Elections

California is hailed as a national leader for voting access. But visually impaired voters and their advocates say they still face unnecessary barriers, despite bills and lawsuits. Some election officials raise security concerns.

A group trying to force an election to kick the Fremont Democrat out of office didn’t submit the necessary signatures in time. It and the Secretary of State’s office dispute what went wrong.

The official state voter guide comes with printing, postage and other costs. The March primary guide cost $13.2 million, with only one ballot measure. What will be the price tag for November, with many more propositions?

The California Supreme Court will decide in the coming weeks whether to kick a measure off the November ballot that would make it more difficult to raise taxes. The case pits Democratic leaders and unions against business and taxpayer groups.

With continuing concerns about political violence, a bill would allow candidates and elected officials to use campaign donations for security expenses. Gov. Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year.

A 2022 law limits campaign contributions to $250 to local elected officials from a donor with a license, building permit or other proceeding before the officials. Now there’s a bill to raise the limit to $1,000 and loosen other restrictions.

The Republican contender for U.S. Senate criticizes USC student encampments as acts of terrorism. Nearly 100 demonstrators were arrested on trespassing charges.

Republican Steve Garvey and Democrat Adam Schiff each raised more than $3 million between Feb. 15 and March 31. But Schiff started April with $4.8 million on hand — triple the amount in Garvey’s bank.

Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley jointly sue the city over its new voting requirement. Local voters approved the city charter change in March.

Two candidates seeking to become state senator for a new Inland Empire district say they’re avoiding culture war clashes to focus on bread-and-butter issues.