■The county's Board of Supervisors voted to support legislation for nonpartisan volunteers to redraw election district boundaries. ■Independent commissions have been successful but face challenges such as cost and finding diverse representation. ■The Fair Maps Act has standardized redistricting but partisanship, litigation, and controversy can still influence the process. Politicians...
Surprise, Surprise! 2024 CA Primary Turnout Wasn’t a Record Low
■7.3 million ballots cast, a turnout of about 33%. ■Turnout won't be a record low but is dismal for a presidential primary. ■Newsom appoints a new leader for the state's political watchdog agency. The latest official tally from the Secretary of State’s office shows that 4.8 million ballots have been counted from...
Surprise, Surprise! 2024 CA Primary Turnout Wasn’t a Record Low
■7.3 million ballots cast, a turnout of about 33%. ■Turnout won't be a record low but is dismal for a presidential primary. ■Newsom appoints a new leader for the state's political watchdog agency. The latest official tally from the Secretary of State’s office shows that 4.8 million ballots have been counted from...
What You Need to Know About California Housing and Corporate Landlords
■California legislators are considering three bills to limit institutional investors in the state's single-family home market. ■These bills seek to limit such investors from acquiring or investing in more single-family homes for rental purposes. ■Research shows mixed results on whether big investors cause rents to rise or if rising rents...
What You Need to Know About California Housing and Corporate Landlords
■California legislators are considering three bills to limit institutional investors in the state's single-family home market. ■These bills seek to limit such investors from acquiring or investing in more single-family homes for rental purposes. ■Research shows mixed results on whether big investors cause rents to rise or if rising rents...
Conservatives Explain Why They’re Trying to Recall Newsom Again
■Conservative activists launch another recall attempt of Gov. Gavin Newsom. ■Newsom defeated the 2021 recall by nearly 24 percentage points, then won reelection. ■Recall backers searching for a viable candidate to promote as an alternative to Newsom. Here we go again: Conservative activists who worked on the failed recall of Gov....
CA Foster Youth Often Slip Through the Cracks. Cutting Their Rental Support Won’t Help.
■25% of former California foster youth experienced homelessness by age 23. ■Gov. Newsom's proposed budget cuts a supplement for foster youth housing. ■The cut contradicts Newsom's efforts to combat the state's homelessness crisis. Combatting California’s most pressing issue of homelessness is all about increasing the outflow of people from the...
CA Legislature Introduces 2,124 Bills. They Include Voter ID, Reparations, Daylight Savings Time
■Last year, state legislators introduced more than 2,600 bills (most in a decade) and passed 1,046. ■Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 890 bills and vetoed 156 in 2023. ■Bills introduced at this year's deadline deal with voter ID and daylight savings time. With the dust settled after Friday’s bill introduction deadline,...
How Psychedelic Drug Therapy Became a Rare Bipartisan Issue in California
Assemblymember Marie Waldron is a Republican from San Diego who was the GOP caucus leader for three years at a time when California’s Democrats were waging a legislative war with Donald Trump. San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener is a Democratic rising star who’s considered a leading candidate to replace one...
Record Amount Went to Lobbying California’s Government. Who Were the Biggest Spenders?
■Lobbying efforts in California hit a record $480 million in 2023. ■Chevron, Hawaiian Gardens Casino, and Western States Petroleum Association were the top spenders. ■Local governments also spent a record $55 million on lobbying in 2023. Last year was a good year to be a lobbyist in California. Advocacy efforts...