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 Sovietization of California
I am writing this column upon returning home to California after five days in Florida. For the first time since my first trip to Los Angeles in 1974 and moving there two years later, I dreaded going to California. That first trip, as a 25-year-old New Yorker, I experienced the palpable excitement looking at the…Dennis Prager -
- News
Supreme Court Sides Against Newsom on California Church Restrictions
The U.S. Supreme Court sided Thursday against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s restrictions on worship services during the coronavirus pandemic. Justices tossed out an order from a Central District of California court that had upheld the Democratic governor's restrictions on houses of worship, CBS News reported. In light of last week’s Supreme Court ruling, which granted temporary…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
Affirmative Action Goes Down in Flames in Deep Blue California
Even in the deepest of deep blue progressive states, it appears racial preferences are unpopular once voters go into the voting booth. On Tuesday, Californians rejected Proposition 16, a ballot measure that would have essentially ended California’s decadeslong ban on racial preferences for government and public institutions. This ban was enacted by Proposition 209, which…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Free Speech Won at Colleges in California and Ohio. It Should Win in Georgia, Too.
As Free Speech Week concludes, Americans nationwide are reminded that public university campuses provide a unique environment for students to engage in the marketplace of ideas while pursuing higher education. Sadly, however, many public officials have forgotten their own role in encouraging free speech on campus, and some colleges have even received a free pass after violating…Ellen Wittman -
- Opinion
Ending California’s Lockdown on Churches Is Compatible With Science and Good Health
Forty million California residents have been living under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide lockdown order since March 19. This lockdown order—which was the first in the nation—was based on Newsom’s assessment of the health risks of COVID-19. In Los Angeles County, 10 million residents are in lockdown, which was implemented at the county level by a series…James Enstrom -
- News
Man Caught on Video Stealing Mail, Voting Ballots From California Mailboxes
Video captured a man stealing absentee ballots while walking through a neighborhood in Escondido, California, a local news outlet reported. Surveillance cameras from David Sprouse, a local resident, captured a man stealing mail from his home and houses nearby last week, Fox 5 San Diego reported. “It was a younger looking man, [who] happened to come…Andrew Trunsky -
- Opinion
How California Is Turning Into a State Governed by Identity Politics
If you thought racial identity politics were just a fleeting flirtation of the radical left, California’s new laws suggest otherwise. On Sept. 30, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into state law a bill setting up a nine-member board to study the amount of reparations that should be owed to black people for slavery and Jim…Kenny Xu -
- Opinion
Ignoring Current Problems, California Comes Up With Illogical Reparations Bill
California’s Legislature just passed, and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed, Assembly Bill 3121 to explore providing reparations to California’s African American population—155 years after the abolition of slavery. Apparently, when California’s one-party government cannot find solutions to current existential crises, it turns to divisive issues that have little to do with the safety and well-being of…Victor Davis Hanson -
- Opinion
California Policies Foreshadow a Nation Enslaved to Identity Politics
While a pandemic has swept the country and wildfires rage through the West, California’s leadership and Legislature are spearheading a movement to ensure that the state is enslaved to identity politics. This is a harbinger of things to come across the entire country. No one policy or bill exposes California’s far-left agenda. But taken together, it appears the state’s lawmakers have passed…Nicole Russell -
- Opinion
Why California Should Let Markets, Not Mandates, Drive Vehicle Choice
You know what they say: If you can’t beat the competition … eliminate it. That appears to be California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approach when he signed an executive order to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035. The order also calls for a phaseout of conventional trucks and…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
Why I’m Leaving California
My family and my company are leaving California. It’s heartbreaking. My parents moved to California four decades ago. I grew up here. For 33 of the 36 years I’ve spent on this planet, I’ve lived here. I was born at St. Joseph’s in Burbank; I attended elementary school at Edison Elementary; I went to college…Ben Shapiro -
- Opinion
The Facts About Climate Change and California Fires
Despite some progress made by heroic firefighters, wildfires continue to tear through the West. Tragically, the fires have taken more than 30 lives (with many more missing), destroyed thousands of structures, and burned millions of acres. Here are answers to some of the commonly asked questions on causes for the wildfires and obstacles that stand in…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
New California Law Could Increase Risk of Child Sexual Abuse
Warning: This article contains explicit language. The California Legislature has passed legislation that could pave the way for children to be subjected to sexual abuse or exploitation while their abusers suffer few consequences. Senate Bill 145—which passed both the state Assembly and Senate, and Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed into law—ensures that adults will not…Nicole Russell -
- Opinion
4 Voters Claiming NPR as Residence Turn Up in Search of California Voting Records
As regular listeners of National Public Radio know, the taxpayer-funded outlet regularly disparages the idea that any type of fraud occurs in our elections. Now, research by the Public Interest Legal Foundation has turned up information pointing to possible election fraud by NPR employees. Many types of election fraud occur. The type found in the…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
California Wants Me to Vote, Even Though I Haven’t Lived There for Over 8 Years
States across the country are experimenting with a mass switch to mail-in elections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But is it wise for states to make such a big change, especially in light of messy voter rolls around the country? What I was sent earlier this month by election officials in Alameda County, California,…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Bad Policies, Not Climate Change, Main Driver of California Fires
This week, America’s West Coast found itself on fire. Millions of acres have burned across California, Oregon, and Washington. The smoke clouds have been so immense that they have blotted out the sun in certain areas; air quality has been so poor that hundreds of thousands of people have been forced indoors. There are several…Ben Shapiro -
- Opinion
How to Get California’s Wildfires Under Control
The wildfires raging in California have killed at least 24 in less than a month. How well has the state responded to the wildfires, including steps to prevent them? What is the perspective of Californians on how well the state has dealt with the threat? Is something not being done to get this season’s fires under…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Trump, Newsom Shun Heated Partisanship in Confronting California Wildfires
California Gov. Gavin Newsom personally thanked President Donald Trump on Monday for responding in “record” time to requests for assistance as wildfires rage across his state’s forests. “I want to thank you and acknowledge the work that you’ve done to be immediate in terms of your response to our requests,” Newsom, a Democrat, said in…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Politicians Seek to Drive Out Income Opportunities in California
With the COVID-19 recession causing high unemployment around the country, now is the time for policymakers to lift barriers to earning an income. With limited operations and selective lockdowns making business activity difficult for both employers and employees—especially workers who have children at home or other obligations—promoting worker flexibility is essential. Unfortunately, California lawmakers are…Rachel Greszler -
- Opinion
Blackouts and Fires Caused by California’s Ineffective Green Policies
In the soft warmth of spring the swallows famously return to Capistrano, but in recent years they are followed by what seems inevitable summer power outages and fires. This is not as pleasant an experience for Californians as the return of our favored feathered companions. Every summer, usually around this time of year, we get our inevitable heat…Joel Kotkin