California politics, from the Sacramento statehouse and statewide ballot measures to the state's Washington delegation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.