Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis victory speeches pushed wildly different views of ‘freedom’
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "Typically when a governor overwhelmingly wins re-election, they spend their election night victory speech teasing what they will do in their next term.
Not so with Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday. Both used their post-victory glow to throw shade on each other. But as they ponder their next political moves, they offered a preview of where their fight — and the larger political narrative — is heading: over what “freedom” really means in this moment.
It is a battle that — depending on whether President Biden decides to seek re-election — could be fought all the way to the White House."
‘It’s all over the place.’ Tight California congressional races are still too close to call
LAT, HANNAH FRY/TYRONE BEASON: "Eleven competitive congressional races in California that could end up determining the balance of power in the House were still too close to call Wednesday.
Congressional campaigns on both sides of the aisle expressed cautious optimism as election officials continue tallying votes, a process that could take weeks.
With the prospect of the House majority on the line, the entire nation may be kept in suspense because of California’s notoriously plodding count — a scenario few expected in the lead-up to election day."
Abortion was the star of the election in California and nationwide. And the impact was much broader
BANG*Mercury News, MARISA KENDALL: "Sweeping support for abortion rights stole the show in this year’s election, uniting voters from California’s red inland and southern districts all the way to Kentucky — and giving Democrats an unexpected, trend-bucking boost in close races here and across the country.
Democrats have spent months, since before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this year, making the midterm elections all about abortion as a way to get out the vote and counteract Republican attacks on inflation and gas prices. Experts weren’t sure how well that strategy would work, but now, the proof is in the results.
More Californians voted for Proposition 1, which will codify the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution, than even voted to re-elect the popular Gov. Gavin Newsom — giving the ballot measure a landslide, 30-point victory. Large swaths of voters polled both here and across the country named abortion as their top concern."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Join Capitol Weekly TODAY (Nov. 10), 9AM-2PM on Zoom, for our election 'Post Mortem' analysis (#CAPOST22)-- an exciting, unique and informative overview of Nov. 8's midterm election.
Registration/attendance are FREE: tinyurl.com/capost22
13 Panelists, 3 Panels, 3 Moderators. Keynote speaker is Mike Madrid (@madrid_mike), co-founder of The Lincoln Project PAC.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
News Analysis: Trump was a looming figure in the midterms. The GOP suffered for it
LAT, MELANIE MASON/NOAH BIERMAN: "The protracted uncertainty over control of Congress reverberated through both major political parties on Wednesday, as Democrats basked in the relief of the red wave that wasn’t and Republicans became increasingly clear-eyed that the lingering influence of former President Trump had hamstrung their party.
President Biden’s emphasis during the campaign season on the extremism of “MAGA Republicans” had been greeted skeptically by many. In the Democratic Party’s better-than-expected showing, though, he saw vindication of his appeals for civility and normalcy.
“This election season, American people made it clear: They don’t want every day going forward to be a constant political battle,” Biden said at a White House news conference. “The future of America is too promising to be trapped in endless political warfare.”"
Federal grand jury indictment reveals new details in attack on Paul Pelosi
LAT, GREGORY YEE: "A federal grand jury indictment has revealed several new details in last month’s violent attack against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband.
David DePape, 42, faces one count each of assault upon an immediate family member of a U.S. official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties, and attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official on account of the performance of official duties, according to the superseding criminal complaint released Wednesday evening by the U.S. Department of Justice.
At 2:23 a.m. Oct. 28, San Francisco police received a roughly 2 minute, 30 second 911 call from Paul Pelosi, who said there was a man he didn’t recognize in his home."
Meet ‘Papa Joe,’ the Altadena gas station owner who sold $2-billion winning Powerball ticket
LAT, GRACE TOOHEY: "When Joseph Chahayed immigrated to Los Angeles from Syria in 1980, he envisioned a better life and a brighter future for his family.
His family said he has worked tirelessly toward that dream for decades — and on Tuesday, he finally received some well-earned recognition, when his Altadena gas station was awarded a $1-million prize for selling the winning $2-billion Powerball ticket. Under California’s Powerball rules, the retailer that sells the winning ticket earns 0.5% share of the jackpot, with the reward capped at $1 million.
“He’s a really hard-working man,” said Chahayed’s son Danny Chahayed. “Seventy-five years old and he refuses to take a day off; he’s up at like 5 a.m. every day. No one deserves it as much as he does.”"
Election day and night were quiet in California. Even in Shasta County, where denialism runs hot
Sac Bee, STEPHEN HOBBS: "Shasta County election officials braced for a long night Tuesday. They worried about a repeat of the June 7 primary, when a wave of observers challenged their work and confronted Clerk and Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen with concerns about the count.
Sheriff’s Office deputies and security guards stood watch. Reporters waited with cameras and open notebooks.
