Trump or Harris? Voters near a final decision in historic presidential election
LAT's HAILEY BRANSON-POTTS: "It is election day, at last.
Millions of Americans will cast their ballots Tuesday for Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Trump, capping an extraordinary campaign that will make history either way by sending either the first woman or the first convicted felon to the White House."
Where California’s voter turnout stands so far — and what it could mean
The Chronicle's JOE GAROFOLI: "There’s reason for hope among California Democrats headed into Election Day.
Early Democratic voter turnout is much higher than it was in 2022 in several key California House races, which could give Democrats a shot at retaking the House."
Election Day Episode with Paul Mitchell (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "We have reached the end of the road – Election Day. After a years-long presidential campaign filled with twists, turns and surprises, we are at the deciding point: will the next president be former president Donald Trump, or Vice President Kamala Harris? And, which party will control congress? Does the path to control of the House run through Orange County? What does all of this mean for California’s 2026 gubernatorial race? Political data guru Paul Mitchell joins us to read the tea leaves and tell us what to expect on Election Night."
California’s path hinges on the presidential race: ‘No state has more to lose or gain’
CALMatters's ALEXEI KOSEFF: "Whoever wins the presidency, the 2024 election has outsized implications for California.
The elevation of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris to the highest office in the land would make her the most powerful Californian in nearly four decades. Former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House would thrust the state back into leading the resistance against his Republican administration, as it did during his first term from 2017 to 2021."
Here’s what Sacramento voters need to know as polls open on Election Day
Sacramento Bee's SARAH LINN, MICHAEL MCGOUGH, SHARON BERNSTEIN: "It’s Election Day, and polls open at 7 a.m. across the Sacramento region.
Eligible voters will have the chance to pick the next president of the United States and vote on U.S. senators and representatives."
LAT's JESSICA GARRISON, PAIGE ST. JOHN: "Despite reports of ink-spoiled ballots and challenges to how votes are tallied, election officials up and down California said they are confident they can accurately count and certify the millions of votes that are expected to be cast this week.
“I am feeling pretty good. Every bit of our operation has gone very smoothly,” Natalie Adona, the registrar of voters in Nevada County, said Monday morning, despite having to buy a jeweler’s loop to see the flea-sized ink specks spoiling as many as 10% of mailed ballots. She called it “an annoyance.”"
California could decide which party controls the U.S. House. Both sides are spending big
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "Tons of money poured into California’s Central Valley to defend vulnerable incumbents and bolster challengers in swing districts. Last-minute spending targeted voters in some of the nation’s closest contests that could tilt control of the House of Representatives.
In California’s 13th Congressional District, Rep. John Duarte, R-Modesto, had more than $959,000 in campaign money on hand by the middle of October, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission report. Former Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, had over $799,000. The race is considered a tossup, according to nonpartisan election analysts."
Donald Trump is already laying the groundwork to challenge the election
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "On the eve of the presidential election, Donald Trump and his surrogates have a message for Americans: Don’t trust the results. At least not if Trump loses.
“If we win decisively tomorrow, you don’t give them a week to find that magical truck filled with ballots, right?” Donald Trump Jr. said at a campaign rally Monday."
Spending on lobbying firms topped $550 million through 21 months of legislative cycle
BRIAN JOSEPH in Capitol Weekly: "Special interest groups, or “lobbyist employers” as they’re known in the parlance of the California Secretary of State’s office, paid lobbying firms more than $84 million to lobby members of California’s state government in the third quarter of 2024, the most of any quarter thus far during the 2023-24 legislative cycle, according to a Capitol Weekly analysis of lobbying firm reports.
That number doesn’t include all of the funds spent on lobbying during the seventh quarter of the cycle, as lobbying firm disclosure reports don’t include wages and expenses for in-house lobbyists."
10 propositions are on California’s ballot. Voters are deciding on crime, rent control and more
CALMatters's JEANNE KUANG: "California voters appear poised to grant a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, restore longer prison sentences for some drug and property crimes and allow the state to borrow billions to address the threats of climate change — but not necessarily to repair schools.
The public polling is trending in those directions as voters decide 10 propositions in all."
