California Politics & News
Stay updated with California news, including reporting, analysis, and commentary on state government, progressive overreach, and the conservative response to Golden State policies.
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- Opinion
The Newsom Nightmare: Why California’s Elites Refuse to Face Reality
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. We’ve had a series of debates on the future of California, at least in venues for the mayoral race in…Victor Davis Hanson -
- Opinion
Karen Bass Thinks Missing Teeth Are LA’s Biggest Problem
Last week, filmmaker Charles Curran posted a viral AI-generated video that now looks less like satire and more like prophecy. In the video—boosted by Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt—Mayor Karen Bass is transformed into a full Joker—green hair, purple suit, permanent grin—presiding over a burning, chaotic Los Angeles. Pratt swoops in as Batman to save…Drew Allen -
- News
California Mayor Worked for Chinese Government, Exposing China’s Deep Influence in America
A Southern California mayor has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent for China, according to an announcement by the Department of Justice. The 58-year-old Eileen Wang was elected to the five-person Arcadia City Council in November 2022, where the mayor is selected on a rotating basis. She resigned Monday. During her time in office,…Angelina Delfin -
- Opinion
Zombies, DEI, and the Fall of LA: Why Spencer Pratt Is on the Rise
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Victor Davis Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. Jack Fowler: Well, you know what’s not a beautiful place to live, Victor, segueing, is Los Angeles. And you talked with…Victor Davis Hanson -
- Opinion
Newsom to Struggling Parents: ‘Forget Rent and Groceries—Here’s a Box of Overpriced State Diapers’
California is the most unaffordable state in the union, where the cost of living is a punishing 11 percent above the national average. Rents for an ordinary two-bedroom apartment average $2,200–$2,700 monthly statewide. Gas prices flirt with $6.16 per gallon—the highest in the nation—while electricity rates hover at 33–35 cents per kilowatt-hour, nearly double the U.S. average. …Drew Allen -
- Analysis
- News
Karen Bass Cancels Next Debate After Spencer Pratt Smackdown
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has decided to skip out on the upcoming mayoral debate scheduled for Wednesday, according to debate organizers who posted on social media over the weekend. Campaign spokesman Alex Stack said Bass will instead travel to Sacramento, where she will be “fighting for critical state funding for housing, homelessness, and Palisades…Angelina Delfin -
- Opinion
California’s ‘Billionaire Tax’ Could Reach Far Beyond Billionaires
Last week, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced it had gathered more than 1.5 million signatures—nearly double what it needed—to put a sweeping new wealth tax on California’s November ballot. The initiative is called the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act. The name is designed to make you stop reading. Don’t. SEIU has spent months positioning itself as…Aaron Withe -
- News
California Fights Back: Massive Sinaloa Cartel Drug Bust in Los Angeles
A two-month undercover Drug Enforcement Administration investigation exposed what federal authorities say is a Sinaloa Cartel-linked drug trafficking operation funneling fentanyl and methamphetamine into Los Angeles through MacArthur Park. On Wednesday, federal and local law enforcement officers raided the South Los Angeles park as part of “Operation Free MacArthur Park,” arresting 18 individuals, executing multiple…Angelina Delfin -
- News
California Spends Over $20 Million to Save Endangered Trout—Then Sprays Poison in Their Creek
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif.—Thousands of gallons of herbicides have been sprayed into flood channels that flow straight into the ocean—right in the same creeks where more than $26 million in taxpayer dollars have already gone toward saving the endangered steelhead trout. For more than two decades, state and federal agencies have funneled millions into a fish…Hailey Gomez -
- News
Spencer Pratt Rips Opponents During LA Mayoral Debate, Wins 88% Audience Approval
In a two-hour mayoral debate hosted by NBC 4 Los Angeles, three candidates shared their views on how the nation’s second-largest city should manage its growing list of crises. But a post-debate poll showed one candidate emerged as the clear winner. The debate stage on Wednesday night featured two familiar local politicians, Mayor Karen Bass…Angelina Delfin -
- Analysis
