Yue Stella Yu / CalMatters
Yue Stella Yu covers politics for CalMatters, with a particular focus on campaigns, elections and voters.
After arriving in California in October 2023, she dove into the state’s once-in-30-years U.S. Senate primary, a fierce contest to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Stella helped write CalMatters’ 2024 March primary Voter Guide, dug deep into Senate candidates’ voting records and policy positions, covered three televised debates and examined their pledges against corporate PAC money. She also reported on issues affecting Latino voters’ turnout across California.
Stella will be a lead reporter covering the November election, including the U.S. Senate race, congressional contests and key statewide issues.
Before joining CalMatters, Stella covered state and local politics in Michigan, Tennessee and Mississippi while dabbing in investigative stories. In 2023, her reporting revealed the highly unregulated housing conditions for Michigan dairy farm workers and the lack of state actions to protect workers. She won first place in investigative reporting in press association contests in Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouri.
She graduated from the University of Missouri with a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 2019. She is based in Sacramento.
Other languages spoken: Mandarin (fluent) and Korean (conversational)
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California voters will decide on 14 statewide policy proposals come November, including the high-stakes billionaire tax, an $11 billion affordable housing bond and voter ID requirements. -
In the face of the nation’s highest gas prices, California lawmakers approved a bill to ease restrictions on E85 conversion kits. It now heads to the California state Senate and would need Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval before it becomes law. -
California created an inspector general to monitor its long-delayed high-speed rail project. Now, one lawmaker wants to allow that office to withhold some investigative records from the public. -
As Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to release his spending plan this Friday, a projected $18 billion deficit awaits. Will he raise taxes or cut spending? Either could spell trouble for Newsom’s legacy. -
In part due to economic and border security concerns, Latinos in California appear to have moved toward Donald Trump. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re abandoning the Democratic Party. -
Latino voters are up for grabs in the 2024 California election, and could help decide who wins the U.S. Senate seat. But will the campaigns do enough outreach to convince them?