But after the polls closed, a six-year-old Tibetan Spaniel named Gryffin was attracting most of the attention. A sign that covered much of his body read: “We ❤ the Shasta County Elections Dept!”"
Tapping into ‘a simmering rage’: Democrats’ emphasis on abortion stopped GOP gains
LAT, LAURA J NELSON/MACKENZIE MAYS/DAVID LAUTER: "This summer, in the weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, more than three-quarters of a million residents of Michigan signed petitions to put a measure on the ballot to add abortion rights to the state constitution.
In the two months before election day, thousands of volunteers made phone calls and knocked on doors more than 1 million times and talked with more than 100,000 voters, according to organizers. And on Tuesday, Michiganders stood in the cold for hours to vote, including at the University of Michigan, where so many waited in line that the final ballots were not cast until roughly 2 a.m.
When all those ballots were counted, the abortion amendment passed with 57% of the vote — one of four such measures that passed on Tuesday, including one in California. The fate of a fifth measure, in Montana, remains undecided."
Peninsula Election Roundup: Kevin Mullin wins congressional seat, Diane Papan sweeps
BANG*Mercury News, ALDO TOLEDO: "As early election results continued to roll in Wednesday, voters up and down the Peninsula elected a new congressman, a new assembly member, and reaffirmed their confidence in experienced incumbents at the local level.
From the 15th Congressional District race pitting an establishment Democrat against a progressive to the Palo Alto City Council shake-up and incumbent victories in Mountain View, here are some key races we have our eye on:
15th Congressional District
In the race for who will replace Congresswoman Jackie Speier to represent the 15th District in Washington, D.C., California Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Kevin Mullin beat out his opponent San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa to seal his place on the safe Democrat seat representing the Peninsula."
Angelique Ashby takes early lead over Dave Jones in hard-fought Sacramento Senate race
Sac Bee, LINDSEY HOLDEN: "Angelique Ashby entered Wednesday with a slight lead over Dave Jones, as the contest to represent Sacramento in the state Senate remained close.
Early unofficial results for California Senate District 8 show Sacramento City Councilwoman Ashby with 52% of the vote, and former insurance commissioner Jones with 48% as of midnight, according to the Sacramento County Clerk Recorder’s Office.
The Associated Press estimated about 25% of the votes have been counted."
‘Voters are really angry’: How S.F. Mayor Breed and moderates came out ahead in city elections
The Chronicle, MALLORY MOENCH: "San Francisco voters affirmed a shift to the center in Tuesday’s election, largely embracing Mayor London Breed’s moderate candidates and causes and giving a boost to her political agenda from public safety to education.
The results reflected a San Francisco electorate discontent with city governance many criticize as dysfunctional and demanding quality-of-life improvements. The political picture in San Francisco mirrored national trends as urban voters worried about crime and homelessness shift right."
‘The whole city is in limbo’: Anxious waiting as Bass, Caruso ballots are counted for L.A. mayor
LAT, JAMES RAINEY/BENJAMIN ORESKES: "Rick Caruso and Karen Bass both asserted their optimism Wednesday about an eventual victory in the Los Angeles mayor’s race, with both saying they would not let the slowly unfolding tabulation get in the way of their plans for a quick transition into the city’s top job.
The lead in the contest changed hands several times after polls closed Tuesday, with Caruso narrowly ahead by Wednesday morning, the last update from election officials. But analysts said the race remained far too close to call, with as many as half the ballots remaining to be tabulated.
The extended count left Los Angeles in a state of suspended animation, with some political activists saying they were too nervous to think about the outcome and others trolling for any scrap of new data."
The Chronicle, MALLORY MOENCH: "San Francisco voters decided Nov. 8 to make one of the biggest changes to the city’s election cycle in years, which could double voter turnout.
Proposition H, which passed with nearly 70% of the vote, will move San Francisco’s 2023 elections for mayor, sheriff, district attorney, city attorney and treasurer to align with the presidential race in 2024 and every four years after that — giving Mayor London Breed and others an extra year in office.
The measure’s sponsor, Supervisor Dean Preston, and other supporters argue that the move will boost dismal voter turnout in local elections, and past city data and research backs up that argument. Though only 42% of San Francisco voters cast ballots in the 2019 mayoral election, 86% did in 2020, a presidential election year."
Latest results show Mahan leading close race for San Jose mayor
BANG*Mercury News, JOHN WOOLFOLK: "While Wednesday’s latest batch of ballots failed to settle the close race for San Jose mayor, Councilman Matt Mahan widened his narrow lead over Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez in their contest to chart a fresh course for the nation’s tenth largest city.
Wednesday’s late-afternoon update put Mahan up 4,766 votes over Chavez, expanding a gap that had grown throughout Tuesday evening, with 51.72% to her 48.28% of 138,222 ballots counted.
“There are still a lot of votes to be counted, but we are cautiously optimistic,” Mahan said Wednesday evening."
