(Vector illustration: NoDenmand, via Shutterstock)California’s primary election was filled with administrative glitches. And some of those problems actually may have disenfranchised voters who hoped to vote in a very dramatic presidential primary. Ironically, one of the largest post-election dramas surrounding the June vote in California was how these problems were being resolved.
Participants in a Los Angeles rally for immigrants rights. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shutterstock)Plaza Mexico in Lynwood was ground zero in a final election battle between Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Nine miles south of downtown Los Angeles, Lynwood is 82 percent Latino and thus crucial in today’s presidential primary. Both Sanders and Clinton claim support for Latino voters, but how much support depends on age.
Latinos protesting Donald Trump at an entrance to the site of the state GOP convention in Burlingame. (Photo: Alex Matthews, Capitol Weekly)For Latino voters in California, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s anti-immigration pronouncements present a dilemma. But for Latino Republicans, the challenge is especially difficult.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, prior to a presidential candidate debate. (Photo: Joseph Sohm, via Shuitterstock)Field Poll: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s once commanding lead over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has declined to just six points. Clinton is currently the choice of 47% of likely voters in this state’s Democratic presidential primary, while 41% now favor Sanders. Clinton’s current six-point lead in California is only about half the margins found in each of the last two Field Polls conducted in January and October.
Latinos taking the Pledge of Allegiance in Los Angeles. (Photo: Spirit of America)Only half of California adults can be expected to vote in this year’s presidential election, and they are likely to be very different from those who do not vote—in their demographic and economic backgrounds and in their political attitudes. These are among the key findings of a report released Tuesday evening by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).
Photo: GrassrootsLab.comCalifornia will award 172 delegates in the Republican presidential primary, a mother load of support that could guarantee a decisive national role for Golden State GOP voters on June 7. Unlike several other states in the election cycle where the winner takes all delegates, California Republicans designed special rules to empower grassroots activists a few years ago.
Illustration by Tim Foster, Capitol Weekly. Yes, this could be happening. California, despite holding its primary presidential election in June and being a (somewhat) proportional state, could matter in the Democratic nomination process. And it will almost certainly provide the final big set of Republican delegates that could give Donald Trump the 1,237 he needs for the nomination — or deny him and ensure a contested GOP convention.
ANALYSIS: California is in the midst of major generational and cultural changes. Nationally, we see the increased influence of millennials on our culture and waning influence of the Greatest Generation and Silent Generation. But while California’s newer voters are heavily dominated by millennials, independents and Latinos, elections are still being decided by white, partisan voters.
Pumpjacks in a Kern County oil field, November 2013. (Photo: Christopher Halloran)OPINION: The Paris talks brought into clearer focus just how many so-called moderate Democrats who sided with the oil industry this year re out of touch with their caucus, their party and their state. This small tribe of transactional politicians, whose campaign coffers have been filled with oil company dollars for years, did the shameless bidding of Big Oil once again this year, failing to protect Californians from greater environmental harm.
A credit card equipped with a chip. (Photo: Petratiu, via Shutterstock)Consumers are increasingly using credit and debit cards to transact purchases, from lattes to electronics. Unfortunately with that evolution comes financial fraud. As a victim of credit card fraud I can speak firsthand about the ensuing difficulties, even with financial institutions willing to help. Currently, the United States is the only major economic power in the world that still uses outdated magnetic stripe cards coupled with a faulty signature verification process.