Gavin Newsom wins re-election in California; Democrats lead in statewide races
The Chronicle, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom won re-election against state Sen. Brian Dahle, R-Bieber, Tuesday evening shortly after polls closed.
Newsom’s victory came as no surprise in California, where Democrats outnumber Republicans roughly 2-to-1. Across the country, Democrats braced for a possible Republican takeover in Congress, although results in many races were still too close to call Tuesday night.
Some of the candidates Newsom helped fundraise for in competitive governor races in other states lost Tuesday, including Beto O’Rourke in Texas, who lost to incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, and Charlie Crist in Florida, who lost to incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis."
Proposition 1 abortion rights ballot measure passes
LAT, MELODY GUTIERREZ: "California will codify its progressive abortion protections in its state Constitution after voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1, a measure placed on the ballot in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
With its passage Tuesday, the state’s constitution will expressly guarantee a person’s “fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.” California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature placed Proposition 1 before voters, saying it was needed to ensure that state courts or politicians could not undermine reproductive rights in the future without voter approval.
“Today we sent a loud clear message to those who think they can control our bodies,” said Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), who authored the bill that placed Proposition 1 on the ballot. “In California, we will not go backwards.”"
Winning ticket sold in Altadena for record $2.04-billion Powerball jackpot
LAT, GRACE TOOHEY/GREGORY YEE: "One lucky winner bought the nation’s only matching Powerball ticket worth more than $2 billion at an Altadena gas station, becoming California’s first billionaire-by-lottery, state lottery officials said Tuesday.
The winner hasn’t yet come forward, but Joseph Chahayed, the owner of the service station on West Woodbury Road, said he was hopeful the new billionaire would come from the neighborhood.
In the meantime, Chahayed is celebrating a windfall of his own. Lottery officials surprised him at his store at 5:45 a.m. with news that he’d be receiving a $1-million bonus check for selling the $2.04-billion jackpot-winning ticket."
Voters head to polls, braving bad weather and final flurry of ads
Capitol Weekly, JOHN HOWARD: "California voters — those who hadn’t already voted by mail, anyway — headed to the polls Tuesday on a rainy, blustery election day marked by close attention to key Congressional races and high-stakes ballot propositions, while California’s statewide contenders almost got lost in the shuffle.
On the weekend before election day, 11 of California’s Democrat-dominated 52-seat Congressional races were viewed as tossups. And while the outcome of those races was unlikely to alter the partisan majority of California’s delegation, the results could fuel a shift in the closely divided House of Representatives. There, the GOP can capture the house by taking a net of five seats. Predictions through the end of last week showed Republicans capturing 12 to 15 seats, or more.
Despite all the pre-election drama, there appeared to be no major surprises going into Tuesday. One oddity about this general election: The race for governor, which normally grabs voters’ attention, evoked little passion as incumbent Gavin Newsom had a nearly 25-point edge going into Election Day, according to polls. Instead, California voters more closely watched the array of ballot propositions and the tight Congressional races."
Prop. 30, an enviro plan to tax the rich, brings drama to election night
Capitol Weekly, WILL SHUCK: "Voters like taxing the rich, as a rule, but Proposition 30, which would take from millionaires and give to electric cars, headed into election night with nearly as much opposition as support – making it one of the few cliffhangers on the statewide ballot.
The measure would increase the top tax bracket on people earning more than $2 million a year. It would direct that money to subsidies for zero-emission vehicles and charging stations as well as for fighting wildfires.
It’s a divisive initiative that drove a wedge between Democrats and some of their most dependable supporters. The state Democratic Party and a number of labor and environmental groups endorsed the measure, as have a number of prominent officeholders."
California election drama may be yet to come
CALMatters, EMILY HOEVEN: "After months of anticipation and buildup, California’s general election came and went — and so far, things don’t look very different than they did before polls closed Tuesday night.
But some of the races that could be among the most consequential for the country’s direction have yet to be decided.
Early returns tabulated by CalMatters’ live results tracker show that all of the state’s incumbent Democrats were on the path to being handily reelected: Gov. Gavin Newsom, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond."
California voters approve ban on sale of flavored tobacco products
LAT, HANNAH WILEY: "California voters on Tuesday passed a ballot measure to uphold a 2020 law that banned the sale of most flavored tobacco products, giving anti-tobacco advocates an expected victory in a multiyear fight against the industry to mitigate a youth vaping crisis.
