The very rapid decline of California’s Republican Party — from near-dominance in the 1980s and early 1990s to its current irrelevance — has been one of the state’s most dramatic political events. Thirty years ago, in 1989, Republicans were on a roll in California, to wit: —GOP candidates dominated the...
Republican Wins, Joins Spouse as California Lawmaker
SACRAMENTO — A Northern California Republican is set to join her husband in the state Legislature, with her Democratic opponent in Tuesday's special election conceding but promising a rematch next year. Megan Dahle had 58% of Tuesday's special election vote to 42% for Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt. Dahle is scheduled to...
Democrats Growing in State. Fresno and Clovis Too.
Just released voter registration numbers show an increase in voter registration statewide, with gains for Democrats and a marked increase in no party preference registrants. Listen to this article: The Secretary of State released new numbers today for voter registration as of Oct. 1, 2019. State records show that...
Will Congress Embrace Ag Labor Bill With Path to Legalized Status?
A farm labor bill that would make undocumented workers eligible for visas and provide a path to long-term residency has won the support of Valley lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act was introduced in the House on Wednesday. The bipartisan list of co-sponsors includes...
California Independents Can Vote in Democrats' 2020 Primary
SACRAMENTO — California's more than 5.6 million independent voters will be allowed to vote in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, but not in the Republican contest, Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced Monday. The two parties have used a similar setup in recent presidential primaries. The state's presidential primary will...
GOP Attorney Sues California for Alleged Voter Violations
SAN FRANCISCO — A Republican lawyer who has waged lawsuits on behalf of the Trump administration sued the state of California and Department of Motor Vehicles Tuesday, saying the agency is failing to verify citizenship for voter registration. A federal lawsuit filed by attorney Harmeet Dhillon comes after a state...
Trump’s Senate Republican Allies Give OK to $5B Wall Request
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's Republican allies controlling the Senate are awarding him his full $5 billion request to build about 200 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. The wall money is contained in a $71 billion draft funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that cleared its...
Trump Insists He Never Pressed Ukraine to Dig for Biden Dirt
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats on Monday pressed their demands for full disclosure of a whistleblower's complaint about President Donald Trump and intensified calls for impeachment. Trump insisted anew he did nothing wrong in his conversation with Ukraine's leader that is at the center of the complaint. Republican lawmakers remained largely...
Republican Closer to Joining Spouse as California Lawmaker
SACRAMENTO — A Republican candidate seeking to join her husband in California's Legislature will face off in a November special election against a Democratic opponent in a sprawling, Republican-leaning Northern California district. Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt had 39% of the vote to Republican Megan Dahle's 36% after Tuesday's special primary election...
Mexican Man Who Supports Trump Convicted of Voter Fraud
SACRAMENTO — A Northern California jury found a Mexican national who assumed an American's identity to vote in five federal elections guilty of voter fraud and identity theft. A jury on Friday found Gustavo Araujo Lerma guilty of aggravated identity theft, making a false statement on a passport application and...