Politics

What’s on your ballot this year? Here are some major themes and a few examples of the propositions Californians may be asked to vote on in 2018.

The 2018 elections are coming—and those of you who don’t spend your waking hours monitoring the secretary of state’s website may have some questions. Here’s a quick primer for anyone resolving to enter 2018 as a more informed citizen.

One wants to end the death penalty. The other thinks capital punishment is just. One campaigned for tax increases that the other opposed. One tried to put Hillary Clinton in the White House. The other helped elect President George W. Bush. What both men believe, however, is that Latinos—California’s largest ethnic group—suffer disproportionate levels of poverty in part because they barely turn out to vote. That common ground helps form the basis of an unlikely political alliance that could shape the 2018 race to determine the next governor of California. Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa—a former mayor of Los Angeles and speaker of the Assembly—has hired a Republican political consultant to work on his campaign to become California governor.

Trump said if he removed immigration and border officers, California would “have a crime mess like you’ve never seen."

In some of the state's most high profile races, the battle for the Democratic endorsement is expected to get rowdy. Why all the fuss?

Stay up-to-date on the latest California election news.

The effort to create a single-payer healthcare system in California appears to be a lost cause in the short term. But advocates are playing a long game, and they have effectively made single payer a front-and-center issue in California's 2018 elections.

A huge twist emerged this week in the Capitol’s months-long reckoning over sexual harassment: A female lawmaker who helped spark the movement to end misconduct is taking a leave of absence while she herself is being investigated for sexual harassment. An explosive report in Politico quoted a former legislative aide who accused Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia […]

Protestors wearing dolphin, shark and polar bear costumes joined the throngs who descended on Sacramento Thursday to speak out against the Trump administration’s proposal to expand oil drilling in federal waters off the California coast. After a rally outside the state Capitol they marched to a library a few blocks away where the federal Bureau […]

The California Senate's flailing efforts to deal with an accused colleague illustrate the challenges lawmakers face in response to revelations of sexual harassment that have swept the state Capitol.