Politics

CalMatters' expert journalists around the state created this guide to the state's efforts to meet the challenges of 2022 and prepare for 2023.

The fast food and oil industries are only the latest to seek a referendum to stop, or at least delay, a law passed by the state Legislature. The return on investment can be huge — so much money that some are calling for changing the referendum rules in California.

A new California Legislature with a record number of women and plenty of new faces is sworn into office. Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately gives them the outline of a controversial penalty on oil industry profits.

After a flurry of called races, victories proclaimed and concessions offered across 52 congressional districts, 100 state Assembly and Senate contests, nine statewide races for constitutional offices and seven propositions on the California ballot, it can be hard to wrap your head around what exactly happened. Fortunately, we’ve boiled it down to a few pictures […]

California has expanded voting access and participation, but that can delay election results. Are there ways to count votes faster without undermining election security?

With the final votes being counted, the new Legislature that takes office Dec. 5 will include the most women and LGBTQ members ever. Advocacy groups are already celebrating, but how much difference will the diversity make in policy?

After maneuvering for months, Anthony Rendon and Robert Rivas make a deal on who will be Assembly speaker in the next Legislature. Rendon will stay on, but Rivas will take over at the end of June 2023.

Voters resoundingly rejected Propositions 26 and 27, but that doesn't end the debate over California sports betting. Those behind the ballot measures are figuring out their next steps.

In one of the highest-profile California election results, Proposition 30 failed despite the state's commitment to climate action and its history of taxing the wealthy. But the ballot measure also was complicated and divided Democrats, a recipe for failure.

This article is adapted from the CalMatters election results explainer for classroom use. Proposition 30 was rejected by voters and was one of the most confusing and contentious measures on this year’s ballot — and one of the clearest recent examples showing how politics makes strange bedfellows. The rideshare company Lyft and a coalition of […]