California Elections

Mrs. Kilgore’s fifth and sixth grade classroom on December 13, 2019. Smart classrooms were one of the upgrades the school received when the building was rebuilt.

Education

California’s Prop. 13 school bond is officially defeated

As the campaign conceded on Wednesday, the first statewide school bond to go down to defeat in two decades went out, not with a bang, but with a tweet.

By

Ricardo Cano

• March 11, 2020

What do the top two spenders, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, have in common? Both are billionaires and both are no longer in the race.

Elections

Prez primary price: How much each candidate spent in California

What do the top two spenders, Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, have in common? Both are billionaires and both are no longer in the race.

By

Ben Christopher

• March 6, 2020

Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a press conference in the wake of the first COVID-19 death in California, a man who took a cruise from San Francisco to Mexico in February. The governor outlined measures being taken by the state to identify and test all other individuals who were on the same cruise ship as the deceased. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

WhatMatters

Super Tuesday updates + Prolonged vote counting + A COVID-19 patient dies as authorities try to contain the spread

Long wait begins as California counts votes. Coronavirus death leads to emergency declaration. California health officials defend needle-exchange program.

By

Dan Morain

• March 5, 2020

Three-quarters of ballots mailed to Californians had yet to be returned as of the day before Election Day. Photo illustration by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Elections

Less than a quarter of California mail ballots came back before Election Day — including the “zombies”

“Zombie votes,” or votes for candidates no longer running, could be a factor in California's Democratic presidential primary.

By

Elizabeth Castillo

• March 3, 2020

Elections

An earlier say: Race to the White House runs through California

Sick of bringing up the rear of the national primary schedule, California bumped up its Election Day to March 3. Now, after Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, the nation’s largest state will have an early say about who will be occupying the Oval Office come January 2021. And given Golden State voters’ propensity […]

By

Ben Christopher

• January 16, 2020

An election worker hands out an "I voted" sticker

Elections

Want to vote for president in California but bewildered by the changing rules? Here’s how it works

If you’re unsure about how to get the ballot you want or what presidential primaries are all about, here are four things to know before you vote.

By

Ben Christopher

• January 10, 2020

WhatMatters

Greater privacy, fewer births, a gun case, and UC admissions

Privacy law will give consumers more control over their data. UC becomes more selective in admissions. California's birth rate continues to fall.

By

Dan Morain

• December 2, 2019

Washington rejected the auto industry's plea to meet California halfway on emissions standards. Photo by Thinkstock

WhatMatters

GM, Toyota, Chrysler side with Trump in clean air fight against California

GM, Toyota join forces with Trump in emissions fight. Desalination proposal draws backlash in Monterey County. Race is on to fill Katie Hill's seat.

By

Dan Morain

• October 29, 2019

Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris before the start of the Democratic primary debate hosted by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Thursday, June 27, 2019, in Miami.

Elections

Frontrunner no more: California poll puts Harris on top and Biden (way) down

The new poll puts Kamala Harris first in her home state. Biden, the presumed front-runner nationwide, came fourth.

By

Ben Christopher

• July 29, 2019

California political independent lawsuit theme image

Elections

Lawsuit: California should open its presidential primary to independents

California's presidential primary system "offends fundamental notions of individual liberty, equality, and self-government," a nonpartisan election group will argue in a lawsuit it says it plans to file tomorrow.

By

Ben Christopher

• July 22, 2019