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Essential Politics October archive

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Welcome to the October archive of Essential Politics, our daily feed on California politics and government news.

For the latest feed, go here.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter for more, or subscribe to our free daily newsletter and the California Politics Podcast

It’s Halloween night at the governor’s mansion

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Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorses marijuana legalization initiative

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday endorsed a marijuana legalization initiative.
((Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) )

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday became the latest high-profile politician to endorse an initiative on next week’s ballot that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California.

Villaraigosa is considering whether to run for governor in 2018 amid a field that already includes Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a leading proponent of Proposition 64.

“I took my time on this measure because I wanted to make sure it included protections for children and public safety,” Villaraigosa said in a statement. “In evaluating the measure in its entirety, I am convinced there are enough safeguards to make it a workable proposition.”

The Proposition 64 campaign welcomed Villaraigosa’s endorsement at a time when one recent poll indicated slightly fewer than half of Latino voters support the measure.

“We’re glad to have it,” said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the campaign.

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Every member of California’s state Senate signs a letter asking Congress to stop the National Guard paybacks

(Paul Sakuma / Associated Press)

In a rare show of unanimity, every member of the California Senate signed a letter on Monday asking Congress to permanently waive any repayment of bonuses offered to the state’s National Guard members for Iraq war reenlistment.

Most of the soldiers that accepted the money “acted on good faith, relying on bad information from recruiters and others in positions of authority,” said the letter signed by all 39 sitting members of the state Senate.

The letter comes more than a week after a Los Angeles Times investigation into efforts to require nearly 10,000 of the state’s National Guard soldiers to repay the money.

“The federal clawback of the funds is devastating the families of current and former Guard members,” said the letter sent to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev).

“The recovery effort ignores that the primary fault lies with the recruiting system’s failure to ensure eligibility at the time of the awards,” wrote the state senators.

Meanwhile, the state’s congressional delegation continues to insist on action from the Department of Defense. Following a conference call with Defense officials last week, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) sent his own letter on Monday afternoon, demanding that all collected funds be returned to state Guard members immediately.

Times staff writer Sarah D. Wire contributed to this report.

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Conservative group spends $3.5 million on Central Valley race once considered safe

The Congressional Leadership Fund is pouring another $1.5 million into the race between Rep. Jeff Denham and Democrat farmer Michael Eggman.

The group, which is endorsed by House Republican leaders, and works with the American Action Network, has now spent $3.5 million in the race. The race was initially viewed as an easy win for Denham (R-Turlock), but has become increasingly uncertain in recent weeks.

The district is being closely watched as an indicator of how Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might affect down-ballot candidates. Democrats have spent more than $6 million in the district.

The Congressional Leadership Fund and American Action Network have spent $45 million in 32 districts nationwide so far and have aired ads in other California House races, including in the nearby 21st District race between Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) and attorney Emilio Huerta and the 7th District race between Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones.

The group’s newest ad in the 10th District race begins running on television Tuesday. It calls Eggman, an almond and bee farmer, an “extreme liberal” and a “rubber stamp” for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) because he supports the Affordable Care Act.

It previously ran an ad against Eggman that used news footage from the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack.

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FOR THE RECORD

2:14 p.m.: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the Congressional Leadership Fund as the Conservative Leadership Fund.

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The Rev. Al Sharpton and civil rights leaders hold rally in support of Proposition 61

The Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders gathered at a rally Monday morning to support Proposition 61, the ballot measure that seeks to lower the price state agencies pay for prescription drugs.

Sharpton appeared alongside black community leaders, including Marc Morial, former New Orleans mayor and head of the National Urban League, and Kevin Sauls, pastor of a South L.A. church.

“This issue is very simple,” Sharpton said to a crowd of about 40 supporters. “It’s about the right of people to afford what they need, and they need to have accessibility that is affordable with prescription drugs.”

He likened the issue of prescription drug affordability to a civil right, and recycled the well-known “Yes We Can” slogan from President Obama’s 2008 election to urge voters to pass Proposition 61.

Sharpton’s appearance came a day after he and Morial stumped for the measure at seven different churches in South Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

“The significance of bringing in people of color is that we are the ones who disproportionately are impacted by the prices and impacted by the need for healthcare,” Sharpton said in an interview afterward. “I think it’s a civil right for people to be able to afford healthcare in the wealthiest nation in the world.”

In a statement, No on Proposition 61 spokeswoman Kathy Fairbanks pointed to support for the opposition campaign from groups like the California NAACP, and the California League of Latin American Citizens.

“Higher drug prices resulting from Prop. 61 will decrease access to care,” Fairbanks said. “That’s a policy step in the wrong direction.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton at a Yes on Proposition 61 rally in downtown Los Angeles.
(Christine Mai-Duc / Los Angeles Times)
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President Obama endorses a fourth legislative candidate in California

Last week, Obama announced his endorsement of three Democrats running for the state Assembly.

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U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez releases tax returns — and is ripped by her rival’s campaign

U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez casts her ballot at Orange High School in the June primary election.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez earned a total of $156,674 in 2015 and paid $36,306 in federal and state income taxes, according to the Orange County congresswoman’s 2015 tax returns.

Sanchez declined to release the tax returns of her husband, attorney John “Jack” Einwechter, saying they filed separate returns and that she felt no obligation to disclose his tax information.

“He has no financial conflict,” Sanchez said. “My husband is a lawyer. He has four or five clients. They have nothing to do with anything.”

Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris in mid-October released the joint 2015 tax return she filed with her husband, Los Angeles attorney Douglas Emhoff. The couple reported earning approximately $1.17 million that year and paid just under $450,000 in federal and state income taxes.

The Harris campaign was quick to criticize Sanchez for not releasing her husband’s return.

“Like nearly every aspect of her campaign, Loretta Sanchez’s failure to honestly and completely release her taxes is a joke. And it’s not funny,” said Harris political consultant Sean Clegg. “Every serious candidate for U.S. Senate, including Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, has fully disclosed spousal tax returns.”

The congresswoman said her husband filed separately in 2015 because he was still sorting out some financial matters with his ex-wife. Sanchez added that by filing individually she pays more in taxes because she cannot claim the marriage deduction.

“The Harris campaign can ask and whine for anything and everything they want. That doesn’t mean we need to adhere to their demands,” said Sanchez political advisor Luis Vizcaino.

Both Sanchez and Harris have a net worth in the millions, according to financial disclosure reports.

Here are some highlights from their returns:

  • Sanchez claimed $4,394 in charitable contributions, about 3% of her income, including donations to the California Breast Cancer Research Fund and the California Peace Officers Memorial Fund.

  • Harris and her husband claimed $32,947 in charitable contributions, about 3% of their income, including donations to USC and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

  • Sanchez collected $43,200 in rent from a home she owns in Palos Verdes, and had $41,000 in expenses for the home.

  • As California attorney general, Harris makes $158,775 annually. As a congresswoman, Sanchez is paid an annual salary of $174,000.

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Voters are being asked whether they want to cast more votes in future elections on big public works projects

(Russel A. Daniels / Associated Press)

Voters casting a ballot for Proposition 53 on election day are, in effect, choosing more voting on more propositions in future elections.

The ballot measure, bankrolled by a wealthy Stockton agribusiness owner, seeks to force voter approval of a particular type of borrowing for large public works projects. Its most likely impact, in the near future, would be ballot measures on a landmark water project and on California’s high-speed rail effort.

The proposition’s backer, Dean Cortopassi, argues it’s all about more transparency when it comes to government debt.

His critics suggest there’s more to it than that.

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A weekend of bus tours and political jabs in California’s U.S. Senate race

An overflow crowd watches through a window during a rally with Kamala Harris at the Democratic Party's headquarters in Santa Clarita.
An overflow crowd watches through a window during a rally with Kamala Harris at the Democratic Party’s headquarters in Santa Clarita.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. Senate candidate and California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris launched a 10-day campaign bus tour in Santa Clarita on Sunday, holding a rally with down-ballot Democrats who hope she’ll bring out the party faithful in the November election.

The rally, which was jam-packed inside the tiny, local Democrat Party headquarters, will be the first of many Harris will hold this week in congressional districts where Democrats threaten to nab seats from Republican incumbents.

Harris’ rival in the race, Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange, was campaigning in the Inland Empire over the weekend, touting her record on water issues and taking a few swipes at Harris. Sanchez said she’s the only candidate in the race talking about the issues and that all she’s seen from Harris are “commercials on TV.”

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Conservative-leaning Hispanic Leadership Fund backs Republicans in Central Valley congressional races

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This congressional race could be one of the Republicans’ worst nightmares

Rep. Jeff Denham represents the Modesto area in Congress and is up against Democratic beekeeper Michael Eggman, the same man he beat just two years ago by 12 points. Denham first won his seat in 2012 even as a majority of his constituents voted for President Obama.

When Denham (R-Turlock) started this latest campaign, most observers thought he would probably win.

But some now wonder if Denham’s 10th District race will be an example of what Republicans fear across the country. Will conservatives expected to win actually lose because voters aren’t excited about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump?

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Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s day on the campaign trail: Two ribbons cut, one candle lit, and jabs made at her Senate rival

U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez shows Clifford Young, president of the West Valley Water District, where to cut the ribbon for the grand opening on a new water treatment plant Saturday.
(Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times)

With less than two weeks to go before election day, U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez bounced from the Inland Empire to Monterey Park on Saturday as she tries to drum up support for her uphill Senate bid.

Sanchez, the U.S. representative from Orange, started her day with a gaggle of other Inland Empire politicians at the grand opening of a $23-million water treatment system in Rialto, using the occasion to lay out her record on water issues during her 20 years in Congress.

Sanchez told the crowd of about 60 that shortly after she was elected to Congress, two members of a local water board approached her about a way to deal with California’s serious drought.

“They said, we need to convince people that we’re going to take toilet water and we’re going to clean it up enough for people to drink it,” Sanchez said. “They said, we can’t get anyone to champion this for us. Well, no wonder.”

Sanchez said they won her over, and she helped deliver federal funding for Orange County’s Groundwater Replenishment System to do just that. The system uses treated waste water to recharge the local groundwater basin and provides enough water for nearly 850,000 residents.

After the event, Sanchez accused her rival in the Senate race, state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, of having little grasp of the complexities of California’s drought and water crisis.

“One of the biggest differences between my opponent and myself is that I actually talk about issues, I actually meet with people, I actually try to figure out what’s going on,” Sanchez said. “I’ve not seen anything about her. I’ve not seen any policy. All I see is commercials on TV.”

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) officially opens the children's Diwali celebration at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple in Chino Hills on Saturday.
(Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times)

A few hours later, Sanchez raced over to Chino Hills to open the Kids’ Diwali Celebration at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple, a family-friendly event filled with carnival rides, booths and food. She thanked festivalgoers, saying they were setting a good example for the rest of the country at a time when the presidential election is filled with “such meanness.”

“This is a time where through tradition and through culture you can show Americans the better part of people,” Sanchez said. “You give the rest of us hope.”

After listening to Sanchez speak, Kay Mistry, a volunteer at the festival, said he still wasn’t sure who he will vote for in the Senate race. He said he was aware that Harris, whose mother emigrated from India, went to a Hindu temple as a child.

“I’m not sure that matters to me,” said Mistry, 48, of Chino Hills. “I’m pretty conservative.”

Sanchez attends her second ribbon cutting of the day, this time for Halloween in the Park in Monterey Park.
(Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times)

The Orange County congresswoman’s final stop of the day was in Monterey Park, where she helped cut the ribbon to open city’s Halloween in the Park festival.

After the ceremony, Sanchez mingled with the crowd, handing out campaign fliers.

Arnold Jeung, 62, stuck the flier in his back pocket. He said he didn’t know much about Sanchez or Harris.

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” said Jeung, a Republican. “I might not even vote.”

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California Politics Podcast: The lowdown on the state’s big down-ticket races

Perhaps more than any other recent election season, races for seats in the California Legislature and U.S. Congress are being reshaped by the broad, national discussion.

In short, it’s the Trump effect.

On this week’s episode of the California Politics Podcast, we take an overview of some of state’s most closely watched down-ticket races.

There’s new polling data in the U.S. Senate race that suggests a sizable number of voters will skip casting a ballot. Meanwhile, President Obama had endorsed candidates all the way down to the state Assembly level.

I’m joined by Marisa Lagos of KQED News and Anthony York, author of the Grizzly Bear Project website.

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Yes on Prop. 61 campaign to air a 30-minute documentary-style ad over the weekend

The campaign supporting Proposition 61, a measure seeking to lower the prices that state agencies pay for prescription drugs, plans to air an unusual 30-minute documentary-style ad Saturday morning on TV stations around California.

The video, titled “Your Money or Your Life,” features interviews with a war veteran diagnosed with hepatitis C, a nurse, a doctor and politicians who continue the campaign’s strategy of seizing on public anger against drug companies.

In between interviews with patients worried about the cost of prescription drugs is footage of Martin Shkreli, former chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals, smirking as a congressman calls him “the poster boy for greedy drug company executives.”

Also featured are Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has endorsed the measure and campaigned for it in California, and Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco), who authored a bill on drug-pricing transparency that ultimately failed this year.

The advertisement will air at 10 a.m. Saturday on CBS stations and will be broadcast in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Fresno media markets.

Yes on 61 consultant Garry South says the campaign originally purchased the time when it challenged drug company executives to a televised debate on the measure, but will use it instead for the ad.

Opponents and proponents of the proposition have raised nearly $124 million combined, with most of it raised by the “No” campaign.

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California, your official presidential write-in options include Bernie Sanders and Evan McMullin

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is one of five officially certified write-in candidates for president in California.
(Christopher Dolan / Associated Press)

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla released the names of the five officially qualified write-in candidates for the presidential race in California, along with their vice presidential running mates.

Contrary to popular belief, votes for write-in candidates only count when the candidate is officially certified. (That means votes for Mickey Mouse, Giant Meteor, or Chuck Norris will not be counted.)

The officially qualified write-in candidates are:

  • Laurence Kotlikoff for president and Edward Leamer for vice president

  • Mike Maturen for president and Juan Muñoz for vice president

  • Evan McMullin for president and Nathan Johnson for vice president

  • Bernard “Bernie” Sanders for president and Tulsi Gabbard for vice president

  • Jerry White for president and Niles Niemuth for vice president

Now, that doesn’t mean that Sanders and the other candidates wanted to be recognized as official write-ins. California law only requires that 55 “electors” sign on to declare a person a write-in candidate, not that the person consent, according to a statement from the Secretary of State’s Office.

A full list of each candidate’s electors can be seen here.

Write-in votes for these candidates will not be reported until the counties send their final vote certifications after the post-election canvass period, meaning a write-in vote will take longer to count.

You might be wondering: Does spelling count? The Secretary of State says election officials “will accept a reasonable facsimile of the spelling” of a candidate’s name. For example, “Joe Smith” and “Joseph Smith” would both be accepted.

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Dueling ads aim to persuade Latinos on proposition to legalize marijuana in California

With a poll indicating Latino voters lag in their support for a ballot proposition that would legalize recreation marijuana in California, the campaigns for and against the measure are launching dueling ads aimed at that large demographic.

A poll Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California found that Proposition 64 is favored by a majority of likely voters in California, including a majority of all ethnic groups, except Latinos. Latinos support is just under half at 47%.

The campaign against the ballot measure will launch its second ad on Spanish language television, titled “Asusta” or “Scary” on Halloween. The ad warns if approved, Proposition 64 could eventually lead to radio and television ads for “marijuana candy.”

Federal law prohibits such ads on broadcast stations, and the initiative prohibits television advertising aimed at minors if federal law ever changes.

The campaign in favor of the ballot measure said Friday it has launched new counter TV ads targeted to the Los Angeles area, where there is a large Latino audience. One ad, for Spanish language television, labels as “falso,” or “false,” the claims that there will be television commercials for marijuana candy.

A second ad, in English, features a mother of teenagers saying she appreciates that Proposition 64 has “important safeguards for families, like strict product labeling and child-proof packaging of all marijuana products and banning edibles that would appeal to a child.”

The two sides each claimed Friday that the polls are favorable to their cause.

“The polls highlight the lack of support by the Latino community because they know their neighborhoods will have to face the problems that recreational marijuana creates,” said Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the opposition campaign.

Not true, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the Proposition 64 campaign.

“Polls show that Latino support for Proposition 64 and marijuana decriminalization has been increasing as they learn how communities of color are being disproportionately targeted for marijuana arrest and prosecution,” he said.

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Eva Longoria voices support for repealing English-only education in California

Actress Eva Longoria this week voiced support for a proposition that would repeal English-only instruction in California by tweeting a new “Yes on Prop 58” online campaign ad that has reached nearly 450,000 views on social media.

Like in radio ads released this month, the commercial features children touting the importance of speaking more than one language.

Proposition 58 helps students learn another language while ensuring they still acquire English in a global economy, the young supporters tell viewers. “To get the best jobs, we need the best education,” one girl says.

The ballot measure, which emerged from a 2014 bill authored by Los Angeles area Democrat Sen. Ricardo Lara, seeks to repeal a 1998 voter-approved law that mandated all children be taught only in English in public schools unless parents request otherwise through a waiver.

Opponents argue the current laws were put in place to end bilingual classes that were failing a population of mostly Spanish-speaking Latino students. But Lara and fellow supporters say they have prevented teachers and parents from developing new and more effective bilingual and multilingual programs.

Proposition 58 has garnered an estimated $2.4 million in donations from a variety of supporters this year, including business groups, school associations and the California Teachers Assn./Issues PAC. It has no organized opposition.

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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorses ballot measure to repeal the death penalty in California

(Win McNamee / Getty Images)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) on Friday announced her support for a proposition that would repeal the death penalty in California, calling the practice “cruel and unusual punishment” under the 8th Amendment to the Constitution.

“Even the most heinous of crimes can be punished without killing,” she said. “As Pope Francis said in his address to Congress, where he reaffirmed his advocacy for the global abolition of the death penalty: ‘every human person is endowed with an unalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes.’”

Pelosi is among a string of top political leaders, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and celebrities to come out in support of Proposition 62, which would replace the punishment with life in prison without parole and apply life sentences retroactively to death row inmates. The initiative is one of two competing death penalty measures on the Nov. 8 ballot.

She also is among fewer political leaders to denounce the death penalty itself on moral grounds.

“I oppose the death penalty because too many defendants have not had access to appropriate legal counsel; because poor people – especially in communities of color – have been disproportionately charged with capital crimes and sentenced to death, compared with more affluent defendants; and, so many people have been exonerated with DNA evidence. It is time for us to take a moral stand.”

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Republican donor Charles Munger Jr. throws nearly $1 million into Assembly race after Obama endorsement

Charles Munger Jr.
Charles Munger Jr.
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

President Obama announced Thursday he was supporting three Democrats running for the California Assembly, a rare move for any sitting president.

One of the candidates is Cheryl Cook-Kallio, a Democrat running against one of the most targeted Republican lawmakers in California, Assemblywoman Catharine Baker (R-San Ramon) in the Bay Area.

Hours later, Republican mega-donor Charles Munger Jr. reported dropping $965,455 to oppose Cook-Kallio, the largest single expenditure he’s reported this election cycle.

Munger has now spent a total of $1.2 million supporting Baker and opposing Cook-Kallio, a close second to the $1.4 million he’s poured into the 66th Assembly District race in Los Angeles County.

In total, Munger has spent more than $3.3 million across 20 legislative races this year — and there are still 10 days left until the election.

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Obama endorses Emilio Huerta in his Central Valley race against Rep. David Valadao

(Sarah D. Wire / Los Angeles Times)

President Obama on Friday endorsed 21st District congressional candidate Emilio Huerta, the Democrat’s campaign announced.

“I am proud to endorse Emilio Huerta for the United States House of Representatives,” Obama said in a statement released by the campaign. “In Congress, Emilio will be a fighter for Central Valley working families. Emilio isn’t afraid to take on tough challenges, and he’ll fight for more and better access to clean water, good jobs with fair wages, and an education system that works for every child. Emilio is the kind of smart leader who will build on what we’ve accomplished and move our country forward, and that’s why I know Californians can count on Emilio Huerta.”

Huerta, an attorney and son of labor rights icon Dolores Huerta, is challenging Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley district. Obama had already endorsed six California Democrats.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was in the district Thursday to campaign for Valadao. He’s in the middle of a swing through California to support vulnerable House Republicans.

“David Valadao is exactly the type of representative Central Valley families and those involved in the agriculture industry need. He understands the issues impacting the area, because that’s been his life. David was born in the Central Valley, he grew up there, he went to school there -- and he even met his wife there. In Congress, he has led the fight on water, veterans issues, and education,” Ryan said in a statement.

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Voters in two different congressional districts get very similar letters from the wives of the GOP candidates

(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

Voters in the 7th and 10th congressional districts might have gotten similar letters in the last few days from the wives of their Republican congressional candidates.

The personal appeals to Northern California voters have matching stationery with font that mimics handwriting and use similar language, including language on college affordability, hard work and the integrity of their husbands. The letters are each dated Oct. 22.

Both races are considered close, and a letter from a candidate’s spouse timed a few days before election day is a well-known campaign tactic that often gets a good reception from voters.”We suggested concepts to them that would be effective in defending their husbands from the attacks, and they put it into their own words as they saw fit. Same print shop produced them,” said Dave Gilliard, who is a consultant for both candidates.

In her letter, Sonia Denham, wife of Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock), makes the case to 10th District voters that her husband was “just as offended and disappointed about the comments Donald Trump made as I was.”

Denham, who supports his party’s nominee for president, used similar language after a 2005 tape of Trump talking about grabbing women’s genitals without their consent became public. The Denham campaign paid for the mailer.

Christy Jones, the wife of Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, writes to 7th District voters that the ads from Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) about her husband are “false and disgusting.” The California Republican Party paid for Jones’ mailer.

Both of the women write about the candidates as good men and fathers, and stress that they have faith voters will make the right choice.

And both ads include the line, “Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. It was not an easy one for me to write, but I could not remain silent.” They also include photos of the couples and their children, and the final line says, “we are proud parents.”

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Loretta Sanchez launches website to attack Senate rival Kamala Harris

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, left, and California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris in their Oct. 5 Senate debate at Cal State Los Angeles.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

California’s U.S. Senate race is getting hotter.

Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez on Thursday launched a new website criticizing the record of her rival in the race, California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.

The site, called The Harris Files, relies heavily on past news coverage of Harris as attorney general and during her tenure as San Francisco district attorney.

Sanchez, who trailed Harris by a two-to-one margin in the latest opinion poll, started ramping up her attacks on the front-runner in early September.

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Court date canceled after Assemblyman David Hadley turns over documents to state ethics watchdog

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In rare move, President Obama endorses three California Democrats for Assembly

(Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

President Obama has thrown his support behind three Democratic candidates running in races the party is targeting for the California Assembly.

Obama endorsed the following Democratic challengers, according to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee:

  • Cheryl Cook Kallio, challenging Assemblywoman Catherine Baker (R-San Ramon) in Assembly District 16
  • Abigail Medina, who’s running against Assemblyman Marc Steinorth (R-Rancho Cucamonga) in Assembly District 40
  • Al Muratsuchi, a former assemblyman in a rematch against Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) in Assembly District 66

President Obama has plans to endorse as many as 150 down-ballot candidates in 20 states this election, Politico reported this week.

While it’s not uncommon for presidents to throw their weight behind federal candidates, it’s rare for them to reach down into local races for statehouse seats.

All three races present key opportunities for the Democrats to capture Republican-held seats in their quest to build a super-majority in both houses of the Legislature.

Obama’s approval ratings — 60% statewide, according to PPIC survey results released Wednesday — could help boost Democrats in swing districts where he won handily over Mitt Romney in 2012.

The three California Assembly races combined have attracted more than $8.6 million in spending by state and county parties on both sides.

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Comedian Kathy Griffin pokes fun at tobacco company ads

The tobacco industry-funded television advertisements against the Proposition 56 tobacco tax increase are ubiquitous.

They all generally have the same message: The money from the tax hike would go to Medi-Cal, the state’s low-income healthcare program, and therefore benefit the doctors and insurance groups that are helping finance the measure.

Comedian Kathy Griffin decided to spoof the advertisements’ follow-the-money message in a video she released on Twitter Tuesday.

Griffin highlighted that tobacco companies had funded the advertisement, which is clear when you read the fine print at the end.

“So in general just be careful of these opposite ads,” Griffin said, dressed in a similar gardening outfit as the actress in the No on 56 ad. “Or in general white ladies gardening.”

You can watch Griffin’s full spoof here:

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Los Angeles County Bar says expediting the death penalty system will ‘compromise justice’

The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. has joined opponents of a Nov. 8 ballot measure that intends to expedite executions in California, saying it would likely “compromise access to justice at all levels” of the court system.

In a letter released late Wednesday, the organization, which comprises more than 20,000 members, said Proposition 66 would require appellate courts to hear initial death penalty appeals, without providing the roughly $100 million needed to fund additional judges, staff and resources.

“LACBA opposes Proposition 66 based entirely on its damaging effect on the operation of an already over-taxed judicial system, and most importantly, the resulting lack of access to justice for California citizens,” states the letter signed by Margaret Stevens, the association’s president.

The association said it took no position on the death penalty itself, its effectiveness, morality or social merits.

But its opposition to the ballot measure comes as top Los Angeles County officials, including Sheriff Jim McDonnell and Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, have announced their support. Proposition 66 has drawn wide support and funding from law enforcement officials and organizations that argue California’s death penalty must be preserved and reformed.

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Gov. Jerry Brown launches TV ad against Prop. 53’s change to state revenue bonds

It’s a nuanced pitch from Gov. Jerry Brown, asking California voters to oppose an effort that would give them a vote on future big infrastructure projects.

But Brown has more than $15 million in campaign cash to make his case against Proposition 53, in a TV ad that began on Thursday.

Proposition 53 asks voters to add revenue bonds of $2 billion or more to the list of government borrowing that requires statewide voter approval.

Unlike general obligation bonds, which are paid back by taxpayer dollars through the state’s general fund, revenue bonds are paid back with fees charged to users of projects like bridges, dams and buildings.

Brown takes aim in the ad at the fact that “53 is paid for by one millionaire,” Central Valley agribusiness owner Dean Cortopassi. In an interview this week, Cortopassi called revenue bonds “a blank check to sell debt forward into the future.”

Proposition 53 could force statewide votes on two high-profile infrastructure projects: California’s plan for a high-speed train system and the construction of twin underground tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Southern California.

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New citizens can still register to vote Nov. 8 even though the California deadline has passed

Thomas Macariola, center, fills out a voter registration form after a naturalization ceremony on Oct. 26 in Sacramento, where a cardboard cut-out of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was among the witnesses.
(Sophia Bollag / Los Angeles Times)

Alex De Leon, a 30-year-old immigrant from Guatemala, was among more than 400 people who became U.S. citizens at a ceremony in Sacramento on Wednesday. After the program concluded, he walked outside and filled out his voter registration papers.

