Campaign Finance

A candidate gets his face on a pint of ice cream. A bipartisan deal is reached to make it rain in the Central Valley. A state senator and mayor plan to protest a prop in drag. Here’s a quick recap of what happened across California’s 53 congressional districts this week.

California healthcare workers union leader Dave Regan has used initiatives and threats of initiatives in the past in negotiations on behalf of his 100,000-member union. That Proposition 8 opponents are spending $105 million-plus to defeat the initiative is sure to send a message to Regan’s future foes that ballot measure fights come at a steep cost.

Campaign donations are going more to Democrats than Republicans in California's hot congressional races; Feinstein and de León debate; and Gavin Newsom gives because that's how far ahead of John Cox he is.

Democratic congressional candidates in California's most competitive races are significantly outraising Republicans in small-dollar donations. It’s a display of voter enthusiasm that can pay long-term dividends for beneficiaries. The phenomenon extends to districts where no Democratic expert thinks Democratic challengers have any prayer of winning.

California income taxes, gas taxes, campaign spending, climate change, automobile emissions, Mary Nichols, Xavier Becerra, Grump's EPA, Fresno, Paul Ryan, renewable energy

Facebook, Twitter, Google to Congress, Harris and Feinsten spar with Kavanaugh, Cadiz and PG&E stocks react, campaign money flows, lawsuits on homelessness.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein remains adamantly opposed to draining Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the source of water for 2.6 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area water. Sen. Kevin de Leon, challenging Feinstein, has not weighed in on the issue.

A political action committee wants ferrets legalized as pets in California. Ferret PAC's Patrick Wright hopes Gavin Newsom notices his group's $125 donation.

Charter school advocates financed Antonio Villaraigosa's campaign for governor with more than $22 million.

The Trump administration proposed to revamp—and loosen—fuel mileage standards, challenging California’s authority to regulate air pollution within its borders, and enraging California officials.