In summary
Highlighting all of CALmatters’ work over the past week
Recent Articles
What happens if PG&E goes bankrupt?
By Judy Lin
What could happen if PG&E, which provides natural gas and electricity to 16 million people in northern and central California, goes bankrupt in the aftermath of the deadliest blaze in state history?
Those flipped House seats created a visible Dem wave—but big blue shifts also lurked beneath the surface
By Ben Christopher
In every single congressional district that featured a face-off between a Democrat and Republican in this midterm and the last, the California electorate shifted further blue. The average Democratic gain: 9 percentage points.
Can California’s new boardroom diversity law withstand courtroom backlash? Women say ‘bring it on’
By Martha Groves
Opponents of a new California law mandating gender diversity in corporate boardrooms warn that it will be challenged in court. Defenders of the law say it will bring California corporations into the 21st century.
Whiter, poorer, Trumpier: the new Republican California
By Ben Christopher
The midterm elections whittled away all the purple sections of the state now represented by the GOP, leaving only the scarlet-red core.
One lesson from Bauman’s resignation? MeToo isn’t going away
By Laurel Rosenhall
The resignation of California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman is a sign that the #MeToo story is far from over.
Your county’s favorite? Where state props succeeded and failed across California
By Ben Christopher
These maps illustrate how California counties split over the midterm ballot propositions.
Why bother? Many Republicans skipped voting when their option was Dem or Dem
By Ben Christopher
The data shows how California’s top-two primary left GOP voters with few good options—or an option they couldn’t stomach—in several key races.
How much did interest groups pay per vote? The answer, as we break down the midterms with data
By Ben Christopher
Who got the best deal at the ballot box this year? We look at how much money was spent on each ballot proposition per vote.
The latest rip-off risk for elderly homeowners? Clean energy loans
By Amita Sharma, California Dream Project
Lenders are selling seniors on the idea of home renovation work, but sometimes homeowners don’t realize they’ve taken on debt until it’s too late.
Pricey real estate prompts scammers to target senior homeowners
By Amita Sharma, California Dream Project
Amid California’s record-shattering housing prices, the state’s senior homeowners are sitting on a gold mine. That’s made them marks for con artists.
CALQuiz: Women on corporate boards, the priciest ballot prop, and PG&E faces possible bankruptcy
By Trevor Eischen
Have you been paying attention to the latest California policy and politics news this week? Test your knowledge with our quiz.
Commentary
Legislators spared from living in their districts
By Dan Walters
The Legislature has now made it quasi- legal for state legislators to live outside their districts and one who had been prosecuted has been pardoned by Gov. Jerry Brown.
My turn: What Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom can be
Guest Commentary
Earthquakes, floods, mega-fires, a recession and other unforeseen events can disrupt the best-laid plans of any California governor. Potential disasters aside, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom should hit the ground running. Here are five policy initiatives for him to consider.
Democrats control California, but are fragmenting
By Dan Walters
Democrats enjoy political control of California, but are splitting into three factions that struggle for power within the party.
My turn: How Newsom can use water management to confront climate change
Guest Commentary
Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom has the opportunity to chart his own course on climate change by addressing one of the state’s greatest challenges: the resilience of our water supplies. If Newsom can modernize the state’s water governance and provide clean drinking water to all, he would truly make his own mark in establishing California as a world leader by building resilience to climate change.
My turn: Harvey Milk’s message resonates, 40 years later
Guest Commentary
In the truest sense of the word, Harvey Milk was a populist and a fighter for disenfranchised people. He spoke of the “us-es”—the ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, immigrants, women, those who are differently-abled, seniors. He fought for all those who lacked a voice.
How do we cope with wildfires’ financial impacts?
By Dan Walters
How California deals with the financial consequences of this year’s devastating wildfires will set a pattern for what Gov. Jerry Brown calls “the new abnormal.”
School reformers lose big, so now what?
By Dan Walters
School reform advocates pumped big money into two statewide campaigns this year but lost both as the education establishment’s preferred candidates won the governorship and the superintendency of public instruction. Now the “Equity Coalition” must decide to continue their drive for structural change or back off.