Fourteen propositions are on the November ballot, and whether you think that’s a few too many, it’s still important for you to know how you’ll vote. We’re here to help with a tool that we hope is as fun as it is informative: Quizzes.
I chatted with Shelly Tan, a graphics reporter and illustrator on the project, about our approach to informing voters.
Why incorporate playful interaction in journalism?
Often with these complicated topics, it can feel intimidating to a reader because of how dense it is. … So presenting something that’s more playful makes it feel like we’ll learn about this together, instead of, “here’s a 500-page textbook that you have to now dive into and figure it out on your own.”
How did the idea of a balancing scale and statement cards come about?
We defined our audience in this case as probably slightly younger — people who know the value of politics and voting, but might be a little disengaged or not up to date on all the nuances.
We ended up going with something a bit more gamified and took inspiration from deck building card games, where you’re given a series of cards that you use to interact with your environment. It’s a scale and we’re adding point values to it and creating weights to reinforce the idea of weighing your arguments.
What was the hardest proposition to boil down?
Some of these props are pretty tricky because a lot of these are vague things that don’t have a concrete visual to nail to. Like Proposition 5, about recall reform — how do you draw a recall?
With that one we decided, let’s go a little bit funny with it: Who’s someone you associate with recalls? Newsom. Newsom is also very distinct as a portrait, he’s very easy to identify. So we pulled in the Drake meme, where he has a hand up saying no, and then a hand pointing yes. It’s a funny way of playing into the idea of people saying yes or no to the recall, which really is what the prop is about at its core.
Check out Shelly’s work and our quizzes here.
And, today we’re looking at how governor candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton plan to approach healthcare if they win in November. Read more here.
We’re bringing our voter guide to life through VotingMatters events across California, in collaboration with on-the-ground partners: Local news organizations, colleges and nonprofits. Our next event is this evening in Redlands at the Redlands Public Market with Community Forward Redlands, and Tuesday in Montecito with Noozhawk.
Other Stories You Should Know
Free childcare in other states, but not here
Given the sticker shock of infant and toddler care, it is a mystery to parent advocates why California lags other states such as New Mexico in creating free universal childcare, writes CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones.
Slots for tots can have multi-month waiting lists in California and prices regularly exceed $30,000 a year, on par with about two years of tuition at the University of California before any financial aid.
The steep price tag and shortage are driving some residents to leave the state, have fewer children or exit the workforce — none of which is good for population growth, upward mobility or keeping the state flush.
But universal care would cost California some $21 billion annually, nearly a tenth of the state’s general fund. And research shows low-quality care yields few benefits to kids.
Read more from Carolyn here.
Newsom’s last gun-control laws
Have a gun? You’re going to need to take another class after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of 10 bills Saturday that are a boon to gun control advocates and anathema to Second Amendment groups, reports CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn.
The law, Senate Bill 948, would apply to current residents with newly purchased guns starting in 2029. The class would need to be at least four hours long. Starting in 2028, people moving to California with guns would need to obtain a firearm safety certificate within 180 days of arrival.
In a press release, Newsom described the laws as efforts to “address multiple stages of firearm-violence prevention: identifying and understanding crime guns, preventing prohibited possession, intervening when someone poses a risk, safely storing firearms, improving training and accountability, supporting young survivors and responding to emerging technologies.”
The new laws could be headed to court, as is the case with many California gun safety measures.
Pro-gun group California Rifle and Pistol Association faults the four-hour exam law as a possible infringement on Second Amendment rights. Its members fear they’ll be on the hook for expensive safety classes.
New California DUI laws
A CalMatters investigation on alcohol-fueled vehicular deaths prompted four laws Newsom signed on Friday, report the investigation’s lead authors, Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler.
The new laws were the last ones standing from an initial cadre of 17 bills, which were written after Robert and Lauren revealed that the state wouldn’t get reckless drivers off the road before they killed someone, or killed again.
Most bills died after progressive groups argued that upping enforcement would unfairly target low-income residents. The laws Newsom signed will increase potential penalties for drivers with repeat DUIs, including a murder charge.
Read Robert and Lauren’s piece on the four bills here. And read their investigation here.
California Voices
What’s the problem with undercover jailhouse stings? The California Supreme Court and state lawmakers are taking a close look at so-called Perkins operations in jail. El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson writes that they have helped resolve some of the state’s toughest cases, including gang shootings and cold-case homicides. The real issue is an interviewing culture that still leans on confrontation and deception long after research demonstrates those tactics unreliable.
Other things worth your time:
Across California’s IVF insurance divide, many families are priced out of parenthood // Los Angeles Times (paywall)
Rare sea turtles laid eggs here for the first time, only to have them threatened by hurricane-charged waves // Long Beach Post (free)
Whether it’s ‘super’ or ‘Godzilla,’ El Niño is already breaking records // Grist (free)
Newsom signs law targeting expensive ‘ghost tickets’ to concerts // CalMatters (free)
Youngest students keep missing weeks of school, data shows // EdSource (free)
Meet the Airbnb activist searching for San Diego’s ‘apartment hotels’ // inewsource (free)
Privatize a library system? Officials in Fresno County are talking about it // Fresnoland (free)
Apparent double murder-suicide revives questions over VA wait times // San Diego Union-Tribune (gift link)
Houses of worship protected under law, but some fear it could criminalize protests // KQED (free)
Anthropic and OpenAI sound the alarm on AI safety, and seek to shape how it’s controlled // The Associated Press (free)