The registration deadline to vote in the Nov. 8 election for most Californians was Monday. But a 2012 state law allows people like De Leon, who became citizens after the deadline, to register late.

To vote, they must bring proof of citizenship and California residency to show to an official at a county election office. As a precaution against voter fraud, they’re not allowed to vote at a neighborhood polling place or with an absentee ballot.

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House Speaker Paul Ryan in California to campaign for vulnerable Republicans

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Backed by ‘Occupy’ activists, Loretta Sanchez criticizes Kamala Harris’ signature mortgage settlement

Senate candidate Rep. Loretta Sanchez speaks at a news conference to "expose the failure of the mortgage settlement made by Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris" on Oct. 26 in Los Angeles.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s campaign for the U.S. Senate lobbed a new attack at front-runner Kamala Harris on Wednesday, this time criticizing the landmark $25-billion national settlement Harris helped wrestle from the nation’s five largest mortgage firms.

The settlement is one of the California attorney general’s biggest victories: A recent ad from Harris’ campaign featured President Obama praising the settlement. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has too.

Sanchez, as she has done before, held a news conference outside a state building in downtown Los Angeles, joined by members of an activist group called Occupy Fights Foreclosures, a spinoff of the Occupy LA protest group.

Sanchez, who has tried to appeal to conservatives and Republicans in the campaign, tried her hand at economic populism at the news conference.

“Harris has not brought one single prosecution against any major bank executive,” she said.

Michael Troncoso, Harris’ senior counsel in the mortgage settlement negotiations, spoke to The Times recently as part of an article reviewing the settlement. He said building a criminal case against bankers involved in the foreclosures that led to the national mortgage settlement would have been “extremely difficult.”

Harris reiterated that sentiment in an interview with The Times.

“I too, like most Americans, am frustrated. Clearly crimes occurred and people should go to jail,” Harris said. “But we went where the evidence took us.”

Sanchez, who has increased her attacks against Harris in recent weeks, praised the settlement in 2012.

“Special thanks to California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris for her hard work to ensure help for distressed homeowners and also to pursue the investigation of misconduct by banks,” she said in a news release then.

Sanchez spokesperson Luis Vizcaino said Harris “failed to lead” when Gov. Jerry Brown took more than $300 million from the settlement fund and diverted it to the state’s general fund. A judge later ruled the state had to repay the money.

“Sanchez’s false attacks today are nothing more than a bogus stunt from a desperate politician,” said Harris spokesman Nathan Click. “The truth is Sanchez herself praised Kamala Harris’ leadership on the deal in 2012, spoke glowingly about the aid it provided homeowners and lauded Kamala’s perseverance in fighting the big banks.”

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A new poll shows Californians remain ready to legalize the recreational use of pot

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

A majority of California’s likely voters continue to favor legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, but the level of support has dipped from a reported 60% a month ago to 55% this month, according to a statewide poll released Wednesday night.

The latest poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found 38% of those surveyed oppose Proposition 64 and 6% are undecided. But the basic finding is that the initiative would still pass with a majority vote if the election were held today, according to Mark Baldassare, the institute’s pollster and president.

“The numbers have been favorable, consistent, and exactly where we expected and wanted to be at this point,” said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the Proposition 64 campaign.

The poll was conducted Oct. 14-23 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4% at a 95% confidence level.

Proposition 64 is supported by 66% of Democratic likely voters and 56% of independents, but 60% of Republicans are opposed.

“Just under half of Latino likely voters (47%) would vote yes, while majorities of other racial/ethnic groups (65%) and whites (55%) would do so,” the poll report said. Support is highest, at 78%, among those age 18 to 34.

The opposition campaign said the campaign for Proposition 64 has turned voters away from the measure.

“It is clear that voters are realizing that Prop 64 is a 62-page mess that helps the marijuana industry tap into the California market,” said Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the campaign against the initiative.

Those polled were also asked whether they have ever tried marijuana and, if so, if they used it in the last year: 18% said they have tried marijuana and used it in the last year, while 25% said they have tried it, but not in the last year.

Updated at 9:30 am to include comments by the campaigns.

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New poll shows Kamala Harris leading California’s U.S. Senate race by a 2-to-1 margin

U.S. Senate candidates Kamala Harris, left, points a finger toward rival Loretta Sanchez during their debate at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

With ballots already being cast, State Atty. General Kamala Harris leads by a more than a two-to-one margin over her rival in California’s U.S. Senate race, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The survey showed that 42% of likely voters supported Harris, compared to 20% who favored her opponent, Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Among the remainder, 20% of voters were undecided and 18% said they will not vote for either candidate by election day on Nov. 8.

The results are dramatically different that those in a PPIC released on Sept. 21, when Harris had just a 7-point lead over Sanchez.

But the new poll numbers are closely aligned with results in the June 7 primary, when Harris received 40% of the vote and Sanchez came in second with 19% in a race with 34 candidates on the ballot. In a PPIC poll in July, Harris also had 38% support among likely voters and Sanchez 20%.

“From the start this has been a race in which Harris, who did very well in the primary, has had a large advantage,” said PPIC President Mark Baldassare. “Loretta Sanchez hasn’t been able to, in any of our polls, get above 25%”

Unlike the PPIC’s surveys in July and September, the new poll included the ballot designations for the two Senate candidates, listing Harris as “Attorney General of California” and Sanchez as a “United States Congresswoman.” Both Harris and Sanchez are Democrats.

There also have been a few major developments in the Senate campaign since Sept. 21, including the Oct. 5 Senate debate at Cal State Los Angeles where Sanchez caused a stir by “dabbing” as her finale. The following day, U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein endorsed Harris.

Both Harris and Sanchez are trying to succeed Boxer, who is retiring after serving four terms in the Senate.

According to the new PPIC poll, Harris is favored over Sanchez across all general income and education levels of voters, as well as among both men and women. Harris also leads in these major regions of the state: Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, Orange and San Diego counties, and the Inland Empire.

Latinos are the only major cross-section of likely voters who favor Sanchez over Harris, by a margin of 41% to 33%, the poll shows.

Harris also gained support from Republicans and independents over the past month, mostly likely from voters who previously said they would not vote. Still, more than a third of likely Republican voters said they would not vote for Sanchez or Harris, and 16% of independent voters also plan to take a pass.

The two Democrats are facing off in the highest-profile contest between two members of the same party since California adopted a top-two primary election system.

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Will the Defense Department fix the National Guard bonus repayment problem? California congressional reps are skeptical

(Paul Sakuma / Associated Press)

Some members of California’s congressional delegation aren’t satisfied with a Defense Department plan to verify whether thousands of California National Guard members fairly received bonuses for enlisting during the height of the Iraq war or must repay the money. They said Wednesday that they want a detailed plan by the time Congress returns in mid-November.

Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) organized a call so that California’s 53 House members could question the Defense Department about how it plans to fix the problem, which was first reported Sunday by The Times. Members weren’t sure exactly how many of their colleagues were on the call.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday ordered the Pentagon to pause efforts to claw back the enlistment bonuses. He said the suspension would continue until he was “satisfied that our process is working effectively.”

Congressional members told The Times that Defense officials said they plan to increase the number of employees reviewing the cases and expect all of them will be examined by July.

After the call, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) said she was still outraged and wants a more detailed plan from the Defense Department.

“There was definitely a level of skepticism that they would move forward on this in a very fair and evenhanded way,” Brownley said.

Department officials told the delegation there are 13,800 questionable bonus cases in California. Of those, 4,000 have been cleared as properly eligible and 1,200 cases identified as possible fraud, meaning the guard member was not eligible or did not complete the contract. The department still must review the remaining 8,600 cases. (The case numbers relayed to members of Congress on Wednesday differ slightly from those provided to The Times by the department.)

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) said the Defense Department told members its plan is to clear up to 100 cases a day.

“They will give everybody a chance to go through the panels and make their case,” she said, even the 1,200 identified as possible fraud. Brownley’s staff said some Guard members were told to pay back more than $60,000. Many of the bonuses were at least $15,000.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said that in many cases, Guard members weren’t spending money they knew they weren’t supposed to receive, and that the Pentagon should have the burden of proving the soldier knowingly took a bonus they weren’t supposed to get.

“In the vast majority of cases, soldiers accepted these bonuses in good faith,” Schiff said. “You don’t call them up years later and say, ‘We shouldn’t have offered that’ and try to collect.”

The department will give the California members another briefing when Congress returns Nov. 14. Brownley said several members told the department they would go ahead with legislation to forgive the bonus debt for at least some Guard members if a detailed plan was not ready by then.

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Latinos in California are motivated to vote against Donald Trump, and that could affect a lot of other races

Voters make their way in and out of a polling place at the House of Mercy in Los Angeles in November 2012.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Latinos make up the largest ethnic group in California, but are often underrepresented at the polls.

This year, however, experts say they expect good Latino turnout in November, thanks largely to the heated presidential election that is motivating many Latinos to vote against presidential candidate Donald Trump and his anti-immigration rhetoric.

They stand to have considerable impact on many down-ballot races in California, as well as on the outcome of many statewide propositions.

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GOP mega-donor is spending more than $1 million in coastal L.A. County Assembly district

The Spirit of Democracy California, an independent expenditure committee backed by Republican mega-donor Charles Munger Jr., has dropped more than $1.4 million on a single Assembly race this year between Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) and former Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat.

The matchup is one of the most closely watched this cycle, attracting more than $2.6 million in state and local party spending on both sides.

Munger’s group has spent more on the coastal Los Angeles County race than all other races it has spent on combined.

The vast majority of the money — $1.1 million in the last two weeks — has gone toward negative ads against Muratsuchi, including a scathing ad that references the Miramonte teacher sexual-abuse scandal.

The 30-second TV spot titled “Crumbles” details how the LAUSD teacher “fed his students cookies laced with semen” and was later sentenced to prison and features video of a cockroach crawling on a stack of cookies.

The ad accuses Muratsuchi of co-authoring a bill that would have made it “even more difficult to fire pervert teachers.”

The bill, AB 375, grew out of a desire to make the teacher dismissal process easier and more streamlined following the LAUSD scandal.

But Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed it in 2013, saying certain provisions could “do more harm than good,” particularly a limit on the number of depositions each side could take and restricting a school district’s ability to amend charges with new evidence.

The following year, a similar measure was passed and signed into law.

Spirit of Democracy California is at the center of an FPPC investigation into whether it illegally coordinated with the Hadley campaign by sharing a political consultant. The ethics watchdog went to court last week, asking a judge to order Hadley’s campaign to turn over documents and records it says the campaign has not supplied.

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Tom Steyer is now the biggest donor in the effort to raise the tobacco tax

Billionaire Tom Steyer is now the largest donor in the effort to raise the state’s cigarette tax by $2 a pack.

With a $3.5-million donation to the Yes on Proposition 56 campaign Tuesday, Steyer’s total spending on the race has reached $11.3 million.

That’s more than a third of the $31 million the primary Yes on 56 committee has raised and more than all the money raised during a similar, but failed, effort to increase the tobacco tax four years ago.

Steyer, who is a major donor to state and national liberal causes, is the focus in two Yes on 56 television advertisements. He’s said he’s motivated to spend to limit youth smoking and the memory of his mother, a smoker who died of lung cancer. Steyer also is frequently mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for governor in 2018.

The No on 56 campaign, which is almost entirely funded by tobacco companies, has raised $71 million.

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California Republicans (sort of) wish Hillary Clinton a happy birthday

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California congressional reps say they didn’t know so many Guard members were being forced to repay enlistment bonuses

Some of California’s members of Congress say California’s National Guard did not explain in 2014 how many guard members were being forced to repay enlistment bonuses.

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter ordered the Pentagon to suspend all efforts to collect reimbursement from the nearly 10,000 California National Guard members who were improperly given bonuses as an incentive to reenlist at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Earlier in the week, a senior California National Guard official said it told the state’s members of Congress two years ago the Pentagon was trying to claw back reenlistment bonuses from thousands of soldiers, and even offered a proposal to mitigate the problem, but Congress took no action.

After The Times first reported the problem Sunday, most of Californias 55 members of Congress signed onto letters to Carter, or House and Senate leaders, asking for an immediate fix. On Wednesday, they praised the Defense Department for halting the clawbacks and said Congress needs to stop the process entirely and refund the Guard members who already have repaid money.

Still, some members took issue with the California Guards characterization of what it told the California delegation two years ago.

Staff in members’ offices said the Guard broadly mentioned the clawbacks in a 2014 letter detailing its policy goals for the year, but officials didn’t meet with members of Congress in person or by phone, and didn’t otherwise tell them about the scale of the issue. Such letters are fairly common from groups working with Congress.

“If they would have come and said, ‘You’re going to have thousands of combat veterans having their wages garnished and tax liens being put on them,’ we would have been all over this,” said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine). “That was never communicated to us.”

Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Los Angeles) said neither the Pentagon nor California Guard officials told him about the large number of soldiers ordered to repay bonuses, though his office had received complaints from individual soldiers.

“I have no record of receiving any formal notice of this widespread issue from any department — federal or state. The only record I have is of individual cases of service members who approached my office to get help, and we are working with these individuals who have served our country to make sure they are treated fairly,” he said.

Several high-ranking members of the delegation said this week they first heard of the scope of the problem from The Times’ reporting.

The California Guard also sent members of Congress a suggested provision that would have allowed debt waivers for the affected soldiers in the 2015 defense authorization bill.

Reps. Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) and Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) initially pushed for the provision but later abandoned the effort, and it didn’t appear in the final bill.

Cook and Denham said they dropped the effort after being told the Pentagon already had the power to waive the debts.

Guard officials said they were told the provision was discarded because waiving the debt would have cost the Pentagon money, requiring the estimated costs to be offset with cuts elsewhere in the defense budget.

For the record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Denham declined to discuss why he dropped the provision to waive the debt. He dropped the effort after being told the Pentagon already had the power to waive the debt.

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Ted Cruz’s old gang called into action to help California GOP

Ron Nehring, a former aide in Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential bid, chats with visitors at the California State Fair in Sacramento during his 2014 campaign for lieutenant governor.
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential bid may be history, but his supporters in California are banding together to help GOP candidates locked in tight down-ballot races.

Ron Nehring, the former state GOP chairman who was a top Cruz booster, said the focus will be turning out Republican voters and recruiting volunteers to work on a list of hotly contested congressional and legislative races selected by the California Republican Party.

Among those pinpointed are Vista Rep. Darrell Issa, who faces his toughest challenge since being elected to Congress in 2000, and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, who is trying to unseat Democratic Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove.

“It is 100% exclusively boots on the ground,” Nehring said.

Michael Schroeder, who was co-chairman of Cruz’s campaign in California and also served as the state GOP chairman, said Republican turnout in the Golden State is expected to be down because of the controversies surrounding GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Having Trump at the top of the November ballot also will motivate more Democrats to vote, and that could endanger GOP candidates in close races throughout the state, he said.

“Trump’s campaign is a lost cause in California at this point,” Schroeder said. “Trump said he was going to drive Hispanic turnout, and I think he’s right -- but not in the way he’s hoping for.”

California’s Cruz alumni have a website and on Monday night held a conference call with 75 former Cruz organizers asking them to activate their local political networks to help with the effort, Nehring said.

Other Republicans they’ll work to protect or elect:

  • Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock, David Valadao of Hanford and Steve Knight of Palmdale.
  • Assembly members Catharine Baker of San Ramon, David Hadley of Manhattan Beach, Tom Lackey of Palmdale and Young Kim of Fullerton.
  • State Senate candidates Mike Antonovich of Glendale, Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita and Ling Ling Chang of Diamond Bar.
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A record-breaking 501,206 California voters registered or updated info in the days before the Monday deadline

On the final day to register, the number broke the record for online registration transactions, Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office reported in a release.

It’s not clear how much of the activity was new registrations, but the office said 17- to 35-year-olds made up 58% of all online voter registration in the final two days.

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Central Valley congressional race shifts to a toss-up

(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

The 10th Congressional District race between Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) and Democrat Michael Eggman is now a toss-up, the nonpartisan analysts at the Cook Political Report announced Tuesday.

The contest in the heavily Latino Central Valley district had been rated lean Republican, meaning the analysts thought Eggman had a chance, but they expected the third-term Republican to be reelected.The Cook Political Report now lists several California House districts held by Republicans as toss-ups, including Rep. Darrell Issa’s seat in the 49th District and Rep. Steve Knight in the 25th District.

This is the second matchup for Denham and Eggman. Denham won their 2014 encounter with 56% of the vote, but this year, there is the added unknown of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s effect on other races and whether his unpopularity will drag down other candidates.

For the record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Rep. David Valadao’s race in the 21st District is listed as a toss-up. It is listed as leaning Republican.

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U.S. Rep. Ami Bera: ‘Soldiers who served our country should not be penalized for the mistakes of others’

U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) wrote to top Department of Defense officials Monday urging them to stop asking veterans to repay enlistment bonuses.

The Pentagon has ordered nearly 10,000 California Guard soldiers to repay bonuses that were improperly awarded to them, The Times reported Saturday.

With his letter, Bera joined the chorus of lawmakers who have condemned the action, calling on the Pentagon to waive the soldiers’ debts.

“Soldiers who served our country should not be penalized for the mistakes of others,” wrote Bera, who faces a tough reelection battle in his Northern California district. “I urge the Department to halt the collection of these bonuses at this time to prevent placing more service members in financial hardship.”

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Crime victims oppose the death penalty in ‘Yes on Prop. 62’ ads

In new online ads released Tuesday by proponents of Proposition 62, which seeks to repeal the death penalty in California, crime victims urge voters to end the system and bring peace to grieving families.

Proposition 62 would replace the ultimate punishment for murder with a sentence of life in prison without parole, ending a lengthy appeals process that some victims say has interfered with their healing. It is one of two competing death penalty measures on the Nov. 8 ballot.

In one of two videos, which campaign officials say are geared toward swing voters, Beth Webb tells viewers she has had to face the death row inmate who killed her sister and seven others in a hair salon almost 50 times in court.

“Him sitting there, soaking up all of the attention, loving it, it’s disgusting,” she says.

The commercials come as proponents of the opposing measure on the ballot, Proposition 66, have released their own ads over the last few days, urging voters to reform the system, not end it. In one of those videos, a murder victim’s mother says no punishment other than the death penalty is appropriate for the twice-convicted sex offender who abducted her child.

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Common, Russell Simmons, Shailene Woodley among celebrities pushing to legalize weed in California

Common at the 2015 Academy Awards
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

Top celebrities including Common, Tim Robbins and the author of the “Orange is the New Black” memoir are joining forces in what they are calling “Artists for 64” — the effort to legalize recreational use of marijuana in California.

A show of force announced Tuesday includes rapper and actor Common; music producer Russell Simmons; Ty Dolla $ign; actors Danny Glover, Olivia Wilde, Tim Robbins, Sarah Silverman, Shailene Woodley of “The Divergent” series, Jesse Williams of “Grey’s Anatomy” and Michael K. Williams of the HBO series “The Wire”; and Piper Kerman, author of “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison.”

Jay Z, who last week put out a video calling the war on drugs an “epic fail,” also signed on to the effort.

“In California, the question on whether to legalize marijuana for adult use is a policy change that will have a lasting impact on historically marginalized communities,” Glover, the star of films including the “Lethal Weapon” series, said in a statement posted on Artists for 64. “Marijuana laws have been used as a tool by law enforcement to racially profile, harass, intimidate and criminalize mostly young African American and Latino men for decades.”

I am shocked and saddened by the harm that marijuana criminalization brings, especially for communities of color,” Wilde said in a statement.

The campaign against Proposition 64 said Hollywood celebrities are not the most credible endorsers, charging they are out of touch with the reality of drug abuse in many communities in the state.

“Today the No on Prop 64 campaign did a press event in Fresno with faith and community leaders who know that the problems that recreational marijuana creates will impact these communities and neighborhoods across California not Hollywood,” said Andrew Acosta, a spokesman for the opposition campaign.

In a video produced by Dream Hampton and included on the website, former Golden State Warrior Al Harrington talks about how marijuana helped him overcome pain and inflammation during a staph infection and helped his grandmother with her glaucoma.

“I’m a California voter and I’m voting `yes’ for Prop. 64,” he says.

Williams spoke from personal experience.

“I’m in recovery and don’t use marijuana, and my Christian faith is my rock when it comes to staying sober,” he said in a statement. “But I don’t believe people should be arrested for marijuana anymore. California can lead the country by voting yes on Prop 64.”

Drug Policy Action, an advocacy group backing Proposition 64 to legalize the drug for recreational use, paid for the site.

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A snapshot of the money raised and spent in California’s U.S. Senate race

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California’s Congress members knew the Pentagon was trying to get back bonuses from soldiers, official says

The California National Guard told the state’s members of Congress two years ago that the Pentagon was trying to claw back reenlistment bonuses from thousands of soldiers, and even offered a proposal to mitigate the problem, but Congress took no action, according to a senior National Guard official.

What form that communication took and whether the members of Congress understood the scope of the problem at the time is unclear.

On Monday, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying that Congress should pass legislation to halt the Pentagon debt recovery “as soon as we gavel back into session” after the Nov. 8 election.

Other California congressional members, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, also sent letters to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter about the matter.

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Proposition 56 and the great vape tax debate

(Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP/Getty Images)

Turn on any TV in California and you know that all the talk surrounding the Proposition 56 tobacco tax has been about cigarettes.

But if the initiative passes next month, e-cigarettes will also be taxed like traditional cigarettes for the first time — a huge tax increase that could boost the price of a typical 30-milliliter bottle of e-liquid by $10.

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State ethics watchdog asks court to force assemblyman’s campaign to turn over documents for investigation

Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) greets people after participating in a candidates forum in Torrance.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

The campaign of Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) has delayed turning over documents related to an official investigation into his campaign practices, according to court documents filed by the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

The investigation grew out of a complaint from Hadley’s opponent, Democrat Al Muratsuchi, that claims Hadley’s campaign was illegally coordinating with an independent expenditure committee that also supported Hadley.

In a letter to the FPPC, Muratsuchi claimed Hadley’s campaign and Spirit of Democracy, a group funded mostly by Republican donor Charles Munger, Jr., shared consultant Steven Presson during at least part of the primary campaign for Assembly District 66.

In court documents filed Oct. 13, FPPC special investigator Garrett Micheels said he initially emailed Hadley Aug. 4, asking him to voluntarily provide certain records to the commission’s enforcement division.

The records requested included emails, letters and text messages between Jan. 1 and June 7 between Presson and the Hadley campaign, or any other individuals or groups concerning the Hadley race.

The next day, Presson responded that the campaign would require a subpoena to “avoid possible public exposure to sensitive emails within the Hadley campaign regarding our strategy.”

After a subpoena was issued on Aug. 12, Micheels said in court documents, Hadley retained attorney Steve Churchwell, who asked for extensions to produce the documents at least three times, but never provided the records.

On Sept. 27, Hadley produced some of the documents, court filings say, but wrote to explain that he was withholding his communications with Presson because there are “hundreds or thousands of such correspondences” that contained “sensitive/confidential campaign communications” that he said he had not had the time to review. As of Friday, the FPPC says, they have not received the rest of the documents requested.

“There is only one reason Hadley would conceal documents, and that is because he is guilty and is trying to hide the evidence,” said Mike Shimpock, a consultant for the Muratsuchi campaign.

A Hadley campaign spokesman declined to comment and Churchwell did not return a request for comment.

Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday in the Sacramento County Superior Court.

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New ads urge California voters not to repeal the ‘last defense’ against killers

In two new television ads, police officers and prosecutors urge California voters not to repeal the death penalty on Nov. 8, calling it “the last defense” against killers.

The commercials, released late Monday by the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., are part of the No on Prop. 62, Yes on Prop. 66 campaign.

The effort aims to defeat Proposition 62, which would replace the ultimate punishment for murder with life in prison without parole, and to support Proposition 66, which would change and limit how and how often death row inmates can appeal.

The pro-death penalty campaign has drawn broad support and funding from law enforcement organizations across the state. The Correctional Peace Officers Assn. alone has donated nearly $600,000 since last September.

“I’ve seen what the worst among us can do, killings so brutal families never recover,” Sgt. Dan Cabral of the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs Assn. tells viewers in one ad. “It’s why we have a death penalty.”

The second ad features the case of serial killer Charles Ng, who has spent 17 years on death row for the rape, torture and slayings of at least 11 victims.

“This is cruel punishment for the families,” Sharon Sellitto, one victim’s sister, says in the video.

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GOP Rep. Darrell Issa returns fire after President Obama rips his campaign mailer

Vista Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said Monday he was “disappointed but not surprised” by President Obama’s criticism of him for using the president’s photo in a campaign mailer.

At a fundraiser in La Jolla on Sunday night, Obama said Issa’s primary contribution to Congress has been to “obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped-up investigations that have led nowhere.” The president called Issa “shameless” for using his image in his reelection campaign.

“I’m disappointed but not surprised that the president, in a political speech, continues to deny accountability for the serious scandals that happened under his watch where Americans died overseas and veterans have died here at home,” Issa said in a statement released by his congressional campaign Monday. “You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks I’ve done too much to hold Washington accountable. I’ve worked with the administration on good legislation where it was possible, called out wrongdoing wherever I saw it and will continue to do so.”

Issa is running his toughest congressional campaign to date, an increasingly nasty race that has been declared a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Issa’s Democratic challenger in the 49th Congressional District, retired Marine Col. Doug Applegate, has criticized the congressman as a Washington insider and supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

In the political mailer sent out by the Issa campaign, the congressman said he was “pleased” with the president for signing legislation he co-sponsored that provides victims of sexual assault legal protections in the federal criminal justice system.

At the Sunday night fundraiser, Obama ripped Issa as “a guy who, because poll numbers are bad, has sent out brochures with my picture on them touting his cooperation on issues with me.”

“Now that is the definition of chutzpah,” Obama said.

Issa once called Obama “one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times.” While chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he led investigations into the Benghazi attack, the Internal Revenue Service scandal, the botched “Fast and Furious” gun sting and other actions by the Obama administration.

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California Democrats remember Tom Hayden for pursuits close to home

(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)

Top California Democrats remembered Tom Hayden on Monday as an influential activist whose pursuit of liberal causes extended far beyond his best-known work leading protests against the Vietnam War.

“Tom took up causes that others avoided,” Gov. Jerry Brown said. “He had a real sense of the underdog and was willing to do battle no matter what the odds.”

Hayden died Sunday in Santa Monica after a long illness. He was 76.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recalled Hayden’s work negotiating a gang truce in Venice, along with his contributions to an anti-sweatshop ordinance to prevent worker exploitation.