Proposition 31 was placed on the ballot soon after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 793, the Legislature’s bipartisan effort to crack down on e-cigarettes and other products popular with kids. The law banned the sale of certain flavored tobacco products in stores and vending machines, including menthol cigarettes, but with exceptions for hookah, premium cigars and loose-leaf tobacco.
The Associated Press called the race, though official results will take longer to finalize."
Propositions 26 and 27, which would have legalized sports gaming, lose big
LAT, PHIL WILLON: "Propositions 26 and 27 were resoundingly rejected by voters in Tuesday’s election, despite a half-billion dollars in spending to convince Californians to legalizing sports gaming.
Campaigns for the two competing measures flooded the airwaves with a constant barrage of attack ads, which some California political poll directors criticized for driving up opposition and confusing voters."
Tony Thurmond cruises to reelection as California state superintendent
EdSource, JOHN FENSTERWALD: "With the power of incumbency and a funding advantage behind him, California Superintendent of Public Instruction handily won election to a second 4-year term on Tuesday.
Thurmond, 53, a former two-term Democratic Assemblyman from Richmond, was leading Lance Christensen by nearly 2 to 1, 66% to 34% with more than half of the vote reported. It was a larger margin than Gov. Gavin Newsom held over his Republican opponent, State Sen. Brian Dahle.
That contrasted with Thurmond’s grueling victory four years ago over another Democrat, Marshall Tuck, a former charter school leader and administrator of a partnership of low-income schools affiliated with Los Angeles Unified. Thurmond won 51% to 49% in the state’s most expensive state superintendent campaign in which wealthy supporters of charter schools outspent public employees union’s contributions for Thurmond 2 to 1."
California Election: Where results stand for state propositions and S.F. races
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI/JESSICA FLORES/CHRONICLE STAFF: "After a long night, some election results are clear, while others have yet to be called.
We know that Gov. Gavin Newsom won re-election, beating out Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle. Two of the three mayoral appointees for San Francisco’s school board have secured their seats and JFK Drive will remain permanently closed to cars.
But there are many races that are still uncertain. Ranked-choice voting in Oakland and some San Francisco elections has left a number of key races undecided."
JFK Drive will remain car-free after S.F. voters reject Prop. I, pass Prop. J
The Chronicle, RICARDO CANO: "Golden Gate Park’s John F. Kennedy Drive will remain car-free, San Francisco voters decided in Tuesday’s election.
Voters defeated Proposition I, the measure to reopen JFK Drive and the Great Highway to cars, with, as of 10:32 p.m., 60% of voters casting ballots against the initiative. They also passed the competing Prop. J to keep JFK Drive car-free with 59% of voters in favor.
Prop. I’s defeat and Prop. J’s victory essentially mean that the April decision by the Board of Supervisors to permanently ban cars from JFK Drive stands."
Stem cell: $137 million buys more clinical trials, shared labs, research
Capitol Weekly, DAVID JENSEN: "It was a $137 million day for the Golden State’s stem cell agency — no small event even for an enterprise that is backed by billions.
The scientific scope covered by the $137 million was impressive. It ranged from bolstering the vaunted Alpha Clinic Network initiated around the state by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), as the agency is legally known, to raising the number of CIRM’s clinical trials to 83. Plus, CIRM directors gave the go-ahead to a $50 million program to finance shared labs around the state.
CIRM’s cash comes from $5.5 billion that voters approved in 2020. The money is borrowed by the state via state bonds. The agency, however, does not have all its boodle lying around in a vault in its South San Francisco headquarters. CIRM can only receive $540 million in bond funding annually. But the cash carries over from year to year."
Californian wins record Powerball lottery jackpot, and San Francisco market also gets a piece of the action
The Chronicle, MICHAEL CABANATUAN/JOEL UMANZOR: "After an overnight delay in drawing the winning numbers for the Powerball lottery’s biggest ever jackpot — $2.04 billion — someone who bought a ticket in Southern California was declared the lone winner of what was also the state’s largest-ever lottery jackpot Tuesday.
According to the California Lottery, the winning ticket was purchased at Joe’s Service Center on West Woodbury Road in Altadena (Los Angeles County). If the winner takes that in a lump sum, as most do, it will pay $997.6 million with about $600 million left after taxes, according to Lottery officials.
But Southern California wasn’t the only region where the luck struck — the Bay Area got a piece of the action, too. A ticket with five out of five drawn numbers — everything but the Powerball — was sold at the 1001 Castro Street Market in San Francisco and will net the winner $1,149,661. Of course, that’s less than the average price of a house in the Castro District — $1.33 million — according to Redfin, but it’s still far from small potatoes."