Fed up with U.S. politics, some Californians are making plans to move abroad
LAT's ANDREA CASTILLO: "Mykel Dicus, 54, is finished with the United States.
In September, the Hayward, Calif., resident toured Spain with a company that specializes in scouting trips for Americans looking to move abroad. Now he’s pursuing a specialized Spanish visa offered to remote workers, also known as a digital nomad visa, with a goal of moving within three years."
Mark Farrell hit with one of the largest ethics fines on eve of S.F. mayoral election
The Chronicle's MICHAEL BARBA: "Mayoral candidate Mark Farrell has agreed to pay a $108,000 fine after an investigation by San Francisco ethics officials found that he illegally funded his candidacy through a committee he created for a separate purpose.
The proposed settlement, made public the morning before Tuesday’s election, marks one of the largest ethics penalties in San Francisco history, punctuating a mayoral campaign dogged by ethics concerns."
California regulators are pressed to come clean on gasoline prices
LAT's RUSS MITCHELL: "California regulators are poised to vote Friday on a measure intended to accelerate the state’s transition away from fossil fuels by imposing tougher carbon-reduction requirements for gasoline and diesel.
California Air Resources Board officials months ago projected that the new standards would mean potentially large price hikes for gasoline. But now they claim they’re unable to make any estimate about the price impact. That has raised predictable ire from the oil industry and Republicans, but some Democrats and environmentalists are also demanding that regulators give straight answers."
A Trump win could spell major changes for California’s drinking water, RFK Jr. says
LAT's CORINNE PURTILL: "More than half of Californians and nearly 75% of U.S. residents live in communities where fluoride has been added to drinking water to prevent tooth decay, an intervention hailed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as one of the 20th century’s greatest public health achievements.
Yet should Donald Trump be elected to a second term, water systems will be immediately directed to end this practice, according to supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr."
We talked to California college students about today’s election. Here’s what’s on their minds
CALMatters's STAFF: "California colleges enroll over 2 million undergraduate students in a given academic year spanning the forests of Arcata to the beaches of La Jolla. While Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is widely expected to secure her home state of California’s electoral votes, students enrolled at California’s colleges are making important choices on other national, statewide and local races on their ballot.
The CalMatters College Journalism Network spoke to college students about what issues are important to them and how pursuing higher education has informed their perspectives. Some students are voting for the first time, some have been voting for a long time, some are using their vote to protest and some aren’t voting at all. Here’s what’s important to seven college voters from across California."
The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER: "A Silicon Valley schools superintendent is resigning amid scrutiny over the district’s finances, including money spent on an East Coast public relations firm and $1,200 per session for an energy healer to provide guided meditation for administrators.
Ayindé Rudolph — one of the highest paid superintendents in the state — announced Friday he would leave the Mountain View Whisman School District, a tiny elementary school district that struggles with a persistent achievement gap despite being in one of the region’s wealthiest areas. He resigned the same day Santa Clara County education officials were finalizing a contract to bring in a state fiscal oversight agency to perform an “extraordinary audit,” specifically a review to determine whether any illegal practices have occurred, including fraud or misappropriation of funds."
Powerful Santa Ana winds threaten California with severe fire danger
The Chronicle's ANTHONY EDWARDS: "Powerful Santa Ana and Diablo winds are forecast to begin Tuesday night across California, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of potential damage, power outages and heightened wildfire risk.
“This is a fairly rare type of Santa Ana wind event we’re expecting,” said Robbie Munroe, a meteorologist at the weather service’s office in Oxnard."
New owner cuts security, janitors at Skid Row homeless housing as tenants fear worsening conditions
LAT's LIAM DILLON: "As days went by and dirt, dog waste and grime piled up in the Produce Hotel in Skid Row, Jermaine Staley broke into the janitorial closet. The 78-year-old tenant spent four hours over an afternoon last week sweeping staircases and common areas and he was finishing by mopping the lobby. Sweat glistened on his head and pooled on his undershirt.
“They ain’t got no soap,” said Staley, who has lived in the building for 27 years. “I had to use my own soap.”"