“Tom Hayden was a giant who never stopped pushing for peace and justice, and inspired a generation of change agents to bring new voices and overlooked perspectives to the decision-making process,” Garcetti said.

Hayden, classified by the FBI as a “rabble rouser” in the 1960s, was prosecuted by President Nixon’s Justice Department in the raucous “Chicago 7” trial after violent clashes with police at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. His conviction was dismissed on appeal. He went on to serve in the state Assembly and Senate for a total of 18 years.

John Burton, chairman of the California Democratic Party, recalled two measures that Hayden got passed. One allocated $250,000 to buy tattoo removal machines for imprisoned youth so they could cut their gang ties. The other set up a program for parents to use tax-free accounts for savings dedicated to their children’s college education.

“These bills didn’t get a lot of attention at the time, but they have had a far-reaching impact on young people’s futures,” said Burton, who led the state Senate when Hayden was a member.

The Senate’s current leader, Kevin de León of Los Angeles, said Hayden was “well ahead of the curve on issues involving the environment, social justice, gang intervention and urban peace, access to higher education, domestic violence and much more.”

Hayden, he said, “distinguished himself as a paragon of political integrity and a great intellect.”

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Secretary of State’s office holds voter registration drive at the Capitol on the last day to register in California

The Secretary of State’s office is holding a voter registration drive outside the Capitol today, the last day to register in California before the November election.

The office’s staff registered about 20 people in the first couple of hours, said Milena Paez, who works in the office’s elections division. Many people had also stopped by the booth to ask where their polling place is or check their voter registration status, she said.

LaRhonda Sayles-Willis, who recently moved to the Sacramento area, said she saw the booth as she walked down the street and stopped by to see where she was registered. She ended up re-registering to vote to be on the safe side and said she’s particularly motivated to vote for Hillary Clinton.

“I really oppose her opponent. I just don’t like the guy,” the 56-year-old said. “I just don’t think he’s a good representation of the United States.”

Ada Avelar, 21, said she decided to register because she recently moved to the United States from Mexico City to attend Sacramento State University. Avelar is an American citizen.

She said she saw the booth on her way back from having lunch with a friend and decided to register right there.

“I was like, it’s a sign,” she said. “I have to do it.”

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California’s 17 propositions, explained with emojis

We break down all 17 propositions on California’s ballot this year using emojis.

Forget the presidential candidates: California has 17 propositions to vote on in the coming election. Know them all? Take a gander.

And if you haven’t already registered to vote, Monday’s your last chance. Here’s how.

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Schwarzenegger: ‘I would’ve run’ for president (if not for that constitutional problem)

Arnold Schwarzenegger
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)

Arnold Schwarzenegger, likely the only recent ex-governor of California with an international following, always rebuffed the question during his seven years in office.

Would you have liked to run for president?

“If I’d been born in America, I would’ve run,” Schwarzenegger said in an interview for the latest edition of the magazine Adweek. “Because now? This was a very good time to get in the race.”

Schwarzenegger, of course, could not have run under almost all legal interpretations of the U.S. Constitution’s “natural born” clause for eligibility to serve as president. Still, it rarely stopped the speculation, most notably after his well-received 2004 speech to the Republican National Convention. The GOP governor was touted shortly afterward by backers of a proposed constitutional amendment to open up presidential eligibility.

Schwarzenegger announced earlier this month that he will not vote for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, though he is replacing the businessman on the newest iteration of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” And though he still dabbles in politics, including an Oct. 5 return to Sacramento to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the state’s landmark climate change law, Schwarzenegger has largely returned to his Hollywood career.

“You have to set yourself apart, whether it’s policy or movies,” he said in the magazine interview. “How do you make them remember you?”

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Here are the California Democrats President Obama has not endorsed for Congress

(Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

President Obama will endorse a total of six congressional candidates in California this cycle, as he attempts to make an impact on down-ticket races ahead of Nov. 8.

Many of them are locked in toss-up races against Republican candidates, part of a larger attempt by congressional Democrats to pick up additional seats in California.

But there are several Democrats running for Congress in California who did not find themselves among Obama’s endorsements.

One is Emilio Huerta, son of labor leader and activist icon Dolores Huerta, who is mounting a challenge against Republican Rep. David Valadao of Hanford. The elder Huerta has long been connected with national Democratic politics and was Hillary Clinton’s guest at the final presidential debate in Las Vegas last week.

Obama also has not endorsed in the race for Congressional District 17, where Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) is in a tough reelection fight against fellow Democrat Ro Khanna, a former Obama appointee.

The president stayed out of two other Democrat-on-Democrat races, one between state Sen. Isadore Hall (D-Compton) and Nanette Barragan in CA-44 and another between Democrats Lou Correa and Bao Nguyen, who are fighting to replace U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez in Orange County.

But in Sanchez’s fight against California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris for the open U.S. Senate seat, Obama has sided with Harris.

Obama is supporting the following California Democrats, according to Barb Solish, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman.

  • Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) in Sacramento County’s CA-7
  • Michael Eggman, who is challenging Central Valley Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) in CA-10
  • Salud Carbajal, who is running in the open CA-24 seat on the Central Coast against Republican Justin Fareed
  • Doug Applegate, who is challenging Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista)
  • Bryan Caforio, up against Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) in CA-25
  • Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego), who is facing a challenge from Republican Denise Gitsham

Caforio was endorsed last week in one of several ads President Obama cut for congressional candidates.

Applegate has emerged as a competitive challenger against Issa, whose race was only recently reclassified as a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report. At a fundraiser Sunday night, Obama blasted Issa for sending out a campaign mailer that praised the president, calling it “the definition of chutzpah.

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Assemblywoman Patty Lopez vows not to give up on reelection despite lack of party support

Patty Lopez watches as ballots are counted in her 2014 race against then-incumbent Raul Bocanegra, who she bested by fewer than 500 votes.
Patty Lopez watches as ballots are counted in her 2014 race against then-incumbent Raul Bocanegra, who she bested by fewer than 500 votes.
( (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times))

On a recent weekend, with just three weeks to go until the November election, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon made a whirlwind tour of five of the most hotly contested races in the state, stumping for Democratic candidates.

Assemblywoman Patty Lopez (D-San Fernando), who faces a stiff challenge from former Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, was not one of them.

Instead, she spent part of her Saturday walking through a community street festival, handing out fliers with a handful of volunteers.

“I’ve been blocked from my party, but my district knows who is Patty Lopez,” she said. “Sometimes I feel disappointed, but that’s not stopping me from doing what I need to do.”

In 2014, Lopez shocked many when she eked out a win against Bocanegra by a margin of less than 500 votes.

With six Democrats on the ballot in this year’s primary, Lopez received just 27.2% of the vote, a distant second to Bocanegra’s 44.4%.

Despite this, and the fact that the California Democratic Party has endorsed her challenger, Lopez says she is a “woman of faith” who believes “100 percent” that she’ll be reelected.”

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U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez makes her pitch to Inland Empire conservatives

Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez at the U.S. Senate debate held at Cal State L.A. on October 5.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez met with the Redlands Tea Party Patriots and other conservatives in the Inland Empire on Sunday, hoping to win their support in the November election.

John Berry, a cabinet member with the Redlands Tea Party, said Sanchez told those at the meeting that although she is a solid Democrat, she has voted against her party at times and also has worked with Republicans in Congress.’

The congresswoman from Orange told the group that her opponent, fellow Democrat and state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, has consolidated California’s liberal left, Berry said. Sanchez described herself as a moderate Democrat who supports sensible gun regulations, supports small business and is pro-Israel.

“I hate the cliché ‘lesser of two evils,’ but that clearly applies here,” Berry said. “Kamala Harris thinks we’re all a bunch of deplorables. She’s never going to care about anything we think.”

Sanchez has been courting Republicans and moderates through the summer and fall, and has boasted about endorsements from two prominent Southern California Republicans: former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and former Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon of Santa Clarita. Vista Republican Rep. Darrell Issa also has backed Sanchez.

Berry said the Redlands group is not endorsing either Democrat in the Senate race. But Berry said he plans to vote for Sanchez and is encouraging conservatives and Republicans to do the same.

Berry said that former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) joined Sanchez during the meeting and urged those at the 90-minute meeting to support the Orange County congresswoman.

Stockman is a Tea Party conservative who in 2013 invited Ted Nugent, a rocker turned gun rights activist, to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Berry said Stockman and Sanchez arrived at the meeting separately and were not campaigning together.

11:03 a.m.: This story was updated to include more information about Steve Stockman.

This article was originally published at 10:24 a.m.

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Obama says Darrell Issa is ‘shameless’ for praising him in campaign mailer that is the ‘definition of chutzpah’

At a California fundraiser Sunday night, President Obama called Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) “shameless” for using the president’s photo on a recent mailer and praising him after years of criticizing the Obama administration.

Issa is facing an unexpectedly tough race this year as the eight-term Republican squares off against political novice former Marine Col. Doug Applegate.

“Issa’s primary contribution to the United States Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped-up investigations that have led nowhere. And this is now a guy who, because poll numbers are bad, has sent out brochures with my picture on them touting his cooperation on issues with me,” Obama told the crowd, according to a transcript, at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser in the La Jolla home of donor Christine Forester. “Now that is the definition of chutzpah.”

The Vista Republican has been a frequent critic of Obama and has called him “one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times.”

The campaign mailer said Issa was “pleased” with the president for signing legislation he co-sponsored into law. Issa was one of 40 House members who co-sponsored the legislation, which provides some sexual assault victims legal protections in the federal criminal justice system.

The president is in Los Angeles today and Tuesday for a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live and two fundraisers, including a $100,000-per-ticket fundraiser at DreamWorks Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg’s home tonight that is completely closed to the press.

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Alert: Today is the last day to register to vote in California

If you live in California and you’re eligible to vote, today is your last day to register to vote in the Nov. 8 election. Here’s how to do it:

Once you register, you will have the opportunity to vote “yes” or “no” on 17 statewide ballot propositions, and many Californians will have the opportunity to vote on local initiatives.

For national elections, California has been a solidly blue Democratic state, and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is projected to win it. But California is also filling the empty Senate seat that will be left by Sen. Barbara Boxer with one of two Democrats that voters will choose between: U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange or California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.

In some California districts, no Republicans besides presidential candidate Donald Trump will appear on the ballot.

Along with multiple local government elections down ballot, voters in many California congressional districts will get the opportunity to pick their congressional representatives. Here are the ones we’re watching.

For live coverage on election night, follow along at latimes.com/trailguide.

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The district where water is more important than all other campaign issues

(Sarah D. Wire/ Los Angeles Times)

In California’s Central Valley, the nation’s most productive agricultural region, the drought drives everything. And the ongoing fight over how much water flows could be the reason Democrats haven’t been able to win in the 21st Congressional District with a national race even though 47% of registered voters there are Democrats.

Here’s a look at the role of water in the race between Rep. David Valadao, and attorney Emilio Huerta.

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What happens if both death penalty measures are approved by voters on Nov. 8?

(Pat Sullivan / Associated Press)

California voters are weighing dueling death penalty propositions on the Nov. 8 ballot, one that seeks to repeal the system and another that aims to speed it up.

If both pass with a majority, the initiative with the most “yes” votes would supersede the other. If both fail to garner the votes, then the status quo remains, a frustrating prospect for many as advocates on both sides of the issue say the system is broken.

California has more than 740 inmates awaiting execution, the largest death row population in the country. Their appeals go directly to the state Supreme Court and take 25 years to process.

Both capital punishment measures would require current prisoners to work and pay restitution to victims. But Proposition 62 would repeal the death penalty in California for first-degree murder and replace the sentence with life in prison without the possibility of parole. It also would apply retroactively to offenders already sentenced to death.

Proposition 66 would designate lower trial courts to take on initial challenges to convictions and limit successive appeals to within five years of a death sentence. It also would require court-appointed lawyers who don’t take capital appeals to represent death row inmates.

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California Politics Podcast: Propositions, polling and parole

The fact that there are 17 propositions on the statewide ballot has not only made things hard on voters, it’s been almost impossible for pollsters to sample opinion on so many issues.

But one new poll looks at some of the least talked about measures, and it’s our first topic on this week’s California Politics Podcast. The poll suggests a lot of voters remain undecided about several of these low-profile proposals.

We also take a detailed look at one of the most contentious ballot fights, the effort by Gov. Jerry Brown to revamp state prison parole rules through Proposition 57.

I’m joined on this week’s episode by Marisa Lagos of KQED News.

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Some good news on California’s ailing first dog, Sutter Brown

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Rep. Loretta Sanchez bounces back from past comments to receive Muslim group’s co-endorsement for U.S. Senate

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange).
(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who was criticized by Muslim groups last year after a comment about Muslims’ support for establishing a strict Islamic state, appears to have made amends.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations California issued a co-endorsement in California’s U.S. Senate race for both Sanchez and her rival, fellow Democrat state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.

“For 20 years I have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Muslim American community and I am truly humbled and honored to have their support for United States Senate,” Sanchez said in a statement released Friday.

Sanchez said that, last month, she signed a letter addressed to the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Secretary to ensure that individuals inquiring about their placement on the No Fly List, known as the terrorist watch list, are not deprived of their due process rights. The congresswoman also said she is a co-sponsor the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016 to stop the slaughter of the Syrian people, encourage a negotiated political settlement and hold Syrian human rights abusers accountable.

Sanchez faced criticism after the San Bernardino terrorist attack in December when, during an interview with Larry King, she suggested that 5% to 20% of Muslims support a caliphate, a strict Islamic state. The congresswoman insists that her statement has not been refuted by any credible source.

Joe Salas, president of the CAIR California’s political action committee, which issued the co-endorsement, called Sanchez’s comment about the caliphate “irresponsible and repugnant.” But he said that Sanchez had a good record in Congress regarding protecting the civil rights of Muslims and other communities.

Harris, who was in Sacramento on Friday to address a state NAACP convention, called Sanchez’s comment “ignorant and misinformed.”

4:45 p.m.: This story was updated to include a comment from a representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations California and additional comments from Sanchez.

This article was originally published at 4:05 p.m.

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In ‘No on 62, Yes on 66’ campaign ad, murder victim’s mother urges California voters to keep the death penalty

In three online ads released Friday, Sandra Friend tells California voters they should fix the state’s death penalty system, not end it.

The 43-year-old mother has been a crime victims advocate since Robert Boyd Rhoades sexually abused and killed her 8-year-old son, Michael Lyons, two decades ago. She is now serving as one of the main voices behind a campaign that is working to defeat Proposition 62, which would repeal the death penalty, and in favor of Proposition 66, which seeks to speed up executions.

Voters will weigh the dueling capital punishment initiatives on the Nov. 8 ballot. Both would require current death row inmates to work and pay restitution to victims, but would take opposing approaches to what the measures both call a broken system.

Rhoades, who abducted Lyons on his way home from school in Yuba City, is one of 740 death row inmates in California. Executions have been on hold since 2006, when the state’s lethal injection protocol was challenged in court.

Friend tells viewers it has been difficult coming to terms with the fact that her son was murdered by a twice-convicted sex offender.

“I am living a parent’s worst nightmare,” she says.

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Former state Sen. Ronald Calderon sentenced to 42 months in prison on corruption charge

Former state Sen. Ronald S. Calderon was sentenced in Los Angeles on Friday to 42 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in a federal corruption case.

The Montebello Democrat, who served in the state Senate for eight years ending in 2014, admitted in a plea deal in June that he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI agents and a hospital executive in return for official favors.

Federal prosecutors had asked for a five-year sentence for a charge where the maximum possible penalty was 20 years.

U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, who handed down the sentence to Calderon, said five years was too severe but that a significant prison sentence was needed to punish Calderon and send a message to other elected officials that corruption will not be tolerated.

“The crime is significant,” she said during the court hearing. “This is a true public corruption case.”

Striking a defiant tone throughout, Calderon refused to admit any wrong-doing or to apologize during the court hearing.

“My goal was always to do the right thing for California,” he said. “At no point did I intend to break the law.”

He said he ultimately decided to plead guilty in order to spare his family the ordeal of a trial, but persisted in his innocence, saying he never agreed to any quid pro quo to benefit himself or his family.

Unemployed and tens of thousands of dollars in debt, Calderon said professional relationships had been ruined as had his relationship with his brother.

“My reputation is destroyed,” Calderon said.

Snyder was unmoved. “I did not really hear Senator Calderon accept responsibility or apologize,” she said. “It was really about himself.”

Calderon, 59, had pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud as part of a plea in which he admitted to accepting trips to Las Vegas, jobs for a son and daughter, and cash for him and his brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon.

Tom Calderon was sentenced last month to one year in federal custody for laundering bribes taken by his brother.

The Calderon family was politically powerful for decades in California. A third brother, former Assemblyman Charles Calderon, was not implicated in the corruption scandal.

Ronald Calderon’s nephew, Ian Calderon, is a state assemblyman, the last family member in state elected office. He was not alleged to have any part in the corruption scheme.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Mack E. Jenkins wrote a blistering brief opposing Calderon’s request to serve time with home detention or be released for the brief time he already spent in jail.

“Here, defendant’s trafficking in his legislative votes (for, by contrast, over $150,000 in benefits) caused a reverberation of negative effects throughout California and put a stain not just on his career, but on the reputation of the state legislature,” Jenkins wrote.

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Accusations fly in the congressional race for this Northern California swing district

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ami Bera, left, shakes hands with his Republican challenger, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, after their debate Tuesday in the race for the 7th Congressional District seat.
(Jose Luis Villegas / Associated Press)

Questions about character have been dominating the congressional race between Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones.

Both candidates have been plagued by allegations of wrongdoing. Bera’s father was recently sentenced to jail for illegally funneling money to two of his son’s past campaigns. Jones faces allegations he sexually harassed a subordinate at the Sheriff’s Department more than a decade ago, which he denies.

They’re competing in a divided district that leans Democratic, but not by much. In 2014, Bera beat his Republican challenger by less than a percentage point.

“This race is always one of the closest races in the country,” he said.

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Kamala Harris continues to cash in on California’s Democratic Party support

U.S. Senate candidate and California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris speaks during a debate against Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez in Los Angeles on Oct. 5.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

The California Democratic Party says it has increased its direct support of Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris’ U.S. Senate campaign to more than $690,000.

Harris won the California Democratic Party’s support in February when delegates at its annual convention voted overwhelmingly to endorse her for Senate. Her rival in the Senate race, fellow Democrat and Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, has not received any help from the state party.

Harris also is prominently featured on a slate mailer being sent out to voters
by the party that also features Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and local Democrats endorsed by the party.

The price tag for that mailer came in at $431,000.

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Loretta Sanchez says she got death threats after she voted against the Iraq war

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, after her speech Thursday.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez on Thursday urged ROTC cadets at UCLA to have the courage to challenge politicians who call for “ill conceived” uses of military force such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

“We need military leaders that understand the limits of our military power,” said Sanchez, who has served in Congress for two decades and sits on the House Armed Services Committee. “Why is it that every generation and every president has to learn that all over again?”

The Orange County congresswoman made the comments during an address to ROTC cadets at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.

Sanchez said her experience on the House Armed Services Committee made her question the long-term implications of the Iraq invasion, and whether the U.S. might find itself bogged down in a war in the Middle East. In 2002, Sanchez was among the 133 House members who voted against the authorization of military force against Iraq.

“It was a lonely time,” Sanchez told the cadets. “[When] I came back to Orange County, I was spit on. I received death threats.”

The congresswoman told the cadets the military is just one part of a national security strategy that includes intelligence gathering, diplomacy and the use of the country’s economic strength.

“Because so much is at stake, the use of our military should always be a last resort,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez is running against fellow Democrat and state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris for California’s U.S. Senate seat. She says her expertise on national defense and terrorism are among the reasons she’s the most qualified candidate.

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The tobacco tax money race is a lot closer than it used to be

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Tobacco companies claim proponents of cigarette tax will ‘use the new revenue to enrich their top executives’

Tobacco companies have unveiled a new claim in their campaign against the $2-per-pack increase in cigarette taxes on the November ballot.

In a television advertisement that debuted over the weekend, the No on Proposition 56 campaign contends that the doctors and health insurance groups financing the initiative wrote it to avoid external oversight over the money going to low-income patient care.

“They even exempted themselves from the new audit requirements,” the ad states. “They can use the new revenue to enrich their top executives, and there’s no requirement to treat even one more patient.”

The claim rests on a part of the Proposition 56 initiative that creates new auditing rules to govern where the new tax money would go. But it ignores the litany of state and federal auditing requirements to which Medi-Cal, the state’s low-income health program, already is subject.

First, here’s a little background about how the money from Proposition 56 would get spent. Assuming fewer people use tobacco because of the tax increase, the tax would raise about $1.27 billion next year, according to an estimate from the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Of that amount, $710 million – about 56% — would go to Medi-Cal, primarily to increase the payment doctors and other healthcare providers receive when they treat patients. The remaining dollars go to back-filling current state and local sales taxes and other programs because fewer people will buy cigarettes, doctor and dentist training and anti-tobacco efforts. The initiative kicks in $400,000 a year to audit the agencies receiving the money.

Beth Miller, spokeswoman for the No on 56 campaign, said that opponents like that state and local agencies will be audited if the measure passes. The criticism is that the provisions don’t go far enough.

“It would have been nice to have those audit requirements also apply to those end users, so to speak: the hospitals, the insurance companies and the doctors,” Miller said.

Medi-Cal providers, however, get audited all the time. The state’s Department of Health Care Services does internal audits and investigations through an entire department of about 700 employees and a $50-million budget dedicated to reviewing the programs under its jurisdiction, including looking at the financial records of Medi-Cal providers.

Beyond that, the California State Auditor has issued at least two wide-ranging audits involving Medi-Cal providers in the last five years on the state’s oversight of managed-care plans. And the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General also audits programs and providers that receive federal dollars for low-income patients. One recent federal audit of California that examined pediatric dental providers happened last May.

Miller contended that the audits required under Proposition 56 are more transparent than the existing state and federal programs.

Mike Roth, spokesman for the Yes on 56 campaign, said the initiative has plenty of safeguards to ensure the tax money is spent wisely, including the auditing provisions.

“This is another desperate and deceitful red herring from tobacco companies, and it takes the cake as far as their flagrant lies about Proposition 56,” Roth said.

Here’s the full ad:

UPDATES:

3:03 p.m.: This post was updated to include the full video of the advertisement.

This article was originally published at 2:00 p.m.

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L.A. Daily News endorses write-in candidate over Democratic assemblyman

Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian during Gov. Jerry Brown's State of the State speech in Sacramento earlier this year.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A Los Angeles assemblyman who was previously running unopposed is now facing a stiff challenge from a write-in candidate who appears to be gathering steam.

The Los Angeles Daily News announced its endorsement yesterday of Angela Rupert, an immigration attorney and first-time candidate, over incumbent Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks).

Nazarian, a two-term legislator, won 99.6% of the votes in the June primary. But the Daily News says Rupert, who won just 131 write-in votes, “has the potential to be a better Assembly member” than Nazarian.

“After four years, we aren’t seeing big results,” wrote the newspaper’s editorial board, which endorsed Nazarian in his last two elections. “Nazarian still sounds less comfortable with confrontation than with negotiation and equivocal positions, and satisfied with incremental victories.”

Nazarian’s campaign has claimed Rupert was recruited to run by his Democratic colleague, Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), with whom he has had an ongoing public feud.

Rupert is married to Jason Insalaco, a former staffer for Gatto, and Rupert’s write-in candidacy was supported by a group of anti-vaccination parents who have also supported Gatto. Gatto voted against SB 277, California’s new law eliminating personal belief exemptions for schoolchildren.

In an email, Rupert’s campaign spokeswoman said Rupert supports SB 277 and vaccination in schools, and accused Nazarian’s campaign of creating a “false narrative” of his opponent as an “anti-vaxxer.”

Last month, a judge struck down Rupert’s ballot designation as an “educator” after Nazarian complained that it wasn’t her primary job. She will now appear on the ballot as an “attorney/small businesswoman.”

Internal polling released by Rupert’s campaign earlier this month showed the assemblyman leading 34% to 25%, with 41% of voters undecided.

2:40 p.m., Oct. 21: This article was updated to clarify Rupert’s stance on vaccination in schools.

This article was originally published at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 20.

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Central Valley congressional race that once ‘leaned Republican’ is now a toss-up, report says

Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock)
(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

The nonpartisan analysts at the Cook Political Report now say it’s a “toss-up” whether Republican Rep. Jeff Denham or Democrat beekeeper Michael Eggman will win the 10th Congressional District race.

The race had been rated “leans Republican” since last fall, indicating that the analysts expected Denham to keep the seat, but felt Democrats had a chance.

This is the second matchup for Denham and Eggman. Denham won in 2014 with 56.4% of the vote.

Democrats have worked for months to tie vulnerable House Republicans to the rhetoric of their presidential nominee, Donald Trump, and this race is one where Trump’s effect down the ballot could be most visible.

Denham has said he disagrees with Trump’s rhetoric, but hasn’t backed off supporting him, a move that could prove unpopular in the Central Valley district where at least 40% of the population is Latino.

Three Republican-held seats in California are now considered toss-ups. The other two are representing the 25th Congressional District, held by Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale), and the 49th Congressional District, held by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista).

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California Senate leader endorses gun control initiative despite differences with its author, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom

California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, left, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, applaud at Gov. Jerry Brown's State of the State speech in January.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Despite political differences with its author, state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) on Thursday endorsed Proposition 63, which would expand California’s already tough gun control laws.

Proposition 63 was proposed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and would outlaw large-capacity ammunition magazines, require background checks for those buying bullets, require lost or stolen guns to be reported quickly, make stealing a firearm a felony and provide a process for newly convicted felons to relinquish their guns.

De León and Newsom have both been working on gun control issues for years and both have aspirations for higher office. Newsom is running for governor in 2018. Some in the De León camp thought when the initiative was proposed last year that it was being used to try to take over an issue on which the senator has been a leader.

The two disagreed earlier this year on the best way to achieve gun control aims, with De León publicly calling on Newsom to drop his initiative and allow the Legislature to act, and Newsom refusing, charging that the Legislature’s proposals were not extensive enough.

In the end, the Legislature approved several bills, including one by De León that requires background checks for ammunition purchasers, even though a similar proposal is included in the Newsom initiative. The Legislature also mandated that its background-check plan would supersede the one in Proposition 63.

On Thursday, De León made no mention of the differences.

“Earlier this year, our Legislature passed the most sweeping and important package of gun safety laws in the nation, increasing nationwide momentum and grass-roots outcries for common-sense safeguards against gun violence,” De León said in a statement.

“I endorse Proposition 63 because we must send a powerful and united message to the national Gun Lobby that California will not capitulate to political bullying or compromise the public safety,” he added.

The differences between the two politicians were highlighted noted by Richard Grenell, co-chairman of the Coalition for Civil Liberties, which is campaigning against the initiative.

