U.S. Congress

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and the United Farm Workers union say a recent death in a tomatillo field was due to heat, but a coroner's report doesn't back that up.

State lawmakers want to loosen CalWORKs job requirements so people keep cash benefits. Congress’ debt limit deal could curb that.

With Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker, voters in Kern County and across California can expect more theatrics and little relief for our most pressing issues.

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 […]

“We are mindful that we’re going to have to be more proactive as a state in terms of our efforts in Washington, D.C.” That was Gov. Gavin Newsom’s delicately worded assessment of how California might fare differently under Kevin McCarthy — the Bakersfield Republican positioned to take over as speaker of the U.S. House of […]

This is what they call a nail-biter, folks. With Democrats managing to hang on to control of the U.S. Senate following votes tallied this weekend, all eyes have shifted to the U.S. House — and to California, which could end up determining the balance of power in Congress and the political direction of the country. […]

After months of anticipation and buildup, California’s general election came and went — and so far, things don’t look very different than they did before polls closed Tuesday night. But some of the races that could be among the most consequential for the country’s direction have yet to be decided. Early returns tabulated by CalMatters’ […]

Do you hear it? That’s the sound of California candidates and campaigns pulling out all the stops ahead of tomorrow’s deadline for voters to cast ballots in the highly consequential general election. Today, Vice President Kamala Harris is set to rally in Los Angeles at a get-out-the-vote event hosted by the California Democratic Party. She’s […]

Note: The amazing Ben Christopher will be handling the newsletter on Monday and Tuesday. I’ll see you Wednesday! Don’t underestimate Kern County. This swath of land in the southern Central Valley produces 70% of California’s oil, and industry groups have already raised more than $8 million to gather signatures for a 2024 referendum to overturn […]

East Bakersfield may be the most fiercely fought-over part of the state for the Nov. 8 election. Key races for U.S. House and the state Legislature overlap in the changing, mostly Latino area.