election 2024

A person wearing a blue suit stands up while clapping as other people face him and clap.

Commentary

California politicians suddenly discover inflation in aftermath of election

Democratic legislators this week acknowledged the need to bring down costs of living, days after Donald Trump's win the presidency largely on economic issues.

By

Dan Walters

• December 4, 2024

A person wearing blue medical gloves lifts up a ballot while they sit in front of a table with blue and red boxes filled with voter ballots. Another person working nearby can be seen in the foreground.

Capitol

California has a new Legislature — while votes are still being counted

A bill would give county election offices more resources and guidance to speed up the notoriously slow vote count in California. State legislators take the oath office before the results are certified.

By

Yue Stella Yu

• December 2, 2024

A patient waits in line to pick up a prescription at La Clinica in Oakland on Sept. 26, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Commentary

California voters deliver accountability to health care providers exploiting drug program

Proposition 34 confronts the longtime abuse of the federal 340B prescription drug program and will hold bad actors accountable if providers don’t spend their revenue on patients. California voters got it right.

By Julie Gill Shuffield • November 27, 2024

A collage style illustration in yellow, red and brown tones with cut-out images of two people being covered by "I Voted" stickers

Justice

Two California prosecutors promised a different kind of justice. Voters turned on them

George Gascón and Pamela Price were California's best known 'progressive' district attorneys. They lost their offices in 2024 when voters backed a more traditional approach.

By

Cayla Mihalovich

• November 26, 2024

A person in a suit speaks at a podium labeled "GOOD-PAYING JOBS," gesturing with their hands. Behind them, two individuals stand near informational boards with text and graphics. The setting appears to be an indoor event space with industrial lighting.

Commentary

The best way California can prepare for Trump? Fix its state government

Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to "Trump-proof" California takes a defensive approach to solving a problem that will outlast Trump: improving the effectiveness of our state government.

By Bob Stonebrook • November 25, 2024

Stacks of purple and white mail-in ballot envelopes sit on a stable as election workers sort them. The arms and hands of the workers are visible, but the faces are not. The focus is on the ballots.

Elections

California’s slow vote count sows doubt. Here’s how one group is trying to fix that

The California Voter Foundation launched a tool tracking daily vote counts in 18 close contests for Congress and the state Legislature. The tracker aims to show how counts change over time and dispel misinformation about election fraud, the group says.

By

Yue Stella Yu

• November 20, 2024

A person wearing glasses and dressed in a blue suit stands with his hands crossed in front of a row of American flags in a decorated office.

Politics

A California Republican won a seat he didn’t want. Now taxpayers are paying for a new election

Kern and Tulare county taxpayers are on the hook for a special election after Republican Vince Fong won his Congressional seat along with an Assembly seat he no longer wanted.

By

Ryan Sabalow

• November 19, 2024

A person with white hair and wearing a grey shirt uses a paint roller to paint a yellow brick wall in an alley.

Politics

‘A pivotal moment?’ Why many Latino voters in California chose Trump

In part due to economic and border security concerns, Latinos in California appear to have moved toward Donald Trump. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re abandoning the Democratic Party.

By

Yue Stella Yu

• November 15, 2024

The exterior of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles.

Commentary

Los Angeles County approves historic governance reform. San Francisco backs a study

Los Angeles County voters approved a ballot measure to overhaul the Board of Supervisors. San Francisco, on the other hand, picked a new mayor but voted down a more meaningful reform.

By

Dan Walters

• November 15, 2024

A person points as they speak at a microphone at a podium with people behind him holding up signs.

Elections

Republicans fend off Democratic challengers in three key Inland Empire races

Republican candidates in three high-profile Inland Empire races for Congress and the state Legislature were either leading or able to fend off Democratic challengers as officials keep counting votes.

By

Deborah Brennan

• November 13, 2024

Election 2024