Democratic incumbent Rob Bonta leads Republican Nathan Hochman in California attorney general race
LAT, HANNAH WILEY: "Incumbent Democratic Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta was leading by a wide margin in the polls Tuesday evening over Republican defense attorney Nathan Hochman in California’s race for top cop — a position that rose in importance and relevance after two U.S. Supreme Court decisions this summer rolled back laws on gun control and abortion access.
Bonta, a former San Francisco Bay Area state lawmaker known for his progressive views on criminal justice, campaigned on the promise to defend California’s robust abortion laws and continue his work to end gun violence and illegal firearm ownership.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Bonta last year after Xavier Becerra resigned to become U.S. Health and Human Services secretary. This was Bonta’s first run for statewide office."
Alex Padilla makes history as first Latino elected to U.S. Senate from California
LAT, SEEMA MEHTA/HANNAH FRY/TERRY CASTLEMAN: "Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla made history again Tuesday night when he became the first Latino to be elected to represent California in the U.S. Senate.
The 49-year-old broke a barrier in 2021 when he was sworn in to fill Kamala Harris’ seat after she became vice president. His appointment by Gov. Gavin Newsom was celebrated as providing representation for the large and growing Latino population in the state. On Tuesday, voters chose Padilla to complete Harris’ term through Jan. 3 as well as for a full six-year term of his own. In both elections, he defeated GOP attorney Mark Meuser.
“We have a hell of a fight ahead of us, and I’m heading back to the Senate ready to help lead that fight,” Padilla said at a Democratic election party at the Hollywood Palladium, as it was starting to fill up with supporters. He pledged to prioritize job creation, climate change, immigration reform, reproductive rights and the protection of Social Security and Medicare."
Bass and Caruso duel in historically expensive L.A. mayor’s race
LAT, JULIA WICK/BENJAMIN ORESKES/JAMES RAINEY: "Businessman Rick Caruso and U.S. Rep. Karen Bass were in a virtual dead heat late Tuesday night in the historically expensive race for mayor of Los Angeles, with returns remaining far from definitive.
Initial returns gave Bass a slight lead, only to have two subsequent updates from the county registrar of voters report a narrow advantage to Caruso, before Bass again established a razor-thin advantage.
As the contest seesawed, Bass emerged at 10 p.m. to address a crowd at the Hollywood Palladium. She led Democratic stalwarts and elected officials in chants of “We will win!” and then declared: “We will win because we’re going to build a new Los Angeles!”"
Villanueva at risk as Luna takes big early lead in L.A. County sheriff race
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 Tuesday night as early results showed his opponent, Robert Luna, taking a sizable lead.
With ballots from nearly 20% of eligible voters counted, Luna had won 59% of the votes to Villanueva’s 41%. The early returns also showed overwhewelming 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.
In a speech to supporters around 11 p.m., Luna struck a triumphant tone, despite the incomplete results."
Thunderstorms will hit the Bay Area today — here's how much rain to expect
The Chronicle, GERRY DIAZ: "Another winter storm comes ashore today and will ramp up winds and heavy rain showers across the Bay Area. This storm is part of an ongoing weather pattern that’s brought rain, snow and strong winds to large swaths of California over the past couple of days. It’s showing no signs of slowing down. And it’s also reeling in a lot of unstable air to the coast.
The stage is set for isolated thunderstorms to bubble up off the coast today. Some of these thunderstorms are likely to move inland during the afternoon, bringing with them lightning, gusty winds and even a slight chance for brief, weak tornadoes off the coast.
This low-pressure system will be positioned in a unique spot off the coast of the Peninsula where its westerly winds will curve toward the northeast. The part of the system where some of the fastest winds breeze through is called a divergent quadrant."
As S.F.’s market rate housing developers sit idle, nonprofits are swooping in to create affordable homes
The Chronicle, JK DINEEN: "With the economy teetering on the brink of recession and dozens of market rate housing projects stalled, San Francisco’s nonprofit builders are licking their chops for what could be a rare opportunity to grab a few sites for future affordable residential development.
And already the strategy is paying off in the Mission District.
A fenced off, 1-acre parcel at Cesar Chavez and Valencia streets, once a parking lot for the Mission District’s flagship Sears Roebuck & Co. department store, is now set to become one of San Francisco’s biggest new affordable housing developments."
