Sacramento County Elections & Politics Digest

With nine months’ experience in the Assembly, Liz Ortega will lead the Labor committee after a strike-filled summer and several wins for low-wage workers.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles changed its voter registration process in 2019 to put a party selection dropdown on the same page. Since then, the number of people registering as Republicans or Democrats has jumped close to 20 points.

Forty-eight of California’s 52 members of the House of Representatives voted in favor of expelling George Santos. Of the other four members, all Republicans, Kevin McCarthy didn’t vote while three opposed Santos’ expulsion.

The Nov. 30 debate between governors Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis could be a win-win for both. DeSantis’s flagging presidential campaign could get a boost, while Newsom could increase his standing in Democratic circles.

Political wonks in California, Florida and maybe a few states in between, will be glued to their screens Thursday night to watch Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Ron Desantis square off in a highly-anticipated Blue vs. Red State debate that’s been brewing since the summer.

Rep. David Valadao, a Republican, had his district office in Hanford vandalized. Fliers were plastered on the doors of his office with pictures of children and the words “Murdered by Israel.”

She was the first Black woman on the Sacramento City Council and while she had just one term in office, her legacy of service was solidified by decades of commitment throughout the community.

Rep. Anna Eshoo, who has served in Congress more than 30 years and represents Silicon Valley, announced that she will not seek reelection and is retiring. Eshoo, a Democrat who turns 81 on Dec. 13, said in a video that her heart is filled with gratitude.

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger met Nov. 17 with Sacramento press corps members. He ruled out a U.S. Senate bid, saying the only thing he was interested in running for was president, while acknowledging he can’t do this because he was born in Austria.

Updated vote tallies confirm candidate Scott Dosick has won the Trustee Area 4 seat in the Natomas Unified School District special election.

A ballot measure being pushed by business groups could place strict new limits on the ability of state and local governments to raise taxes.

Two members of the Sunol Glen Unified School District board have been served with recall notices. This came after the board approved a resolution that banned schools in the Alameda County district from flying the LGBTQ+ pride flag.

In a statement following the latest vote count update, candidate Moe Sarama conceded in his bid for a seat on the San Juan Unified School District’s governing board.

During a trip to San Francisco, President Biden said that California’s governor “could have the job I’m looking for.” The remarks have fueled speculation about whether Newsom might step in to run instead of Biden in 2024.

The three-year social impact project, launched in October 2022, brings together scholars to explore topics such as the impact of social media hate speech on youths, racial bias in health care settings, and even the neurobiology underlying hate.

The Sacramento City Council voted unanimously to place a business operations tax measure on the March 2024 primary election ballot.  If it passes, the city will update the tax and adjust it for inflation for the first time since 1991.

Ana de Alba, a first-generation Mexican-American who is the daughter of farmworkers, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Alba was confirmed by a 48-43 vote.

Lacking power at the state level, conservatives are leaning into local governance to protest California’s progressive politics. The fight in Huntington Beach could be a harbinger of what’s to come.

Longtime Rep. Barbara Lee trails fellow representative Katie Porter and former Rep. Adam Schiff in their race for U.S. Senate. Lee still expressed determination to not seek a 14th term in the House, saying she’s running for Senate.

Richard Pan said his background as a pediatrician and as a professor at UC Davis illustrates a “career dedicated to solving problems,” positioning him as a mayor who can lead Sacramento with efficient judgment.

Citrus Heights resident Manuel Perez declared victory in the race for a vacant seat on the San Juan Unified School District’s governing board.

Preliminary vote tallies from the Natomas Unified School District special election show former board member Scott Dosick holding a narrow lead in the six-way race.

Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by nearly 30 points in California in the 2020 U.S. presidential race. A recent poll shows Biden now has just a 15-point lead in the Golden State over Trump, which might hint at a close national race next year.

Sacramento voters living in districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 will weigh in on who represents their area on the city’s law-making body. Candidates who receive more than 50% of the vote in their races would win outright.

Internationally acclaimed activist and women’s rights warrior Angela Davis was in Sacramento speaking on solutions for ending domestic violence in the Black community.

California’s population of homeless veterans has plateaued despite billions of dollars in state spending to create housing for former service members. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to shift resources to focus on veterans with serious mental health conditions.

Shortly after purchasing a Hagginwood apartment building last year, Sacramento Councilmember Sean Loloee evicted the tenants of all eight units, according to the property manager: “The owner wanted to rehabilitate the units.”

California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas has endorsed Rep. Adam Schiff in a crowded U.S. Senate race. Other candidates include representatives Barbara Lee and Katie Porter.

One of the few areas the Supreme Court has agreed on in recent years is free speech. Now, the high court will decide if protections extend to a woman who sued after being cited in 2017 for honking 14 times as she drove by a political protest.

California’s Secretary of State has told the Shasta County Board of Supervisors that it cannot hand-count ballots in its Nov. 7 special election. In a letter, Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the county must comply with new legislation that bars the hand-counting of ballots.

Sen. Laphonza Butler, appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to finish Dianne Feinstein’s term, told members of the Black press she would champion the causes of the Black press at the state and federal level.

Steve Hansen says he is running for mayor because he wants to rebuild Sacramento, lead the city into its next great chapter, and leave no one behind.