California Elections

Elections

Gavin Newsom raised millions for his mental health ballot measure. His opponents have $1,000

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s March ballot measure would raise billions of dollars for mental health housing and treatment facilities, but some clinics fear it would strip them of revenue they need for services they provide today.

By

Kristen Hwang

and

Jeremia Kimelman

• January 29, 2024

Commentary

U.S. Senate debate raises key question: Will Republican Steve Garvey advance to November?

The four leading candidates for California's U.S. Senate race had their first debate Monday night. The question it raised is whether Republican Steve Garvey can finish second in the March primary to win a spot on the November ballot.

By

Dan Walters

• January 23, 2024

A voter casts their ballot at a voting site at the California Museum in downtown Sacramento on June 7, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

California’s unique employee lawsuit law could be repealed if ballot measure passes

The Private Attorneys General Act is a unique California law making it easier for employees to sue their bosses. For two decades, it's been the subject of political and legal infighting but a pending ballot measure would decide its fate.

By

Dan Walters

• January 23, 2024

Candidates, from left, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-California, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-California, and former baseball player Steve Garvey, stand on stage during a televised debate for candidates in the senate race to succeed the late California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, in Los Angeles on Jan. 22, 2024. Photo by Damian Dovarganes, AP Photo

Politics

What you need to know from the high-stakes U.S. Senate debate

The four top candidates faced off for the first time. Democrats Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff clashed over earmarks and the Gaza war, and ganged up on Republican Steve Garvey over his support for former President Trump. But will the debate change the dynamics of the race before the March 5 primary?

By

Yue Stella Yu

• January 22, 2024

State Senate leader Toni Atkins kicked off her gubernatorial campaign with an event in San Diego on Jan. 19, 2024. Photo by Bryan Giardinelli, Breathe New Winds

Politics

California picks its next governor in more than 1,000 days. Why the race is already so crowded

More than two years until the first votes are cast, Senate leader Toni Atkins becomes the fourth big-name Democrat to jump into the governor's race. She is seeking to become the first female and openly gay chief executive.

By

Alexei Koseff

• January 19, 2024

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. center, flanked by Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif. left, and Rep. Barbara Lee D-Calif. right, during a U.S. Senate Candidate Forum hosted by the National Union of Health Care Workers (NUHW) in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, 2023. Photo by Richard Vogel, AP Photo

Politics

5 major candidates want to be California’s new U.S. senator. Where they stand on the economy, crime and the border

The five major contenders have different track records and proposals on some of the biggest issues facing California. They’re trying to position themselves to appeal to sizable voting blocs before the March 5 primary.

By

Yue Stella Yu

• January 18, 2024

Steve Garvey, former first baseman for the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, speaks with media in Sacramento after visiting a homeless encampment on Jan. 17, 2024. Garvey is running as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

Commentary

Republican Steve Garvey won’t win California’s Senate race, so why is he running?

Republican Steve Garvey might do well in the March primary, but he's not going to be the next U.S. senator from California. There is little evidence he's running a serious campaign. So why is he running?

By

Jim Newton

• January 18, 2024

Politics

Vince Fong allowed to run for Kevin McCarthy’s seat in Congress

A judge rules that the Bakersfield Republican is eligible to run in the 2024 election for Congress even though he had already filed to run for his state Assembly seat.

By

Yue Stella Yu

• December 28, 2023

An active oil derrick near homes in the city of Signal Hill in Los Angeles County on Oct. 19, 2022. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

Commentary

In 2024, who will California voters believe more: Oil companies or Jane Fonda?

California's referendum process was designed to be a check on big business. More than a century later, it's used much differently. The latest clash pits oil companies against a familiar yet unsurprising foe: Jane Fonda.

By

Jim Newton

• December 21, 2023

LGBTQ counter-protesters wave Pride Flags as Los Angeles police officers separate them from protesters at the Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood on June 2, 2023. Police officers separated the groups outside a Los Angeles elementary school that has become a flashpoint for Pride Month events and activities across California.. Photo by Richard Vogel, AP Photo

Commentary

Despite what political campaigns say, one election won’t determine the fate of US democracy

The stakes for the next election are high, but the narrative that 2024 will determine the future of American democracy is wrong. Democracy is about more than campaigns. It is about shared political community, which we are at risk of losing.

By Ali Noorani • December 13, 2023