California Watch, part of the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting, began producing stories in 2009.

Katches had led investigative reporting teams at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where he edited two Pulitzer Prize winning projects and at the Orange County Register.

[13] Among them was Ryan Gabrielson, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on abusive practices in the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

In March 2010, California Watch launched the “Politics Verbatim” website created by Chase Davis.

The site tracked the statements and promises of the state's candidates for governor, Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown.

[16] Reporting targeted at younger audiences included age-specific media, such as coloring books and finger puppet videos.

[18] The Center for Investigative Reporting, which runs California Watch, depends largely on foundation grants and individual donors.

California Watch publishes content on its website and also distributes content to other news outlets, such as The San Francisco Chronicle, San Diego Union Tribune, Sacramento Bee, Orange County Register, KQED, all of the ABC TV affiliates in California and National Public Radio.

California Watch has an agreement with New American Media to help distribute translated versions of the team's reports to ethnic news outlets.

[33] In June 2012, California Watch partnered with KQED to hold a series of five open newsrooms around the San Francisco Bay Area.