California Elections

California Democrats want to change the state constitution to safeguard a right that is already firmly protected across the state, just in case the U.S. Supreme Court decides to do away with it.  Oh, and putting it on the ballot will probably help Democrats in the 2024 election. If that all sounds familiar, you might […]

State and federal laws are not necessarily designed for the type of schemes revealed by the Los Angeles City Council audio leak. California legislators can act by mandating independent redistricting and outlining consequences for interference.

CalMatters' expert journalists around the state created this guide to the state's efforts to meet the challenges of 2022 and prepare for 2023.

In the aftermath of prolonged school closures and learning losses during the pandemic, a coalition has vowed to put forward a ballot proposition that would enshrine high-quality public education as a civil right in California.

The fast food and oil industries are only the latest to seek a referendum to stop, or at least delay, a law passed by the state Legislature. The return on investment can be huge — so much money that some are calling for changing the referendum rules in California.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this week for a Republican-led case about redistricting authority. In California, it could give Democrats absolute power over the drawing of congressional maps.

Note: The newsletter will pause until Tuesday, Nov. 29 for the holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving! And then there was one. Just one California race for a U.S. House of Representatives seat remained too close to call as of Tuesday, two weeks after the Nov. 8 election: With about 335,000 unprocessed ballots left to count, Republican […]

After a flurry of called races, victories proclaimed and concessions offered across 52 congressional districts, 100 state Assembly and Senate contests, nine statewide races for constitutional offices and seven propositions on the California ballot, it can be hard to wrap your head around what exactly happened. Fortunately, we’ve boiled it down to a few pictures […]

Does anyone else feel like the outcomes of California’s Tuesday election were largely predictable? It’s true that county elections officials still have to tally more than 4.8 million ballots, according to Thursday estimates. And it’s true that some state legislative and U.S. House races are still too close to call, and could remain that way […]

After maneuvering for months, Anthony Rendon and Robert Rivas make a deal on who will be Assembly speaker in the next Legislature. Rendon will stay on, but Rivas will take over at the end of June 2023.