“This is a prime example of why people should trust law enforcement on this question before self-interested politicians,” Grenell said. “Just a few months ago, de León asked Newsom to repeal Prop 63.”

De León’s statement was released a day after Newsom ruffled some feathers in the De León camp when he told the Sacramento Press Club that his initiative accomplishes things that state officials could not.

Newsom noted that 11 other states have enacted the requirement that stolen guns be reported.

“There have been legislative attempts and they have failed multiple times here in the Capitol,” Newsom said. The Legislature did approve such a bill this year, but it was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown in July.

The political dispute between the two leading Democrats surfaced last year when De León acted to slash a third of Newsom’s staff, notifying him that two Senate employees who had been on loan to the lieutenant governor’s office were being reassigned.

UPDATED at 1:10 pm to include comment from opponent of initiative.

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No fight from the business community over the proposed tobacco and income tax hikes

(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

Business groups often make up a triumvirate with Republicans and taxpayer advocates against tax increases.

But on the two tax hikes on the 2016 California ballot, major business leaders are mostly staying away from the fight. They tend to dislike the income tax extensions promised by Proposition 55, but aren’t campaigning against them. And some are even backing Proposition 56’s cigarette tax increases.

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Almost half a million Californians have already voted by mail, with a surge in some hotly contested races

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Early data compiled from local elections officials shows a surge of ballots being returned in the mail, especially in some of the most closely watched races this election season.

A report compiled by Political Data Inc. shows almost 408,000 ballots cast in just the first eight days of voting, with more than half of those ballots arriving in local election offices Wednesday.

As we’ve reported before, election day in California is now more like an election month. A majority of the state’s voters cast their ballots away from traditional polling places, and political professionals can closely monitor which voters in any given race have turned those ballots back in.

The report also shows strong early voting in some of California’s most talked about congressional races.

In the hotly contested reelection race of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), more than four times as many ballots have been returned so far compared to the 2014 general election. And even though Republicans have an eight-point registration advantage in Issa’s district, the ballots cast so far have skewed more Democratic. In early voting, the two major parties are almost even in the number of votes cast. Issa, facing a tough race against Democrat Douglas Applegate, recently sent out a campaign mailer trying to appeal to local voters who support President Obama.

Compared to the first few days of the 2014 general election, substantially more ballots have also been cast in the Central Valley races featuring Reps. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) and David Valadao (R-Hanford). In both districts, Democratic voters are outpacing GOP voters in early ballot returns.

While none of the data offers information on how those ballots were cast -- these are only totals received by county officials -- the early numbers may offer a glimpse at how energized some parts of the electorate are in this contentious campaign season.

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President Obama has been busy cutting ads for fellow Democrats

There are certain duties that come with being a leader nearing the end of his presidency. It would seem sitting down in front of a camera and recording multiple ads supporting down-ballot candidates is one of them.

President Obama cut at least five ads wearing the same dark suit and purple-striped tie in what appears to be in the same room. Most of the candidates are in hotly contested races that could help Democrats win control of Congress, or they have personal ties to the president.

The latest is an ad supporting California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, a longtime political ally of the president, in her campaign against Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez for the U.S. Senate.

The ad appears to have been shot at the same time as TV spots the president cut for a number of Democratic congressional candidates, including Bryan Caforio, who is challenging freshman Rep. Steve Knight in a tossup race in north Los Angeles County.

It looks like the same room the Harris ad was shot in — minus a statue behind Obama’s right shoulder.

The statue is back in an ad for former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, who is now a Democratic congressional candidate running against GOP Rep. David Jolly. Both Roll Call and the Cook Political Report say the seat leans toward Democrats.

Obama also cut an ad for Minnesota congressional candidate Terri Bonoff. She is running against four-term Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen in a race that Roll Call lists as Republican-favored.

Bonoff gets a personal shout out: in the ad Obama says Bonoff’s son is one of his “closest aides” and he calls the candidate “somebody special.”

Obama also appears in an ad for former Rep. Brad Schneider in his race against GOP Rep. Bob Dold in a suburban district outside of Obama’s hometown of Chicago. It is the third time the two are facing off: Schneider beat Dold in 2012 only to lose the seat to him in 2014.

Obama also appears in a radio ad supporting former Nevada Atty. Gen. Catherine Cortez-Masto in her race against Republican Rep. Joe Heck to succeed retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

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President Obama stars in new TV ad for U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris

The newest political ad from U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris features her biggest endorser: President Obama.

The president praises Harris’ work as California’s attorney general, saying she took on transnational gangs “and won,” sued for-profit colleges for scamming students “and won” and took on the big banks responsible for the mortgage meltdown “and won.”

“Kamala Harris knows you’ve got to be fearless against the special interests,” Obama says, speaking directly into the camera during the 30-second television spot.

The ad appears to be shot at the same time as TV spots Obama cut for a number of Democratic congressional candidates, including Bryan Caforio, who is challenging freshman Rep. Steve Knight in North Los Angeles County.

The president is wearing the same dark suit and purple-striped tie, and appears to be in the same room -- just as he is in campaigns ad for former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, who is now a Democratic congressional candidate, and Minnesota congressional candidate Terri Bonoff.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced their support for Harris in the Senate race in July. Harris has been a longtime political ally of the president and served as the California co-chair of his 2008 presidential campaign.

Still, both Harris and Sanchez are Democrats, and the congresswoman’s supporters criticized the president for choosing sides in an intra-party contest. In response, Sanchez accused Obama of being part of the “entrenched political establishment” that she said has failed California voters.

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What will Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom focus on in his run for governor? Aging infrastructure among issues

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in Los Angeles in April.
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in Los Angeles in April.
(Nick Ut / Associated Press)

Signaling that his gubernatorial campaign will shift into higher gear after next month’s election, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that he is working on a plan to double spending on roads and other infrastructure since the Legislature failed to act this year.

“This is going to be something you will be hearing a lot more from me on over the course of the next number of months, a very aggressive infrastructure proposal,” Newsom said in a speech to the Sacramento Press Club.

The former San Francisco mayor is running for governor in 2018. He noted that the governor and Legislature did not reach an agreement on a transportation funding program in the face of a $130-billion backlog in state and local road repairs.

Legislative Democrats proposed a $7.4-billion plan earlier this year that would raise the gas tax by 17 cents a gallon. That’s about twice the size of an earlier plan by Gov. Jerry Brown.

“We’ve got to more than double our investment in infrastructure in this state,” Newsom said, adding the problem has reached “code red” in California. Plans by the governor to use proceeds from sale of cap-and-trade credits “have merits,” he said.

Separately, Newsom said he continues to support the vision of a high speed rail system for California but said “I remain concerned about the finances.” He said the private sector must step up to provide more of the money as the project cost has close to doubled from its original $33 billion price tag.

Newsom acknowledged that he has work to do to introduce himself to voters outside his home base.

“I think a lot of the state really doesn’t know me yet,” he said, adding he sees it as a “great opportunity” to tell his story.

He declined to comment on the gubernatorial candidacy of state Treasurer John Chiang and possible runs by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer.

“I’m not focused on those others,” he said. “I’m focused on what we have before us.”

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L.A. activist is building his AIDS organization into a political powerhouse with two November ballot measures

(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

When Michael Weinstein launched his AIDS Healthcare Foundation in the late 1980s, he had a coffee can for donations and a $50,000 budget to provide end-of-life care to those dying of the disease.

Today, he’s grown the nonprofit into a $1.2-billion operation that manages hundreds of clinics and pharmacies globally, and has quickly become a major political player in California, and, he hopes, nationally.

AHF, as it is known, is sponsoring two initiatives on California’s November ballot: Proposition 60, which would require adult film actors to use condoms during sex scenes, and Proposition 61, which would bar state agencies from entering contracts to purchase drugs where the price is higher than that paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

That’s quite a feat in a state as expensive as California, and in a political year as crowded as 2016.

“We’re doing things on a scale that we haven’t before,” Weinstein said in a recent interview from his office in a Hollywood high-rise.

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These janitors are giving up sleep to knock on doors for Hillary Clinton

Yamilex Rustrian, left, of North Hollywood, and Leticia Soto of Los Angeles check Las Vegas addresses to visit to encourage voters to support Hillary Clinton.
(Sarah D. Wire / Los Angeles Times)

Early Saturday morning, Yamilex Rustrian sat with her mother and other janitors assembled at long tables in the old mortuary that is home to the SEIU United Service Workers West. They ate ham, cheese and bean sandwiches as they waited for the final workers to get off the late shift. At least one came still dressed in her blue smock.

The group of janitors and their children made a quick trip to Las Vegas over the weekend to knock on doors for Hillary Clinton, and got home Sunday just in time for the late shift.

Each had their reasons to join the more than 150 union members who made the trip.

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Kamala Harris has a big money advantage in homestretch of Senate race

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Super PAC uses San Bernardino images in ad targeting Central Valley Congressional candidate

A super PAC supporting Republican House candidates will use images of news coverage of last year’s mass shooting in San Bernardino in an ad against Democrat Michael Eggman that begins running Wednesday.

The ad, which dings Eggman for supporting the Iran nuclear deal, begins with an announcer saying, “The worst thing imaginable. Terrorist attack right here, in California. The threat is real.” The sound comes over images of news clippings and familiar video of victims being removed by stretcher from the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

Eggman, a bee farmer, is challenging Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) in the 10th Congressional District. The district is being closely watched as an indicator of how Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might affect down-ballot candidates.

The Iran deal has been one of Trump’s criticisms of Hillary Clinton.

The Congressional Leadership Fund has said it plans to spend $2 million on the 10th District race, and has similar ads planned in two other closely watched districts: the 21st, held by Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), and the 7th, held by Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove).

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Congressional candidates Ami Bera and Scott Jones spar over scandals in debate

Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove)
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones
(Rich Pedroncelli / AP)

U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, candidates in California’s 7th Congressional District race, squabbled over scandals that have plagued each of their campaigns during a debate Tuesday night.

Bera and Jones are locked in one of the tightest congressional races in the state in a divided Sacramento County district. The hour-long debate, held at KVIE television studios in Sacramento, featured clashes between the candidates over the death penalty, marijuana legalization and Donald Trump.

But the first question from the moderators focused on allegations that Jones sexually harassed one of his subordinates at the sheriff’s department more than a decade ago. In a court deposition, a female deputy working for Jones said he groped and kissed her without consent, the Sacramento Bee reported in July.

During the debate, Jones, a Republican, said he did not sexually harass the woman.

“She is lying,” he said. “The allegations are absolutely untrue, unequivocally false.”

Bera, a Democrat, called the allegations “disturbing.”

The moderators also questioned Bera about his father’s money laundering crimes. In August, Bera’s father was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for illegally funneling money to his son’s congressional campaigns in 2010 and 2012. The congressman has denied knowing anything about the scheme.

“I was shocked when the U.S. attorney approached us,” Bera said at a news conference following the debate. “My father made a grave mistake.”

Jones said he didn’t believe that Bera had no knowledge of the scheme.

“I absolutely do think he knew about it,” Jones said during the debate.

The candidates were also asked to weigh in on two of the ballot measures facing California voters in November: Propositions 62 and 64. Bera said he would likely support Proposition 62, which would end the death penalty in California, while Jones said he opposed it.

Both candidates said they would vote no on Proposition 64, which would legalize recreational marijuana in the state. Bera said during the debate he would support the initiative if voters passed it and later clarified in a post-debate press conference that he would personally vote against the measure.

Bera hit Jones over the sheriff’s recent announcement that he would no longer vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump after months of saying he would.

Bera said Jones should have come out against Trump sooner, citing the presidential nominee’s previous controversial comments about women and a Gold Star military family.

Jones said he supported Trump for his policies, not his character, until he saw a video released earlier this month that prompted scores of Republicans to denounce the nominee. In the video, Trump bragged about kissing and groping women without their consent.

“He was talking about things that we’ve arrested people for,” Jones said. “I had to depart from him at that time.”

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President Obama endorses Democrat running against Los Angeles’ most vulnerable Republican

In a sign that Democrats are making a serious effort to win back control of the House, President Obama has cut a television ad supporting Democratic candidate Bryan Caforio, who is challenging freshman Rep. Steve Knight in a toss-up North Los Angeles County race.

Knight (R-Lancaster) has been called California’s “most vulnerable” incumbent this cycle as the 25th Congressional District he represents has lost a Republican advantage among registered voters and as the share of Latino voters there has grown to more than 1 in 5 voters.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named Knight a top target this election season and, along with Caforio, has spent heavily to hit the conservative congressman with attack ads highlighting his strong antiabortion stance.

Now Caforio has a rare testimonial from Obama, who narrowly lost the district in 2012.

“I’m with Bryan because he’ll take on the big banks, just like he did as a consumer attorney,” Obama says in the ad. “He’ll fight Republican efforts to privatize Social Security, he’ll keep Planned Parenthood funded and protect women’s health, and pass equal pay for equal work.”

The endorsement comes as the race to represent the large district spanning Simi Valley, Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley has grown more expensive and punchy.

Knight was among the Republicans who recently said they would no longer support Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Caforio had put the pressure on Knight to disavow Trump previously, notably after Trump attacked the family of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq.

About $2 million in outside money has come in to influence the race on both sides.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has attacked Caforio for having moved into the suburban district only shortly before announcing his candidacy in December. The ad also highlights a Times story that looked at Caforio’s six-year tenure at the Century City law firm Susman Godfrey.

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Ro Khanna slams Rep. Mike Honda in new TV ads for being ‘around too long’

Democratic congressional challenger Ro Khanna began a TV ad blitz against his opponent, Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) today.

Khanna released two 30-second ads alleging Honda has been “caught trading favors for campaign contributions” and that the eight-term congressman has been “around too long.”

The first ad, “Embarrassment,” features footage of Honda falling asleep at a town hall meeting in 2013. In a second, Khanna asserts that a vote for him is a “vote for change.”

Honda also recently launched two TV ads in the 17th Congressional District, one of which was dubbed “tawdry” by a San Jose Mercury News columnist.

One of those ads, which launched last week, featured an Indian American actor imitating Khanna, drinking champagne in the back of a limousine and taking one phone call after another from Wall Street donors.

Khanna’s supporters criticized Honda for what they called a “racially coded” ad, to which Honda replied that his opponent was “using the very serious issue of racism to divert people’s attention.”

The most recent fundraising figures show Khanna with a strong advantage heading into the final weeks of the campaign, with $1.5 million cash on hand, almost double what Honda has in the bank.

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Federal prosector seeks 5 years for former California Sen. Ron Calderon in corruption case

A federal prosecutor has recommended that former state Sen. Ron Calderon be sentenced to five years in prison as part of a federal corruption case that rocked the California state Capitol.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Mack E. Jenkins wrote a blistering brief urging the federal judge to not show leniency to Calderon, who in June entered a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.

“Here, defendant’s trafficking in his legislative votes (for, by contrast, over $150,000 in benefits) caused a reverberation of negative effects throughout California and put a stain not just on his career, but on the reputation of the state legislature,” Jenkins wrote ahead of Friday’s sentencing date.

The prosecutor noted that only one fellow politician wrote a letter of support for Calderon, a Montebello Democrat.

“In defendant’s plea agreement, he admitted to participating in two substantial and complex bribery schemes that entailed multiple forms of bribes, concealment and sophisticated money laundering,” the prosecutor wrote. “Here, defendant sold his vote not just to help pay for the expenses of living beyond his means, but for the more banal and predictable aims of corruption — fancy luxuries, fancy parties and fancy people.”

An attorney for Calderon has asked the judge to sentence the former lawmaker to time already served in jail during his booking or home detention.

Jenkins proposed that Calderon be sentenced to five years in custody, one year of supervised release, a $7,500 fine and 250 hours of community service.

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San Bernardino assemblywoman named to list of ‘most anti-environment’ state candidates in the U.S.

The California League of Conservation Voters has named Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino) to a list of what it calls the “most anti-environment” state candidates nationwide.

The group’s “Dirty Dozen in the states” list, maintained by state chapters of the League of Conservation Voters, was first compiled in 2010.

Brown is the first Californian to be named to the state-level list, which is modeled after a “Dirty Dozen” list of federal candidates that the national organization has kept for 20 years.

Brown’s environmental record in the Legislature has become a central issue in her pitched battle against fellow Democrat Eloise Reyes, who has received endorsements from the California League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

Reyes has criticized Brown for helping block a major provision in Gov. Jerry Brown’s climate change bill last year, and for the $1.1 million Chevron has contributed to an independent expenditure committee supporting the incumbent. Overall, oil companies have contributed more than $8 million to various committees supporting Brown as well as other candidates this cycle.

Local environmental groups were up in arms earlier this year when Brown supporters sent out mailers calling the assemblywoman an “environmental champion,” and some have dubbed her “Chevron Cheryl.”

“The Inland Empire has some of the dirtiest air in the country. Yet time and again Cheryl Brown has sided with Chevron and Big Oil, who fuel her campaign, rather than act to protect the health of her constituents,” said CLCV Political Director James Johnson in a statement Tuesday.

The CLCV has also contributed $40,000 toward an independent expenditure committee that has spent more than $1.4 million supporting Reyes and opposing Brown.

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Rep. Darrell Issa, a frequent Obama critic, praises the president in new campaign mailer

In a turn from his frequent criticism of President Obama, Vista Republican Rep. Darrell Issa has sent out a campaign mailer saying he was “pleased” with the president for signing legislation he co-sponsored into law.

The legislation, which passed with bipartisan support, provides victims of sexual assault legal protections in the federal criminal justice system.

Issa, who is locked in a hotly contested reelection campaign, is the same Republican who once called President Obama “one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times.” While chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Issa led investigations into the Benghazi attack, the Internal Revenue Service scandal, the botched “Fast and Furious” gun sting and other actions by the Obama administration.

One side of the mailer has a nice picture of Obama at his desk, as well as a quote from Issa saying that he was “very pleased” that the president signed the bill.

Issa campaign spokesman Calvin Moore said Issa’s support of the Survivors Bill of Rights is one of many examples of the legislator’s working across the aisle since he was first elected to Congress in 2000. Issa also worked with Vice President Joe Biden to strengthen the Violence Against Women Act, and for the last three years, he has worked with Republicans and Democrats to improve the Freedom of Information Act, Moore said.

“The day-in and day-out of being an effective legislator means working across the aisle with members you don’t necessarily agree with on every point and putting that aside to get things done,” Moore said.

Last month, Issa told The Times he planned to emphasize his ability to work with Democrats to pass legislation important to California. He endorsed Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) in her U.S. Senate race against fellow Democrat state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.

Issa is running his toughest congressional campaign to date, an increasingly nasty race that has been declared a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report. Issa’s Democratic challenger in the 49th Congressional District, retired Marine Col. Doug Applegate, has criticized the congressman as a Washington insider and a major supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Applegate’s campaign manager, Robert Dempsey, said Issa’s mailer featuring Obama was evidence of his “desperate” attempt to get reelected.

“He has called for President Obama’s impeachment and has attacked the President at every turn but Congressman Issa has never let the truth get in the way of trying to advance his partisan, political agenda and we don’t expect him to start now,” Dempsey said in an email.

Issa attacked Applegate as well for allegations that he harassed and threatened his ex-wife during their divorce proceedings and child custody battle more than 10 years ago. He outspent Applegate by approximately $700,000 in the June primary, but the Democrat nabbed 45.5% of the vote, while Issa finished with 50.8%.

2:58 p.m.: This story was updated with a comment from Applegate’s campaign manager.

This article was originally published at 2:27 p.m.

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A new Jay Z video says pot should be legal in California and calls the war on drugs an ‘epic fail’

Rapper Jay Z has weighed in to support Proposition 64, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California, calling the war on drugs “an epic fail,” in a YouTube video, which also describes how the effort filled prisons with young African American and Latino men.

“Young men like me who hustle became the sole villain,” Jay Z says as the video depicts the deterioration of a neighborhood drawn by artist Molly Crabapple.

The one-minute video was produced by the group Drug Policy Action from a longer animated video that addressed the general issue of drug prohibition, said Jason Kinney, a spokesman for the campaign.

The shortened video, titled “The War on Drugs from Prohibition to Gold Rush,” ends with a new, written message urging people to vote for Proposition 64, adding, “We can stop the harm on Nov. 8.”

Jay Z agreed to have the video tailored to the Proposition 64 campaign, Kinney said.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who helped qualify the initiative, praised the rapper on Twitter, writing “Thank you, Jay Z, for your strong voice for social justice & co-creating this new @Yeson64 video!”

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First dog Sutter Brown happy at home with California governor after tough battle with cancer

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Democratic group releases misleading ads tying Rep. David Valadao to Donald Trump

A super PAC supporting Democratic House candidates has produced two misleading ads connecting Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

“Republican Congressman David Valadao said ‘absolutely’ he would support Trump,” the ads state.

But the CBS Fresno interview the ads rely on is a year old and happened before the primary had begun and when there were more than a dozen Republicans vying for the nomination.

Valadao said in June that he would not support Trump or his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, in November, and he has been critical of Trump’s recently uncovered comments about groping women, saying they back up his decision not to support the Republican nominee.

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Bay Area congressman Eric Swalwell got married over the weekend

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) and Brittany Watts, a sales director at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, got married on Friday.

They were married at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland. Before being elected to Congress, Swalwell worked in the courthouse as a prosecutor with the Alameda County district attorney’s office.

Here is the couple’s wedding announcement. The congressman also posted an image of the couple cutting their wedding cake on Instagram.

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Los Angeles’ top elections officer talks about voter fraud and polling place intimidation in Reddit chat

The questions posed by Reddit users on Monday to the top elections officer in Los Angeles ranged from small problems over where to cast an early ballot to broader concerns about election security.

Dean Logan, Los Angeles County’s registrar of voters, attempted to answer almost all of them during the hourlong online conversation.

Asked about intimidation of voters at the polls, possibly inspired by criticisms over comments by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, Logan said the question has been popping up a lot in his office.

“We, of course, encourage people to observe all elements of the process, but any disruption of voters or intimidation of voters is unacceptable,” he wrote.

Another Reddit user asked whether all ballots mailed or dropped off at a polling place are counted.

“Any valid and timely received vote by mail ballot will be counted and included in the certified election results,” Logan wrote. “I am always surprised by this question.”

Logan said that officials mailed some 1.8 million ballots last week to Los Angeles County’s permanent absentee voters, with one-time requests for ballots by mail being sent out this week.

Asked by one Reddit user about a potential way to commit voter fraud with absentee ballots, Logan said it is important to note that the voter doing so “would be signing an oath under penalty of perjury.”

He also agreed with one questioner’s concern that voter turnout was too low, and suggested that a new state law’s significant expansion of voting by mail may help.

“I think the model of voting we use is somewhat outdated and unfamiliar to new voters,” Logan said.

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When it comes to fundraising, the super PACs in California’s U.S. Senate race haven’t been so super

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, left, and California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris are both running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barbara Boxer.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

The super PACs dabbling in California’s U.S. Senate race between Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) and state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris aren’t exactly breaking fundraising records.

A right-leaning PAC backing Sanchez has raised just $26,000 in the current two-year election cycle, according to its filings with the Federal Election Commission.

The Jobs, Opportunity and Freedom PAC made a splash in June when its GOP consultant, Dave Gilliard, announced the organization was supporting Sanchez because there was no Republican candidate on the November ballot. Sanchez and Harris are Democrats, but the PAC considered the congresswoman to be the more moderate of the two.

The Harris campaign used the PAC as sort of a political bogeyman when it sent out fundraising pleas to potential campaign contributors.

The other PAC supporting Sanchez, Orange County-based California’s New Frontier, has had a little more heft. This week it’s launching a radio ad that attacks Harris as a “Bay Area liberal” and tries to convince Republicans to vote for Sanchez.

The PAC has raised $181,000. The PAC’s donors include former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a Republican who has endorsed Sanchez and gave $20,000, and Irvine developer Michael D. Ray, who gave the same amount.

The largest super PAC in the Senate race backs Harris. Standing Up for California’s Middle Class has raised about $1.2 million as of Sept. 30, according to its filings with the Federal Election Commission.

In September, the PAC received $100,000 from billionaire supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, a longtime patron of Democratic elected officials. Stephen Cloobeck of Las Vegas, the chief executive of a vacation time-share and resorts company, also gave $100,000.

The PAC, however, is backed primarily by organized labor, including the following contributions:

  • $150,000 from the California State Council of Service Employees Political Committee
  • $100,000 from the Service Employees International Union’s United Healthcare Workers
  • $100,000 from the California Professional Firefighters PAC
  • $100,000 from the Employees International Union Local 1000 Candidate PAC
  • $100,000 from the International Assn. of Firefighters
  • $25,000 from an International Brotherhood of Teamsters PAC
  • $25,000 from Professional Engineers in California Government

According to its most recent disclosure, the PAC had hired one of the Harris campaign’s former fundraisers, Erin Mincberg. Other than that and on some polling, the PAC has not spent much, reports show.

Along with the super PACs, the California Democratic Party also has jumped into the Senate race. But the party’s involvement is one-sided. The party has provided more than $560,000 to the Harris campaign, but not a dime to Sanchez.

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Kamala Harris and her husband made $1.17 million in 2015, according to report on their tax returns

Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris files to run for the U.S. Senate in February at the Los Angeles County Registrar with her husband, Douglas Emhoff.
(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

The 2015 tax returns filed by U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris and her husband, Los Angeles attorney Douglas Emhoff, show that the couple earned $1.17 million that year, according to reports.

Harris’ tax returns, which were viewed and first reported by the Sacramento Bee, also showed that the California attorney general and her husband paid $450,000 in state and federal income taxes.

Harris campaign spokesman Nathan Click said journalists are being allowed to view the tax returns by appointment only.

Harris’ rival in the Senate race, Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, provided her 2015 tax return to the Orange County Register and will not make those tax records available to other journalists until after that news organization publishes its story, said Sanchez campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino.

Harris and Sanchez have net worths that likely run in the millions, according to federal and state financial disclosures.

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Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum reopens — and his daughter and grandson get a tour

Christopher Cox, grandson of Richard Nixon, talks to reporters during a tour of the newly renovated Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum reopened Saturday, after a 10-month renovation that sought to reframe the narrative of the 37th president’s life and legacy.

The $15-million remake brings to a close a more than decade-long effort to bring greater legitimacy to a library that historian and Nixon scholar Stanley Kutler once called just “another Southern California theme park” whose reality level was “slightly better than Disneyland.”

We wrote about the library’s new exhibits a couple of months ago, and the challenge of building an unflinching portrait of a complicated man.

In attendance were Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s former secretary of State, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and Nixon’s daughter and grandson, Tricia Nixon Cox and Christopher Nixon Cox.

