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
California’s DEI Obsession Derails Democrat Primary Debate
It’s amazing how much California does these days to roll into its stereotype as a dysfunctional, woke-ified political wasteland. On Tuesday, the University of Southern California canceled its scheduled gubernatorial debate after several top Democrats reportedly waged a pressure campaign to put a halt to it. The field is currently wide open with Democrat Gov….Jarrett Stepman -
- News
Gas Taxes Are Rising Nationally—and Nowhere More Than California
Across the nation, states are raising their gas taxes. Leading the way, California now has a 70.9-cent per-gallon state excise tax. The Tax Foundation says the “gas tax is meant to function as a user fee, charging drivers to fund the construction and maintenance of the roads they use.” States apply tax gas in a variety of ways; most add tax at…Reagan Campbell -
- Opinion
California’s ‘Butterfly’ Bridge Fiasco Exposes Blue State Dysfunction
I think this may be the most California story of all time. In 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the groundbreaking of a giant wildlife bridge across the 101 Freeway in Southern California. He noted that while the project came with a $54 million price tag, it could be completed with another $10 million. For those who’ve followed…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Fact-Checking Newsom’s Absurd Low-Tax California Claim
Gov. Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken says that California is a low-tax state. Yes, really. At an SXSW conference Sunday in Austin, Texas, Gov. Gavin Newsom had the chutzpah to argue that, actually, Texas and Florida are higher tax states than California. “We have the most progressive tax rates in America,” Newsom said when asked about…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
US Sues California Over Zero-Emission Vehicle, Greenhouse Gas Rules
REUTERS—The Trump administration on Thursday sued the state of California, claiming the state’s zero-emission vehicle and tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions rules are illegal and preempted by federal law. The Transportation Department sued the California Air Resources Board in U.S. District Court in California over vehicle rules that remain in place after President Donald Trump signed legislation last year…David Shepardson -
- Opinion
California’s Inferno of Regulations
Last year, California wildfires destroyed 13,000 homes. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced: “We are 100% committed to getting this neighborhood rebuilt again!” Gov. Gavin Newsom echoed that, saying his officials were “responding to it at scale, with efficiency … addressing building codes, permitting issues, and moving forward to rebuilding.” Great! It sounded like bureaucrats…John Stossel -
- News
‘WATERSHED MOMENT’: Supreme Court Rules on Gender Secrecy Policies
The Supreme Court Monday vindicated parental rights, upholding an injunction against California’s gender secrecy policy, which mandated that school staff hide a student’s claimed transgender identity from parents unless the student expressly consented to reveal it. “This is a watershed moment for parental rights in America,” Paul Jonna, special counsel at the Thomas More Society,…Tyler O’Neil -
- News
‘California Is Broken’: Elaine Culotti Launches Run for Governor
Elaine Culotti, a California-based entrepreneur and reality TV personality, is running for governor of the Golden State. “California is broken, but it can be fixed,” Culotti says in her announcement video, which aired Thursday on “The Adam Carolla Show.” Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom is term limited and cannot run for reelection in 2026. Culotti says,…George Caldwell -
- Opinion
‘You Owe Us’ Is the Mantra of the Left
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of a segment from today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes. Sami Winc: Two things that came together for me. One was [New York City Mayor Zohran] Mamdani’s…Victor Davis Hanson -
Why Teachers Unions Are the New ‘Hotel California’ for Public Employees
Last month, over 6,000 public employees broke free from mandatory union fees—a record-setting surge that signals a nationwide shift in teacher and public worker empowerment. Leading the charge is the Teacher Freedom Alliance, which helps educators reclaim their paychecks from politically driven union agendas. This year, the group plans to help 60,000 workers leave unions and push legislation in multiple…Reagan Campbell -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: Border Patrol Stops Large Human Smuggling Attempt in California
Border Patrol agents in California have arrested 23 individuals in a human smuggling bust, according to Customs and Border Protection. Four of the individuals arrested are believed to be human smugglers, and 19 are Mexican nationals, the agency reported. Border Patrol agents spotted a vehicle on Jan. 31 in the El Centro Sector of the U.S. border with Mexico, which they believed…Virginia Allen -
- News
Clinton-Appointed Judge Rules on Newsom-Backed Mask Ban for ICE
A federal judge ruled against California’s prohibition on federal law enforcement wearing masks, a mandate aimed at Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, appointed by President Bill Clinton, ruled the state law discriminates against federal law enforcement, as it allowed state police to wear masks to conceal their identities while preventing federal law…Fred Lucas -
- News
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Challenge to California Gerrymandering
The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the new California congressional maps drawn to favor Democrats. In November, California voters approved Proposition 50 to temporarily scrap the redistricting commission, allowing the Democrat-controlled Legislature to draw maps that could net Democrats another five House seats in the 2026 midterms. Mid-decade redistricting in states could…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Virginia’s New ‘Centrist’ Governor Goes Full California on Day One
“Nobody elected him to be [President Franklin Roosevelt], they elected him to be normal and stop the chaos,” then-Rep. Abigail Spanberger harshly said of then-President Joe Biden in 2021, after her Democratic Party lost the governorship of Virginia. Her point was that Biden had followed a radical agenda that betrayed how he had run and how the media had presented him:…Mike Gonzalez -
- News
Another Candidate Enters California’s Crowded Governor’s Race
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan entered the crowded race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, pitching himself as a results-driven Democrat focused on public safety, homelessness, and affordability. Mahan, 43, was elected mayor in 2022 after a career as a tech entrepreneur. He says California Democrats have been too consumed with opposing President Donald Trump…Katherine Matt -
- Opinion
California’s ‘Futureland’ High-Speed Rail Is Still Stuck at the Station
In 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, giving the green light to start planning a high-speed railway connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles, which would be built by 2020 and cost around $35 billion. Well, it’s 2026, and the Golden State’s “Futureland-esque” project is woefully over-schedule and over-budget, now projected to cost around $135 billion….Victor Davis Hanson -
- Opinion
17 House Republicans Cave on Subsidies While California Loots Medicaid
Seventeen House Republicans gave California Democrats a late Christmas present this month when they crossed the aisle to vote for extending enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies for another three years. Not only did they move these massive handouts one step closer to permanent entitlement status, but they failed to advance reforms that would actually lower health…Vance Ginn -
- News
California Lawmaker Files Emergency Injunction With SCOTUS Over Redistricting Map
Republican California Assemblyman David Tangipa told The Daily Signal he has filed an emergency injunction with the United States Supreme Court to challenge the Golden State’s new congressional map. Tangipa’s motion comes after The Daily Signal reported that Tangipa had the desire to bring the case before the Supreme Court after a federal district court…Pedro Rodriguez -
- Opinion
California’s ‘Billionaire Tax’ Is a Trojan Horse
California’s biggest union is once again up to no good. Dissatisfied with the piles of cash they’ve already stolen from California high-earning taxpayers, who are subject to a 14.4% income tax rate (the nation’s highest), double-digit sales taxes, and the second-highest tax burden in the country, the SEIU is now clamoring for a “one-time” 5%…Dennis Hull -
- News
‘IRREPARABLE HARM’: California Teachers Ask Supreme Court to Block Gender Secrecy Policy
California teachers have filed an emergency appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court after an appeals court panel reinstated policies requiring teachers to hide students’ gender identities from their parents. “Right now, California’s parental deception scheme is keeping families in the dark and causing irreparable harm. That’s why we’re asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene immediately,” Paul Jonna, a partner at LiMandri & Jonna LLP and special counsel for…Tyler O’Neil