Essential Politics: Failed presidential candidates will stay on California primary ballot

I’m Christina Bellantoni, your Essential Politics host through Thursday.

First, to catch you up on the weekend.

Protesters disrupted another Donald Trump rally, Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski grabbed someone by the collar at an event in Tucson, President Obama arrived in Cuba in what he called a “historic opportunity” and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made it official and said his Republicans wouldn’t allow a vote on Merrick Garland’s nomination — even after the election.

Even with more than two months of contests still ahead, attention is turning to the California primary on June 7. As we’ve been writing over the last few days, everything is a little different in the Golden State, from the way we award most delegates by congressional district to how our Republicans aren’t the same as national Republicans.

Turns out, our ballot will look a lot like the ballots from the beginning of the primary season. As Phil Willon reports, all of the candidates who have since dropped out of the race will still appear alongside Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich. So if anyone wants to vote for Jeb Bush, Ben Carson or Carly Fiorina, they can.

Speaking of Fiorina, she’ll introduce Cruz on March 31 at a fundraiser at the Pacific Club in Orange County, Seema Mehta learned. The minimum donation to attend is $1,000.

THESE YOUNG WOMEN HEART CLINTON

Don’t tell America Ferrera and Lena Dunham that millennial women prefer Sen. Bernie Sanders. The young actresses headlined a campaign event in Los Angeles on Sunday night and made clear they are Hillary Clinton supporters who are tired of hearing that Sanders has the support of women like them.

“I’m kind of done with being polite about this,” Dunham said.

TUESDAY’S CONTEST IN ARIZONA

Could Arizona turn blue because of anti-Trump sentiment? Ahead of the primary election there and with that question in mind, Mehta tells the story of a get-out-the-vote volunteer whose family has lived through the undulations of the state’s immigration wars.

The Trump campaign got the Steve Lopez treatment over the weekend. The columnist identified “Hillary for Prison 2016” T-shirts as the most popular clothing at the Arizona rally he covered, and writes, “This carnival we call a presidential primary indulges our worst instincts, assuring us that complex problems have the simplest of solutions, if only the true villains get their due.”

To keep up with what’s happening and our reporters on the campaign trail, make sure to follow @latimespolitics and keep an eye on Trail Guide.

PROTESTS JUST EARLY CONVENTION WARNING?

America could be in for the most intense RNC protests in decades, with swarms of left-wing activists planning to descend on downtown Cleveland for what could be the most turbulent presidential nominating convention since the 1960s. “I’m really concerned all hell is going to break loose,” James L. Hardiman, a vice president of the Cleveland NAACP, told Matt Pearce.

CLINTON’S STRESS TEST

Chris Megerian deconstructs Clinton’s stumble on Nancy Reagan and AIDS, and finds the story of how the Clinton camp responded offers insights into an episode that served as a stress test for an operation that has proved far more successful than Clinton’s last presidential bid in 2008. The effort demonstrated both the campaign’s ability to react quickly as well as the value of her deep ties with key parts of the Democratic base.

WHO DOES YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS SUPPORT?

Just three of the Republicans in California’s congressional delegation have taken sides in the presidential race.

And the holdouts tell Sarah Wire that’s not going to change.

And Javier Panzar has the details on how having Trump or Cruz on the top of the ticket could give a boost to a host of California Democrats this fall. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which handicaps U.S. House races, has upgraded several races from “likely” to “solid” Democratic seats, thanks to their heavy Latino population.

Keep up with our coverage of California Politics on our Essential Politics news feed.

A LOW-KEY SENATE RACE

With Clinton and Sanders spouting populist rhetoric about inequality and trade deals on the national campaign trail, the conversation in California’s Senate race seems downright conventional, Cathleen Decker writes.

COUNTING IN NEW WAYS, IN FOUR LANGUAGES

Check your mailboxes, Los Angeles. The census is coming to town.

Sarah Wire talked with U.S. Census Bureau officials about a test of 225,000 Los Angeles County homes, how technology lets them reimagine how to count, and how people can answer in English, Spanish, Korean or Chinese for the first time.

POLICE BODY CAMERAS

All over the country, police departments are outfitting their officers with body cameras.

California lawmakers are considering proposals to do the same, but as Liam Dillon reports, even within the Democratic caucus there’s a big difference of opinion on who gets to see the footage and when.

RECESS IN SACRAMENTO

The two police body camera bills will be part of a long to-do list for the Legislature after this week’s spring recess. The subscription bill tracking service CapitolTrack reports that there have been 2,172 bills introduced in Sacramento since early January. Two-thirds of those (1,442) were introduced in the Assembly.

Look for coverage of some of the biggest legislative debates from our Sacramento bureau once lawmakers reconvene on March 28. The first big deadline for policy proposals is in early May, around the same time Gov. Jerry Brown unveils a revised state budget.

COUNTING DELEGATES IN THE GOLDEN STATE

On this week’s California Politics Podcast, Sacramento bureau chief John Myers and crew take a closer look at the fascinating inside dynamics of how Trump, Cruz and Kasich may be clamoring for delegates in some of the most politically liberal parts of the Golden State.

They also examine the implications of a late entry into the U.S. Senate race by Republican Ron Unz and discuss the power-sharing proposals of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount).

Subscribe to the weekly podcast on iTunes.

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

-- Sanders is coming to California for an event in San Diego on Tuesday. As we’ve been reporting, Clinton will be in the state later in the week.

-- Seema Mehta captured scenes with the protesters in Arizona.

-- Lisa Mascaro examines how Trump’s campaign might just break apart the tea party.

-- The state ethics watchdog agency closed a loophole that some say provided politically connected people with a direct link to influence state lawmakers’ votes without registering as lobbyists. The state Fair Political Practices Commission overturned a provision that had allowed lobbyists to bring others to meetings with legislators to help make their case — without requiring those people to register as lobbyists.

-- Anti-Trump graffiti shows up in Newport Beach.

-- Steve Saldivar and Daniela Gerson present: “Dear Donald Trump: My parents are not rapists or drug dealers.”

LOGISTICS

Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox daily. And keep an eye on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics? Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com.