Statewide Region Elections & Politics Digest

THREATS AND HARASSMENT are pushing some politicians out of office, scaring off some would-be candidates and even compelling some elected officials to change their vote.

Those in California who’d like a latte with a side of weed have gotten their wish now that a new law goes into effect that permits licensed cannabis dispensaries to add sit-in cafes to their sites.  

After winning a costly legislative battle last year, California’s casino-owning tribes have sued their rivals in the gambling business. Cities could lose money if the tribes prevail in court.

The increase in lobbyists means there’s now at least one lobbyist for every legislative staff member.

Here are some of the most noteworthy 2025 laws that go into effect on Jan. 1.

California recorded historically high numbers of deaths in county jails for the past six years. Now, counties expect to house more prisoners as Prop. 36 takes effect.

Pledging to take on the affordable housing crisis and bring down health care costs, Adam Schiff was sworn in Monday by Vice President Kamala Harris as California’s junior U.S. senator.

The California Voter Foundation launched a tool tracking daily vote counts in 18 close contests for Congress and the state Legislature. The tracker aims to show how counts change over time and dispel misinformation about election fraud, the group says.

Voters in California’s farm belt, stretching more than 400 miles from Kern County on the south to Tehama County on the north, delivered solid majorities for Donald Trump in this month’s presidential election.

Between the summer session of the California Legislature featuring hot topics like AI regulation and money for journalism, and a special one focusing on gas prices, powerful corporations poured in record-setting money to influence lawmakers.

President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on implementing a sweeping border crackdown and undertaking the largest-scale deportation effort in history. If carried out, his proposed initiatives will have profound consequences in California, which shares a 140-mile border with Mexico.

California’s Senate will reach gender parity, but depending on the outcome of some close contests, that could extend to the whole Legislature.

Newsom wants the new Legislature to ‘protect’ California from Donald Trump on civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant families. The session will start Dec. 2.

A lot is at stake with the new Trump administration: California’s water projects, its unique authority to clean its air, federal support for offshore wind and disaster aid for wildfires.

THE SALINAS VALLEY is the setting for fecund soil, labor rights movements and John Steinbeck novels.Squeezed into one 90-mile-long wedge between the Gabilan and Santa Lucia mountains, the valley’s residents constitute less than 1% of Californians but have shaped the identity of the whole state.

Homeless Californians face many barriers to casting a ballot, even in elections that affect their lives. Some counties and nonprofits are trying to boost turnout.

Proposition 33 on local rent control and the related Proposition 34 are attracting the most campaign cash by far of the 10 ballot measures. But the amount pales to what was spent on dueling sports betting measures in 2022.

Use our tool to search through investigations opened by the state’s campaign law watchdog. The data updates weekly.

Only one-third of the California GOP congressional delegation has pledged to accept the 2024 presidential election results. And only two incumbents in office in 2021 voted to certify President Joe Biden’s win over Donald Trump in the 2020 race.

With proponents of Proposition 36 raising nearly $15 million so far — about three times as much as its opponents — and 71% of likely voters in support, it appears the statewide ballot measure will pass in November.
And that’s exactly what immigrant rights advocates are worried about.

More than half of the school board races in 49 counties analyzed won't appear on the November ballot because either no one is running for the seat or a single candidate is unopposed.

With Democrats firmly in control of statewide offices and the Legislature, California isn’t often seen as a “battleground state.” But California could decide which party controls Congress — and both parties and their allies are spending tens of millions of dollars to seize the opportunity.

The Yes and No on 33 campaigns have collectively spent more than $140 million. CalMatters fact checked some of the more pervasive claims made by both sides.

After the Watergate scandal, California voters approved a ballot measure that created the Fair Political Practices Commission — an independent, nonpartisan agency to police election campaigns and investigate political ethics violations.

Last week, VotingMatters went to public libraries, colleges, and a museum to talk about California’s ballot propositions. So far, VotingMatters has reached more than 750 people across 20 events, bringing crucial election information to voters around the state.

U.S. Senate candidates Rep. Adam Schiff (far left) and Republican Steve Garvey (second) participate in a debate moderated by news anchor Marc Brown (far right) in Glendale on Oct. 8, 2024. Photo by Damian Dovarganes, AP Photo

The Mercury News explains the Proposition 35 to renew the existing tax used to fund Medi-Cal health services.

The Mercury News guide to the Proposition 2 $10 billion bond to build and repair public schools.

The Mercury News guide to the anti-crime and ant-drug dealing measure Proposition 36 on the November ballot.

Worries about retail theft and fentanyl deaths shaped a November ballot measure that would toughen some criminal penalties. Here are the facts about California crime trends.

The Sacramento Bee takes a look at the Proposition 33 rent-control measure on the November ballot.

Amid a Southern California heat wave, about 300 advocates for rent control — with two 10-foot “greedy landlord” puppets — rallied Thursday in downtown Los Angeles, chanting: “The rent is too damn high!”