California primary 2024: 5 things we’re watching on Election Day
The Chronicle's SHIRA STEIN, JOE GAROFOLI, J.D. MORRIS and ALDO TOLEDO: "There won’t be competitive presidential primaries Tuesday in California, as President Joe Biden and Donald Trump are overwhelming favorites to win. But there will be plenty of other compelling races to follow, from California’s Senate contest to competitive House races across the state to battles over ballot measures in San Francisco.
Here is what to look for on Tuesday and the days to follow as the ballots are counted:"
READ MORE -- Forget election night answers: Results may take far longer in many close races -- LAT's JULIA WICK; Election Day: Five things to watch for in California -- BANG*Mercury News's PAUL ROGERS; California’s primary election is today. Here are five of the biggest races to watch -- Sacramento Bee's DAVID LIGHTMAN and THERESA CLIFT
Voting last minute in the California primary election? Here’s your guide
LAT's STAFF: "California voters are hitting the polls Tuesday for a pivotal election that will help set the stage for the 2024 presidential race, a replacement for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the fate of Los Angeles County’s controversial district attorney and much more.
Once the last ballots are cast and counted, several burning political questions will finally be answered:"
READ MORE -- Column: Biden and Trump? What a waste of the Super Tuesday primaries -- LAT's LZ GRANDERSON; We already know today’s biggest winners: campaign consultants -- Capitol Weekly's BRIAN JOSEPH
When will all the votes be counted for California primary election? When are results final?
Sacramento Bee's JACQUELINE PINEDO: "Local polling stations will open at 7 a.m. Tuesday for Election Day, which means scores of votes will need to be tallied.
Exactly how long will the ballot-counting process take in California?"
Who will make the top two in California’s U.S. Senate primary?
CALMatters's YUE STELLA YU: "Time’s up: Today, in California’s U.S. Senate primary, millions of voters will decide which two candidates will face off in November for the highly coveted seat.
The race is a once-in-decades opportunity to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (and succeed caretaker Sen. Laphonza Butler). The winner in November — very likely a Democrat — could hold onto the seat for decades to come."
S.F. Mayor Breed and Supervisor Peskin trade housing barbs on eve of city election
The Chronicle's J.K. DINEEN: "Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin has yet to jump into the San Francisco mayor’s race, but already he and Mayor London Breed are trading sharp barbs over housing policy and how it impacts city neighborhoods and the production of new homes.
On Monday, Mayor Breed, who is facing a tough bid for re-election in November, stood on the steps of City Hall, along with two dozen members of the Nor Cal Carpenters Union, and blasted Peskin for attempts to scale back legislation that would allow developers to build denser housing, saying she was “sick of his shenanigans.”"
A conversation with Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "Our guest today is Assembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon. Rendon joined us for a fascinating conversation that looked back over his seven year tenure as Speaker, through some of the most turbulent times in the state’s history, and forward, as he outlined his goals for the remainder of his time in office. In an in-depth and roaming conversation that ranged from the Water Bond to Waiting for Godot, Rendon spoke plainly about the joys and challenges of creating meaningful policy, in contrast to what he called “Fashion Show Politics” – i.e. SB 562, the unfunded Single Payer bill he derailed in 2017."
Turnover for what? Women. (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly's SUSANNAH DELANO: "By December, 73 out of 120 state legislators will have left the building in just two years.
As term limit reform kicks in, some critics have grumbled that this turnover is damaging, because we’re losing established leaders and decades of accumulated experience."
After losing a world champion boxer’s pension records, California finally admits error
LAT's MELODY GUTIERREZ: "For years, Paul Banke desperately needed the money he believed California owed him.
The former super-bantamweight world champion boxer had been struggling with cancer treatment and had to sell his car when the transmission went out during the pandemic."
Over 800,000 salmon suddenly die in California river. ‘Gas bubble disease’ is to blame
Sacramento Bee's DON SWEENEY: "Hundreds of thousands of newly hatched salmon released into the Klamath River died passing through a dam due to be demolished, California wildlife officials reported.
The 830,000 fish likely perished from “gas bubble disease,” caused by severe changes in water pressure, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a March 2 news release."
Californians are voting on Prop. 1, Gavin Newsom’s mental health plan. Here’s what it does
CALMatters's KRISTEN HWANG: "California voters today are considering Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $6.4 billion plan to build mental health treatment beds and housing through a ballot measure that he characterizes as critical to addressing the state’s homelessness crisis.
Proposition 1 is a two-part ballot initiative. It includes a bond to build treatment facilities and permanent supportive housing for people with mental health and addiction challenges. It also proposes changes to a longstanding tax on personal incomes over $1 million, known as the Mental Health Services Act, by requiring counties to spend 30% of that revenue on housing instead of other services."
No parole for youth with life sentences, California Supreme Court rules
CALMatters's NIGEL DUARA: "The California Supreme Court today upheld limits on when young people convicted of serious crimes are eligible for parole hearings, finding that a man convicted of a 1989 slaying cannot seek parole under recent policy changes that were meant to give more inmates a shot at leaving prison.
