Image by cbiesThis weekend Democrats are meeting at their annual convention in Orange County. With just over a year before the 2026 Primary, and short of 18 months before the General Election, we wanted to take the temperature of California Democrats.
Entrepreneur/philanthropist Stephen Cloobeck sports a little bit of the star quality some Californians seem to expect from their governors.
The 63 year old was the founder, chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International, a timeshare company of 92 leisure resorts and almost 400,000 owners that was purchased by Hilton Grand Vacations in 2022 for $1.9
Chad Bianco. Image from Bianco for Governor. In the third installment of our ongoing look at candidates to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom when he terms out next year, we look at Republican candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Richard Grenell, photo by Associated PressRepublicans have basically become irrelevant in California state politics as Democrats have achieved and held a supermajority in the legislature and the threshold for passing a budget has dropped to a simple majority, making Republican votes unnecessary for most bills. So is it even possible that a Republican candidate could follow Gavin Newsom into the governor’s office?
Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom. Photo by Associated PressIn the latest Capitol Weekly poll we wanted to get a sense from voters about how they are responding to the outcome of the presidential election. We surveyed nearly 1,200 California voters and found an electorate that is just as divided as ever and Democrats, in particular, in a funk.
L-R: Marva Diaz, Marva Diaz Strategies; Laurel Rosenhall of the Los Angeles Times; Paul Mitchell, Political Data Intelligence; and Kristin Olsen-Cate, California Strategies; Mark Baldassare, Public Policy Institute of California; Thad Kousser, UC San Diego; Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol WeeklyOn Nov. 7th Capitol Weekly and the UC Student and Policy Center hosted a post-mortem of the 2024 election that featured three issue-specific panels conducted over Zoom and a live keynote panel. All featured some of the brightest and most experienced political minds in California. The story below features a very brief overlook of each
Photo by Tim Foster, Capitol WeeklyCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: 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.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, image from Associated PressThere is likely nothing more confusing to voters than the avalanche of polls that spill forth every election year. With what many consider to be America’s most crucial election in generations just days away, this lengthy piece from pollster and election data analyst Paul Mitchell is a valuable guide to understanding how polls are conducted and presented to you, the voters.
Image by Arseniy45OPINION – Whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris sits in the Oval Office in 2025, one thing is certain: California’s influence on U.S. climate policy will continue. The state, long a trailblazer in environmental regulation, is setting a blueprint for national policy.
Image by Associated PressWhile state lawmakers and local government electeds have been complaining about the Governor’s more aggressive actions on cleaning up homeless encampments, the fact is that he has the voters on his side.