Elections

Democratic Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon embraces former Assembly GOP leader Chad Mayes in December of 2016. Photo by Steve Yeater for CALmatters

Capitol

Fight or switch? One Republican legislator ditches GOP, the other gets primaried

As Republican Party popularity plummets in California, two moderate legislators —Chad Mayes and Tyler Diep — take opposite tacks to try to keep their jobs. Politicos will be watching.

By

Ben Christopher

• December 8, 2019

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at an October gun safety forum in Las Vegas, weeks before her withdrawal from the race. Photo by John Locher, AP Photo

Elections

Kamala Harris quits presidential race — what it means for California

After a promising start, California’s junior senator is out of the running. Where will her voters, backers and endorsers go — and what does this all say about the California primary?

By

Ben Christopher

• December 3, 2019

President of the United States Donald Trump speaking at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference. Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Elections

Why California’s top court just struck down the state’s Trump tax return law

In the lead opinion, California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye says the state constitution makes clear "it is the voters who must decide" whether a presidential candidate's refusal to publicly share tax returns will have consequences at the ballot box. Many constitutional law experts, former Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and the California Republican Party are now all officially entitled to say, "I told you so."

By

Ben Christopher

• November 21, 2019

Education

School bond backers have some selling to do, poll shows

Updated Nov. 19, 2019 California voters have resoundingly approved tens of billions of dollars in state school construction bonds over the last two decades. But a new survey suggests that voters have yet to similarly warm up to the latest and heftiest proposal to come before them: a $15 billion state bond for public schools, […]

By

Ricardo Cano

• November 18, 2019

Scene of Marisol Rubio standing with supporters at the California Democratic Party endorsement caucuses in Long Beach

Elections

Deadlocks and easy wins: How the Democratic endorsement battles shaped up in Long Beach this weekend

Here's a run down of who did (and didn't) win the party's official backing

By

Ben Christopher

• November 17, 2019

Elections

How eight presidential wannabes pitched themselves to California Dems

A televised forum in Long Beach hosted by Univision and the California Democratic Party featured 8 presidential candidates. Here's what they had to say.

By

Ben Christopher

• November 17, 2019

Blake Kazarian and other delegates cheer presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren as she addresses the California Democratic Party Convention at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. Photo by Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group

Elections

No-shows, endorsement spats and drag queens: What’s on tap at this weekend’s Democratic convention

Updated: November 15, 2019. Like Comic-Con for progressive political nerds and consultants, the California Democratic Party’s biannual convention — one of the year’s largest gathering of like-minded partisans — will kick off in Long Beach this weekend with an estimated 5,000 attendees. Some will be coming to snap selfies with presidential candidates, although for all […]

By

Ben Christopher

• November 14, 2019

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swears in Rep. Katie Hill, with Hill's now-estranged husband, Kenny Heslep, during the opening session of the 116th Congress in January. AP Photo/Cliff Owen

Elections

Will California’s “revenge porn” law really help Rep. Katie Hill?

California was the first state to explicitly make nonconsensual pornography illegal. Even so, legal experts say Hill would have a tough case.

By

Ben Christopher

• October 31, 2019

Elections

7 data visualizations: Which presidential candidates are Californians funding — month by month, zip by zip?

These seven interactive maps and charts reveal surprising clues to how Kamala Harris, Donald Trump and the rest fare in the race for California's campaign cash

By

Ben Christopher

• October 17, 2019

Hands making thumbs up and thumbs down signals.

Elections

Fact check: Do Californians really cool on ballot measures as the election approaches?

Conventional wisdom holds that support for ballot measures always declines the closer you get to election day. Is that true? We ran the numbers.

By

Ben Christopher

• October 16, 2019