Jenkins declares victory in S.F.’s D.A. race, though the election hasn’t been called
The Chronicle, JOSHUA SHARPE/MEGAN CASSIDY: "San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins declared victory Wednesday in the race to keep her job, vowing to accelerate a push for more aggressive criminal prosecution that began when Mayor London Breed appointed her in July.
“I am putting my foot on the gas, as it has been for the last four months. San Francisco is no longer a haven for crime,” Jenkins said. “The free pass is over.”"
Rosa Reynoza wins mayoral seat in Windsor following previous mayor’s sex scandals
The Chronicle, CYNTHIA DIZIKES: "Voters elected Rosa Reynoza to be the next mayor of Windsor, making the Town Council member and longtime resident the first Latina to hold the Wine Country town’s top post.
Vice Mayor Esther Lemus, conceded the race to Reynoza on Wednesday, both candidates confirmed. With all 31 voting centers reporting, unofficial tallies showed Reynoza with 2,991 votes, leading Lemus with 2,016 votes.
“I’m excited to get started in this new role,” said Reynoza, who will be sworn in on Dec. 7. “I look forward to showing, not just Windsor, but the county, what is possible with grassroots leadership.”"
Loren Taylor leads in Oakland mayor’s race after early results
The Chronicle, SARAH RAVANI: "Council Member Loren Taylor, a moderate ally of outgoing Mayor Libby Schaaf, is leading in early results for the Oakland mayor’s race.
As of Wednesday morning, Taylor had 34.19% of the first-choice votes. The closest challenger, Sheng Thao, a progressive city councilmember, had 28.73%. And former City Council Member Ignacio De La Fuente, also a moderate, came in third with 12.89% of the vote. A little over 35,000 votes had been counted.
After factoring in ranked choice voting, Taylor received 53.3% of the vote. Thao was in second place with 46.7%."
Folsom City Council election results: Howell, Aquino and Kozlowski lead in early returns
Sac Bee, ALEX MUEGGE: "Incumbents Kerri Howell, Sarah Aquino and Mike Kozlowski are leading in early returns for Folsom City Council.
This election marks the first time Folsom voters are electing leaders to represent geographic districts."
Sunnyvale city council: Wang leads Srinivasan, Mehlinger ahead of Davé
BANG*Mercury News, VANDANA RAVIKUMAR: "Justin Wang remained slightly ahead of Murali Srinivasan, while Richard Mehlinger had a strong lead over Satyam Davé on Wednesday for seats on a Sunnyvale City Council that must tackle affordable housing, climate change, transportation and traffic congestion.
On Wednesday afternoon, Wang had 85 more votes than Srinivasan, or about 51% of the votes counted in District 3. Mehlinger had 1,086 more votes than Davé, claiming 71% of the votes counted in District 5.
No matter who wins the District 3 race, the council will be welcoming three new members come January – not only are all of the candidates who ran in the two districts newcomers to City Council, but District 1 will be also be welcoming a new councilmember, Linda Sell, who was appointed to the role."
Election updates: Which Sacramento ballot measures, candidates are off to early leads?
Sac Bee, MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "Early returns are in from Tuesday’s midterm election, and while it could take a while to know the final tallies, some leaders are starting to emerge in Sacramento-area races and ballot measures.
Two major sales tax measures landed on the Sacramento County ballot this year, and as of Wednesday morning, one led while the other trailed, each by several percentage points.
Measure A, which would increase the countywide sales tax rate by half a percentage point to fund transportation improvement projects, was trailing with 53% voting “no” as of the midnight update from county election officials."
How much rain and snow fell in Northern California storms? See latest totals and forecast
Sac Bee, HANH TRUONG: "Rain and snow covered Northern California over the past few days, but to say the region is drenched is a stretch.
In downtown Sacramento, 0.97 inches fell from Sunday to Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service."
Two races for Los Angeles Unified school board are too close to call
LAT, HOWARD BLUME: "Los Angeles school board President Kelly Gonez is in a surprisingly tight contest with challenger Marvin Rodriguez for a Board of Education seat representing the east San Fernando Valley. In a second board contest — to represent downtown and the Eastside — Maria Brenes holds a small lead over Rocio Rivas.
Mail-in ballots are still arriving and votes remain to be counted. But in incomplete returns for District 6 in the East Valley, Gonez had 50.3% of the tallied votes and Rodriguez 49.7%.
In District 2, Brenes had 50.8% of the vote and Rivas 49.2%. The next count update is set for Friday."
The Chronicle, JILL TUCKER: "Teachers at San Francisco’s academically elite Lowell High School as well as public school parents across the city fear a return to merit-based admissions for next fall will favor private school students, who will have a test-score advantage over 8th grade students enrolled in the district.
