Politics · Sep 8, 2026
How to Track California Governor Vetoes and Override Attempts
Every year the governor rejects roughly one bill in seven or more. The Legislature almost never fights back.
Politics · Current file
Politics
Politics follows Sacramento and the statehouse: legislation, ballot measures and agency decisions, traced to their local effect.
Sacramento statehouse, statewide ballot measures, governor/administration, CA delegation
Politics · Jul 27, 2026
How California Recalls a Governor: The Rules Behind the State's Rareest Election
A gubernatorial recall needs signatures from 12 percent of the last election's voters within 160 days, and California has held just one successful statewide recall, in 2003.
Politics · Jul 3, 2026
California's Minimum Wage Rose to $16.90 in January. Here Is How the Rules Work
The statewide floor climbed from $16.50 to $16.90 on January 1, 2026 under an automatic inflation formula, while fast food workers hold at $20 and healthcare workers continue stepping toward $24.
Politics · Jun 11, 2026
Twelve Years and Out: How Term Limits Remade the California Legislature
Voters capped legislative service in 1990 and reshaped the cap in 2012, and the result is a Capitol where members cycle out faster than the institutions around them learn their names.
Politics · May 19, 2026
The June 15 Budget Deadline: How California Passes a $300 Billion Budget
California's fiscal year starts July 1, the constitution demands a balanced budget passed by June 15, and the whole negotiation runs on a script the Governor sets in January and revises in May.
Politics · Apr 26, 2026
Proposition 4: What California's $10 Billion Climate Bond Pays For
Voters approved the state's largest climate bond in November 2024, and its roughly $3.8 billion for water and $1.5 billion for wildfire work show how Sacramento now borrows for climate adaptation.
Politics · Apr 3, 2026
California's Top-Two Primary, Explained Before the June Vote
Since 2012 any California voter can vote in a statewide primary where the top two finishers advance to November regardless of party, which is why same-party runoffs keep appearing on fall ballots.
Politics · Mar 12, 2026
Why California's Capital Is Sacramento, and Why the Capitol Looks Like That
California moved its capital four times before settling in Sacramento in 1854, and the classical domed building that construction began in 1860 remains the working center of the state's government.
Politics · Feb 17, 2026
Proposition 36 Took Effect in December 2024. Here Is What It Changed
Nearly 70 percent of California voters rolled back parts of 2014's Proposition 47, raising penalties for repeat theft and hard-drug offenses and creating treatment-mandated court tracks that counties are still building.
Politics · Jan 25, 2026
How California Puts a Law on the Ballot Without the Legislature
Since 1911 Californians have held the power to write their own statutes and constitutional amendments, and the road from idea to ballot runs through a signature quota set by the last gubernatorial election.