All articles tagged with #california politics
Moderate San Francisco Democrats are raising about $10 million to defend a centrist City Hall majority and block progressive gains in the June primary, arguing that a national progressive wave could undo the city’s pandemic-era pivot, with campaigns focusing on a proposed CEO tax and other key local races.
With no breakout candidate in California’s open Democratic governor race, Rep. Eric Swalwell and billionaire Tom Steyer have surged into the top tier in recent polls. Swalwell has gained visibility through cable news presence and a strong endorsement from Sen. Adam Schiff, while Steyer has saturated major media markets with ads, leveraging his wealth to stay front and center. The field remains unsettled, helping both veterans’ campaigns to endure, though Porter remains a contender and other rivals attack them to slow momentum.
Tom Steyer told labor unions he would back a 2027 push to raise corporate taxes, potentially via a special legislative session and an off-year ballot that could expand Prop 13 with a split-roll to tax commercial property at market value; he argues the move is needed to shore up California’s budget after federal cuts, while courting union endorsements and signaling he might finance the effort with his personal wealth.
Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member and former ally of Mayor Karen Bass, announced a late bid to unseat Bass, sparking headlines and drawing comparisons to Zohran Mamdani as she builds a campaign on the fly. The move surprised Bass and many in City Hall, highlighting LA’s unusual pattern of incumbents facing councilmembers and testing Raman’s ability to translate her progressive record into a viable mayoral bid.
Progressive Los Angeles councilmember Nithya Raman filed a last-minute bid to challenge Mayor Karen Bass in the June election, three hours before the filing deadline and less than two weeks after endorsing Bass; Raman frames the race around housing, homelessness and city management, turning Bass’s previously likely reelection into a high-stakes contest amid criticism of wildfire response and a Palisades fire review.
Gavin Newsom’s new memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, leans into personal history over policy, offering a candid portrait of his family, upbringing, and high-profile relationships to preempt critics as he contemplates a 2028 presidential bid, while largely sidestepping a governing philosophy and omitting recent political flashpoints like the French Laundry scandal; the book emphasizes identity over policy and ends before his current governorship begins.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a civil rights complaint against Dr. Mehmet Oz, signaling another chapter in his ongoing feud with the Trump administration.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a civil rights complaint against Dr. Mehmet Oz over a video in which Oz alleged Armenian Americans were behind Medicare fraud in Los Angeles, calling the claims racist and baseless. Oz defended the crackdown on fraud, while critics note California’s ongoing hospice-fraud investigations and the broader political sensitivity around the Armenian community as the controversy unfolds.
San José Mayor Matt Mahan announced his bid for California governor, pitching himself as a pragmatic Democrat who would prioritize residents’ quality of life and fix-state problems over partisan progressive aims. He touts local gains on crime, homelessness and housing, advocates for state leadership that partners with cities, and opposes a billionaire wealth tax while criticizing Gov. Newsom’s approach. Backed early by Silicon Valley figures but facing skepticism from some Democrats, he emphasizes a “Back to Basics” platform and aims to translate his city successes into statewide reform.
A new California-focused super PAC, California Leads, launched with about $10 million from Google and Meta to back pragmatic candidates for the California Legislature; it will use research, polling and candidate interviews to target races, led by Nathan Click with Scott Kozar, Dave Metz and Austin Heyworth. Google and Meta each seeded roughly $5 million, and donors say they won’t dictate which races are pursued.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is counting on a federal extension of California’s MCO tax on Medi-Cal to cover about $1.1 billion in revenue for the coming budget year; without a six‑month reprieve, the state could face a larger hole as AI-driven revenue remains uncertain and federal rules tighten on how the tax is used.
California’s Senate approved SB 747 to let residents sue federal agents for constitutional rights violations, such as excessive force or unlawful home searches, in response to the Minnesota incidents; the measure moves to the Assembly amid opposition from some law-enforcement groups and questions about Governor Newsom’s support.
Budget analysts warn California's AI-driven revenue gains could slow this year, while a looming wealth tax may push billionaires to leave, threatening revenue and complicating Gov. Newsom's final-year budget.
Unions back a statewide billionaire tax and an L.A. measure to tax firms with CEOs paid at least 50x the median, including a one-time asset tax (up to 5%) on >$1B that would fund housing, street repairs, and programs. Backers pursue roughly 875,000 signatures by June 24 to place the measures on the November ballot, while Gov. Newsom opposes the wealth tax and business leaders warn of capital flight and lost jobs if it passes; similar efforts are underway in San Francisco.
Billionaire developer Rick Caruso announced he will not run for Los Angeles mayor or California governor, citing family considerations and a continued commitment to public service. He will focus on his nonprofit Steadfast LA and related efforts, ending months of speculation after a high-profile 2022 bid in which he spent about $100 million of his own fortune and narrowly lost to Karen Bass, a move that reshapes the 2026 field around Bass.