The statute allows people between the ages of 18 and 25 convicted of certain crimes to seek parole at their 15th, 20th and 25th years of incarceration, except for people sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after the age of 18."
Marin County issues warning over sudden surge in fentanyl overdoses
The Chronicle's AIDIN VAZIRI: "Marin County health officials have issued an advisory highlighting a surge in fentanyl overdose deaths.
Dr. Matt Willis, the public health officer for Marin County, said in an advisory on Friday that between Feb. 14 and March 1, five people have died of suspected fentanyl-related overdoses, marking a notable increase for the region."
California schools gained billions during COVID-19. Now the money is running out
CALMatters's CAROLYN JONES: "After years of cash windfalls, California schools are bracing for a stretch of austerity that could jeopardize students’ already precarious recovery from the pandemic.
An end to billions of dollars in federal Covid relief funds, declining enrollment, staff raises, hiring binges and stagnant state funding should combine over the next few months to create steep budget shortfalls, with low-income districts affected the most."
Teachers union drops support for LAUSD candidate, citing offensive social media activity
LAT's HOWARD BLUME: "United Teachers Los Angeles on Monday night rescinded its endorsement of school board candidate Kahllid Al-Alim in the wake of revelations that he reposted or “liked” social media posts with content that was antisemitic, pro-gun or pornographic.
In a statement, the union said it “condemns all forms of oppression, including racism, sexism, antisemitism, anti-Blackness, Islamophobia, xenophobia and homophobia. “"
Bay Area students stressed by tumultuous FAFSA rollout
BANG*Mercury News's HANNAH POUKISH: "College-bound students across the Bay Area are anxiously awaiting federal financial aid offers this year after a new application form was released months late and riddled with technical glitches.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as FAFSA, usually opens in early October, but this year the Department of Education soft-launched the new form in the final days of 2023."
UC professors’ math problem: How does data science fit in?
EdSource's JOHN FENSTERWALD: "An influential committee of the UC Academic Senate weighed in again last month on the contentious issue of how much math high school students must take to qualify to attend a four-year California state university.
It ruled that high school students taking an introductory data science course or AP Statistics cannot substitute it for Algebra II for admission to the University of California and California State University, starting in the fall of 2025."
California snowpack surges after huge storm. Here’s how much
The Chronicle, ANTHONY EDWARDS and KATE GALBRAITH: "After a multi-day blizzard dropped 6 to 11 feet of snow across the Sierra Nevada, California’s snowpack has surged to above normal for the first time this year.
State data updated Monday morning shows the snowpack at 104% of normal for this time of year. It’s a stunning change from just two months ago, when the state snowpack stood at a paltry 25% of normal on Jan. 2."
‘Impressive’ superbloom season could soon unfold in California. Here’s what to know
The Chronicle's SAM WHITING: "Last year’s vibrant superbloom season in California could soon get a vivid encore.
Once the rains subside, state parks officials say, the wildflowers will open up into a rare kaleidoscope of color — starting in Southern California deserts, where landscapes will be covered in densely packed blankets of purple and blue, red, and gold. Superblooms will then unfold in the north state, when temperatures warm past the 60-degree mark."
Almost 70% of California homeless people live on the street. A new bill aims to change that by building shelters
BANG*Mercury News's ETHAN VARIAN: "California lacks anywhere near enough homeless shelters for everyone living on the street. To bring more people indoors and out of harm’s way, Bay Area lawmakers are pushing a new bill to fast-track building tiny homes and other kinds of temporary shelter statewide.
“People are dying on our streets every day,” said State Sen. Josh Becker, a Democrat from Menlo Park, while unveiling the legislation Monday at a recently completed shelter in San Jose."
Judge incredulous as feds near misdemeanor plea deal with S.F. man suspected in Presidio DUI crash
The Chronicle's NORA MISHANEC: "A federal judge on Monday questioned the terms of a potential plea deal for the San Francisco man accused of striking and killing champion cyclist Ethan Boyes in the Presidio in April while driving under the influence of alcohol.
Arnold Kinman Low, 81, is facing one count of vehicular manslaughter and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol in the fatal crash that killed USA Cycling champion Ethan Boyes, according to court documents. Federal prosecutors and Low’s lawyer appeared in court Monday to discuss the possible plea and agreed to return at a later date."
A Jewish family, a famous European museum and the battle for a Nazi-looted masterpiece
LAT's KEVIN RECTOR: "It was early 1939 and the window for Jews like Lilly Cassirer Neubauer to escape was rapidly closing. The Nazis had been tightening their grip on Germany, ransacking synagogues and Jewish homes and schools. Death camps would follow soon.
In desperation, she surrendered an exquisite impressionist painting in her family’s art collection for a visa to flee Germany at the dawn of World War II."
