In summary
A new poll finds that crime and homelessness are key issues for California voters and that Gov. Newsom’s approval rating has dropped.
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Crime and homelessness.
Those are the two issues on which California Democrats are most vulnerable heading into the 2022 elections, according to a Tuesday poll from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and the Los Angeles Times. Underscoring the political risk: a drumbeat of recent headlines on brutal crimes and attacks allegedly committed by homeless individuals.
The survey’s findings were especially grim for Gov. Gavin Newsom: 48% of registered voters said they approve of his overall performance as governor, while 47% disapprove. That’s a marked increase in criticism from September 2021, when 50% approved of the governor and 42% disapproved — and Newsom overwhelmingly defeated an attempt to recall him from office.
- The Tuesday survey found that disapproval of Newsom’s job performance is rising among key voter blocs, including Democrats, strong liberals, moderates, Los Angeles County voters, Latinos and Asian Americans.
- Voters also gave Newsom low marks for handling eight out of ten major issues facing the state, with 66% rating his response to homelessness as “poor” or “very poor” and 51% saying the same about his approach to crime and public safety.
Ultimately, though, the governor’s declining approval rate will likely have a negligible impact on his reelection prospects. With the June primary less than four months away, Newsom’s most serious challenger so far is GOP state Sen. Brian Dahle of Bieber, who acknowledged that running against an incumbent with a $25 million campaign war chest is like “David versus Goliath.”
2022 Election
Your guide to the 2022 general election in California
But voters’ clear dissatisfaction with the status quo could pose challenges for Democrats running in competitive, newly redrawn districts — and sway the outcome of high-profile races, such as for mayor of Los Angeles. According to the UC Berkeley survey:
- 78% of registered voters said crime has increased over the past year, and 65% said it’s worsened in their local areas.
- 59% said they would support amending Prop. 47, a 2014 ballot measure that reclassified some theft and drug felonies as misdemeanors.
- 54% believe California is on the wrong track, a 9-point increase from May 2021.
Many California Democrats — including Newsom — have already begun to embrace tough-on-crime rhetoric. (Here’s the CalMatters explainer on the state’s crime numbers.)
- On Tuesday, Democratic Assemblymember Rudy Salas of Bakersfield — who’s running for a U.S. House of Representatives seat currently held by a Republican — unveiled a proposal to funnel $50 million into hiring police officers who agree to live and work in underserved communities with high rates of violent crime. Salas in January also introduced a bill to reverse a key aspect of Prop. 47.
- Also Tuesday, billionaire developer Rick Caruso became the latest Los Angeles mayoral candidate to propose hiring more police officers.
In other election news: Tuesday was the last day for voters in San Francisco and Los Angeles to cast or mail in their ballots in several closely watched special elections. Three San Francisco school board members were recalled, while current county Supervisor Matt Haney and former Supervisor David Campos are headed to an April runoff for a state Assembly seat representing part of San Francisco. Democrat Mike Fong, a Los Angeles Community College trustee, is the apparent winner in the race for an Assembly seat representing part of Los Angeles.
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The coronavirus bottom line: As of Monday, California had 8,259,026 confirmed cases (+0.2% from previous day) and 82,142 deaths (+0.1% from previous day), according to state data. CalMatters is also tracking coronavirus hospitalizations by county.
California has administered 70,785,204 vaccine doses, and 73.9% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.
Other stories you should know
1. Guerrero nominated for top court
Newsom on Tuesday nominated Patricia Guerrero to the state Supreme Court to fill the seat vacated by former Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, who stepped down to lead a foreign policy think tank. If confirmed, Guerrero, an associate justice for the Fourth District Court of Appeal with a generally liberal record, would become the first Latina on the state’s highest court, CalMatters’ Byhronda Lyons reports.
- Newsom: “Born and raised in the Imperial Valley by immigrant parents from Mexico, (Guerrero’s) extraordinary journey and nomination to serve as the first Latina Justice on the bench of our state’s highest court is an inspiration to all of us and a testament to the California Dream’s promise of opportunity for all of us to thrive, regardless of background or zip code.”
- Representation on California’s judicial benches is worse for Latinos than any other racial group, Byrhonda found. After Byrhonda reported on the state’s struggles to get more Latino attorneys to transition into judgeships, Newsom launched a program to help more diverse candidates apply to serve on the bench.
- This marks Newsom’s second nomination to the state Supreme Court: In 2020, he chose Martin Jenkins, the court’s first openly gay justice.
In other key appointment news: The board of directors of Covered California — the state’s health insurance marketplace that last month surpassed a record 1.8 million enrollees — on Tuesday named Jessica Altman as its new CEO. Altman, who currently serves as Pennsylvania’s insurance commissioner, will replace longtime leader Peter Lee when he steps down in March.
