#california-politics

#california-politics

I think it's very, very ironic that Gov. Newsom who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris, said Bessent.

Gates, 50, announced the launch of his campaign for the state's top law enforcement job during an event at the Huntington Beach Pier on Wednesday flanked by Hilton, former state Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, who is running alongside Hilton for lieutenant governor, and a trove of supporters.

Gov. Gavin Newsom had a scheduled call with Mark Lashier, the chief executive of Phillips 66 months after the oil giant announced it would shut down a major Los Angeles refinery following the governor's signing of new regulations on oil and gas facilities as he pushed to end California's reliance on fossil fuels. Within days, Newsom's administration pivoted. State officials unveiled a plan to boost oil drilling and imports in California and put on hold a refinery profit cap the governor had previously championed.

"Serving our community and our country has been the honor of my lifetime. Every step of this journey has been shaped by the people I represent, by their resilience, their determination, and their belief that government can and should work for the common good,"

LaMalfa's death shrinks Republicans' narrow majority in the House to 218 seats over Democrats' 213. That could be reduced even further as Democrats are expected to win another seat in a special election in Texas later this month. That means the party has less room for dissent among its members as Speaker Mike Johnson tries to advance President Donald Trump's agenda ahead of the midterm elections, when the party in power historically loses.

Trump justified the action in comments posted on his social media platform Truth Social, where he accused Newsom of widespread fraud. The governor's office dismissed the accusation as "deranged." Trump's announcement came amid a broader administration push to target Democratic-led states over alleged fraud in taxpayer-funded programs, following sweeping prosecutions in Minnesota. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the planned funding freeze, which was first reported by The New York Post.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is responding after President Donald Trump said Tuesday that California is being investigated for fraud. The president said in a post on Truth Social that the "Fraud Investigation of California has begun," but he did not provide any specifics about the alleged fraud. In a statement to ABC News, Newsom's office said he's blocked more than $125 billion in fraud, arrested criminals and protected taxpayers from scam artists.

The year 2026 is sure to bring another round of big political battles and shifts in leadership ahead of what's expected to be a hotly contested midterm election season. Needless to say, it's going to be a busy year. That's right. We'll have several competitive and already expensive races throughout California that will impact not only the future of our state, but the balance of power in Congress.

The special election on redistricting has been certified. The closely watched decisions from former Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla have been made. Does that mean the race for California's next governor - with its primary just six months away - is ready to heat up? It's been a rather lackluster campaign thus far. One that, while it certainly is not wanting for candidates, has lacked a certain excitement.

I asked all the questions that I asked and based on the answers we got, the mailer was done and it was approved by legal and if legal got it wrong, shame on them. That portion should be repealed.

Because Gavin Newsom made it clear that the reason he has vetoed this bill twice is because he's asking them to tailor it for costs, she argued, continuing: Remember, that in 2026 healthcare premiums are going to go up to almost a thousand dollars per family. And so in an effort to keep healthcare costs down, he has to veto it because they're not tailoring the bill and he has done a lot for women.

It was you who made those words come true. It was the faith that you had placed in me and the latitude that you had given that enabled me to shatter the marble ceiling and be the first woman speaker of the House," Pelosi said, adding, "San Francisco, know your power. We have made history. We have made progress. We have always led the way,

I had two horses in the governor's race already,

Williamson was charged with bank and tax fraud for allegedly siphoning campaign and COVID-19 recovery funds into her and an associate's pockets and claiming personal luxuries as business expenses on tax forms. According to the indictment, the campaign funds were drawn from a dormant state account of another top California Democrat: gubernatorial candidate and former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra.

Prosecutors said she created false backdated contracts after being subpoenaed for records related to a federal Covid-19 stimulus program and later made false statements to FBI agents. This is a crucial step in an ongoing political corruption investigation that began more than three years ago, said Eric Grant, interim US attorney for the Eastern District of California. Williamson pleaded not guilty during a court hearing Wednesday. Matthew Rowan, a lawyer for Williamson, declined to comment further to reporters after the hearing.

California YIMBY, an organization founded eight years ago to promote housing construction in response to an ever-increasing gap between demand and supply, held a victory party in San Francisco recently. Welcome to the most victorious of California YIMBY's victory parties, Brian Hanlon, founder and CEO of the organization, told attendees. Its acronym (Yes In My Backyard) symbolizes its years-long battle with NIMBYs (Not in My Backyard), people and groups who have long thwarted housing projects by pressuring local governments that control land use.

In 2024, roughly 59% of Californians voted for Kamala Harris and 38% for Donald Trump. The number is often used to describe California's partisan shares. Voter registration tells a different story: Democrats at over 44% and Republicans at 25%. Nearly 23% of voters have no party preference. Republicans claimed that because they only have 9 seats (17%), our current maps are gerrymandered and Republicans are underrepresented.