Times photographer Mark Boster attended the opening and interviewed Nixon’s grandson:

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum reopens

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Orange County super PAC ad rips U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris as a ‘Bay Area liberal’

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange)
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A super PAC backing Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) for U.S. Senate launched a radio ad targeting Republican voters and attacking her rival, California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, as “another Barbara Boxer — a Bay Area liberal backed by the Democratic Party establishment.”

The Orange County-based PAC, called California’s New Frontier, will air the ad on radio stations in Southern California and the Central Valley, according to Stu Mollich, the PAC’s political consultant.

The ad features a Republican couple discussing how to vote in the Senate election in November, a historic statewide contest between two Democrats trying to succeed Boxer, who is retiring after four terms in the U.S. Senate.

After slamming Harris as a “Bay Area liberal,” one of the actors in the ad describes Sanchez as “an anti-establishment Orange County moderate ... [with] a reputation for working across the aisle to solve problems.” The ad says that Sanchez has been endorsed by both Democratic and Republican members of Congress.

The Harris campaign called on Sanchez to repudiate the ad.

“It’s deeply disappointing, but not at all surprising, that Loretta Sanchez’s Trump-supporting allies are attacking Barbara Boxer, a tireless champion for our state and our environment,” said Harris campaign spokesman Nathan Click. “Congresswoman Sanchez should call on her allies to take down the ad and stop appearing at the group’s events.”

California’s New Frontier had raised $161,000 as of Sept. 30, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Among those who donated to the super PAC was former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a Republican who has endorsed Sanchez.

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How would your friends and neighbors vote at a California proposition party?

It’s not exactly what some people have in mind when they think of throwing a cocktail party at their house: Discuss and vote on California’s 17 statewide propositions.

But it’s been a tradition in my house for most of the last decade, so we dived in to the longest ballot in years with a group of friends this past weekend.

The idea came from my wife, who decided that my job as a political reporter covering ballot measures made me the right person to cut through some of the campaign rhetoric for friends and neighbors in our Sacramento neighborhood.

This year, it took about two hours to go through all 17 proposals. And we added a new twist: Asking everyone to cast a secret ballot. I decided, however, that I’d take a pass on voting.

A number of Twitter followers asked questions about the partisan and demographic makeup of the group, based on the vote tally in the photo above. The group of 14 voters was more Democratic and unaffiliated than Republican (though both major parties were represented), and generally white or Latino.

And yes, some of them seem conflicted on the death penalty -- voting both to repeal it, through Proposition 62, and also attempt to expedite the process through Proposition 66.

Others wrote back to say they, too, have been gathering to pore over the Nov. 8 ballot -- a long one, which may mean even more of the state’s growing group of absentee ballots take longer this year deciding how to fill it out.

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California Politics Podcast: Democrats eyeing a legislative supermajority

With three weeks left until election day, California Democrats have their eye on a rare political prize: Winning a supermajority of seats in both houses of the Legislature.

But is it a prize that’s more symbolic than substantive? On this week’s California Politics Podcast, we examine the chances Democrats have in a handful of key races where Republicans were victorious in 2014. And a key factor in some of these races could be local voters’ opinion on the race for president.

We also take another look at the race for the U.S. Senate, in which the broad narratives of both candidates — Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez — seem to be solidifying.

I’m joined this week by Marisa Lagos of KQED News.

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What was California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris’ role in the nationwide mortgage settlement?

A foreclosure sign hangs on a fence in front of a home in Richmond, Calif., in 2011.
A foreclosure sign hangs on a fence in front of a home in Richmond, Calif., in 2011.
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris role in the $25-billion national mortgage settlement in 2012 has become one of her signature accomplishments as California attorney general and, in her Senate campaign against Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, has anchored her message of being a self-described “fearless” leader.

Harris’ tough negotiating helped bring $20 billion in financial relief to homeowners in her home state and also successfully pushed for new state laws protecting homeowners from illicit foreclosures. But some of the mortgage relief for Californians fell short of initial promises, including efforts to keep people in their homes.

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President Obama returns to California to raise money for Clinton, Democrats

(Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

President Obama is headed to Beverly Hills for a high-dollar fundraiser on Oct. 24. He’ll appear at the home of Marilyn and Jeff Katzenberg for a “discussion” to raise money for the Hillary Victory Fund. That means some of the money raised will go to the Democratic National Committee and state Democratic parties.

According to an invitation obtained by The Times, the contribution level is $100,000 per person.

The president also will appear the next day at a Beverly Hills “roundtable discussion” to benefit the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as his party attempts to reclaim control of the Senate on Nov. 8. The event is $33,400 per person and is at the home of Ryan Murphy and David Miller, co-hosted by Jennifer Perry and Andy Spahn.

On Oct. 18, Jon Favreau will appear at a fundraiser featuring a special appearance by Moby at the Abbey in West Hollywood. Tickets range from $125 to $2,500.

Also coming up is an Oct. 28 fundraiser to benefit the Clinton campaign starring former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and his guitar. The event will be held at the Studio City home of Suzanne Steinke and Dixon Slingerland and is being billed as “the last official HRC event in Los Angeles.”

O’Malley will perform while guests paying at least $1,000 to attend enjoy food from “prominent L.A. chefs” and “sing along” to “take this one out in style.” Donors who pay $2,700 will get a photo for the former presidential hopeful and be named as co-hosts.

The invitation obtained by The Times comes along with a message from campaign manager Robby Mook detailing how the money raised could be used for get-out-the-vote efforts. Mook noted that $1,000 pays for a field office in a battleground state for the final weeks, $2,700 sends 50 volunteers from California to Nevada for a weekend of canvassing voters and $10,000 delivers text messages with polling locations to 1 million potential voters in Florida. Slingerland says guests who pay $10,000 will get a personal tour of his home.

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Forget Harris or Sanchez, this Republican congressman says he’ll vote for Korean War vet John Pelletier — but he can’t

Thanks to California’s top-two primary system, a Republican congressman has two Democrats to choose from if he wants to vote for the state’s next U.S. senator.

Rep. Steve Knight says he won’t pick either of them. (He also isn’t voting for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.)

At Thursday night’s 25th Congressional District debate in the Antelope Valley, Knight (R-Palmdale) said he plans to write in the name of a local veteran: John Pelletier.

In July, Knight presented medals to Pelletier related to his service during the Korean War. Pelletier, who could not be reached for comment, does not appear to have a campaign website.

But as Knight’s Democratic challenger, attorney Bryan Caforio, pointed out, write-ins are not allowed for this contest. A spokeswoman for the California Secretary of State’s office said write-ins are only permitted in the presidential race.

For his part, Caforio said he has not endorsed between Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) in the race to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. But he plans to vote for Harris.

“I think she’s done a great job as attorney general, really going after corporate greed, private colleges,” Caforio said. “You know seeing these corporations and big banks prey on people is outrageous and she has taken a stand against that, as I will in Congress.”

Knight said he expects Harris to win, and he’s not happy about it.

“She has shown to be a very extreme attorney general,” the freshman congressman and former Los Angeles police officer said at the debate.

The congressman Knight replaced, former Republican Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon of Santa Clarita, has endorsed Sanchez. McKeon retired in 2014 after more than two decades in Congress.

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Rep. Darrell Issa re-election bid moved to a ‘toss-up’

The non-partisan analysts at the Cook Political Report have moved the 49th Congressional District to a “toss-up,” a striking move in what has become a surprisingly competitive race between eight-term Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and political newcomer Doug Applegate.

The district had previously been considered “leans Republican,” which meant the analysts thought it was still more likely Issa would win.

“As it turns out, it’s possible to be the wealthiest member of Congress and still run a very poor campaign. Issa, the former House Oversight chair, has cruised to reelection over a decade, but recently he’s been high-profile Trump booster in a rapidly changing, well-educated district where Trump is toxic,” the analysts wrote in their ratings change explanation. “Issa could have spent millions over the summer to boost his own image and put Democrat Doug Applegate, a retired Marine colonel, away.”

Earlier this week, the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report also shifted its rating of the race into more competitive territory.

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‘First Dog’ Sutter Brown remains in poor health, governor’s office says

Sutter Brown and the governor in 2012
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Sutter Brown, California’s “first dog,” remains in poor health, a spokesman for Gov. Jerry Brown said Friday.

Sutter, a Pembroke Welsh corgi, is still in an animal hospital following emergency surgery last week to remove cancerous masses in the dog’s intestines.

Further treatment options for Sutter are very limited, said Brown spokesman Evan Westrup.

“We’re still hopeful he can get home to spend what limited time he has left with his family,” Westrup said.

California First Lady Anne Gust will continue to tweet updates and photos of Sutter.

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Did Steve Knight say he’ll vote for Donald Trump? Not quite.

Rep. Steve Knight
Rep. Steve Knight
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee came out swinging against Rep. Steve Knight on Friday morning, saying the Republican congressman announced during a debate Thursday evening that he would support GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

That isn’t what happened.

After news broke last week concerning comments Trump made in 2005 about touching women without their consent, Knight said he was “deeply disturbed” by the comments and that he does not plan to vote for either Trump or Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

In a debate hosted by the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce and co-moderated by a Los Angeles Times journalist Thursday night, Knight said Clinton and Trump are their parties’ nominees and that voters will have to choose.

“It’s probably the most difficult race in all of our lives, but in the end we will have to make a choice,” Knight said. “I’ve come out just recently and said I don’t support either one. But I will be voting.”

A few minutes later, Democratic candidate Bryan Caforio seized on Knight’s words.

“The choice is very simple to me, when Donald Trump is the candidate who is running on the opposite side it should not be hard,” Caforio said.

Both Caforio and the DCCC issued misleading news releases Friday morning saying Knight’s answer means he’s voting for Trump.

“Knight reiterated what we know – this is a binary election – and promised to vote. To be clear, that means he promised he’ll vote for Trump, despite his politically cowardly statement condemning Trump for bragging about sexual assault just one week ago,” the DCCC release stated.

Listen to the debate exchange.

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Kamala Harris heads into home stretch of U.S. Senate race with $4.4 million

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California students pick Hillary Clinton, Loretta Sanchez and approve cigarette tax hike in mock election

Maybe Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s U.S. Senate campaign is ahead of its time.

Sanchez has been lagging behind her rival in the race, state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, in recent opinion polls, but she’s a clear winner in a mock student election sponsored by the California Secretary of State.

Sanchez joined Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who trounced Republican Donald Trump.

The mock election was held among high school and middle school students on Oct. 11. Students from 523 schools cast votes for president, U.S. Senate and selected statewide ballot measures.

With more than 180,000 votes tallied in the presidential race, Clinton walked away with 58% of the student votes. Trump nabbed just 20% of the ballots cast.

In California’s Senate race, Sanchez took 59% of the vote and Harris 41%. In that race, 160,000 student ballots were cast.

The students also overwhelmingly favored Proposition 51, the school bond measure; Proposition 56, which would increases taxes on cigarettes; and Proposition 58, which would repeal English-only instruction in public schools.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office sponsors the mock elections at schools across California as a way to teach students about the importance of elections and to give them first-hand experience in the election process. More than 275,000 California students cast ballots in the 2008 mock election, according to the agency.

The secretary of state’s office provided a special online voter guide for the mock election, as well as ballots, posters and even “I voted” stickers to be printed out at schools.

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All about the $9-billion ballot measure that would fund school repairs

Construction of Portola High School in Irvine
(Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

The pot of state money that pays for new school construction and repairs is running dry and a cadre of developers, parent-teacher groups and others got a $9-billion bond on the ballot to replenish the fund.

But the measure has not attracted universal support, with Gov. Jerry Brown the most prominent opponent. For one, he argues that the initiative won’t benefit low-income districts as much as it should.

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Ready to fill out your ballot? Here’s what California’s U.S. Senate candidates say about policy and politics

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, left, and California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris in their only debate.
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, left, and California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris in their only debate.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Though both are Democrats, the two women running to replace California’s retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer differ on policy and political issues affecting Californians.

California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) met in just one debate this fall with no others scheduled, and interest in the race has been low.

Before millions of Californians began filling out their ballots, The Times asked Twitter users to tell us what they wanted to know about the candidates, and added a few questions of our own. Topics include high-speed rail, who the candidates are looking forward to working with in Washington and what the Senate can do to save Social Security.

Here is what they have to say about how they would serve you.

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One has never tried pot. The other has. California congressional candidates have opposite stances on Proposition 64

The legalization of marijuana for recreational use is one more thing the candidates for California’s 25th Congressional District disagree about.

A Thursday debate here between Republican Rep. Steve Knight and Democrat Bryan Caforio revealed a stark difference over Proposition 64, which will appear on the ballot along with their congressional contest.

Knight said he opposes the ballot measure, and called for action at the federal level. He said he believes that marijuana should not be a Schedule 1 drug because it has medicinal value. He said it should be reclassified as a Schedule 3 drug.

The freshman congressman said the government should “leave it up to the states.” He also noted that marijuana use would still be illegal at the federal level if Proposition 64 passes.

Caforio, an attorney, said he would vote in favor of the measure because “the system we have right now isn’t working and we need a change.”

He said he favors regulating and taxing marijuana, and putting those funds into drug treatment programs. He said he would rather police focus on violent crime instead of petty drug crimes.

Asked by a moderator from the Los Angeles Times if they had ever used marijuana, and specifically if they inhaled, the candidates again were on opposite sides.

Knight, who served as a Los Angeles police officer for 18 years, said he has not.

“I have never tried marijuana, I know that nobody would ever believe that, but I have never tried marijuana,” he said.

As for Caforio, the answer was short and to the point: “I have and I did.”

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‘No on Prop 66’ campaign points to Texas case as warning against faster executions in California

Opponents of a ballot measure that intends to speed up executions in California are pointing to a well-known Texas case as an example of what they say is a flawed strategy.

In new mailers, the “No on Prop 66” campaign says Proposition 66 is modeled after laws in Texas “where innocent people have already been executed.” One of those killed, it says, was Cameron Todd Willingham, who was put to death in February 2004 for the deaths of his three daughters in a house fire more than a decade earlier.

The case, built heavily on testimony from jailhouse informants and arson forensic evidence, has drawn national debate, as new evidence surfaced over the years suggesting that Willingham might have been wrongfully convicted.

A key prosecution witness admitted to lying in return for a reduced sentence. And the case has continued to haunt former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who in 2004 refused to grant Willingham a stay after a noted arson expert and scientist sent him a report concluding the evidence used to convict the death row inmate amounted to “junk science.”

Proposition 66 intends to speed up executions by designating trial courts to hear petitions challenging death row convictions, limiting successive petitions and expanding the pool of lawyers who can take on death penalty appeals.

Kent Scheidegger, its primary author and legal director Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, denied any of its provisions were modeled after Texas laws.

Supporters say the measure is the solution to mend a broken death penalty process while preserving the maximum punishment for the most violent offenders. Opponents argue it would increase the margin for error in an already flawed system.

“Some mistakes can never be fixed,” the ad states. “Don’t make one on November 8th.”

4:50 p.m.: This article was updated to add a comment from Kent Scheidegger.

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy questions timing of Trump accusers’ claims, says he’ll stick with Trump

(J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is sticking with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump despite claims from several women who say Trump groped or kissed them without their consent.

Dozens of Republican House and Senate members across the country pulled their support for Trump after the Washington Post released video and audio of a conversation he had during a 2005 “Access Hollywood” appearance. Since then, multiple women have described interactions with Trump similar to what Trump described on the tape.

On Thursday, McCarthy told his hometown paper, the Bakersfield Californian, that allegations come up at the end of a campaign because there isn’t time to rebut them.

“Why do people throw these types of things in the last days, and why wasn’t something like this brought out earlier?” McCarthy said. “People love to do things late because then you don’t have enough time to explain.”

McCarthy’s position is a deviation from the position of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who told party members this week that he will no longer campaign for or defend the presidential nominee. He did not withdraw his endorsement.

Ryan’s interactions with the media over the last few months have nearly always included questions about Trump, and he had begun deferring questions to the nominee’s campaign before the 2005 interview became public.

Several of California’s 14 House Republicans have repudiated Trump’s 2005 comments, but few have said they will no longer support him.

On Thursday, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) said in a statement, “I was deeply disappointed to hear about Donald Trump’s language toward women and I find it to be beyond inappropriate.”

Democrats have criticized House members over their association with Trump for months, and on Thursday the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent news releases accusing several Republicans, including Denham, of “enabling” or “embracing” an “alleged serial sexual predator.”

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Research shows 1 in 5 primary voters in California was Latino

Voters make their way in and out of a polling place at the House of Mercy in Los Angeles in November 2012.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

In 2016, Latino voters made up the largest percentage of the California primary vote that they have in the last decade, research released Wednesday from UC Davis shows.

A study by the university’s California Civic Engagement Project found about 20% of voters in the state’s primary election this year were Latino, the highest proportion of Latino voters in a California primary in the last decade.

The research also showed increased participation among voters ages 18 to 24.

Both young people and Latinos are still underrepresented in California primary elections compared with their relative share of the population, but 2016 saw increased participation for both groups.

Turnout among Latinos registered to vote increased 22 percentage points from the 2012 primary. Turnout among registered 18- to 24-year-olds increased 23 percentage points.

Overall voter turnout also increased from the 2012 primary by about 16 percentage points.

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California Sen. Barbara Boxer is urging a ‘No’ vote on ballot measure that intends to speed up executions

Retiring California Sen. Barbara Boxer on Thursday said she’s opposed to a November ballot measure that intends to speed up the death penalty system, saying it would increase criminal justice costs and the chances of executing innocent people.

“Although Proposition 66 claims it will fix California’s death penalty system, it will in fact only spread its problems to the county-level, clogging up our court system without ensuring swift and certain justice,” she said in a statement.

Proposition 66, one of two competing death penalty measures on the Nov. 8 ballot, would also limit appeals and require appointed attorneys who take noncapital appeal cases to accept death penalty cases.

The potential savings or extra costs for state courts is unknown, according to the legislative analyst’s office. But its potential for prison savings is in the tens of millions of dollars a year.

Boxer has not endorsed the dueling measure on the ballot, Proposition 62, which would repeal the death penalty. But she was among several top federal leaders to endorse the “No on Prop 66” campaign. Others included Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson.

In a statement, Lieu called the execution of an innocent person “irreversible and indefensible.”

“This measure would require inexperienced lawyers to represent individuals facing execution, while stripping away fundamental safeguards in our legal system that protect the innocent,” he said.

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California voters to weigh restoring bilingual education in public schools

Come November, voters will decide the fate of Proposition 58, which would repeal English-only instruction in public schools, allowing local parents and teachers to develop their own multilingual programs.

Supporters argue the bureaucratic red tape placed on bilingual and multilingual education through a voter-approved law in 1998 is harmful to students in a global economy, where the most sought-after employees speak more than one language.

But opponents of the measure, most notably Silicon Valley multimillionaire Ron Unz, who wrote the original English-only Proposition 227, point to the state’s troubled history with bilingual programs that failed to teach Spanish-speaking students English.

The vote comes as less than 5% of California public schools now offer multilingual programs, though there are now 1.4 million English learners — about 80% of whom speak only Spanish.

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Sorry, Californians, you still can’t take ballot selfies on Nov. 8

Some California voters will undoubtedly post social media photos as they cast their Nov. 8 ballots, especially after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new law last month making it legal.

But it’s not legal yet, say state elections officials.

The law signed by Brown adds just 20 words to the state election code, a new exemption from the long-standing ban on revealing the contents of a marked ballot:

“A voter may voluntarily disclose how he or she voted if that voluntary act does not violate any other law.”

But the law allowing ballot “selfies” doesn’t kick in until 2017. And on Wednesday, a memo from the secretary of state’s election division offered no endorsement for local officials to waive the ban for the November election.

“Our guidance will remain unchanged until January 1, 2017, when the new law goes into effect,” wrote Jana Lean, chief of the secretary of state’s elections division, in a memo to county officials.

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Actor Mike Farrell has relentlessly fought to end the death penalty. Is this his year?

Mike Farrell rose to fame in the 1970s as the warm and charismatic Capt. BJ Hunnicut on the popular television series “MASH.”

Over the past four decades, he has found a new calling in the spotlight, wielding his Hollywood fame to endorse social and political causes. He has stood with gay teachers fighting for representation in classrooms, supported union workers and traveled the world as a human rights advocate.

But in California, lawyers and activists said, his work with perhaps the greatest impact has been his relentless pursuit to end the death penalty. On the Nov. 8 ballot this year is Proposition 62, a measure Farrell authored that would replace capital punishment with life in prison without the possibility of parole.

It has its fierce opponents.

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Ratings change in Rep. Darrell Issa’s race

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Rep. Loretta Sanchez challenges state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris to Senate debate on climate change

Senate candidates Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez appear Wednesday at Cal State L.A. in their only head-to-head debate on Oct. 5.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) is pushing state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, her rival in California’s U.S. Senate race, to a debate on climate change, a challenge issued after Harris began circulating a petition this week to have the topic addressed at the next presidential debate.

“We invite the attorney general to debate Rep. Loretta Sanchez and prove she truly cares about the environment and climate change,” said Sanchez campaign advisor Luis Vizcaino. “It would be hypocritical for Ms. Harris to ‘demand’ this debate discussion of the presidential candidates and not accept one herself.”

Vizcaino said Harris must also address why the state attorney general’s office defended a California Coastal Commission permit that allowed more than 300 million pounds of nuclear waste to be buried at the San Onofre site in northern San Diego County.

The only scheduled general election debate between the two Democratic Senate candidates was held at Cal State Los Angeles last week. The Sanchez campaign proposed a series of four debates and the Harris campaign had supported two debates, but the sides failed to agree on any forum except the one at Cal State LA.

Harris campaign consultant Sean Clegg dismissed the call for another debate, saying the issue was addressed during the debate last week and the two debates held before the primary election in June.

“While Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Barbara Boxer and so many other environmental leaders have all endorsed Kamala Harris, Loretta Sanchez has declared she would consider weakening important environmental protections,” Clegg said.

Earlier this week, Harris send out an email to supporters asking them to sign a petition demanding that the moderator at the final debate between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump ensures there is a “robust conversation” about how to combat climate change.

“Now I want to talk about something specific that has been bugging me on this issue: there has not been a single question about climate change at any of the presidential or vice presidential debates we’ve had up to this point,” Harris’ email stated. “That is ridiculous. Climate change is one of the gravest threats facing our nation right now, and millions of Americans deserve to know how Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will address it.”

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Ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is backing California’s cigarette tax proposition

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg makes an appearance at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Another billionaire is putting money toward increasing California’s tobacco tax.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg contributed $500,000 to the Proposition 56 campaign, an initiative to hike the tobacco tax by $2 a pack.

Bloomberg, who founded his eponymous financial services company and has remained politically active on climate change and other issues since he left office in 2013, follows California hedge fund manager Tom Steyer in backing the tax.

Steyer has given $5.5 million to the campaign, and appears in its most recent television advertisement. Proponents have raised more than $25 million.

Tobacco companies have given nearly all the $66 million raised to oppose Proposition 56.

Rob Pyers at California Target Book first tweeted about the Bloomberg donation.

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Congressional candidate argues his support for Donald Trump wasn’t an endorsement of Donald Trump

Is there a difference between a candidate supporting Donald Trump and a candidate endorsing Donald Trump?

As Republicans continue to struggle with the fallout from unearthed remarks of Trump bragging about groping women, one Republican running for Congress in California’s Central Coast thinks there is a big difference.

Justin Fareed, who is looking to replace outgoing Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), is trying to walk back comments he made during the primary campaign when he said he supported Trump.

The Montecito Journal wrote then that “Fareed supports Donald Trump for president” and quoted Fareed as saying: “He’s an executive. We need somebody who is an executive in the executive office.”

Now Fareed’s campaign is parsing that statement.

Fareed’s campaign manager, Christiana Purves, told the San Luis Obispo Tribune this week that Fareed wasn’t endorsing Trump in that interview but rather stating who he would “personally support” if he had to chose between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

So how is that not an endorsement?

“Justin was answering a specific, hypothetical question of who he would prefer personally,” Purves said in an email to The Times. “This is very different than a proactive political endorsement that encourages others to vote a certain way.”

Regardless, Purves said Fareed’s “personal support” for Trump “ended Saturday” as the fallout from Trump’s remarks built up. She told the San Luis Obispo newspaper that he will not vote for Trump or Clinton next month.

Fareed isn’t the first Republican to try this rhetorical tactic. Vulnerable Republicans like Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte have also tried at various times during this year’s campaign to argue that their support of Trump was not an endorsement.

Democrats were quick to attack Fareed’s semantic argument.

“Justin Fareed is attempting to rewrite history, but it won’t work,” said Democratic Congressional Campaign Commitee spokeswoman Barb Solish. “Fareed’s pathetic attempt to distance himself from his Presidential nominee is purely political and exactly what Central Coast voters hate about politicians like Justin Fareed.”

Fareed’s opponent, Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal, and a Democratic super PAC have launched multiple TV ads that attack Fareed for his support of Trump.

The ads linking Fareed to Trump could hurt him in a seat that the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report rates as “Democrat favored” and the Cook Political Report ranks as “likely Democrat.

Democrats have a six-point voter registration advantage in the district and down-ballot Democrats tend to do well there in presidential election years. In 2012, Capps and President Obama each won the district by about 11 points.

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Two Democrats are on the ballot for Congress in this San Fernando Valley race — but only one is running

Former L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon says he hasn't held any campaign fundraisers or events since June.
Former L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon says he hasn’t held any campaign fundraisers or events since June.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Former L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon is challenging Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Los Angeles) in an intraparty fight that was expected to pit two seasoned Latino politicians against each other over the 29th Congressional District.

But only one of them is running a campaign.

Between July 1 and Sept. 30, Alarcon reported raising just $29.80 in contributions. He has just $140.40 in his campaign account, according to a report filed with the FEC.

Cardenas has not filed a report for that period, but as of June 30 had raised more than $1.2 million with nearly $316,000 cash on hand.

Alarcon stunned many in March when he announced, just weeks after having convictions for voter fraud and perjury thrown out, that he was running against the two-term congressman.

But in the June primary, with a crowded field of five candidates, Cardenas dominated with 61% of the vote. Alarcon brought in just 13% of the vote total.

Since then, Alarcon said, he hasn’t held any campaign fundraisers or events, and his campaign Facebook page went silent after June 7, the day of the primary.

“I thought it would be difficult, if not impossible, for me to raise money and explain to my contributors a path to victory,” Alarcon said in a phone interview.

Alarcon said he initially threw his hat in the race just three months ahead of the June primary because he was concerned Cardenas might become embroiled in a FBI investigation that resulted in the subpoena of at least one of the congressman’s staffers. Earlier this year, Cardenas reported spending 40% of his reelection fund on legal fees, but his attorney denied that Cardenas was the focus of the ongoing probe.

Then-City Councilman Tony Cardenas at Los Angeles City Hall in 2011, before he was elected to Congress.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

If Cardenas was implicated in some way, Alarcon said, he wanted another seasoned Democrat to be waiting in the wings to run for office.

