California Divide

California voters refused to raise the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour. Fast food and health care workers already get more.

California voters are deciding whether or not to repeal a past restriction on what properties could be affected by rent control, and whether the state can dictate local rent control policy.

Homeless Californians face many barriers to casting a ballot, even in elections that affect their lives. Some counties and nonprofits are trying to boost turnout.

California child welfare agencies must investigate claims of Native American ancestry before separating a family, the California Supreme Court stressed in a new ruling that affects several contested cases.

Inland communities with big population booms will experience the most extreme heat days under climate change projections. The combination puts more people at risk — and many cities are unprepared.

For years Laurel LaMont has fought for better options for what she calls the “missing middle,” often referred to as workforce housing. Now she is being evicted.

As voters weigh whether to allow local governments to expand rent control, elected officials in San Francisco and Los Angeles have already shown interest in doing so. In other cities, local laws could automatically cap annual rent increases on some single-family homes and newer apartment buildings if Prop. 33 passes.

Proposition 33 on local rent control and the related Proposition 34 are attracting the most campaign cash by far of the 10 ballot measures. But the amount pales to what was spent on dueling sports betting measures in 2022.

An Assembly election in South L.A. captures the shifting dynamics of ethnic political power in California. One candidate is biracial and pledges to build bridges between Black and Latino voters.

Opponents of Proposition 32 to increase the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour are running ads focused on the cost of living. Proponents are not reaching out to voters very much. And polls show declining support.