtown Los Angeles. Last: Trump supporters at an event hosted by 805 Patriots, called the MAGA Kingdom Hollywood Takeover, which included about a 100 vehicle caravan driving through various parts of Los Angeles. Photos by Alisha Jucevic and Mark Abramson for CalMatters
Two people wearing orange safety vests and white safety helmets observe as a person wearing a bright orange sweater and a white safety helmet performs a task on top of a metal structure. The class is part of an iron workers training program.
First: Pre-apprenticeship participants of the Trades Orientation Program in Santa Clara County at the Ironworkers Training Center of San Jose City College in San Jose. Last: Lauren Niebel, a student majoring in creative writing, at Cal State Long Beach. Photos by Laure Andrillon and Jules Hotz for CalMatters
Photo illustration of four men in suits standing in front of a sparkling green California Capitol building, surrounded by a field of California poppies; the sky features clouds shaped like the logos of Facebook, Nvidia, Google, and Apple, along with a vibrant rainbow
Illustration by Gabriel Hongsdusit, CalMatters
The Akido street medicine team checking on a homeless encampment in a dirt field in Arvin on May 28, 2024. Street medicine teams throughout California are increasingly using long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication to stabilize the mental health of people living in homeless encampments. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
A man with a hat on top of an RV to check the roof while it's parked next to a street.
First: The Akido street medicine team checks on a homeless encampment in a dirt field in Arvin. Street medicine teams throughout California are increasingly using long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication to stabilize the mental health of people living in homeless encampments. Last: Brad Butterfield pauses after checking the top of his RV for leaks in Arcata. Due to the high cost of education, Butterfield lived in his vehicle on campus at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt until the university prohibited students from doing so in the fall of 2023. Now, Butterfield parks in the city of Arcata, which requires he move his vehicle every 72 hours or receive a ticket. Photos by Larry Valenzuela and Alexandra Hootnick for CalMatters
A person wearing a beige jacket and cap walks down a city street, pulling a large, crumpled blue tarp. The scene is framed by tall buildings, parked cars, and a modern glass structure in the background. The muted urban setting is illuminated by soft, natural light, highlighting the quiet and solitary moment.
A homeless man carries a tarp and some of his belongings across Polk Street during an encampment sweep in San Francisco. Unhoused people on Cedar Street are forced to move their shelters and belongings on a regular basis by San Francisco city workers. Photo by Jungho Kim for CalMatters

Miguel Gutierrez is the Visuals Editor at CalMatters. Previously Miguel was The Texas Tribune’s photographer and photo editor, where he raised the bar for telling visually rich stories about government...

Adriana Heldiz is the assistant visuals editor at CalMatters. Her expertise includes photojournalism, video journalism, graphic design and motion graphics. She’s passionate about visual storytelling...

Larry is based in Kerman, in California’s Central Valley. A passion for documentary filmmaking led him into videography and photography on campus publications at Fresno City College and Fresno State...

Gabriel Hongsdusit is the visual designer at CalMatters and The Markup. Previously, he was the design and visuals editor at Reveal, where he was responsible for the overall design and visual direction...