But with less than a month to go in the election, it doesn’t appear that will happen.

Alarcon says he hasn’t suspended his campaign, but is not “actively campaigning.”

“Both of us are well-known, established elected officials. So I trust the voters were comfortable with Tony.”

Alarcon himself has faced an ongoing legal roller coaster: In April, prosecutors announced that they would retry Alarcon and his wife, Flora, for the original convictions that landed him 51 days of house arrest and barred him from holding state office ever again. Richard Lasting, Alarcon’s attorney, says they’ve asked the judge to dismiss the case. A hearing on that matter is scheduled for Nov. 4, four days before the election.

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California’s first dog, Sutter Brown, battles critical illness with help from First Lady Anne Gust Brown

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Rep. Darrell Issa is blasted by opponent in new attack ads featuring Trump tape

In recent days, four attack ads were released in the contest between Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and Democratic challenger Doug Applegate, which has become increasingly bitter.

Applegate and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee both unveiled commercials that refer to the explosive video in which Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump 11 years ago bragged about making aggressive, non-consensual sexual contact with women.

The spots continue a campaign message that Issa and Trump are close allies and that neither candidate respects women.

The two attacks were unveiled hours after Issa debuted a commercial that featured Rudy Giuliani. The former New York mayor defends Issa’s record helping the families of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and emergency workers and criticized Applegate for attacking the incumbent on the issue.

Another commercial Issa released a few days ago used information in court records of Applegate’s divorce from his now ex-wife, including two temporary restraining orders against the candidate.

The latest attacks against Issa are based on footage from a 2005 conversation between Trump and the then-host of “Access Hollywood,” Billy Bush, which surfaced Friday in a Washington Post report. In the video, Trump said he is drawn to beautiful women and just starts kissing them, and that he can “grab” them by their genitals.

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Republican assemblyman cries foul over lawn signs that put Trump’s name next to his

It’s not just national Republican leaders who are trying mightily to distance themselves from Donald Trump this week: One South Bay assemblyman says he’s angry about lawn signs linking him to the presidential nominee.

Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach) says the bright red signs reading “TRUMP HADLEY” started popping up in his coastal Los Angeles district over the weekend.

Upon closer inspection, “.com” is written in tiny white type below the block letters, and a disclaimer shows it’s paid for by Hadley’s opponent, Democrat Al Muratsuchi. For months now, Muratsuchi’s campaign has maintained the website hadleytrump.com, attempting to link the first-term Republican to Trump.

In a news release Monday, Hadley decried what he called “desperate and dishonest election tactics.” In a Facebook post, Hadley wrote that the signs were “obviously intended to mislead voters into believing that I am supporting Trump.”

“I will repeat one more time: I have never supported Donald Trump, I did not vote for him in the primary and I will not be voting for him in the general election,” Hadley said.

He added that after the revelation of Trump’s comments on tape about women, “I cannot imagine such a man serving as president of the United States.”

Hadley says he won’t be voting for Hillary Clinton, either.

Mike Shimpock, a political consultant for Muratsuchi, says that’s not enough.

“He says he’s not voting for Trump, but all that means is he’s being a political coward,” Shimpock said. “If Trump were to be elected, he’s saying he’s fine with that, and that’s not taking a stand.”

Shimpock said the campaign was raising a “legitimate partisan point” that was “in no way misleading.”

Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor and president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, says while some voters might consider the signs misleading, they’re probably not illegal.

“It’s a really high bar because it’s campaign speech,” Levinson said. “Judges hate getting involved with these disputes if it’s anything short of an absolutely blatant misrepresentation.”

According to regulations posted on the Fair Political Practices Commission’s website, disclaimers identifying who paid for billboards and other political campaign signs for candidates are not required, but are recommended.

Linking down-ticket Republicans to Trump has been a favorite strategy in some competitive legislative races this year.

Here are a couple more examples of the presidential nominee’s cameo appearances in local races:

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If Loretta Sanchez was part of immigration talks with President Obama as she claims, she was (very) behind the scenes

(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez hasn’t been in the public eye on national immigration policy in the same way as her Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ Immigration and Border Security Task Force co-chairman Rep. Luis Gutierrez.

So it was a bit surprising when during Wednesday’s Senate debate with Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, Sanchez said she was front and center in drafting a plan to defer deportation for millions of people brought to the country illegally as children or defer deportation for parents of U.S. citizens.

“I was the one that stood up and fought for you. We put together a six-page menu of things that could happen once we lost the opportunity to push through a reform, and we went to the president and we said, this needs to be done,” she said. “That’s how DACA and DAPA and these other projects came up.”

Basically, Sanchez asserted that she presented a plan for the president to use executive orders to halt deportation of some people in the country illegally. (DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and DAPA is Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.)

Gutierrez, who has endorsed Sanchez, is known for directly challenging President Obama for not keeping his 2008 campaign promise to overhaul the nation’s immigration policies. The Illinois Democrat has been the face of the effort in Congress, and many articles on proposed changes over the last few years focus on him. Few mention Sanchez.

Gutierrez holds a rally outside the White House.
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)

Presented with that fact, and the lack of Sanchez’s name in White House visitors logs, her campaign staff said her work was behind the scenes.

“She wasn’t physically there but she was one of the leaders,” said spokesman Luis Vizcaino.

Sanchez helped the Congressional Hispanic Caucus draft a six-page memo urging the president to take action on possible executive orders and was part of other meetings with the president after the orders were issued, he said.

“She does a lot behind the scenes she doesn’t take credit for,” Vizcaino said.

Records do little to help clarify Sanchez’s claim.

After efforts to overhaul the country’s immigration system stalled, Gutierrez and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus pressured Obama to act alone.

By winter 2014, Obama offered to sit down with a few CHC members and discuss what to do next.

White House visitor logs show a March 13 Oval Office meeting included Gutierrez and two other members of Congress. Sanchez was not one of them.

As a result of the meeting, Obama instructed Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to look at ways to overhaul the system without Congress. Johnson met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at the Capitol on April 9. It was at that meeting that members presented him with the six-page memo.

Sanchez said in a statement before the meeting that she looked forward to speaking with Johnson. The caucus doesn’t keep attendance of private meetings.

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California First Lady Anne Gust Brown tweets support for ailing pet: ‘Keep fighting Sutter! We want you home.’

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Carly Fiorina to campaign for U.S. House candidate Scott Jones at a fundraiser this evening

Carly Fiorina.
(Sean Rayford / Getty Images)

Former presidential candidate and Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina is scheduled to attend a fundraiser for Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones this evening as a featured guest.

Jones, a Republican, is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) for California’s 7th Congressional District seat.

In 2010, Fiorina won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in California, but ultimately lost to Sen. Barbara Boxer, a Democrat.

The event will be held at a private home in Loomis, said Ann Kramer, a Republican fundraising professional involved in organizing the event.

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Gabrielle Giffords and her gun control PAC endorse Rep. Ami Bera for U.S. Congress

Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona speaks at the Democratic National Convention alongside her husband, Mark E. Kelly, in July.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her political action committee are endorsing U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove) in his reelection bid, the congressman’s campaign announced Tuesday.

Giffords founded Americans for Responsible Solutions with her husband, astronaut Mark E. Kelly, to advocate for gun violence prevention.

Giffords was seriously injured during a 2011 shooting rampage in her Arizona district that left six people dead. She resigned from her seat a year after the shooting.

“At every step, Ami has worked to help break the gun lobby’s grip on Washington while respecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners like us,” Giffords and Kelly said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to stand with Ami in the fight for safer communities.”

Bera is running for California’s 7th Congressional District seat against Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, a Republican. Bera has held the seat since 2013.

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Gov. Jerry Brown’s dog Sutter is critically ill

California Gov. Jerry Brown’s famous pet Pembroke Welsh corgi, Sutter, has fallen critically ill and was taken to an animal hospital last week for emergency surgery, Politico reported.

Brown spokesman Evan Westrup told the publication that the dog remained at a Sacramento-area animal hospital on Tuesday and described his prognosis as “likely to be very poor.”

Masses suspected to be cancerous were found in the dog’s intestines, lymph nodes and liver, and veterinarians were unable to remove them all, Westrup told Politico.

Brown adopted the dog in 2011 from his sister Kathleen when she moved from San Francisco to Chicago. Since then, he has become a fixture around the Capitol as budgets were negotiated, and on the campaign trail.

Brown has a history with dogs. When he was mayor of Oakland, he was known to roam around the city on foot to talk to residents with his black Labrador Dharma in tow.

In 2015, the governor and his wife, Anne Gust Brown, adopted a new puppy named Colusa “Lucy” Brown.

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Spanish-language ad backs Dolores Huerta’s son in Central Valley race

A new Spanish-language ad in the 21st Congressional District race focuses on Emilio Huerta’s family connection to the district, repeatedly mentioning his mother, labor rights icon Dolores Huerta.

The ad refers to Huerta’s opponent, Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s “comrade.” Valadao announced months ago he would not vote for Trump.

The Central Valley district is 71% Latino and Democrats have targeted it as a potential pick-up opportunity in the fall.

Here is the English translation of voiceover from the ad from House Majority PAC, a political action committee that supports Democratic House candidates:

“From his mother, he learned that every human being has dignity and deserves respect. The son of Dolores Huerta, Emilio today continues the fight for the rights of farmworkers and working families.

“While Donald Trump insults us, and his comrade Republican Congressman Valadao voted to cut funds for our children’s education, Emilio Huerto continues on our side. For education, jobs and healthcare, Emilio Huerta.”

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All of California’s ballot propositions explained in emoji

There’s haiku. There’s a song. And now, there’s emoji.

Voting in California is underway and, as you can see, there’s no shortage of ways to figure out what California’s 17 statewide ballot propositions are about, including this convenient guide you can use before casting your vote.

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Kamala Harris touts her work on behalf of kids in new Senate ads

California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris released a pair of new television campaign ads, one in English and the other in Spanish, highlighting her efforts as state attorney general to protect children.

The two ads will run in markets statewide, with Southern California being the primary focus, said campaign spokesman Nathan Click. A spokesman for Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, Harris’ rival in the Senate race, said her campaign will be releasing its ads soon.

Harris’ English spot touts the attorney general for prosecuting “predators who victimized children” and leading an effort to combat school truancy. Harris also calls for lowering the cost of college tuition and making child care affordable.

“As a career prosecutor, I’ve seen how we make the biggest difference when we focus on the needs of our children,” Harris says at the beginning of the ad.

The Spanish-language ad also highlights Harris’ work on behalf of children, saying she cracked down on human traffickers. The ad makes a reference to her efforts to assist unaccompanied immigrant children who fled to the U.S. Harris also vowed to help pass a federal Dream Act, which would give people who came to the United States before the age of 16 a pathway to citizenship.

The ad begins by highlighting endorsements Harris received from President Barack Obama, United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta and state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles).

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‘Republicans who are backing away are gutless’: Some California House members say they’re sticking with Trump

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) talks with voters after speaking to a tea party group in 2014.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

At least three California Republican House members say they are standing with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump because Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is worse.

Over the weekend, dozens of Republican representatives and senators, including some of California’s 14 House members, repudiated Trump over comments he made in 2005 about touching women without consent. Though they distanced themselves from his comments, only California candidates in tough races said outright that they would no longer support him.

In a letter on his campaign website, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) called the outcry over the recorded remarks a “grand diversion.”

“Donald Trump wasn’t my first or even second choice for president, but I can certainly tell the difference between a fire and a fireman. And when a fireman is trying to save my house from burning down, the fact he uses lewd and vulgar language in private conversations with other guys doesn’t change the nature of the emergency,” he said.

McClintock detailed several policy differences between Trump and Clinton, and emphasized that because the next president will nominate one or more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, the election will have far-reaching ramifications.

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) took a similar tack in a statement on his campaign website, saying Trump was right to apologize and Clinton is still the wrong choice.

“I continue to believe electing Hillary Clinton will only further lead our nation down the wrong path, economically and in terms of national security,” he said.

Some Republicans are concerned voters might avoid conservatives throughout their ballot if Republicans disavow Trump. Calvert has joined a chorus of Republicans urging voters to help them keep control of the House and Senate.

Since the release Friday of a video showing Trump chatting privately with then-Access Hollywood host Billy Bush, Republican leaders like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have said they cannot support Trump and have withdrawn their endorsements. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told House members he would not defend or campaign for Trump, though stopped short of pulling his endorsement.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) told the Orange County Register on Monday that Ryan and other Republican leaders who back away from Trump are “cowardly.”

“I think the Republicans who are backing away are gutless. We don’t have to just be concerned about saving House seats. We have to be concerned about saving the United States of America,” he told the Register.

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Clinton champions California early voting

(Brendan Smialowski / AFP-Getty Images)

Early voting is starting in California, and it appears Hillary Clinton has noticed.

Her campaign issued a statement for the occasion from Clinton calling this “the most important election of our lifetimes.”

“[A]s people across the state head to the polls, we hope you’ll join us. Thanks to early voting, it’s easier than ever to make your voice heard. Bring your friends and family with you. We can’t afford to let anyone sit this out,” she said.

The statement pointed people to the Secretary of State’s website and asked voters to “reject the cynicism and division that Donald Trump is offering once and for all, and remind each other that we truly are stronger together.”

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Former Orange County Rep. Bob Dornan has a dilemma

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Upping the ante, Ro Khanna announces endorsement from former President Carter

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Monday has became the day of dueling endorsements in the Silicon Valley race for Congressional District 17. Just two hours after Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) announced he has the support of outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer in his reelection bid, challenger Ro Khanna pulled out his own blockbuster endorsement: former President Jimmy Carter.

In a lengthy statement released by Khanna’s campaign, Carter described meeting the candidate when Khanna was a college sophomore and an intern at the Carter Center, the former president’s foundation.

Carter praised Khanna for his opposition to the Iraq war and work in the Obama administration. He also emphasized the importance of “supporting the next generation of leaders,” which Khanna’s supporters have often highlighted.

“Ro has the type of idealism, energy and deep commitment to public service that we desperately need in Congress. He will be a future leader for our party and country,” the statement said.

Khanna’s campaign touted the rarity of Carter’s endorsement: Hillary Clinton is the only other candidate Carter has backed this election cycle, the campaign said.

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Skelton: The Senate race between Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez is putting voters to sleep

Senate candidate Kamala Harris, left, points a finger toward rival Loretta Sanchez during their debate at Cal State L.A. on Oct. 5.
Senate candidate Kamala Harris, left, points a finger toward rival Loretta Sanchez during their debate at Cal State L.A. on Oct. 5.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times )

California’s U.S. Senate race should be stimulating voters. Instead, it’s making them snooze.

The contest is for the most coveted elective office the state is offering this year. It’s at the top of the state ticket. The winner will replace retiring Democrat Barbara Boxer.

But it’s drawing all the interest of a mosquito abatement board seat.

California has had many compelling Senate fights in the past: Boxer-Carly Fiorina. Dianne Feinstein-Mike Huffington. Jerry Brown-Pete Wilson. Alan Cranston-Max Rafferty.

But Kamala Harris-Loretta Sanchez? Snore.

State Atty. Gen. Harris, 51, a former San Francisco district attorney, is comfortably leading U.S. Rep. Sanchez, 57, a two-decade Orange County congresswoman. Harris is ahead in every poll by an average of 13 percentage points.

Both candidates are Democrats. Many Republicans — 42% in one recent survey — say they won’t even bother to vote in that contest.

Harris and Sanchez held their only general-election debate last week at Cal State L.A. Sanchez had turned down an earlier debate planned for Sacramento, asserting she wanted four in Southern California. Front-running Harris said forget it.

The hourlong debate was too regimented. The moderator and a panel tried to cram in too many questions, leaving only moments for each reply. Keeping on schedule was deemed more important than drawing out substance. That, no doubt, annoyed viewers.

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Sen. Barbara Boxer backs Rep. Mike Honda in his reelection fight with fellow Democrat

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer has endorsed Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) in his intra-party reelection fight with Democrat Ro Khanna.

In a statement distributed by Honda’s campaign, Boxer, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, called Honda “someone who has always championed progressive causes” and praised his efforts on civil rights and domestic violence issues.

The announcement could provide a late boost to Honda’s campaign, which is locked in a heated battle with Khanna, a former intellectual property attorney and Silicon Valley executive. The race has gotten particularly nasty in recent weeks, with Honda’s campaign filing a lawsuit last month alleging that Khanna’s campaign manager illegally accessed its data.

Boxer’s endorsement comes more than a month after Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced she was backing Honda.

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Kamala Harris stars as animated political warrior in her newest Senate campaign ad

In U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris’ first campaign ad of the general election, the Democrat stars as an animated political warrior -- donning one of her customary dark gray suits -- and fighting for-profit colleges and student-loan lenders.

The ad, which is to air on digital video platforms and on social media, is “bitmoji inspired” and intended to appeal to young voters, according to the campaign.

The ad highlights efforts by Harris to crack down on “predatory for-profit colleges,” the campaign said. In March, Harris won a $1.1-billion judgment against Orange County-based Corinthian Colleges, one of the world’s largest for-profit college businesses, for false advertising, fraud and misleading students.

During Wednesday’s Senate campaign debate, Harris attacked rival Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) for accepting campaign contributions from Corinthian and, in Congress, opposing the Obama administration’s attempts to increase the regulation of for-profit colleges.

Sanchez accused Harris of failing to investigate similar allegations against Trump University because of her political ties to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying Harris should have initiated an investigation after a federal class-action lawsuit was filed in California against the university in 2010. Trump donated $6,000 to Harris’ 2014 reelection campaign for state attorney general.

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‘Yes on Prop 58’ radio ad touts importance of speaking more than one language

In a new radio ad that begins airing Monday in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, children urge voters to approve a November ballot measure that would overhaul English-only education in California.

The young supporters of Proposition 58 tout the importance of speaking multiple languages, asking parents to prepare them for “the jobs of tomorrow.” “Are your kids ready?” they ask.

Proposition 58, which emerged from a 2014 bill authored by Los Angeles area Democrat Sen. Ricardo Lara, seeks to repeal a 1998 voter-approved law that mandated all children be taught only in English in public schools, unless parents request otherwise through a waiver.

Opponents argue the current laws were put in place to end bilingual education programs that were failing a population of mostly Spanish-speaking Latino students. But Lara and fellow supporters say the measure has locked in English-only education, preventing teachers and parents from developing new and more effective bilingual and multilingual programs.

The radio ads, largely funded by the California Teachers Assn./Issues PAC and the California State Council of Service Employees Issues Committee, are part of a $1.4 million campaign in support of the proposition. The opposition has not raised any funds.

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Republicans in tight House races attempt to back off Donald Trump’s comments on women

The wave of Republican candidates shunning Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump after a recording emerged Friday of him boasting about groping women is beginning to reach California’s House races.

Freshman GOP Congressman Steve Knight (R-Lancaster) has been hit by his Democratic opponent and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee with ads attempting to tie him to Trump. He called Trump’s comments “repulsive” in a Facebook post Friday night.

Knight’s political consultant Matt Rexroad told The Times in August that Knight had not endorsed a candidate for president. He did not respond when asked Friday if Knight would vote for Trump. Knight’s House seat is one that national Democrats are intent on capturing due to shifting demographics and the idea that Trump may cause problems down the ticket.

Justin Fareed, a 28-year-old GOP candidate locked in an expensive race to replace outgoing Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), called the comments “disgusting” but stopped short of pulling his endorsement of Trump.

His campaign did not immediately respond when asked whether Fareed still endorsed Trump or was planning on voting for him.

Fareed told the Montecito Journal that he supported Trump’s candidacy just before the June primary. His opponent, Democratic Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal, and a Democratic super PAC have launched ad campaigns attacking Fareed for his endorsement.

“It is absolutely disgusting that Donald Trump talks about women in such vulgar terms, and inexcusable that Justin Fareed believes he is qualified to lead our country,” Carbajal said in a statement Friday. “If Justin Fareed represented our Central Coast values, he’d stand up to Trump’s demeaning rhetoric and hateful agenda.”

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, a Republican who is challenging Democratic Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove, called Trump’s comments “indefensible,” but his campaign did not immediately respond when asked whether he would vote for Trump.

Jones said he would vote for Trump but backed off after Trump attacked the Muslim parents of Humayun Khan, an Army captain killed in the Iraq war, telling a Sacramento radio station in August, “I don’t know what I am going to do, to be honest with you.”

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San Bernardino police chief endorses Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown in pitched Inland Empire battle

San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown received a boost in her competitive reelection fight against fellow Democrat Eloise Reyes.

San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan has endorsed Brown, saying “she demonstrates integrity and effective leadership” and “has a deep understanding of the many issues facing our city and surrounding region.”

Burguan was launched onto the national stage following the San Bernardino terrorist attack last year, earning a reputation as a cool, calm leader with a commitment to transparency.

The shooting, which occurred at Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, was just outside Brown’s district, and Brown spent a lot of time there in the days and months after.

She has strong support from other law enforcement groups, including the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., the California Assn. of Highway Patrolmen and the California Police Chiefs Assn.

Outside groups trying to influence this race have spent more than $3.8 million, much of it from business groups and oil companies supporting Brown and opposing Reyes.

Burguan’s endorsement comes three weeks after Brown lost the backing of Equality California, a progressive LGBT rights group that pulled its support after Brown and other Democrats voted against a bill aimed at protecting gay and transgender students from discrimination at private colleges.

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Rep. Xavier Becerra scheduled to be on ‘The Daily Show’ Monday

(Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

California Rep. Xavier Becerra is scheduled to appear on “The Daily Show” on Monday evening.

The topic of conversation between host Trevor Noah and the Los Angeles congressman hasn’t been announced, but Becerra has spent much of the last year stumping around the country for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and his appearance comes the day after the second presidential debate, so the campaign will likely come up.

The congressman’s term as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus ends soon, and unless the three members ahead of him in leadership retire or step down, which is not likely, what’s next for the most powerful Latino in the House isn’t clear.

Becerra’s name was floated as a possible vice presidential pick before Clinton chose Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, and he had a prime speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention.

Becerra was offered a spot in the Obama administration back in 2008, and there has been speculation that he could be considered again if Clinton wins.

Becerra has also previously appeared on “The Colbert Report.”

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The ballot initiative song: Learn about all of California’s propositions in one catchy tune

If you thought ballot initiative haikus were as good as it was going to get this campaign season, think again.

The California Voter Foundation released this catchy ballot proposition song on YouTube this week, and it has everything that will make your wonky heart pitter-patter: a folksy, twangy sound, rhyming one-liners describing each measure, and a chorus that declares “the ballot’s too darn long.”

The foundation’s president, Kim Alexander, wrote the lyrics and is featured in the video on vocals and playing the ukulele and guitar.

“When you have 17 measures on the ballot, it’s a challenge just to keep them all straight, to know which one is about which topic, and that’s what the song does,” says Alexander, who’s written six other proposition songs since 2000. “I think I missed my calling, I probably should have been a Broadway lyricist.”

If you want to sing along to the tune, here are the lyrics, and Alexander has even posted the guitar chords to go along with the words.

Want more detailed information on each of the statewide ballot measures? The California Voter Foundation has you covered, and so do we.

If you’re having some trouble getting through the 224-page official voter guide, try playing this on repeat for awhile. We promise, it’s about as exciting as the words “Medi-Cal matching funds” and “state revenue bonds” are going to sound from now until November.

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Outside groups trade attack ads in heated North Los Angeles County Congressional race

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a new attack ad Friday calling Lancaster Rep. Steve Knight’s strong anti-abortion stance “even more troubling” than Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s “disrespect toward women.” The DCCC has named Knight a top target this election season.

The ad echoes another attack ad paid for by Democratic candidate Bryan Caforio’s campaign last month. Both highlight Knight saying: “I am pro-life. I don’t make exception.”

Knight is not among the Republicans who say they oppose abortion but make exceptions in cases of rape, incest or when a mother’s life is at risk.

“I am a pro-life candidate. I make no exception. I don’t have any of those three that a lot of my other Republicans have,” Knight said in an interview in December.

Knight has emphasized his anti-abortion stance since he won the seat in 2014. That race pitted Knight against fellow Republican and former state legislator Tony Strickland.

“Congressman Steve Knight’s extreme views on women’s health go way too far for the voters of the 25th District,” DCCC spokeswoman Barb Solish said.

The ad will air on network and cable TV through election day as part of a seven-figure ad buy, according to a source tracking media buys.

The National Republican Congressional Committee also released a new attack ad Friday that will run through the election. The ad attempts to label Caforio, who only moved to the suburban district shortly before announcing his candidacy last December, as “not one of us.” The ad also highlights a Times story that looked at Caforio’s six-year tenure at the Century City firm Susman Godfrey.

The ad will run on cable television and on the radio as part of a roughly $625,000 media buy, according to another source tracking media buys.

The expensive ad campaign is the latest sign that the closely watched race is heating up.

So far, outside groups affiliated with both parties have spent $667,606 to influence the race, mainly paying for canvassing and get-out-the-vote efforts, according to federal records.

Political handicappers and Democratic party strategists believe the once solidly Republican district that covers Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita and Simi Valley could turn blue now that the two parties are virtually tied among the number of registered voters in the district.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report called Knight “the most vulnerable incumbent in California.”

Knight came in first place during the June primary with 48.5% of the vote while Caforio took 29% of the vote and Democrat Lou Vince was eliminated with a third-place showing of 15.4%.

The

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Why did Loretta Sanchez ‘dab’ at the debate? Her makeup artist’s daughter told her to, her campaign says

State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris watches as rival Rep. Loretta Sanchez strikes a pose after her closing statement at their debate at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday.
State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris watches as rival Rep. Loretta Sanchez strikes a pose after her closing statement at their debate at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times )

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s grand finale at Wednesday’s U.S. Senate debate was, in fact, a “dab” and was inspired by a 9-year-old, according to the congresswoman’s campaign.

A photo of Sanchez’s gesture captured by Los Angeles Times photographer Rick Loomis quickly lighted up Twitter and grabbed the attention of news outlets across the country.

“She didn’t mention anything about the ‘dab’ to her campaign team — to no one other than her husband,” Sanchez campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino said in an email Friday.

Sanchez (D-Orange) struck the pose — a move popularized by rap group Migos and NFL player Cam Newton — at the end of her closing comments, just after she was cut off by debate moderator Marc Brown of ABC7-TV.

At the suggestion of her makeup artist’s daughter, Vizcaino said, the congresswoman decided to end her debate with California state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris with a “dab.”

The young girl, Jamieson Deacy of Anaheim Hills, is a dancer and aspiring actress who has appeared in a promotional ad for Season 6 of “American Horror Story” on FX and in a Justin Bieber video, according to her mother, Denise Deacy.

