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
Newsom’s Outrageous Death Row Commutations Offer Larger Lesson About ‘Progressive’ Governance
Summary California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sudden mass decree to effectively end the death penalty in California is not merely an injustice, it is a profound demonstration of how the Left governs. On Wednesday, Newsom announced that he would commute the sentence of every death row inmate in California. They will now all serve a life… -
news
Newsom Moves to Spare 548 Death Row Inmates, Including Child Killers and Notorious Serial Murderers
Summary In a shocking decision, Gov. Gavin Newsom has commuted the death sentences of 548 death row inmates in California, including some of the most notorious killers in state history. In Newsom’s letter to Californians explaining his decision, he stated that he “firmly believes state sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values” and that “we… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson Exposes Oakland’s Lawlessness
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript 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. Jack Fowler: Victor, let’s start talking about Oakland, which I know you’re very familiar with, and you probably had to dodge the bullets… -
news
Karen Bass Ousted: DSA Member Nithya Raman Is LA’s Next Mayor
Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is projected to become Los Angeles’ next mayor after defeating incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Decision Desk HQ called the race for Raman on Wednesday at 7:49 p.m. EST, with Raman receiving 52.10% of the vote compared with Bass’s 47.90%. The result came as a surprise,… -
analysis
The ‘Becerra Era’: A New Governor, and the California That Could Have Been
Summary “You have now entered the Becerra Era,” declared California Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra in his victory speech Tuesday night. But for the nearly 3 million Californians who cast their ballots for Republican Steve Hilton, hopes for a different direction for the Golden State have faded as another Democrat administration prepares to take office. So, what… -
news
California Stays Blue: Biden’s Former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra Wins Governor’s Race
Summary California will remain under Democrat leadership for another four years, as former Biden administration official Xavier Becerra has defeated Republican Steve Hilton in the race for governor. Decision Desk HQ called the race for Becerra at 11:13 p.m. EST, with Becerra leading Hilton by 64.6% to 35.6%. The result was expected, as the latest… -
news
Legal Whiplash: Trump Scores Win in California Voter Roll Fight Over 20,000 Noncitizens
In an Election Day win for President Donald Trump’s administration, a judicial game of ping-pong in California has moved in his favor. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way for the Justice Department to continue its probe of California voter rolls, including a warning to election workers against counting illegal votes. The… -
news
These Election Eve Court Fights Could Reshape the Midterm Vote
Lawsuits on the eve of Election Day are giving courts a brief time window to make influential decisions before final votes are cast. The Supreme Court on Monday denied a last-minute emergency appeal by the Justice Department to set aside more than 20,000 ballots of suspected noncitizens in California. Meanwhile, lower court judges are still… -
news
Supreme Court Rejects DOJ Petition to Intervene in California’s 20,000 ‘Likely’ Noncitizen Ballot Dispute
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request from the Trump administration’s Justice Department to temporarily block the counting of more than 20,000 mail ballots from suspected noncitizens in California. Last month, the department demanded that California temporarily set aside the ballots for the midterm elections until the citizenship of registered voters could be verified. … -
analysis
Who’s Really Fighting the DOJ’s California Noncitizen List?
California Democrats have spent months insisting the state’s elections are free and fair. But progressive groups that spend heavily on Democrat voter outreach walked into a Los Angeles courtroom this month almost as soon as the Department of Justice sued the state over a list of more than 20,000 names it says are likely noncitizens. … -
news
The Left Thinks Black People Can’t Get IDs? New Prop 39 Ad Challenges Voter ID Racism Claims
Summary A new AI-generated California voter ID ad depicts black and Hispanic Americans pushing back against the common Democrat argument that requiring identification to vote is racist. In the ad, a focus group leader reads a statement opposing voter ID requirements on the grounds that they discriminate against minorities: “Voter ID is racist because African… -
opinion
What’s in a Name? Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Law School Name Change
Summary What’s a name worth? A lot, according to a case the U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear. In 1878, more than 145 years before this dispute, California’s first chief justice, Serranus Clinton Hastings—who made a small fortune from various real estate ventures—agreed to fund the establishment of a new law school in San… -
news
California’s ‘Likely Noncitizen’ List Just Got a Court Decision
Summary U.S. District Judge David O. Carter denied the Justice Department’s request for a temporary restraining order against California on Wednesday evening, one day after a hearing in Los Angeles on a case involving tens of thousands of questionable ballots. The legal fight began last week when the DOJ asked California to segregate an estimated… -
news
Millions Spent Against Him. Can This California Republican Win the 48th Congressional District?
Summary With more than $4 million spent opposing San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, and his opponent Marni von Wilpert labeling him her “MAGA opponent,” Desmond is fighting to prove to voters in California’s 48th Congressional District that he is the right pick. In an interview with the Daily Signal, Desmond discussed the spending against… -
analysis
SOCIALISM ON THE BALLOT: Races to Watch in the DSA Orbit as the ‘Squad’ May Expand
Summary Socialism is on the ballot in the midterm elections, and not just in high-profile congressional races. The Democratic Socialists of America has endorsed 255 candidates and ballot initiatives, according to the DSA’s national tracker. The candidates from around the country are running for a variety of local, state, and congressional offices. Eleven of the… -
news
Undercover Camera Catches Newsom Predicting DSA’s Rise in Democratic Party
Summary In a shocking undercover video released on X, California Gov. Gavin Newsom was caught saying that the Democratic Socialists of America is going to be “dominant” and a “mainstream Democratic movement,” even going so far as to say, “You can’t play in the margins anymore. We have to completely reimagine.” Townhall, which exclusively obtained… -
news
California’s 20,000-Ballot Fight: Judges Press DOJ Over Suspected Noncitizen Voters
Summary A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Sunday heard arguments from the Department of Justice, which argued that California should not count 20,000 ballots from voters suspected of being noncitizens until their immigration status can be verified. The appeals court did not issue a decision on Sunday, but a district judge is… -
opinion
Schiff’s Telling Shift on Taxes
A family in Ohio has worked hard and sacrificed for three generations to keep their small-town grocery store in business, serving a community they live in and love. A billionaire in California who invests some of his money in the movie industry lives in a beachside mansion in Malibu. For which of these two entrepreneurs… -
analysis
‘Game Over’: The Simple Fix That Would Keep Noncitizens Off Voter Rolls
Summary An unknown number of noncitizens could be registered to vote in this year’s midterm elections due to lax enforcement, inadequate technology, and systemic failures by state governments. California and Hawaii are among the states where problems persist. But improper registrations can happen anywhere, potentially becoming consequential in exceptionally close elections. That’s the assessment of… -
news
LA Registrar Says Citizenship Check Stops at Voter’s Word—Even After Federal Charges
A legal fight over election integrity is playing out in Los Angeles courts this week, with LA officials admitting that they have no way to check citizenship beyond what voters write on the form. Monica Flores, an assistant registrar-recorder at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office, told a federal court Tuesday that their citizenship…