Who’s ahead in the California governor race?

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton are holding on to the lead in the latest poll ahead of the California governor election. 

That’s according to the Public Policy Institute of California, which surveyed 986 likely voters earlier this month. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed (23%) said they’d vote for Becerra, followed by Hilton at 20%, Tom Steyer at 15%, Chad Bianco at 13% and Katie Porter at 12%.

Some Californians are watching governor polls in part to decide how they’ll vote. The state’s open primary allows the top two vote-getters to advance to November regardless of party, and for several months Republicans Hilton and Bianco appeared to have a shot at locking Democrats out of the ballot.

Becerra, the former state attorney general and health secretary to former President Joe Biden, began to pull ahead after U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race amid allegations of sexual misconduct. 

• Jonathan Underland, spokesperson for Becerra’s campaign: “Becerra has built real momentum — strong poll numbers backed by working Californians who are energized and ready.”

Steyer’s campaign in a written statement contested the PPIC survey’s findings, saying it missed recent movement toward the liberal billionaire. The campaign pointed to its own internal tracking and another poll conducted for Hilton.

Aside from the governor’s race, the PPIC survey held clues about how voters feel ahead of midterm elections that will decide which party controls Congress in the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term. Three-quarters of likely voters said the country is headed in the wrong direction — the highest percentage in over two decades, according to PPIC.

Though it’s not surprising that the majority of the Democrats polled — 92% — agreed with this sentiment, 50% of Republicans also felt the same way. The percentage of Republicans who said the country was heading in the right direction also declined sharply — from 64% in a February PPIC poll to 49%. 

A solid majority — 64% — of likely voters said they would vote for the Democratic candidate in their local U.S. House race if the midterm elections were held today. Only 35% of likely voters said they would vote for the GOP candidate.

Those numbers are warning signs for Republicans as they try to hold on to their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

What does Gen Z think?: California voters ages 14 to 29 make up nearly a fifth of eligible voters in the state. And just like many of us, Gen Z Californians worry about inflation, healthcare and housing. CalMatters spoke with some Gen Z voters to learn more about who they’re voting for and why. Read more.

Still undecided about the election? Check out CalMatters’ voter guide to help make up your mind.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wasted no time Wednesday signing a law that makes it illegal to seize ballots from a local election official, reports CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller.

Lawmakers rushed the bill through the Legislature in response to Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco seizing more than 600,000 ballots from his county’s registrar of voters earlier this year. Bianco, who is running for governor, said he seized the ballots for a “fact-finding mission” on election accuracy, despite having no evidence suggesting that the ballots were cast improperly.

The law goes into effect immediately in time for the June 2 primary. It prohibits county registrars from surrendering ballots or voting equipment to law enforcement agents, and reiterates that the attorney general, secretary of state or local county elections officials can sue any person, business or entity that takes “a package containing ballots” from an election official’s custody.

• Newsom, to reporters: “We have to step up, and we have to draw the line. We have to clarify the rules of engagement. It’s a warning to the folks out there that think they can do the bidding of the Trump administration.”

Read more.

Therapy can help after a traumatic event, and California lawmakers want to provide more of it to young people who are exposed to gun violence. 

One bill moving through the Legislature would set up a pilot program that would connect young people affected by gun violence to free mental health and counseling services, writes CalMatters’ Ana B. Ibarra. The program would serve young people in Alameda, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Solano counties who were either shot, witnessed a shooting or lost a family member to gun violence.

• Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, associate professor with the Centers for Violence Prevention at UC Davis: “Young people often leave the hospital after a shooting with their physical injuries treated … but without a clear pathway into ongoing mental health.”

The Assembly advanced the bill to the Senate on Tuesday, but one notable issue remains: The measure has no funding attached to it. A bill analysis estimated the cost of providing grants to counties would amount to $7,800 per survivor per year.

Read more.