Her mother is a makeup artist who works at Blowtini, a salon in Orange. Deacy said she was hired to do the congresswoman’s makeup for the debate and went to Sanchez’s home Wednesday afternoon. She had just picked up her daughter from dance class and brought her along, she said.

Jamieson and Sanchez struck up a conversation about the girl’s math homework and, when the congresswoman mentioned the debate, Jamieson suggested using the “dab” to end it with a flourish, her mother said. Jamieson told her that “all the girls were doing it in dance,” her mother said.

“Jamison said, ‘You’re so nice, you really need to have the dab at the end of your debate,’ ” said Deacy, an independent who plans to vote for Sanchez in November. “She said it’s like the finishing touch. A victory, like if you score a touchdown.”

Deacy said Sanchez had never heard about the move, so her daughter showed the congresswoman how to do it. When Sanchez tried the first time, Jamieson told her she didn’t bow her head low enough. She got it the second time around, Deacy said.

“[Sanchez] smiled and said, ‘I think I’m going to do that at my debate. You helped me out, ’” Deacy said.

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Sacramento congresswoman will be released from the hospital Friday after being injured in a car crash

Former Atty. Gen. Eric Holder, left, and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) attend a reception at the White House in Washington on Sept. 23.
(Susan Walsh/Associated Press)

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) will be released from a Washington hospital Friday after she was involved in a car crash earlier this week that caused internal bleeding and bruised ribs, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Matsui, 72, was being driven from her Washington home to Dulles International Airport for a flight to Sacramento on Tuesday when her vehicle was struck by another car.

Neither driver was injured, but Matsui, who was sitting in the back seat, was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. She had surgery to stop internal bleeding in her abdomen.

Matsui’s spokeswoman said that the congresswoman’s injuries were caused by her seatbelt and that wearing it likely prevented more serious damage.

The congresswoman has been told to rest and not travel for a few weeks. Matsui had been scheduled to attend a fundraiser Sunday with Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Matsui received 70% of the vote in the primary election and is seeking a seventh term against Republican challenger Robert Evans.

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Billionaire Tom Steyer stars in Proposition 56 television ad

Billionaire Tom Steyer is featured in the latest television advertisement in favor of Proposition 56, a $2-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax.

The spot, which will begin appearing on televisions across the state on Friday, argues that the new tax will reduce youth smoking, and highlights increased spending on healthcare that would come with the new revenue.

“If you don’t use tobacco, you don’t pay,” Steyer says to the camera. “Smokers pay their fair share of the $3 billion in healthcare costs all taxpayers are paying now.”

The new ad comes as the tobacco industry is dominating the airwaves with a series of ads attacking the measure as a payoff to the healthcare and insurance groups that are among the largest donors to the Proposition 56 campaign. The Yes on 56 campaign said it’s spending seven figures to run the Steyer ad on television.

Steyer is a hedge fund manager who has spent his considerable wealth financing numerous efforts from the left in California and nationally in recent years, and he could be planning a 2018 gubernatorial bid.

In an interview last week, Steyer said he got involved in the Yes on 56 campaign for personal and policy reasons. His mother was a three-pack-a-day smoker and died of lung cancer. And he said he thinks his support could boost a measure that would help save lives, especially after two previous tobacco tax initiatives in California did not pass in the last decade.

“This is something that has failed a bunch of times in the state of California because there is, and there is in 2016, an extremely well-organized and well-funded deceptive campaign against raising the tobacco taxes,” Steyer said.

So far, Steyer has donated $3.5 million to the Yes on 56 campaign, which has raised $23.5 million. The No on 56 campaign, financed almost entirely by the tobacco industry, has raised $56.7 million.

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Know what California’s new laws are about? In honor of National Poetry Day, here’s a poem to help you figure it out

California, not sure if you saw,

But a ton of bills were passed into law.

There were thousands of them, too many to mention.

Here are the biggest. Pay attention:

California’s official fabric is officially denim,

Want a cigarette? Have to be 21 to smoke ‘em.

The punishment for rape has really expanded,

And a crackdown on human trafficking landed,

Equal pay laws got a lot stronger,

Greenhouse gases will get much smaller.

Ride a motorcyle? You can formally split lanes,

Farmworkers will see paid overtime gains.

There’s a $2-billion low-income housing bond for the mentally ill,

A woman can get a year’s supply of birth control, just the pill.

California still has the strictest gun control in the country;

You’ll have to pay an extra $1 for your lead-acid car battery,

Terminally ill patients will have the “right to try” with a doctor’s permission,

And anyone you choose can drop off your ballot if you can’t vote in person.

You can break into a car to save a hot dog.

(Wow, this really is quite the log.)

Some bills just weren’t passed.

What was vetoed? Glad you asked.

Tax on tampons and diapers are here to stay,

You won’t get double pay on Thanksgiving Day.

Families on welfare won’t get a $50 diaper voucher,

And don’t even think about playing Internet poker.

We’ve come to the end, so here’s one final rhyme:

Nothing’s changed with Daylight Saving Time.

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Supporters of marijuana legalization initiative say it will end ‘war on people of color’

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in Los Angeles in April.
( (Nick Ut / AP))

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other elected leaders on Thursday called on California voters to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, saying the current laws are unfairly entangling minorities more than white users.

“What we have is a system that disproportionately targets people of color,’’ Newsom said during a news conference in Los Angeles. “The folks that are being arrested don’t look like me.”

Proposition 64 on the Nov. 8 ballot would allow those 21 and older to possess and use up to an ounce of marijuana and would implement a 15% excise tax.

Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) said at the news conference at the Los Angeles Plaza de Cultura y Artes that her predominantly Latino district has been hit hard by marijuana enforcement programs.

“The war on drugs and the war on marijuana has been a war on Latinos and a war on people in my community,” Garcia said.

Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), said he has visited jails on fact-finding trips as chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

“In those jails, all I see is other African American males that look like me,” he said.

Supporters of the initiative have cited studies including one by the Drug Policy Alliance that said African Americans make up less than 10% of L.A. County’s population, but they constitute 30% of the marijuana possession arrests.

“That means there has been a war on people of color when it comes to cannabis,” he said.

The initiative also was supported by Ron Hasson, president of the NAACP Hollywood/Beverly Hills branch, who noted it would generate millions of dollars for health and education programs in the African American community.

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All clear in Sacramento after CHP removes suspicious package from Capitol lawn

The north entrance to the Capitol and the section of L Street right outside the building have been reopened after California Highway Patrol removed a suspicious package from the area.

A CHP officer saw a suspicious device on the lawn outside the north entrance to the Capitol around 10:24 a.m. Thursday, CHP Officer George Granada said.

The highway patrol closed the north entrance to the building as well as several blocks of L Street to investigate. Offices of legislative staff on that side of the building were evacuated.

Around noon, officers detonated a device that caused a loud popping noise and smoke just outside the north entrance. Granada said the procedure rendered the device safe so officers could remove it.

Granada declined to release information about what the device was, pending further investigation, including reviewing video surveillance of the area.

Times staff reporter Liam Dillon contributed to this report.

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Investigators inspect a suspicious device at state Capitol

(Liam Dillon/Los Angeles Times)
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‘Dirty politics’ heating up Inland Empire Assembly race

Another Inland Empire incumbent appears headed for a big fight come November.

We’ve written before about the reelection struggles of Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino). Now, her colleague Republican Marc Steinorth from neighboring Rancho Cucamonga could be in danger, too.

The state party is supporting Democrat Abigail Medina, a local school board member who’s challenging Steinorth for the seat.

A new cable ad, paid for by the California Democratic Party, skewers Steinorth for “raking in big money off his political career.”

The 30-second ad accuses Steinorth of using campaign committees he’s controlled in the past to pay himself and his consulting firm, Atlas Buying Group, tens of thousands of dollars. It features a background image of money raining down behind grainy video of Steinorth laughing. The clip of Steinorth was cribbed from a longer video he and two fellow Republicans made to raise awareness about the dangers of locking pets in hot cars.

Medina’s consultant, Dave Jacobson, says the ad is slated to run on an “aggressive cable” buy throughout Steinorth’s district. State and county Democratic Party officials have already poured more than $900,000 into Medina’s campaign, while the state GOP has spent $574,000 defending Steinorth.

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Kamala Harris adds Sens. Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein to her list of endorsements for Senate

U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein on Thursday endorsed state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris for U.S. Senate, cementing Harris as the chosen candidate among California’s top Democrats and dealing another stinging blow to the campaign of rival Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

The two senators join a coveted list of popular Democrats who have thrown their support behind Harris in the race between two Democratic opponents, rejecting the Orange County congresswoman.

President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Gov. Jerry Brown have all backed Harris. The California Democratic Party has spent more than $560,000 on Harris’ Senate campaign, but not offered a penny to help Sanchez.

Boxer, who is retiring from the Senate after four terms, described Harris as the perfect choice to succeed her in Washington and carry on her progressive agenda, implying that Sanchez failed to meet that test.

“I said at the start of the race between Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez that they were both my friends and supporters. Therefore, I have stayed neutral. However, I also said that if differences developed that indicate that one candidate emerges as the progressive choice that I would endorse the individual. That day has come,” Boxer said in a statement released by the Harris campaign.

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Richard Branson, will.i.am endorse California ballot measure to end the death penalty

Richard Branson
(Michael Graae / Getty Images)

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and hip-hop artist will.i.am on Wednesday joined efforts to support a California ballot measure that would abolish the state death penalty.

At a campaign event in San Francisco, Branson urged voters to vote yes on Proposition 62, saying the United States should lead by example.

“You might ask why an English man is here talking about the death penalty,” he said. “About 45 years ago the last person was executed in England and that person turned out to be innocent. And I think everyone in Britain hung their head in shame.”

Branson and will.i.am are among several prominent supporters to endorse Prop. 62, one of two competing death penalty measures voters will weigh on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Both would require death row inmates to work and pay restitution. But Prop. 62 would replace capital punishment with life in prison without parole, while Proposition 66 intends to expedite the process, limiting the number of appeals offenders can file and shortening deadlines.

On Wednesday, Branson joined actor and activist Mike Farrell, author of Prop. 62, for a round-table discussion with three former California death row inmates who have been exonerated.

Prop. 62 supporters called for an end to a broken system, saying the death penalty was costly, inhumane and sometimes applied against innocent people.

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Is your mailbox overflowing with campaign ads? We want to hear from you

Just over a month is left before the November election and California voters are starting to see the proof in their mailboxes, on their doorknobs and each time they turn on a computer or TV.

Whether it’s Republican San Diego County Rep. Darrell Issa blasting Democratic rival Douglas Applegate as the “perfect candidate” of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi or opponents of the Proposition 56 tobacco tax increase tying the ballot measure to “wealthy special interests,” we’d like to hear how California political campaigns and outside groups are jockeying for your attention — and your votes.

Have you received a barrage of campaign mailers this election season? Are you bombarded with information about local races and propositions? We want to hear from you.

Send images of campaign mailers and door-hangers, recordings of robocalls (in mp3 format) or links to Web ads to politics@latimes.com. Include your name, city, state and age, and tell us about the material you’re sharing.

Your submissions may be featured on our site.

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Loretta Sanchez dabbed. Kamala Harris threw shade

Kamala Harris watches as rival Loretta Sanchez strikes a pose after her closing statement at their debate at Cal State L,A.
Kamala Harris watches as rival Loretta Sanchez strikes a pose after her closing statement at their debate at Cal State L,A.
( Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times )

The moderator in Wednesday’s U.S. Senate debate had a no-nonsense approach to time limits, but when it came time for Rep. Loretta Sanchez to wrap up her closing, it took him a good 10 seconds before he could quiet her enough to move on to California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.

After being interrupted by the moderator several times, Sanchez finally stopped, pausing to strike a pose as Harris looked on.

What happened next was at first a mystery.

For viewers at home, the camera showed just a reaction from Harris, who bit her lip and looked to the audience, eyes wide. To see Harris’ face, go to 55 minutes and 29 seconds in the video below.

Laughing, Harris says, “So, there’s a clear difference between the candidates in this race.”

But a photo captured by Los Angeles Times photographer Rick Loomis appears to show Sanchez in a pose resembling “the dab,” a dance move created by rap group Migos and popularized by NFL star Cam Newton.

Those in the room were left to wonder what exactly the pose meant, Loomis said, but it did not seem to be a curtsy or a bow.

Then, this Twitter video surfaced: It does appear that Sanchez, in fact, “dabbed.”

A campaign spokesman for Sanchez at first declined to comment.

Harris’ campaign spokesman didn’t hesitate to use the opportunity to critique the congresswoman’s performance in a reply to a reporter.

After this post was published, Sanchez spokesman Luis Vizcaino had his say, too.

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Renaming of post office becomes attack line in Senate debate

(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris’ accusation that Rep. Loretta Sanchez has been absent from Congress took on new flair toward the end of their Senate debate.

“My opponent has somehow insinuated that I have not been to work,” Sanchez said.

“My opponent has passed one bill in her 20 years in office, and that was to rename a post office,” Harris shot back.

That bill named a Santa Ana post office for Hector G. Godinez. (He was Orange County’s first Latino postmaster, and died in 1999.)

Sanchez introduced the measure in April 2001, and it took more than a year before it was law. She also has co-sponsored 179 bills that have become law.

Relative to the number of bills that are filed, few actually pass as standalone legislation and become law. Members often insert legislation into broader bills in hopes of increasing chances it will pass.

In fact, many of the day-to-day bills that do pass are to rename post offices — because they are not controversial.

Attacks about the naming of post offices have been a staple of congressional debates across the country, especially as Congress has done less and less actual legislating in recent years.

Sanchez said the attack line suggests Harris doesn’t understand Congress: “You don’t pass a bill on its own necessarily in the Congress; you pass it by inserting it into other bills.”

Harris criticized Sanchez repeatedly throughout the night for missing votes and committee hearings, especially in the last year.

Sanchez missed more floor votes in the House — more than 1 in 5 — than all but two other members in 2015, according to Congressional Quarterly.

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For-profit colleges have been a major line of attack for both Harris and Sanchez

A 2014 file photo of Everest College in Santa Ana, which was owned by the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges Inc.
A 2014 file photo of Everest College in Santa Ana, which was owned by the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges Inc.
(Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

The issue of for-profit colleges resurfaced in the second half of the Senate debate Wednesday night, with Rep. Loretta Sanchez again accusing state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris of failing to pursue an investigation against Trump University because she’d received campaign contributions from Donald Trump in the past.

Harris was one of four state attorneys general named in a New York Times article highlighting accusations that Florida Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi was engaged in pay-to-play politics.

Harris has called the accusations “baseless,” pointing to her successful $1.3-billion lawsuit against for-profit Corinthian Colleges for false advertising and fraud.

Sanchez, as Harris has repeatedly pointed out, received campaign donations from Corinthian Colleges.

“While Kamala Harris’ investigation and suit against Corinthian led to the collapse of the predatory for-profit chain, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez joined an army of lobbyists to protect Corinthian and other predatory for-profits in Congress,” Harris’ campaign manager said in a statement last month.

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Rep. Loretta Sanchez did vote in favor of shielding the gun industry from liability for the acts of gun owners

(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

In 2005, Rep. Loretta Sanchez voted in favor of legislation that shielded the gun industry from liability for the criminal or negligent acts of gun owners, with certain exceptions.

The law, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, was approved by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush. The bill superseded existing laws in California and other states that allowed victims of gun violence to sue gun makers and dealers.

Sanchez said the measure protects lawful businesses from being hit with frivolous lawsuits, comparing it to allowing a person injured by a drunk driver to sue a car manufacturer.

Sanchez has defended her record on gun control, saying she has supported a ban on high-capacity magazines and has backed requiring background checks for people who buy weapons at gun shows. Sanchez said she has consistently received poor grades from the National Rifle Assn.

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Senate committee assignments? Kamala Harris isn’t sure what she wants

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

During Wednesday’s debate, the moderator asked Rep. Loretta Sanchez and state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris which Senate committees they wanted to serve on if elected. Sanchez said she wanted to continue to focus on national security. Harris said she was focused on the election and hadn’t thought about it.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is on the Appropriations, Judiciary, Rules and Administration, and Intelligence committees.

Retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer is on the Environment and Public Works, Foreign Relations and Ethics committees.

The Times asked the candidates the same question for a questionnaire to be published this month. The answers were nearly identical to what Sanchez and Harris said tonight.

Here is what they told us:

Harris: I’m focused on winning on Nov. 8 — I’m not going to speculate on any decisions beyond that point. But if I’m fortunate enough to represent California in the U.S. Senate, I’m going to look at committee assignments and all of my work based on how I can have the biggest impact for California and how to position California as a leading voice in the national debate.

Sanchez: I would ask to serve on the Senate Armed Services and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees. These assignments would harness my 20 years of experience as the second-ranking Democrat on both these committees on the House side.

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An hour flies by

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Sanchez redoubles her critique of Gov. Brown’s Proposition 57 — and Harris

U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez talks with potential voters at San Antonio Winery in June.
U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez talks with potential voters at San Antonio Winery in June.
(Mariah Tauger / For The Times)

Rep. Loretta Sanchez used the debate to sharply criticize Proposition 57, the ballot measure backed by Gov. Jerry Brown that seeks to expand early release to more state prisoners.

“If you do a drive-by shooting you can get out of jail free under this proposition,” Sanchez said at the debate. Kamala Harris “has failed to lead and she would fail to protect us.”

Sanchez was echoing criticism she voiced at a news conference Tuesday, when she attacked Harris for drafting a “misleading” ballot summary for the measure, part of Harris’ responsibilities as attorney general.

Sanchez said the measure’s summary made it seem as though only nonviolent felons would be eligible for early release, but that those who would be eligible would include those convicted of raping an unconscious person and providing guns to gang members.

She called the measure “irresponsible and dangerous.” Harris has not taken a position on any of the ballot measures, due to her role in drafting the summaries.

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Sanchez says she was in the room for tough talk with President Obama on immigration. It’s not clear that she was.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times))

On a question on immigration policy, Rep. Loretta Sanchez pointed to the endorsement of Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) who has been at the center of immigration policy debates over the last few years, including criticizing President Obama for not doing more.

It’s not clear if Sanchez was part of the heated meetings on immigration between Obama and Gutierrez. If so, it hasn’t been reported publicly before.

Nonetheless, Sanchez has repeatedly urged Obama to end deportations.

She was quoted by OCWeekly in 2014 as saying at the end of a speech,”I would just like to say to the president: Ya basta, Señor Presidente. No more deportations en nuestras familias.

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Who are Kamala Harris’ ‘cronies’?

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Audio problems in the debate hall

(Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Organizers brought in television viewers to ask questions via video, but just as Mary Bedford was shown asking a question about her son’s incarceration, television viewers could hear Rep. Loretta Sanchez speaking from the stage.

It turns out Sanchez and Kamala Harris could not hear the audio, which was playing for the audience at home.

“Our candidates couldn’t hear it so they couldn’t answer,” said ABC7 Eyewitness News anchor Marc Brown, the moderator.

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Fact-check: Loretta Sanchez didn’t exactly say 20% of Muslims were ‘inclined to commit violence’

During tonight’s debate, state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris said Rep. Loretta Sanchez had undercut the war on the Islamic State with her comments about Muslims.

“The congresswoman has helped by calling 20% of Muslims inclined to commit violence,” Harris said. “That is playing in the hands of ISIS and all that they are doing to try and recruit young Muslim men in our country and around the world.”

Shortly after December’s deadly terrorists attack in San Bernardino, Sanchez suggested in an interview with Larry King that 5% to 20% of Muslims support a caliphate, a strict Islamic state.

“We know that there is a small group, and we don’t know how big that is — it can be anywhere between 5 and 20%, from the people that I speak to — that Islam is their religion and who have a desire for a caliphate and to institute that in any way possible, and in particular go after what they consider Western norms — our way of life,” Sanchez said during the interview. “They are willing to use, and they do use, terrorism, and it is in the name of a very wrong way of looking at Islam.”

The comment was promptly criticized by Muslim groups. Sanchez stood by her words, saying the figures she mentioned had not been repudiated by any credible source.

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What is Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s attendance record in Congress?

A Los Angeles Times review of Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s attendance in Congress shows she missed 13 of 18 House Homeland Security Committee meetings from January through early November 2015, tied for the second-worst attendance on the committee. She missed the vast majority of her subcommittee meetings and half of the full meetings in the 2013-14 congressional term.

Sanchez also missed more floor votes in the House — more than 1 in 5 — than all but two other members in 2015, according to Congressional Quarterly. That’s a drop from her previous terms in Congress, when she cast votes more than 90% of the time in all but one year.

Sanchez told The Times in December 2015 that she doesn’t recall missing many Homeland Security panel hearings, but added that her responsibilities on the Armed Services Committee expanded greatly when the ranking Democrat was away from Congress because of two hip surgeries.

McClatchy’s Washington bureau reported on Sept. 27 that Sanchez had close to the worst attendance record in the U.S. House of Representatives as she campaigns to replace Barbara Boxer in the Senate – missing more than 44% of the votes since July.

Sanchez, a Democrat, has missed more votes than all but two of the other members of the House over the last three months, according to data from GovTrack, which tracks the votes of every member of Congress. One of the two members who missed more, Republican Texas Rep. Ted Poe, has leukemia.

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Kamala Harris said she’s for increased transparency in law enforcement. Here’s her record

Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris has opposed legislation that would require her office to independently investigate fatal police shootings. Harris has also stopped short of endorsing statewide regulations on the use of police body cameras, saying that she believed all officers should wear them but that local agencies are best equipped to enact policies.

Some civil rights activists and members of California’s Legislative Black Caucus have criticized her for those decisions, saying she should do more to keep police accountable and ensure impartial investigations of fatal shootings by police.

Harris said her office does have the authority to intervene in cases, but will do so only if there is evidence of impropriety or an abuse of discretion by local prosecutors. She has worked diligently to court law enforcement, and her Senate bid has been endorsed by the Los Angeles Police Protective League — which represents LAPD officers — the California Statewide Law Enforcement Assn. and the Oakland Police Officers Assn., among others.

Harris has the authority to launch civil rights investigations when there is evidence of wrongdoing not only by prosecutors, but also by law enforcement. For example, then-Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer launched a civil rights inquiry after the 1998 shooting death of Tyisha Miller by four Riverside Police Department officers.

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As the Senate debate begins, here are the rules

(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez will field questions from three panelists and be granted one minute to respond to the other’s answer.

Each candidate will get a 90-second closing statement.

The crowd was allowed to cheer when the candidates came in, but the Cal State L.A. students and others in the auditorium have been told not to clap at other points during the debate.

The second half of the debate will include a rapid-fire round and questions from the audience.

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Debate is on...without the usual pleasantries

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Senate candidates getting final advice before debate begins

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Watch California’s U.S. Senate debate between Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez

What: California’s U.S. Senate nominees — Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez, both Democrats — met in their first and only debate ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

When: Oct. 5

Where: Cal State LA

TV: Aired live on KABC in Los Angeles and on CSPAN. The university also provided a livestream you can watch above.

Social Media: #CalSenateDebate16 was the official hashtag. We tweeted from @LATpoliticsCA

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Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown celebrate 10th anniversary of historic climate law

California politicos reflected on leadership on climate policy at a reception Wednesday to celebrate the state’s landmark climate laws.

“We’ve proven that we don’t have to choose between a healthy environment and a strong economy,” Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) said.

The event marked the 10th anniversary of Assembly Bill 32, which established the state’s cap-and-trade program, in which companies buy permits to pollute, and set a target for reducing emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

This year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law to set the targets even higher. The new law sets a new goal of cutting emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.

Lawmakers reminisced about the uphill battle to pass climate regulations throughout the years. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed AB 32, joked about threatening federal regulators who questioned whether greenhouse gasses were pollutants.

“I said, ‘Do you want to be strapped with your mouth on the exhaust pipe while we turn on the engine and see how long it would take you to tap out?’” he said. “It is a pollutant.”

He applauded Brown for bringing climate change issues to Californians’ attention during Brown’s first term as governor in the 1970s.

“They thought he was saying crazy stuff when he talked about solar [and] biofuels,” Schwarzenegger said.

Brown described climate change as an issue that transcended politics.

“This is not about the Republican Party or the Democratic Party,” he said. “This is about human existence. It’s about survival.”

Updated at 1:44 p.m. Thursday: This post has been corrected to reflect that Brown said the issue of climate change is “about human existence” not “human resistance.”

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There are now more registered voters in California than the population of 46 states

(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

California last month hit a new record of more than 18.2 million registered voters, as state elections officials say registration continues to surge.

“This is a major milestone,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a written statement.

The state saw a net gain of almost 1 million new voters since a report from the same time period in 2012. The new data show California now has more registered voters than the population of 46 states.

Republicans trailed Democrats in registration by more than 18 percentage points in the official state report released Wednesday. Unaffiliated voters, known in California as those who have “no party preference,” were a close third and made up more than 23% of the statewide registration.

Padilla reported last week that more than 370,000 Californians registered to vote or updated their registration in the final week of September. He attributed much of that activity to a reminder campaign by Facebook about voter registration.

As of Sept. 9, 73.45% of Californians who are eligible to vote were registered. That’s the highest percentage at this point in a presidential election year since 1996.

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United Farm Workers backs Kamala Harris in U.S. Senate race

California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, a candidate for U.S. Senate, enters the United Farm Workers convention in Bakersfield in May chanting "Sí, se puede!"
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

California’s iconic United Farm Workers union on Wednesday endorsed Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris for U.S. Senate, saying she has been a champion for immigrant workers and the rights of unionized laborers.

The endorsement was a major blow to Harris’ rival, Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County, who is counting on a wave of support from Latino voters and the Central Valley in her uphill battle against Harris.

United Farm Workers President Arturo S. Rodriguez said both Harris and Sanchez are “strong candidates” and that union leaders faced a difficult choice. Both Harris and Sanchez are Democrats.

After union leaders interviewed both candidates, however, Harris was their choice, Rodriguez said.

“Harris has consistently protected collective bargaining rights for farm workers and all workers. Additionally, Harris said a key factor in her decision to run for the Senate was the need to pass immigration reform, which honors farm workers and other new Americans,” Rodriguez said in a statement released by the Harris campaign. “As an organization we also appreciate Kamala Harris’ vigorous and effective advocacy of justice for all, including advocating for farm workers receiving equal overtime pay protections.”

In May, Sanchez missed a prime opportunity to appeal to UFW members at their annual convention in Bakersfield. Sanchez canceled her Saturday evening appearance, citing a family matter.

Harris did address the convention, and received a warm ovation after she called for strengthening rights and protections for immigrants.

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What to expect from tonight’s U.S. Senate debate

California voters Wednesday night get their only chance to see the two Democrats running for California’s first open U.S. Senate seat in 24 years go head-to-head in a debate.

Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez take the stage at Cal State Los Angeles at 7 p.m. The one-hour forum will be aired live by KABC-7 TV and CSPAN, as well as webcast by the college. We’ll be covering it live here on Essential Politics.

Harris remains the solid front-runner and has won endorsements from President Obama, Gov. Jerry Brown and the California Democratic Party.

The family fight between two Democrat Senate contenders is a byproduct of the state’s top-two primary system, which sends the two candidates who received the most votes in the primary into a November election runoff — regardless of political party.

“This is a live experiment of the top-two system on the biggest stage so far that it’s had. Everybody is on unfamiliar territory here,” said Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. and one of the debate panelists.

The pressure on both candidates is intensified by the fact that a third to a half of California voters are either undecided or don’t plan to vote in the Senate race, according to recent polls.

“Since there’s only one debate, there’s a premium for each candidate to really get their message out,” Sonenshein said.

Trailing in the polls, Sanchez has the most at stake, and she’s expected to continue her campaign’s recent attacks against Harris’ record as the state attorney general. It’s an assault Harris should be well prepared for, and viewers likely will see the attorney general go directly after Sanchez for the first time.

The candidates will field questions from three panelists and be granted time to respond to barbs from her rival. Each candidate will get a 90-second closing statement.

The debate will be hosted by ABC7 Eyewitness News anchor Marc Brown and, along with Sonenshein, the panelists will be ABC7 news reporter Adrienne Alpert and Janis Hirohama, past president of the League of Women Voters of California. Cal State LA student president Kayla Stamps also will question the candidates.

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Loretta Sanchez attacks Senate rival Kamala Harris over prison inmate ballot measure

Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez on Tuesday criticized her rival in California’s U.S. Senate race, state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, for drafting a “misleading” ballot summary of Proposition 57, a measure that offers a chance of early release to more prison inmates.

Sanchez said the summary of the measure makes it appear that only nonviolent felons would be eligible for early release. However, she said, eligible inmates include those convicted of raping an unconscious person, human trafficking that involves a sex act with a minor and providing guns to gang members.

“It’s irresponsible and dangerous, and it will soften our laws at a time when crime is on the rise in California,” Sanchez said at a news conference in Los Angeles, joined by opponents of Proposition 57.

The attorney general is tasked with writing the title and a 100-word summary for all statewide ballot measures. Because of that responsibility, Harris has declined to take positions on ballot measures.

The Harris campaign offered a quick response on Tuesday.

“Loretta Sanchez is once again cribbing from Donald Trump’s playbook, using false smears and desperate demagoguery to scare up support for her campaign,” Harris campaign spokesman Nathan Click said in a statement. “Meanwhile, in Washington, Sanchez helped fuel America’s mass incarceration crisis by voting to send more kids to prison, build more prisons and ratchet up mandatory minimums for nonviolent crimes.”

Gov. Jerry Brown has been the main force behind Proposition 57. The measure would offer an opportunity for early release to prison inmates who have completed their initial sentence for a crime deemed to be nonviolent.

The chance for parole would be based on earning good behavior and education credits. Proposition 57 also would allow judges to keep juvenile defendants who are 14 and older out of adult courts.

Sanchez and Harris meet in the only general election Senate debate Wednesday evening at Cal State Los Angeles.

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Kamala Harris vs. Loretta Sanchez debate clashes with Giants vs. Mets

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Millions spent on television ads touting initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use

A barrage of television and radio ads has been launched by the campaign for Proposition 64, arguing that the measure to legalize the recreational use of marijuana has restrictions to keep pot out of the hands of minors and will generate $1 billion in new tax revenue.

The campaign has reported this week that it has spent $6.8 million of the more than $14 million it has raised so far on broadcast, cable television and radio ads throughout the state.

One of the ads provides a flow chart for the initiative’s provisions, saying it “bars advertising directed at kids,” and “bars edibles that appeal to children.”

“Adults 21 and over could only purchase marijuana at licensed marijuana businesses,” the ad says.

A second ad says Proposition 64 will generate $1 billion in additional tax revenue to provide services, including after-school, job-training and placement programs.

A parents group rallied Tuesday against the initiative, saying it would harm young people.

Former Facebook President Sean Parker has given $7.3 million to the campaign, which is called Yes on 64, Californians to Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana while Protecting Children.

“Californians overwhelmingly support replacing marijuana criminalization with a smarter, safer approach,” said Brian Brokaw, the campaign manager for the initiative, who added that the ads “are designed to straightforwardly communicate the vast safeguards and benefits of Proposition 64 to every voter in the state.”

Four other campaign committees have raised about $12 million for their efforts.

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The anti-tobacco tax doctor is in: New ad from Prop. 56 opponents targets ‘wealthy special interests’

So far, opponents of the Proposition 56 tobacco tax increase have used a high school math teacher and a woman planting flowers in their television advertisements. Now, they’ve added a doctor to the list.

In the ad, the doctor says he tries to prevent people from smoking, but doesn’t support Proposition 56, which would raise the cigarette tax by $2 a pack. He says it’s because not enough of the money would go to anti-smoking efforts and instead the lion’s share would go to “wealthy special interests.”

“I do everything in my power to stop people from smoking,” the doctor says. “But that’s not what Proposition 56 is really about.”

The ad continues the tobacco companies’ strategy of not talking about the thinking behind raising cigarette taxes. Instead, they’re focusing on where money from the tax hike — an estimated $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion a year — would go, and targeting the doctor groups and insurance companies that are among the top funders of the Proposition 56 campaign.

Most of the revenue from the tax hike is directed to Medi-Cal, the state’s healthcare program for low-income residents. Under the measure, the governor and Legislature would decide how that money gets spent every year, but it would most likely go toward paying doctors and insurance companies for existing patient-treatment programs.

That’s the source of the doctor’s claim in the ad, that insurance companies wouldn’t “have to help even one more patient” if Proposition. 56 passes.

Jim DeBoo, the campaign manager for Yes on 56, said the money from the measure benefits low-income Californians by financing their care.

“It’s how healthcare is delivered,” DeBoo said. “It’s through providers.”

Here’s the ad:

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Darrell Issa’s comment about expanding federal aid for Sept. 11 rescue workers attacked in opponent’s ad

The Democrat challenging Republican Rep. Darrell Issa on Tuesday released a new television ad slamming the Vista congressman for his controversial comment about giving more financial aid to workers who responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on New York’s World Trade Center.

The ad, aired by congressional candidate and retired Marine Col. Douglas Applegate, was narrated by Jaime Hazan, a former Rockland County emergency medical technician who suffered a permanent disability after voluntarily responding to Ground Zero.

“The tea party Republicans actually voted to deny healthcare to 9/11 first responders,” Hazan said in the ad. “Issa said he’d done enough for something that was ‘simply a plane crash.’ ”

Hazan also campaigned against a New Jersey Republican congressman on the same issue earlier this month, and fought for more than a decade to have Congress reauthorize the compensation fund, which it did in 2015.

Issa’s campaign spokesman, Calvin Moore, accused the Applegate campaign of using “doctored quotes” to mislead voters.

“It’s shameful Doug Applegate would exploit the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to wage a dishonest charge for his own political benefit,” Moore said in a statement Tuesday.

The Issa campaign said that the congressman never said the phrase “simply a plane crash.”

“Congressman Issa never said the terrorist attack on 9/11 was simply a plane crash. That quote is fabricated to smear his reputation, when in fact he has been a leading voice for first responders and those affected by the terrorist attack on 9/11, having voted in Congress to support those directly affected by 9/11 on at least 8 separate occasions,” said Dave Gilliard, a campaign consultant for Issa.

Here is an expanded version of the comments Issa made during the April 1, 2008 congressional hearing,on whether to reauthorize funding for victims of the New York attack. He was questioning the need to provide additional federal aid and the precedent it might set for future attacks:

“We voted in the wake of 9/11 huge amounts of money to the city and the state of New York. We have spent, arguably, between $1-$2 trillion related to the post-9/11, if you include going to Afghanistan and so on.

I have to ask why damages from a fire that had no dirty bomb in it, it had no chemical munitions in it, it simply was an aircraft, residue of two aircraft, and residue of materials used to build this building, why the firefighters who went there and everyone in the City of New York needs to come to the federal government for the dollars vs. quite frankly this being primarily a state consideration.

You know, it’s very simple: I can’t vote for additional money for New York if I can’t see why it would be appropriate to do this every single time a similar situation happens, which quite frankly includes any urban terrorist. It doesn’t have to be somebody from Al Qaeda. It can be somebody who decides that they don’t like animal testing at one of our pharmaceutical companies.”

New York lawmakers were quick in criticize Issa’s remarks in the New York press.

Applegate, a lawyer from San Clemente, finished behind Issa by just 5.3 percentage points in the June primary, making it the closest a challenger has been to Issa since he started serving in Congress in 2003.

The two will face off again in the race for California’s 49th congressional district in November.

Issa also released a television ad attacking Applegate in late September, accusing him of passing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s “litmus test” by supporting tax increases and a “government takeover of healthcare.”

UPDATED at 4:23 p.m. -- This story has been updated to include the Issa campaign challenging the accuracy of the ad.

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In legislative races, Democratic challengers try to pin Trump on their Republican opponents

Democrat Sharon Quirk-Silva, left, is trying to win back her state Assembly seat from Young Kim (R-Fullerton).
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press; Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Could Donald Trump prevent two Southern California Republicans from keeping their seats in the state Legislature? Their Democratic opponents hope so.

Sharon Quirk-Silva and Al Muratsuchi are both former state legislators who were ousted from their seats in 2014, when a mini-wave of Republican candidates was able to win back state Assembly and Senate seats and block Democrats from a super-majority.

This time, the ex-lawmakers are hoping that tying the Republican incumbents to Donald Trump will help push them over the edge to victory in swing districts.

In Orange County’s Assembly District 65, Quirk-Silva faces Assemblywoman Young Kim (R-Fullerton), who supports charter schools and has the backing of business groups.

“The tactic of trying to desperately link me to Mr. Donald Trump — who I’ve never met — I don’t think that’s effective,” Kim said in an interview.

Muratsuchi has a rematch with Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach), who beat him by 700 votes in 2014.

“The cold, hard reality is that Donald Trump is toxic and it would be political malpractice to any Democrat down-ballot to not capitalize on or take advantage of the Trump effect,” said Dave Jacobson, a Democratic consultant involved with several legislative races this year.

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Parents group rallies against Proposition 64, which would legalize recreational use of marijuana

Customers buy products at a medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco in April.
Customers buy products at a medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco in April.
(Haven Daley / Associated Press)

Parents who said their sons and daughters had mental health problems or committed suicide after using marijuana rallied Tuesday at the state Capitol against Proposition 64, which would legalize the recreational use of cannabis.

Speakers included Lori Robinson, whose son, Shane, committed suicide at age 25 after bouts of psychosis she said occurred when he smoked marijuana.

“These kids don’t realize that marijuana has been linked to triggering psychiatric harm for some brains,” said Robinson, who lives in Thousand Oaks.

The rally against the initiative was attended by nearly 50 activist parents and health experts, and was sponsored by Moms Strong, a grassroots group of parents who say their sons and daughters suffered health issues from marijuana use.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse says several studies have linked marijuana use toincreased risk for psychiatric disorders, including psychosis (schizophrenia), depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, but whether and to what extent it actually causes these conditions is not always easy to determine.”

The amount used, the age it is used and the genetic vulnerability of the user have also influenced the link. the institute says. “ The strongest evidence to date concerns links between marijuana use and substance use disorders and between marijuana use and psychiatric disorders in those with a preexisting genetic or other vulnerability,” the institute says.

A representative of the “Yes on Proposition 64” campaign, Jason Kinney, said the current system has failed parents because it is easy for minors to obtain marijuana.

“Proposition 64 is a safer, smarter approach – with strict, 21-and-over policies, bans on marketing to youth and child-attracting edibles, more money for law enforcement and unprecedented funding for youth prevention and treatment programs,” he said.

Updated at 1:20 pm with information from National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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Bernie Sanders stars in latest ad supporting drug pricing ballot measure

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders hit California airwaves again this week, this time to promote Proposition 61, the November ballot initiative aimed at lowering prescription drug prices for state agencies.

In the 30-second ad, Sanders decries drug companies’ “outrageous profits” and calls the measure a “very, very important step forward.”

“It will be a real blow against this greedy industry that will reverberate all over America,” Sanders says.

Proposition 61, which would tie drug prices for state agencies to what the Department of Veterans Affairs pays, is one of a couple dozen ballot measures nationwide that’s been endorsed by Sanders and his newly formed group, Our Revolution.

The Yes on 61 campaign is being bankrolled by Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation and is supported by the California Nurses Assn. and AARP California.

It is opposed by drug companies, which have raised more than $87 million to defeat the measure, and by some veterans groups and the California Medical Assn.

Another ad featuring a Sanders speech that mentioned Proposition 61 previously ran online.

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Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer endorses Gov. Jerry Brown’s parole overhaul, Proposition 57

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Tom Steyer, whose political activism on national and state Democratic causes continues to expand beyond environmental issues, on Tuesday endorsed Gov. Jerry Brown’s ballot measure to revamp prison parole rules.

“Proposition 57 is a common sense measure that will reduce the burden on California taxpayers and will implement proven methods of rehabilitation that reduce the likelihood of reoffending,” Steyer said in a written statement.

Prop. 57 would allow some prisoners serving time for a nonviolent crime to be considered for early release, expanding their ability to earn credits for good behavior and educational programs. Critics, led by the California District Attorneys Assn., argue that some of those who would be eligible for parole are not nonviolent felons.

Two-thirds of respondents in a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll last month said they support Prop. 57.

Steyer, who is also supporting the effort to raise tobacco taxes under Proposition 56 this fall, has focused much of his attention in recent years on efforts to combat climate change. The attention the former San Francisco hedge fund manager has given other political causes has fueled speculation that he might be a candidate for governor in 2018. Steyer has said he won’t take a serious look at a campaign until sometime after the Nov. 8 election.

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U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez is now on her third campaign manager

U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez talks with potential voters at San Antonio Winery in June.
(Mariah Tauger / For The Times)

U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez, trailing in the polls behind front-runner Kamala Harris, brought in a new campaign manager for the final stretch of the campaign.

The Orange County congresswoman hired organizer Maria Unzueta to replace Millie Herrera, who served as Sanchez’s campaign manager through the June 7 primary election.

“We are excited to have two seasoned campaign veterans join the Loretta Sanchez team for the final push of the Senate campaign,” campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino said. “Maria Unzueta is serving as campaign manager, and Hilda Delgado has been appointed to communications director.”

Unzueta is a former union organizer for Workers United; she also worked for Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Downey) and Assemblyman Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park). Delgado recently worked for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during California’s presidential primary.

Vizcaino has been promoted to senior advisor and works on campaign strategy and outreach.

Political consultant Tim Allison, who was executive secretary-treasurer of the Ventura-based Tri-Counties Central Labor Council, served as Sanchez’s campaign manager when she first launched her bid to replace retiring Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate. Allison left after a few months.

Harris, California’s two-term state attorney general, switched campaign managers in late 2015 after her campaign’s spending came under scrutiny.

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Progressive national security group backs Kamala Harris in Senate race

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The Truman National Security Project endorsed Democratic California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris on Tuesday morning in the U.S. Senate race.

“Kamala Harris’ experience combating security threats on the international stage and her thoughtful engagement on national security issues show that she is the forward-thinking leader Californians deserve in the U.S. Senate,” Truman Project President Michael Breen said in a statement provided first to The Times.

The Truman Project is focused on developing foreign policy in line with Democratic Party leanings. Several foreign policy officials from the Clinton and Obama administrations sit on its board.

In the race to replace Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, Harris faces Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange), whose foreign policy experience comes from her years serving on the House Armed Services and House Homeland Security committees, a focal point of her campaign.

The group said it chose Harris because of her work as attorney general on cyber security, consumer privacy and her work with law enforcement to disrupt human traffickers and drug cartels.

“Kamala has stood up for the ideals that make America a world leader: recognizing that we are at our strongest and safest when we protect refugee families, especially those fleeing the violence of our enemies; rejecting the political attacks on Muslims that have sadly characterized much of this election year; and seeking to unite Californians across economic, ethnic, and religious lines,” Breen said.

Harris and Sanchez are scheduled to meet for their only debate Wednesday evening in Los Angeles. It is sponsored by the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles and KABC-TV.

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Democrats airing three new ads connecting California Republican congressman to Trump

Denham represents the Central Valley.
(Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

Democratic congressional candidate Michael Eggman and House Democrats’ campaign arm will begin airing ads Tuesday aimed at connecting Central Valley Republican Rep. Jeff Denham to GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad focuses on how Denham (R-Turlock) helped Trump get local and federal approval to build a luxurious new hotel in the Old Post Office building blocks from the White House.

The historic building had been only partially in use and Denham has long worked to sell off surplus federal property.

The ad asks, “Who is Donald Trump’s man in Washington?” and points to a 2013 Turlock City News article about Denham and Trump unveiling the hotel plans together.

This is the second matchup for Denham and Eggman, a farmer and beekeeper who lost by 12 percentage points in 2014.

Eggman’s campaign has two new ads.

“We want to make it clear to voters that millionaire congressman Jeff Denham is fighting for Trump, not the Valley,” Eggman’s campaign manager Josh Lord said in a statement. “Michael Eggman would stand up to Trump and his reckless agenda and fight for Valley families.”

One takes aim at Denham helping Trump get the hotel space.

A Spanish-language version says it’s offensive that Denham supports Trump despite his comments about Mexican immigrants.

Both ads highlight Trump saying at a speech in Fresno that there is no drought in California, and touch on his comments about immigrants and women.

The agricultural 10th Congressional District has struggled under California’s lengthy drought.

Its population is 26% Latino, according to the nonpartisan election guide California Target Book, and includes Modesto, Turlock and parts of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.

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Two California congresswomen rip state Democratic Party for willingness to attack Rep. Loretta Sanchez in Senate race

California Democratic Reps. Janice Hahn of San Pedro and Lucille Roybal-Allard of Downey on Monday ripped into the leadership of the California Democratic Party for being willing to launch a negative campaign against Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

The party has spent more than $560,000 to support Sanchez’s rival in the Senate race, Democrat state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris. A top party strategist told the Los Angeles Times that a negative attack against Sanchez, who has represented Orange County in Congress for two decades, has not been ruled out.

“It is outrageous that the California Democratic Party has spent over half a million dollars to defeat Democrat Loretta Sanchez and is planning to spend more in the next few weeks when there are contested races against Republicans across the state,” Hahn and Roybal-Allard said in joint statement released by the Sanchez campaign Monday afternoon.

“There is absolutely no justification to attack Loretta Sanchez when the Party itself has endorsed her in past elections and the U.S. Senate seat is guaranteed to remain Democratic,” they added.

Both Hahn and Roybal-Allard have endorsed Sanchez in California’s U.S. Senate race.

In February, delegates for the California Democratic Party voted overwhelmingly to endorse Harris for Senate.

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Gov. Jerry Brown used his veto pen more than normal in 2016, but still less than other governors

[Gov. Jerry Brown, right, discusses a bill with Legislative Affairs Secretary Gareth Elliott, left, and Legislative Deputy Brian Putler, at his Capitol office Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, in Sacramento, Calif. Brown has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto hundreds of bills passed by the Legislature.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)] *** [] ** Usable by LA and DC Only **
(Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)

For Gov. Jerry Brown, it’s been a less generous year than usual for bills sent to his desk by the Legislature.

Recalibrate that to historical standards, though, and Brown remains among the most willing of California governors in signing new laws.

Of the 1,059 bills sent to his desk by lawmakers in 2016, the governor signed 898 of them -- a veto rate of just 15%.

That’s his highest rejection rate in any year, including the eight that he served as governor between 1975 and 1982.

While other governors have vetoed a far higher percentage of bills, Brown largely gives Democratic legislators what they want.

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New California Hall of Fame members include Harrison Ford, Tony Gwynn and George Takei

The newest inductees into the California’s Hall of Fame have traveled warp speed, knocked it out of the park and rocked a generation to earn their spots in the history books.

Eight men and women on Monday were announced by the California Museum as the newest inductees. They will be honored at a Nov. 30 event hosted by Gov. Jerry Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown in Sacramento.

The honorees include actors Harrison Ford and George Takei, former San Diego Padres slugger Tony Gwynn, author Isabel Allende, former U.S. secretary of Defense William Perry, Tower Records founder Russ Solomon and artist Corita Kent.

One member of the new class of inductees has also been a presenter of Hall of Fame members in the past: former California first lady Maria Shriver.

Shriver and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger kicked off the Hall of Fame in 2006. In the years since, 96 men and women have been added to the museum’s rolls.

Takei, who portrayed Hikaru Sulu on “Star Trek” and has become a pop culture icon through a large Facebook following and political activism, is a second-generation Californian.

“To be inducted to join the inspiring trail blazers in the arts, industry, academia, sports and political affairs is an honor beyond words,” Takei said in a written statement.

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Billions in state school bonds? Proposition 51 won’t get Gov. Jerry Brown’s vote

(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

It’s a sign of our contentious times and California’s contrarian governor that people are even bickering over routine state school construction bonds.

Selling state bonds to help local districts build new schools and modernize old ones used to be about as controversial as motherhood and apple pie. No longer.

Practically everything these days seems politically divisive.

Proposition 51 on the November state ballot is a low-profile issue for most voters, one of those wonky eye-glazers. But behind the scenes, the ballot initiative has stirred turmoil, mainly because of Gov. Jerry Brown.

Brown is bothered by the whole state school bond system. He thinks it’s too favorable to large and financially stable districts and is unfair to smaller and poorer ones.

That’s vintage Brown. He tends to give middle-class districts short shrift and prioritizes spending on disadvantaged schools. That’s apparently a holdover from his early monk life as a Jesuit seminarian.

Proposition 51 would authorize $9 billion in state school bonds. Specifically, it would provide $3 billion for new construction, $3 billion for modernization, $2 billion for community colleges, plus $1 billion for charter schools and vocational education facilities.

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Listen in on the 25th Congressional District debate here

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Gov. Brown endorses Democrats in six House races

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Gov. Jerry Brown endorsed six House candidates Monday, all of whom are fighting to keep or flip a seat for the Democrats.

Brown endorsed:

  • Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove)
  • Michael Eggman (challenging Rep. Jeff Denham in the 10th District)
  • Emilio Huerta (challenging Rep. David Valadao in the 21st)
  • Bryan Caforio (challenging Rep. Steve Knight in the 25th)
  • Doug Applegate (challenging Rep. Darrell Issa in the 49th)
  • Salud Carbajal (hoping to hold outgoing Rep. Lois Capps’ seat for Democrats)

All six races are among the most closely watched contests in California this cycle. Democrats already hold 39 of 53 House seats in the largest state delegation in Congress.

Brown endorsed California Atty. Gen Kamala Harris in her U.S. Senate race against Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a fellow Democrat, but he didn’t endorse a candidate in the eight House districts where Democrats are squaring off under California’s top-two primary system.

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How the campaign against tobacco tax says it affects California schools

A central attack of the tobacco industry on Proposition 56, the measure to increase cigarette taxes by $2 a pack, is about schools.

The tax hike, opponents say, keeps money out of the state’s education system, a point they’ve tried to hammer home through a television advertisement and political mailers, both featuring a Long Beach high school teacher criticizing the initiative. The tobacco companies even went to court to successfully sue over the official ballot summary to more explicitly detail the measure’s effect on school funding.

“Not one penny goes to improve our kids’ schools,” the television ad says.

The move is part of the tobacco industry’s strategy over the past decade to redirect California voters’ attention away from the popular idea of increasing tobacco taxes and instead sowing doubt about the effect of specific initiatives.

Prop. 56 does not take any money away from the state’s education system. It provides about $20 million a year to anti-smoking programs in schools.

So how do opponents of Prop. 56 justify their claim?

Under state law, any tax increase that goes to the state’s day-to-day operating budget requires a large percentage of that money to be diverted to education. The revenue from Prop. 56 — estimated to be between $1.3 billion and $1.6 billion a year — instead would be directed to specific purposes with the largest percentage going to the state’s Medi-Cal healthcare system for low-income residents.

Because revenue generated from Prop. 56 wouldn’t be diverted to schools, opponents are contending the measure undermines education funding. Beth Miller, spokeswoman for the No on 56 campaign, called the argument “a matter of semantics.”

“We don’t say it robs the schools of $600 million or it takes it away,” Miller said. “We’re saying it cheats the schools out of $600 million.”

Jim Knox, vice president of California government relations at the American Cancer Society and a supporter of the measure, said it makes sense to tie revenue from increasing tobacco taxes to greater healthcare spending rather than anything covered by the state’s day-to-day budget.

“We think putting the money broadly into helping low-income populations is better than potholes,” Knox said.

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The tobacco tax campaign that’s not about tobacco

(Matt Rourke / AP)

Tobacco companies have pumped more than $50 million into opposing Proposition 56, a November ballot measure that would increase the cigarette tax by $2 a pack. Prop. 56 follows failed attempts in 2006 and 2012 to raise the tax.

But it might seem surprising that the tobacco industry isn’t spending much time in this campaign arguing that tobacco taxes, in general, are bad.

That’s because a large swath of Californians like the idea of increasing the cigarette tax. It’s only when presented with the details of specific measures -- the way the tobacco industry attacked in 2006 and 2012 and now how it’s going after Prop. 56 -- that such support has eroded.

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Clinton fundraising dinner features private Elton John concert

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Hillary Clinton will come back to Los Angeles for what her fundraising team is billing as “one last event” on Oct. 13 — a solo concert with Elton John and a $33,400-per-ticket “final Los Angeles dinner.” Donors who give $100,000 are given “co-chair” designations and can attend a reception with Clinton and get premium dinner seating, according to an invitation obtained by The Times.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine also will raise money with a Corinne Bailey Rae concert at the home of Ellen Bronfman Hauptman and Andrew Hauptman on Oct. 8.

The co-hosts are Joe Calabrese, Charles Hirschhorn and Daniel Weiss. Tickets start at $2,700. A $5,000 donation includes a photo with Kaine, and donors who give $33,400 per couple are dubbed a “changemaker” and get a photo and dinner with the Virginia senator.

“This is the lowest price for a photo with Tim period,” Clinton National Finance Committee member Dixon Slingerland of Studio City wrote in an email soliciting attendees and obtained by The Times.

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One more reason to pick up the newspaper: Essential Politics

Starting tomorrow The Times debuts a new hub for California political news on Sundays. Its name will be familiar to those who frequent this news feed and subscribe to the free daily newsletter.

We’ll showcase coverage of Sacramento, elections across the state and California’s congressional delegation, and point print readers to our best online content.

The Essential Politics page will feature a new column by Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers.

His “Political Roadmap” aims to help you understand what’s happening in California politics and government and why.

Let us know what you think.

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