recall newsom

Beach goers set up an umbrella in Huntington Beach during a sweltering heat wave over Labor Day weekend on Sept. 5, 2020. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

WhatMatters

Getting hotter: More blackouts on the way?

Facing the triple threat of wildfire season, severe drought and a likely recall election, Gov. Gavin Newsom is undoubtedly hoping that California will be able to avoid rolling blackouts this year after last summer’s heat wave triggered the first outages in nearly two decades. But while the president of California’s electric grid operator expressed “guarded […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• May 6, 2021

Nine-year-old Tag, a 1,000 lb Kodiak bear, lays in the sunshine while recall candidate John Cox speaks to the press at a campaign event at Miller Regional Park in Sacramento on May 4, 2021. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

WhatMatters

Recall circus begins

Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, May 5. Elections and bears, oh my If, like me, you didn’t have “California political candidate campaigns with 1,000-pound Kodiak bear” on your 2021 bingo card, you were not prepared for the excesses of a gubernatorial recall election. The effort to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom from office entered a new […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• May 5, 2021

A recall campaign sign is surrounded by floating cash. As the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom gets underway, recall supporters have collected more donations but the governor has more ready to spend. Illustration by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters; iStock

Politics

Recall backers raise more, but Newsom’s side has more cash in the bank

While the governor's opponents have burned through most of the money they've collected to date, his defenders have some $2.5 million in the bank.

By

Ben Christopher

• May 4, 2021

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to the press during a visit to Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Alameda on March 16, 2021. "We will fight it. We will defeat it," Newsom said of the recall effort. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Commentary

How to avoid a recall meltdown and improve California elections

It’s not too late for the state Legislature to fix this messy way of conducting a recall election: Here is a simple home-grown solution.

By

Guest Commentary

• May 4, 2021

Magaly Colelli, left, owner of Magaly's restaurant talks with Gov. Gavin Newsom and actor Danny Trejo, center, in San Fernando, on April 29, 2021. Photo by Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times via AP/Pool

Politics

Democratic leaders rally behind Newsom to fight recall, but how enthusiastic is the grassroots?

Democratic Party leaders unite behind a message that the recall is a desperate Republican plot that is bad for California. But will progressives and Latinos turn out to vote?

By

Ben Christopher

• May 1, 2021

WhatMatters

An unprecedented day for California

Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, April 27. Census + recall What a day Monday was. First, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that California will lose a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in the state’s 171-year history. Then, Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced that supporters of the effort to […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• April 27, 2021

Politics

California loses congressional seat for first time

California loses one of 53 House seats after 2020 Census found the Golden State's population growth slowing.

By

Ben Christopher

• April 26, 2021

WhatMatters

California home prices hit record high

Never has it cost so much to buy a house in California. The median price for a single-family home shot up to a staggering $758,990 in March — a nearly 6% increase from the previous record of $717,930 set in December and a whopping 24% increase from March 2020, according to figures released Friday by […]

By

Emily Hoeven

• April 26, 2021