California Democrats’ massive victory in last month’s election made their party even more dominant at all levels of government and in doing so, confined Republicans to relatively tiny redoubts, mostly in rural areas. Calmatters political writer Ben Christopher summarized the GOP’s exile last week in this sentence: “This year, 26...
Jewel of a Feat: High School to Kingsburg City Council in 18 Months
In 2016, Kingsburg High School students voted Jewel Hurtado homecoming queen. Two years later, the Kingsburg community voted the 20-year-old Fresno City College student in as the newest member on the Kingsburg City Council. "It was very unexpected," said Hurtado, who also recently became a mother. In the Kingsburg race,...
Did Ballot Harvesting Cause Blue Wave? Revisiting the Debate.
TJ Cox was down by more than 4,000 votes as returns were counted the night of the Nov. 6 election. As it stands now, he will be elected to Congress in the 21st district by nearly 600 votes. That drastic turnaround in Cox’s and other California races is one of the...
Donations Falling Short In Effort to Honor Clovis Veterans
Time is running out to support an effort to honor veterans this holiday season. "We are falling short at this point of meeting our goal of placing a wreath on the graves of the nearly 4,000 veterans buried at the Clovis Cemetery," said organizer Linda Branam in a Facebook message this...
Whiter, Poorer, Trumpier: The New Republican California
After the shellacking that California Republicans took in this year's midterm elections, many figures within the more pragmatic wings of the party establishment had hoped that the party would turn away from the divisive politics of President Donald Trump and seek to become a more diverse coalition. But in the...
Newsom Says State Must Address Mexico Border ‘Crisis’
SAN DIEGO — California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom said Thursday the state must do more to address what he called a "humanitarian crisis" at the border with Mexico. Newsom said he planned to discuss the large caravans of Central American migrants when he attends Mexico's President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's inauguration...
Bauman Steps Down as California Democratic Party Chair
SACRAMENTO — California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman is resigning following sexual misconduct allegations. Bauman announced his decision Thursday, hours after Governor-elect Gavin Newsom called for him to step aside. Bauman released a statement that does not specifically address the allegations against him. He says he's come to the realization...
California Winery and Oregon Feud Over Pinot Labeling Rights
SALEM, Ore. — Pinot noir is one of the finickiest grapes, but with proper nurturing it produces an amazing wine. Officials in Oregon and at a U.S. government agency are similarly finicky, and are stomping on a California winery's claims that it makes an Oregon pinot. Copper Cane, a Napa...
California Court Reverses Ruling Against Assisted Suicide
LOS ANGELES — A California appeals court overturned a lower court order that had imperiled the state's assisted suicide law, but a longer legal fight may loom because the ruling skirted the larger issue of whether the legislation was unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeals...
No Pension Plan Where You Work? CalSavers to the Rescue.
For years, employees at many businesses didn't have pensions or 401(k) retirement plans. California's solution is CalSavers. "CalSavers will help facilitate the most ambitious expansion of our retirement savings system since the creation of Social Security in 1935," says state Treasurer John Chiang. Chiang, the chair of the CalSavers board...