Politics and Elections

State senator calls for peaceful transition of presidential power

As the state’s 55 electors carry out their constitutional duty on Monday and cast their votes for president of the United States, one state senator is urging his colleagues and state to reaffirm their commitment to a peaceful transition of

Orange County congresswoman looking to climb leadership ladder

Matt Fleming December 12, 2016

Congresswoman Mimi Walters is preparing a run for a high-ranking spot in House Republican leadership, the Irvine Republican confirmed on Monday. The House Republican chair position is not yet vacant, but with Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers reportedly close to being selected to

State Senate Republicans keep Fuller as leader

Matt Fleming December 6, 2016

Senate Republicans in Sacramento unanimously re-elected Jean Fuller as leader on Tuesday. The Bakersfield Republican has led the caucus since August 2015. “I am honored and humbled that my Republican colleagues have elected me to continue serving as Senate Republican Leader,”

Republicans raise concern of voter fraud in Orange County, statewide election

Matt Fleming December 5, 2016

Top Republicans have questioned the integrity of the California’s election results in recent days, forcing the state’s top election official to dismiss the allegations. Leaders in the state party are concerned about local elections, particularly in one important Orange County

Los Angeles congressman named next attorney general, musical chairs ensues

Matt Fleming December 1, 2016

Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday tapped Democratic Congressman Xavier Becerra to be California’s next attorney general. Becerra, who would need to be confirmed by the Legislature, would fill the impending vacancy left by Kamala Harris, who was elected to the U.S. Senate

Voters send Darrell Issa back to Congress

Matt Fleming November 28, 2016

Darrell Issa is projected to win a ninth term in Congress, according to the Associated Press, despite an unexpectedly strong challenge in an unpredictable election cycle. The Vista Republican, who had been a constant thorn in the side of the

Voters narrowly approve measure to expedite death penalty executions

Matt Fleming November 23, 2016

A measure to speed up executions in California was projected to pass Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press. Proposition 66, which aims to cap death-sentence appeals at five years, stands at 51.1 percent of the vote. While such a slim

Democrats close to supermajority in Legislature, Newman takes lead

Matt Fleming November 22, 2016

Democrat Josh Newman now has a lead of nearly 1,400 votes in the Southern California state Senate seat upon which rests Democrats’ chance of a supermajority in the Legislature. Newman, a political neophyte, had been running behind Republican Assemblywoman Ling

SoCal Senate race narrows, Democrats edge closer to supermajority

Matt Fleming November 21, 2016

Republicans’ chances of fending off a Democratic supermajority in the Legislature dwindle by the day. The linchpin is one Southern California Senate district, where Republican Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang has a narrow lead over Democrat Josh Newman in the race to

California-style dominance eludes Democrats nationwide

James Poulos November 18, 2016

At a moment of unprecedented dominance in California, Democrats woke up on Election Day to a painfully changed national landscape, raising sharp questions about how poorly their approach to outsized success on the west coast is translating in vast