Digital Democracy: AI-powered investigations inside California's Capitol
Featured Video Playlist
This playlist features a selection of CBS News California investigations made possible by CalMatters' groundbreaking Digital Democracy artificial intelligence tools.
This reporting uses AI as a force for transparency, pulling back the curtain on the inner workings of California's opaque legislative process and equipping the public and journalists with tools to hold power to account.
Through impactful, character-driven storytelling, these pieces transform complex policy into accessible, high-impact journalism, revealing how decisions are made in one of the country's most influential statehouses.
Watch: How artificial intelligence is helping hold power to account.
Browse: CBS News California's ongoing reporting utilizing Digital Democracy
Featured CBS News California Projects
California's fentanyl fight: Politicians v. parents | Oil money influence | Who owns your DNA, and how are they using it? |
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CalMatters Related Headlines:
- Power is never having to say 'no.' How California Democrats kill bills without voting against them
- California lawmakers keep killing bills by not voting on them. Do the rules need to change?
- How did a shoplifting bill get through California's liberal Assembly with most Democrats opposed?
- California's Yes Man: Meet the Democratic lawmaker who has never said 'no' to a bill
- Disappearing bills: More than 2,300 bills died without a vote in the last two years
- They drove for hours to speak in the Capitol. California lawmakers cut them off
- California lawmakers quietly sideline bills in secretive suspense process
AI-assisted journalism:
This first-of-its-kind local broadcast news reporting combines groundbreaking artificial intelligence with powerful, character-driven storytelling—using AI not just as a tech feature but as a journalistic force multiplier.
Produced by 'CBS News California Investigates' in partnership with CalMatters, this reporting gives viewers unprecedented access to the inner workings of California's opaque legislative process while arming the public and journalists with tools to hold power to account.
The team leverages 'Digital Democracy' — an unprecedented AI-powered database that ingests and analyzes political donations, hearings, and votes—to expose how lawmakers quietly kill popular bills without political consequence or accountability.
The flagship story, "California's Fentanyl Fight: Politicians vs. Parents," follows grieving parents who pushed for bipartisan legislation to hold drug dealers accountable. Despite widespread public and legislative support, the bills died in committee, without a single "no" vote on the record.
Using Digital Democracy, reporters analyzed more than a million votes and thousands of hours of hearings to uncover a pattern of political avoidance nearly impossible to quantify through traditional methods: more than 2300 bills were killed this same way.
The reporting humanizes data through powerful storytelling, juxtaposing algorithmic insight with raw emotional testimony from families.
This powerful case study launched a broader series investigating legislation on issues ranging from education to the environment and public safety—each story utilizing AI to transform complex legislative data into accessible accountability journalism with real impact.
Ultimately, this reporting is more than an exposé of political dysfunction—it's a blueprint for modern accountability journalism, demonstrating how AI, when combined with ethical reporting and strong narrative discipline, can uncover truths buried in bureaucracy and drive meaningful change.
Press Clippings:
The Investigative Reporters & Editors Journal: "Crunching legislative data with AI in California"
Variety: "CBS Invests in Statehouse Investigative Reporting With 'California's Fentanyl Fight' Special"
TV News Check: CBS News California Investigates Debuts New Year's Day Special 'California's Fentanyl Fight: Politicians V. Parents'
News Blues: CBS O&O Stations in California Investigate How Lawmakers Oppose Fentanyl Fight
2025 Honors & Recognition:
SPJ Sigma Delta Chi Award: Regional Political Reporting
Poynter Journalism Prize: The Punch Sulzberger Prize for Journalism Innovation
Golden State Journalism Awards: TV Enterprise Reporting
Edward R. Murrow Awards: Feature Reporting & News Series
Regional Emmy Awards: Political Reporting, Feature Reporting, Cont. Coverage, Investigative, Consumer, & Talent: Host
Credits:
CBS News California Investigates:
Julie Watts, Executive Producer, Broadcast Reporter/Writer/Video Editor
Richard Ramos, CBS News California Digital Producer
Pete Saiers, CBS News California Managing Editor/News Director
Dennis Lopez, Photojournalist
Jay Yoo, Photojournalist
Cecilio Padilla, CBS News Sacramento Digital Produccer
Alison Linton, CBS News Sacramento Executive Producer of Streaming
CalMatters Digital Democracy:
Foaad Khosmood, Senior Digital Democracy Data Journalist
Ryan Sabalow, CalMatters Reporter
Sameea Kamal, CalMatters Reporter
David Lesher, CalMatters/Digital Democracy Founder/Managing Editor
CBS News California Ongoing Reporting Utilizing Digital Democracy:
California bill targeting anti-aging skincare sales to minors dies without vote | "Sephora kids" investigation
CBS News California's Julie Watts and her daughter's fifth-grade class go undercover shopping and head to the State Capitol to investigate how the skincare industry makes billions by selling potentially harmful products to tweens.
