California Elections

Just as rule changes in sports can affect the final score, rule changes in politics also affect outcomes. Three pending legislative proposals would affect what happens to local and state ballot measures.

The Legislature is back this week from spring recess and already things are getting busy.  CalMatters’ Julie Cart reports that a bill that would outlaw five chemicals in food products passed the Assembly health committee Tuesday after a robust debate — and a little snacking. The so-called Skittles Bill prompted both a freewheeling discussion of […]

There's no shortage of efforts to impose new taxes on the wealthy or corporations in California, but few of them survive the political process.

A lawsuit was filed to try and stop a law aiming to curb pay-to-play influence in local government. One of the plaintiffs, a suburban Sacramento representative, argues that the law could make it harder for diverse candidates to be competitive, and further enable dark money from special interests.

On March 6, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent the policy world into a frenzy when, without any notice, he tweeted that “California won’t be doing business with Walgreens,” because of the company’s decision to not distribute an abortion pill in states that banned the medication.  But it turns out that Walgreens won’t lose that much state […]

California business interests increasingly use ballot measures to block or delay laws imposing new regulations. Progressive groups want to make such actions more difficult.

Southern California could reassert itself as the political epicenter of California after Senator Dianne Feinstein retires next year. The congressional candidates vying to succeed her, and the vacancies their campaigns have created, provide opportunities for officeholders who are younger, more liberal and more rooted in Southern California.

In 2015 and again in 2017, the California Legislature reformed how tax and bond measures are presented to voters, providing greater transparency on impacts and requiring ballot summaries to be neutral. There's now a new effort to undo much of those reforms.

The oil industry is seeking to overturn a new California law that restricts where drilling can take place. Rather than wait for the 2024 election, oil industry opponents are calling on the governor to use his power to ensure the protections still go into effect.

Next year, California voters will have a chance to decide whether new oil drilling regulations should take effect. Oil industry officials warn that, if enacted, it could hinder production and force California to look elsewhere for its supply.