Ballot Measure

California’s app-based corporate luminaries such as Uber and Lyft just waged the most expensive state ballot measure campaign in U.S. history — and it paid off big time, allowing those companies to thwart the will of all three branches of California government.  By approving Proposition 22, voters allowed those companies to avoid a 2019 California labor […]

Today’s the day, and CalMatters has a contingent of Votebeat reporters deployed around the state to bring you round-the-clock coverage of the 2020 Election. More than 11.2 million Californians voted early. Everyone else will cast their ballots in person today and we will be watching how that works, from the count, to any voting interference, […]

Good morning, California. It’s Thursday, October 29. (Yes, I know I said it was September in yesterday’s newsletter; the pandemic has warped my sense of time.) Traditional vs. progressive Beyond the criminal justice propositions on California’s November ballot, the upcoming election will also serve as a barometer for the role Californians think district attorneys should […]

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, October 23. Court rules against Uber, Lyft The stakes in the battle over Prop. 22 just got a lot higher. Uber and Lyft must reclassify their independent contractor drivers as full-fledged employees by late January, a California appeals court ruled Thursday — a decision voters could throw into question in […]

Never has an election cycle seen so much money funneled into California’s ballot measure campaigns — and there are still two weeks to go until the November election. Already, the campaigns for and against the 12 propositions on the November ballot have raised a staggering $670 million, according to a CalMatters analysis. When added to […]

Californians are voting on 12 propositions, but not all are funded equally. Just take a look at that fat slab of lilac in the graphic below. No surprise for even the most dimly engaged Californians who have been bombarded with ads for weeks now: Funding for Proposition 22, a measure to exempt gig-economy companies from […]

An extra item may have slipped into your weekly grocery delivery: a campaign ad. It’s a dubious bonus from Instacart, the San Francisco-based tech company that lets customers order groceries by app. “As a valued Instacart customer, we hope you’ll take a moment to learn more about how Prop. 22 supports the best possible shopper […]

Privacy champions have lined up on both sides of the measure, arguing over which strategies can best protect consumers and their digital data.

Alice Huffman, who is both a professional campaign consultant and long-time NAACP leader, was especially sought after this year as political campaigns respond to the national reckoning over race.

Every election season has its ups and downs — now this one has acrosses as well. Think you know California, from its Capitol culture to its latest ballot props? This crossword puzzle will put your expertise to the test. Time yourself and let us know how you did. And if you need hints, avail yourselves […]