FAIR Plan Fix: What are lawmakers doing to fix California's insurance and why is it taking so long?
FAIR plan problems are nothing new, but suddenly, everyone is paying attention to California's insurance crisis. Are we any closer to a fix? CBS News California investigates the flood of insurance-related bills in the aftermath of the L.A. fires and why it's taken so long for lawmakers to take action. WATCH OUR CONTINUING COVERAGE: CBS NEWS CALIFORNIA INVESTIGATES California's Insurance Crisis
California Senate Insurance Committee finally has a leader amid corruption probe
As California faces the largest insurance crisis in the state's history, there is still no leader of the state Senate Insurance Committee. Half committee members are new to the committee, the committee staff is new, and arguably, the most experienced and qualified person in the Senate to lead this committee is embroiled in a federal corruption investigation.
California's fentanyl fight: Politicians V. Parents
This year-long investigation provides an unprecedented look at California's one-party supermajority legislature through the eyes of grieving parents who discover how California lawmakers kill popular bills by not voting.
Tougher on crime: Investigating California's Proposition 36
This year-long investigation by CBS News California investigative correspondent Julie Watts examines the many components of California's new tougher-on-crime law.
How a young woman's memory became a focal point in California's Prop 36 fight
Fentanyl took her life. Frustrated with the legislature, Matt Capelouto took matters into his own hands and attempted to get Alexandra's Law on the ballot so that the public could vote on it themselves.
Gov. Newsom signs law to shed light on newborn DNA storage, prompted by 10-year CBS News California investigation
Gov. Gavin Newsom signs law prompted by a decade-long CBS News California investigation into California's newborn genetic biobank.
Gov. Newsom vetoes bill to protect California seniors from scammers
Credit card companies are responsible for fraud loss, under federal law. But there's no penalty for big banks when victims wire thousands of dollars to scammers.
Why some California Democrats take Big Oil money and vote against environmental laws
When California Democrats accept oil money or vote against "climate-friendly" bills, they are often criticized or accused of being beholden to the oil industry. But are they?
California teachers don't get paid family leave. Gov. Newsom vetoed a bill to change that. Lawmakers to try again.
California lawmakers will try again to give public school teachers paid family leave. Critics worry it could come at the actual expense of students.
Bills to shed light on newborn DNA storage in California quietly killed or gutted
Lawmakers quietly amended a bill prompted by a decade-long CBS investigation into California's Newborn Genetic Biobank. They removed the part that requires the state to reveal who is using our DNA for research and why.
Doctor who drove family off cliff fuels legal debate: Should attempted murder defendants get treatment instead of trial?
The doctor who was released from jail after driving his family off a cliff is being called the "poster child" for and against a California law that allows attempted murder defendants to get at-home mental health treatment instead of standing trial for alleged crimes.
Exclusive: Leaked emails reveal Newsom's office will not negotiate crime bills, unless DAs pull 2024 ballot measure to amend Prop. 47
Emails obtained by CBS News California Investigates reveal the Governor's Chief of Staff did not want to negotiate with the initiative coalition unless they agreed to postpone their ballot measure until 2026.
Sexually violent predators set for release into California communities, prompting concerns at state capitol
CBS News California has identified a spike in the number of "sexually violent predators" who are being granted conditional release by the Department of State Hospitals amid an ongoing struggle to find housing for the men. The reporting prompted several proposed changes to state law, but, one by one, the bills are dying inside California's capitol.
Using new AI, grieving moms discover California lawmakers killed popular fentanyl bill by *not* voting
They fought for fentanyl legislation, but it was killed before lawmakers even got to vote. Four grieving moms wanted to know why. They're uncovering the truth using a new AI tool designed to help everyday Californians hold lawmakers accountable. They discovered powerful lawmakers killed the popular fentanyl bill by *not* voting.
Lawmakers pushing for change following CBS News California investigations
The California State Capitol Capitol doesn't generally work the way people think it does. We're following bills prompted by our reporting, to show you how things really work inside California's Capitol.
Cops called to California K-8 schools 10,000 times in a year. Could state law be to blame? | Handcuffs in Hallways
A bill introduced in the wake of our "Handcuffs in Hallways" investigation aims to reduce "unnecessary" calls for police at schools. But one California lawmaker could kill it without a vote.