![San Francisco resident Stacy Samuels, also known as Super A or Banjo Man, plays the banjo while cheering in the stands. Samuels, who has been bringing his banjo to Athletics games for more than 30 years, said “It’s great. It feels like a regular game,” of the season opener. (Photos by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/040121_baseball_aw_sized_01-1.jpeg?1617392147)
Benching COVID
Baseball fans return to California stadiums
Major League Baseball welcomed spectators back to stadiums for regular season games for the first time since October 2019.
![Dr. Amir Zeki is the cofounder of InVixa and an associate professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at UC Davis. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0421_blog_sotm_terenceduffy.jpg?1617299051)
Startup of the Month: InVixa
Startup uses popular drug to target COVID-19 inflammation
As COVID-19 vaccines roll out worldwide, InVixa is working on a new delivery method for a cholesterol-lowering drug to treat respiratory inflammation caused by the coronavirus.
![Pat Kashani, owner of Tropics Ale House in Sacramento, is planning to open an All-American-themed sports bar and restaurant called The ClubHouse on K Street. (Photos by Graham Womack)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0321_blog_economy_covid1.jpg?1616434650)
After a Year of COVID
In the year since the pandemic shutdowns began, many businesses have stayed open, and owners are optimistic
A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many entrepreneurs feel reasons for hope, both for their companies and the world at large.
![(Illustration by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters, elements from iStock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/illustration_yearindata_finaljpg.jpeg?1616089796)
Fewer Jobs, More Wine
California’s deadly COVID year in 9 charts
In highway crash statistics, unemployment claims, anti-Newsom lawsuits and florist sales, these charts present a “before” and “after” picture of these last surreal, lonely, heartrending, life-ending and life-altering 365 days.
![A moving truck with COVID-19 aware messaging outside of an apartment building in Oakland on Nov. 7, 2020. (Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/110720_movingvan_aw_sized_02.jpg?1614882597)
Bidding Wars and Overblown Fears
The curious case of the California exodus
New moving data and intensifying housing bidding wars undercut fears of a California mass exodus. But some cities have been hit harder, and many rushed moves are difficult to track, obscuring COVID-induced migration.
![(Shutterstock illustration)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1713927703_1.jpg?1614206575)
Who Gets a California Stimulus Check? When?
California will send out roughly 5.7 million Golden State Stimulus payments of $600 to residents struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. For most recipients, the money could come in as soon as a month.
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1746069485.jpg?1614206123)
California Students in Richer Areas Far More Likely to Be Back in Classrooms
A CalMatters data analysis reveals a wealth gap between students more likely to receive in-person instruction and those less likely to have that option.
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_602899748.jpg?1613756216)
America Can’t Afford to Keep Standing Still
U.S. capitalism must bridge geographic, technological and class divides
We must unify, recover and lead the world in the innovations of
the future.
![(Shutterstock illustration)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1805490862.jpg?1613507702)
Three COVID-19-Related Laws to Know
Several 2021 laws focus on issues related to COVID-19.
![Denise Russell, owner of Special FX Salon & Day Spa in San Jose, photographed in the waiting area of her salon on Jan. 15, 2020. Russell, who has been in business for more than 30 years, says she misses her clients and stylists. (Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/011521_smallbizaid_aw_sized_06.jpg?1611601906)
‘Too Little, Too Late’
California small businesses chase COVID-19 relief
As new state grants, tax credits and federal loans roll out, small business owners say their survival will depend more on reopening rules, red tape and resolving unemployment chaos. What happens next will shape the state’s job market for years to come.