Here’s your guide to voting in the 2024 California election

It’s here: The CalMatters Voter Guide launched Monday — the deadline for county election offices to start mailing ballots to more than 22 million registered voters in California. 

Some key components of the Voter Guide:

• A comprehensive, 27-question FAQ with everything you need to know on how to participate in the March 5 primary. Wondering what you should do if you miss the voter registration deadline, or drop off your ballot in the wrong county or you’re unsure if you can leave work to vote? Find out the answers here.

• An easy-to-use lookup tool: Type in your address and find out which congressional and legislative races are on your ballot. (Don’t worry, we don’t save the info.)

• The rundown on the only statewide ballot measure, Proposition 1, including our “Gimme Props” quiz. Find out exactly what Prop. 1 would do, why Gov. Gavin Newsom is championing it and the reasons why organizations such as the League of Women Voters of California oppose it. Don’t have time to dive in? Then watch our “Prop. in a Minute” video instead. 

• Still undecided on your pick for the headliner U.S. Senate race (which you get to vote on twice)? For the election’s most talked-about race, you’ll find detailed resumes of the five leading candidates, plus their positions on key issues.

• More information on eight key races for the U.S. House, five for state Senate and six for state Assembly in the primary.

• Companies such as Kaiser, Uber and PG&E are pouring big bucks into campaigns. Parse through their contributions and take a look at other notable spenders for the primary. We also compiled campaign finance data for key legislative races and, with the help of OpenSecrets, the U.S. Senate and key congressional races.

Plus, you can also read the whole Voter Guide, including everything I just mentioned, in Spanish. The guide will also be updated, with more innovative features and wider coverage, for the November election. So stay tuned for even more.

Election news: As the March 5 primary campaign heats up, keep up with what you need to know from CalMatters’ coverage.

The California Senate swore in a new leader Monday — Mike McGuire, who succeeds Toni Atkins of San Diego as president pro tem. 

As CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff explains, the Healdsburg Democrat will help direct budget and policy decisions that will likely impact millions of Californians. Along with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas of Hollister, the top two legislative leaders are now from more rural areas of the state.

During his swearing-in ceremony, McGuire presented an optimistic message about California preserving the American Dream.

• McGuire: “In California, we fight to lift up every person, no matter your background, your skin color, who you are, who you love or how you identify. Here in the Golden State, we believe that anyone can do great things.”

Amid a looming multibillion-dollar budget shortfall for 2024-25 that legislators must solve by June, McGuire told reporters that one of his top priorities is fixing the home insurance market, which has left many Californians struggling to find coverage and some insurance companies fleeing the state.

Several key interest groups expressed optimism that McGuire can make progress. California Environmental Voters said he has shown “leadership on addressing catastrophic fires, offshore wind, marine conservation, and natural resources” and is counting on him “to take on the big fights that will make a scalable difference to address climate and advance justice.” 

SEIU California, which represents 700,000 workers in 17 unions, said McGuire “has earned a reputation as both a committed friend and advocate for working people” and said he can help in “protecting working Californians and those who rely on safety net programs during this fiscal crisis.”

Meanwhile, Senate GOP leader Sen. Brian Jones of San Diego said in a statement that though he and McGuire do not agree on all policies and Republican senators will “voice our concerns about issues that threaten to drag our state backwards,” he is committed to working with McGuire.

Read more about McGuire in Alexei’s story.

Though the most intense rainfalls and winds walloped California over the weekend — prompting the governor to issue an emergency proclamation Sunday — the damage from the powerful “bomb cyclone” is still not over for parts of the state. 

More rain is expected throughout today, particularly in southern California, bringing the risk of “life-threatening flash flooding” and mudslides, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday was Los Angeles’ 10th wettest calendar day on record, and its fire department responded to more than 100 flooding incidents and “half a dozen” structure fires,” reports the Los Angeles Times. L.A. firefighters also carried out water rescues, including a dramatic rescue of a man after he jumped into flowing water to save his dog.

Powerful winds — reaching speeds up to 102 mph in Marin County on Sunday — caused widespread power outages that at one point affected more than 850,000 customers. The winds also toppled trees, claiming the lives of at least three northern California residents. 

And in the Sierra Nevada, heavy snow and winds are still anticipated for the southern region. Palisades Tahoe, where an avalanche in January killed a skier, said it expects the storm will dump the heaviest snowfall so far this season, reports KQED. An avalanche warning for the Sierra Nevada remains in effect through today.

Gov. Newsom vetoed a bill last year to decriminalize psychedelic drugs. So how do supporters of a new bill plan to avoid the same bad trip? CalMatters health reporter Ana B. Ibarra has the skinny.