2. Minimizing COVID misinformation
As the Newsom administration prepares to relax some COVID restrictions — with the statewide indoor mask mandate expiring today in most places for vaccinated residents — Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled two bills to crack down on COVID-19 misinformation peddled by doctors and online platforms.
- Assembly Bill 2098 from Assemblymember Evan Low of Campbell would make it easier for the Medical Board of California, which regulates doctors, to discipline physicians who “disseminate or promote misinformation or disinformation related to COVID-19, including false or misleading information regarding the nature and risks of the virus, its prevention and treatment; and the development, safety, and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.”
- Senate Bill 1018 from state Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento would require online platforms that use algorithms, such as Facebook, to publicly disclose how those algorithms work and share that data for research purposes. “It should not be left to a handful of potentially very rich tech executives to decide what what happens to our society and how we respond to a pandemic,” Pan said.
- Some critics denounced the bills for being too quick to define misinformation, arguing the scientific understanding of COVID is still evolving.
The proposals are the latest to emerge from a vaccine work group composed of Democratic lawmakers. The group has also introduced bills that would require businesses to mandate COVID vaccines for all employees, mandate the vaccine for all students except those granted rare medical exemptions, allow kids 12 and older to get inoculated without parental consent, and permit schools to check students’ vaccination status in the state’s private immunization database.
3. California climate roundup
There’s never a shortage of climate-related news in California, so let’s hop right in:
- First, on clean air: The Biden administration is preparing to reinstate California’s legal authority to set auto emissions limits stricter than the federal government’s — and is modeling forthcoming restrictions for heavy-duty truck tailpipe emissions on similar rules recently enacted in the Golden State, the New York Times reports.
- Now, on the drought: The first two months of 2022 are shaping up to be the driest January and February in California history, prolonging the state’s persistent drought and putting it on track to log its three driest years on record, CalMatters’ Rachel Becker reports.
- That’s not all: The past 22 years in California and other Western states have been the driest in at least 1,200 years, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change.
- No snow for more than a month: 1.6 inches of snow fell in the Sierra Nevada on Monday — the first measurable snowfall near UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab in 37 days and the longest dry spell in the lab’s 51 years of monitoring.
- Weather whiplash: Warm weather over the weekend gave way to rain, snow and hail across California on Tuesday — and gusty winds overturned a truck in the Sierra Nevada, killing the driver and injuring his passenger, according to the Associated Press.
CalMatters commentary
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Costs keep rising for California’s bullet train project, but the officials who manage it can’t tell us how it will be financed.
Why so much hate for CEQA? Weakening California’s landmark environmental law might increase profits for a few industries, but it would wreak havoc on communities for years to come, argue Jennifer Ganata of Communities for a Better Environment and Aruna Prabhala of the Center for Biological Diversity.
California must deliver equity in cancer care: Our current one-size-fits-most system prevents many cancer patients from accessing optimal care, resulting in needless suffering and lost lives, writes Elizabeth Helms of the California Chronic Care Coalition.
Other things worth your time
Podcast: What do mountain lions have to do with California affordable housing? // CalMatters
LA County’s outdoor mask requirement will end Wednesday morning. // ABC7 Los Angeles
California teachers union leader under fire for maskless picture at Rams game. // Fox News
Roseville implements mask-optional policy for students against state rules. // Sacramento Bee
California’s subsidized preschool program may expand to toddlers. // EdSource
Former Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn on Stephon Clark, anger toward law enforcement. // Los Angeles Times
What’s wrong in San Jose? 15 killed in vehicle crashes, including 8 pedestrians, since year began. // San Francisco Chronicle
Nearly 500 arrested in statewide human trafficking operation. // Los Angeles Times
Bonta puts county jails on notice over reproductive health care. // Sacramento Bee
Bonta sues East Bay foundry for alleged undisclosed releases of cancer-causing chemical. // San Francisco Chronicle
Wildfires are threatening the inmates in California prisons. // The Intercept
California tries to end wildfire insurance woes for homeowners. // Sacramento Bee
Just 80 CZU Lightning Complex fire survivors have rebuild permits. // Santa Cruz Sentinel
Amazon is using San Francisco’s zoning policy to plot a huge expansion in the city. // San Francisco Chronicle
Another homeless ballot measure could go before Sacramento voters. // Sacramento Bee
Berkeley, once hostile to development, is now inviting it. But has the city actually built much housing? // San Francisco Chronicle
California auto sales are rebounding — but you’ll pay more for that new car or truck. // San Diego Union-Tribune
Avocado spat with Mexico puts California farmers in spotlight. // KTLA
Crowds return to Yosemite for a chance to glimpse ‘firefall’ waterfall. // Wall Street Journal
See you tomorrow.
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