Public school students who want to go to Lowell are evaluated on scores from the state standardized tests they took as 7th graders last spring. Private school students take a separate exam administered in January 2023 for admission in the fall."
EdSource, ASHLEY A SMITH/DANIEL J WILLIS/YUXUAN XIE: "Earning college credit in high school can be a powerful tool for exposing students to universities and helping them get a leg up on tuition and earning a degree. But access to those courses remains uneven across California.
In many areas of the state, Latino and Black students are disproportionately underrepresented in dual enrollment classes, an EdSource analysis shows. The causes can vary between high schools and colleges but include misconceptions about who should take dual enrollment classes, few instructors, a lack of available courses, and a lack of awareness by students, families and high school counselors about the programs.
Aliha Vega, 18, of Long Beach, was a freshman when she experienced being shut out. She wanted to earn college credit but was denied the opportunity when a counselor concluded she wasn’t ready for college-level work."
About 1,700 California pensions are so big they exceed IRS limits
Sac Bee, WES VENTEICHER: "About 1,700 CalPERS pensions are so large they exceed an IRS limit and siphon money away from government employers, according to new figures from the retirement system.
The IRS sets an annual cap — this year it’s $245,000 — above which public pension payments must be treated as wages, subject to the same withholdings and deductions.
The extra-large pensions are growing more numerous in California, creating added costs for the cities and counties who have to pay for them. About 40% more retirees are receiving pensions above the limit today than four years ago."
Don’t have your California inflation relief check yet? Here are some reasons why
Sac Bee, JACQUELINE PINEDO: "If you’re still waiting on your California inflation relief check, there are a few reasons you might not have the cash yet.
To know when to expect your money, you’ll want to double check exactly how you received your Golden State Stimulus, if you got one. The California Franchise Tax Board told The Bee some qualifying taxpayers have either forgotten how they received their stimulus or changed their banking information, which will confuse their timeline.
Direct deposit disbursements are still being rolled out and will be completed mid-November; debit cards will then be mailed out to all other qualifying taxpayers."
Column: A cryptocurrency billionaire implodes, showing that the whole field is built on quicksand
LAT, MICHAEL HILTZIK: "For a while there, Sam Bankman-Fried looked like the real thing.
Now 30, the MIT graduate had become the cryptocurrency ecosystem’s most visible and credible billionaire, with a fortune estimated at more than $26 billion at its peak.
Bankman-Fried looked like a political kingmaker, contributing nearly $900,000 to the Democratic National Committee in May 2022 alone."
L.A. County Sheriff Villanueva trailing in bid for second term, voters back new firing powers
LAT, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN/JAMES QUEALLY/LIBOR JANY: "After a tumultuous first term marked by his combativeness and controversies, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s bid for reelection was at risk Wednesday morning as early results showed his opponent, Robert Luna, taking a sizable lead.
With more than 1.2 million ballots counted , Luna had won 56.78% of the votes to Villanueva’s 43.22%. The early returns also showed overwhelming support for Measure A, the ballot measure that would give the county’s Board of Supervisors the power to fire a sitting sheriff, with 70% voting in favor.
The race has gotten slightly closer since Tuesday night, with Luna’s lead down nearly a percentage point."
District attorney investigating Villanueva after deputies were asked to donate to campaign
LAT, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN/JAMES QUEALLY: "The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has opened a criminal investigation into whether Sheriff Alex Villanueva violated state law when he solicited campaign donations from deputies, a spokesman for the office said Tuesday.
Last week, as Villanueva and his challenger, Robert Luna, were in the final days of their race for sheriff, a video was sent to members of the Sheriff’s Department, in which Villanueva made a plea."
Sacramento County sales tax hike to fund transportation projects trails in early returns
Sac Bee, RYAN LILLIS: "Measure A, a proposed sales tax increase in Sacramento County that would fund a new suburban expressway, an expansion of the light rail system and new bridges, was trailing in early returns Tuesday night.
The measure trailed 52% to 47% in a 10 p.m. update from Sacramento County election officials. It needs a simple majority to pass.
Supporters of the measure said the tax would raise an estimated $8.5 billion over the next 40 years, funding much-needed improvements to Sacramento’s transportation networks as the population grows and commutes worsen. Measure A would increase the sales tax throughout the county by one half of 1%."
Update: Sacramento measure calling for more homeless sweeps leads in early returns
Sac Bee, THERESA CLIFT: "A Sacramento ballot measure that would make it easier for the city to clear homeless camps from public property is leading in election returns, with 56.3% of the votes counted so far supporting Measure O.
The measure grew out of frustration in Sacramento’s business community with the city’s homelessness crisis.
Since 2018, a federal court ruling has restricted local government’s power to clear homeless camps on public property. During the same years, Sacramento County’s homeless population surged so dramatically that it’s now greater than San Francisco’s."