This year’s 54th Super Bowl is a big one for the Bay Area. 

The increasing size, cost and human toll of California wildfires are becoming a permanent part of life in the state. From housing to health, CALmatters provides a primer on the effects and possible solutions to this worsening situation.

During his campaign, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he supported a ban on fracking, the controversial oil extraction technique that pumps chemicals and water into underground rock. But since taking office and laying out his initial priorities, Newsom's been silent on the issue.

The former congressman is setting out to bust up the Republican-Democratic lock on political power in Sacramento by launching a third party. And he predicts candidates will be running under the new banner as soon as 2020.

“This particular ballot was not all that sexy,” political scientist David McCuan said. “The reason for the higher turnout is because of what’s going on in Washington, D.C., not what’s happening in California.”

Lackluster scores come despite California’s $31.2 billion investment in poorer students under a new school funding method championed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2013.