California Elections

Bonnie Metcalf lights sage during her morning routine at her Sacramento home on July 20, 2023. Metcalf spreads the smoke to entrance and exit points to clear negative energy and promote relaxation. Photo by Rahul Lal for CalMatters

WhatMatters

Are California’s medical marijuana patients getting left behind?

After California legalized medical marijuana in 1996 and then recreational cannabis two decades later, one might think that for many patients, the state would be a sanctuary for seeking treatment. But as CalMatters’ state Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff explains, those who rely on cannabis to treat pain, seizures, glaucoma and other ailments say that despite […]

By

Lynn La

• August 1, 2023

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 2024 ballot measures will revive familiar ideological battles

California voters will face a slew of ballot measures next year, all of which are essentially replays of old ideological clashes.

By

Dan Walters

• August 1, 2023

Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis at the State of the State ceremony on March 8, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

Until recently, lieutenant governors rarely ascended to the California governor’s seat

In California's 173-year history, only three sitting lieutenant governors have been elected governor. The first time was in 1922. The second was 76 years later.

By

Guest Commentary

• July 28, 2023

WhatMatters

Can a new California legislative caucus make a dent in poverty?

At the state Capitol, legislators meet in specific groups on environmental issues, mental health and renters’ rights and also gather around their common identities. As my colleague Sameea Kamal reported recently, there are more than 20 caucuses at the Legislature. Add another one — the End Poverty caucus. As first reported by Politico, it is […]

By

Lynn La

• July 19, 2023

Elections

What happened to the big changes to California elections?

The most sweeping bills to change California elections got shelved in the Legislature. Instead, lawmakers are focusing on ballot measure language, local redistricting, voting integrity and campaign finance tweaks before the 2024 election.

By

Sameea Kamal

• July 12, 2023

Commentary

California Supreme Court decision could undermine state’s bedrock voting rights law

The California Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments this week in Pico Neighborhood Association v. City of Santa Monica, a case that challenges whether at-large local elections are discriminatory. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, California's former election chief, says the case could weaken civil rights protections if Santa Monica prevails.

By

Guest Commentary

• June 27, 2023

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, addresses members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE at their Union Hall in Burbank on Feb. 11, 2023. Two weeks prior, Schiff launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate, raising $1.6 million in chiefly small-dollar donations. Photo Damian Dovarganes, AP Photo

Commentary

House censure boosts Adam Schiff’s U.S. Senate campaign

When the House of Representatives voted last week to censure Rep. Adam Schiff for his investigations of former President Donald Trump, it gave Schiff a big boost in his quest for a U.S. Senate seat.

By

Dan Walters

• June 26, 2023

Migrants near Tijuana, Mexico as they seek to enter the U.S. and request asylum through the Chaparral entryway on Dec. 22, 2022. Photo by Carlos A. Moreno for CalMatters

Commentary

Migrant flights reveal how politicians would rather toy with people than talk solutions

The migrants dumped in Sacramento over the past week are part of a larger ploy to score political points and win elections, not address the immigration issues facing the nation.

By

Guest Commentary

• June 9, 2023

Public comment at the Long Beach Independent Redistricting Commission during a meeting at city hall, on Oct. 20, 2021. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters

Commentary

The one big flaw in California’s local redistricting reforms

The state Assembly has passed legislation to require large cities, counties and school districts to use independent commissions to redraw districts for their governing boards, but the measure exempts five major counties.

By

Dan Walters

• June 5, 2023

Interim Los Angeles City Council President Mitch O'Farrell, second from right, talks to city staff before the cancellation of the Los Angeles City Council meeting Oct. 12, 2022 in Los Angeles. Photo by Ringo H.W. Chiu, AP Photo

Commentary

Rooting out local government corruption in California starts by ending pay-to-play

A new California law takes aim at the practice known as "pay-to-play" in which special interests make campaign contributions to local officials to sway a decision. The state senator who authored the law calls for its preservation and expansion after a judge tossed out a lawsuit trying to prevent it from taking effect.

By

Guest Commentary

• May 30, 2023