According to a statewide survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, 69 percent of those polled – 71 percent of likely voters – say bad times lie ahead. That represents a pessimism jump of 17 points from November of 2021.
A gunsmith works on a 300 Blackout AR rifle in a Placerville gun shop.(Photo: SvetlanaSF, via Shutterstock)California may well have the toughest gun laws in the country, but criminals still get automatic weapons and everyday people still head to the gun store in times of trouble. And the pandemic with its parade of woes has motivated thousands of first-time gun buyers. It turns out, while some Californians hoarded toilet paper and hand sanitizer, others bulked up on firepower.
Pharmacists check the inventory at a hospital pharmacy. (Photo: Jacob Lund, via Shutterstock)OPINION: When California began delivering millions of COVID-19 vaccines, we turned to neighborhood pharmacists to get shots in arms quickly and safely. These highly educated and trained medical professionals helped to protect our communities, making personal sacrifices to serve even though they already perform high-pressure jobs where mistakes may cost lives.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California during impeachment proceedings for former President Donald Trump. (Photo: AP)The latest Berkeley IGS Poll finds that for the second time in four months more of the state’s registered voters disapprove than approve of Dianne Feinstein’s job performance as U.S. Senator. In a statewide poll completed last week 46% of voters said they disapproved of the job Feinstein was doing, while just 35% approve. Another 19% have no opinion. The poll’s late January measure showed similar results.
San Quentin Prison, where a coronavirus outbreak was reported last year. (Photo: Mark R, via Shutterstock)For Cristina Garcia, there’s something unsettling about the idea that an unvaccinated person, confined to a prison cell, could be exposed to the corona virus because a guard or other state employee had declined an opportunity to be vaccinated.
A check-cashing outlet in Los Angeles, often used by low-income families. (Photo: image_vulture, via Shutterstock)A solid majority of Californians say children growing up in the state today will be worse off financially than their parents, while more than two-thirds say the gap between rich and poor is widening. In the past year, more than four in ten households with annual incomes below $40,000 had work hours or pay reduced, and an equal share had to cut back on food.
A diverse group of voters casting their ballots. (Photo: SeventyFour, via Shutterstock)A pair of Nov. 3 ballot measures seeks to confer voting rights on two wildly disparate groups of Californians — prisoners and teenagers. Prop. 17 would amend the state constitution to restore voting rights to prison inmates who have completed their sentences. Prop. 18, another constitutional amendment, would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary and special elections if they become 18 by the next general election.
A voter drops off his ballot. (Image: vepar5, via Shutterstock)Capitol Weekly’s tracking poll of by-mail voters has been running since Oct. 13 and reflects the ballooning numbers of early returns. This electorate, as reported in a prior CA120 article, overwhelmingly leans Democratic, with a significant number of likely Republican voters still expected to turn out on Election Day. As a result, the findings on ballot measures explored in this initial report skew to the left. For experienced poll watchers, this is the opposite of the early exit polling that often skews Republican.
Empty streets in L.A. during April amid the shelter-in-place rules. (Photo: Time Media, via Shutterstock)Many Californians believe that the worst is yet to come for the U.S. with the COVID-19 pandemic, and less than three in 10 believe restrictions on physical activity in their area should be decreased. Gov. Newsom’s job approval has increased since earlier this year—and most Californians approve of his handling of the pandemic—but his recently released budget plan gets mixed reviews.
A Sacramento political rally for presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, who has since dropped from the race. (Photo: Chris Allan, via Shutterstock)For the past year, we’ve been conducting tracking polling of the dozens of candidates for the Democratic nomination. A consistent thread in those surveys was change: The front runners shifted from former Vice President Joe Biden to Massachusetts Sen.Elizabeth Warren to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Yet, everything has changed in the last 36 hours, and we are now set for one of the most tumultuous California election nights in recent history.