Democrats Attack Deportations at California Gubernatorial Debate
“Would you push to deport undocumented farm workers?” CNN debate moderators asked this emotionally charged question to the seven California gubernatorial candidates Tuesday night. Democrats cited benefits to the economy and “racial profiling” as valid reasons to not push deportations. Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton pushed back, emphasizing the importance of fairness for Californians…Angelina Delfin -
- Opinion
Xavier Becerra: An Unextraordinary Man Desperate for Extraordinary Power
Xavier Becerra is the embodiment of the modern California Democrat: a career politician who climbed from longtime congressman to state attorney general to President Joe Biden’s secretary of health and human services without ever demonstrating medical expertise, executive talent, or a serious record of solving any difficult problems. What he has always possessed in spades, however, is…Drew Allen -
- News
Creek Team OC Exposes OC’s Toxic Creek Spraying as County and Labs Stonewall Tests
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif.—Under the concrete span of a San Juan Creek bridge, three members of Creek Team OC sat on folding chairs amid the mud and remains of whatever the county had sprayed upstream. Brent Linas, the group’s founder, leaned back, readying himself to share the full story of how herbicide spraying in one…Hailey Gomez -
- News
High-Speed Rail: Should Californians ‘End the Nightmare’?
California’s high-speed rail funding was delayed yet again, causing some to wonder if the project truly is a train to nowhere. When voters passed Proposition 1A in 2008, the estimated $30 billion transportation project was designed to let Californians travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in two hours. However, current estimates from the High-Speed…Angelina Delfin -
- News
Campaign Ad Exposing LA Mayor Bass on Palisades Fires Goes Viral
Reality TV personality and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt released a hard-hitting ad last week criticizing Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman for their “failed leadership” in response to the Palisades fires and homelessness crisis—so far, it has received more than 12 million views. Released April 29, the ad shows the two…Angelina Delfin -
- Opinion
Newsom’s Fatal Flaw: A Wife Who Radiates Coastal Contempt
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is positioning himself with characteristic flair for a national run in 2028, but at least one major obstacle stands in his way: his radical wife. Movie-star good looks, smooth delivery, and nearly a decade as California’s governor have made Newsom the early Democrat front-runner. He has spent the Trump years delivering fierce…Drew Allen -
- Opinion
Xavier Becerra Is the Worst of a Bad Bunch of Democrat Candidates
Democrats have run California into the ground for 16 straight years, with supermajorities and zero excuses—not a single Republican to blame. Now, with Gov. Gavin Newsom term-limited, they’re supposed to pick a successor. And what do we get? A clown car of mediocrity: a weak, fractured bench so pathetic they can’t even decide on a candidate, let alone consolidate behind one. Seven major Democrats are…Drew Allen -
- News
California STEM Push Backfires: Schmitt Calls OPT a ‘Backdoor Jobs Program’ for Foreign Workers
California college graduates have been struggling to take their next steps into the career world. According to one congressman, the issue is not a lack of jobs, but a prioritization of foreign workers. For years, the Golden State’s Bay Area has been a haven for jobs within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But Republican Missouri…Hailey Gomez -
- News
Can California Elections Be Saved? Voter ID Qualifies for the Ballot
Californians will get a chance to vote for more secure elections this November after a voter identification and citizenship verification initiative qualified for the ballot. Following a successful signature-gathering campaign led by Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, the ballot question, if approved, would require government-issued identification for in-person voting. Californians voting by mail would need…Angelina Delfin -
Pomona Debate 2026: The California Dream Is Dying—Clear Winners, Clear Losers
Tuesday night’s chaotic California gubernatorial debate at Pomona College was marked by constant interruptions and deep voter frustration. Drew Allen, The Daily Signal’s California columnist, argues in today’s commentary that Republican Steve Hilton delivered the strongest performance by confronting Sacramento’s failures head-on, Matt Mahan stood out as the most pragmatic Democrat, while Xavier Becerra and…Drew Allen