Betty Yee backs Tom Steyer for governor after exiting race Former California State Controller Betty Yee endorses Tom Steyer for governor, citing his dedication to working families and the climate fight.

Telling that Betty Yee didn’t hop aboard Becerra’s train or Porter but instead chosen Steyer. Becerra and Porter clearly would have wanted her endorsement. Thoughts on why? www.abc10.com/article/news...

Trump's Man in L.A. Bill Essayli is the face of Trump’s immigration and fraud crackdown in Southern California. Defending his own family’s fraud case, with the ACLU’s help, pitted him against the office he now leads.

All kinds of surprising details in Matt Hamilton’s great piece on Trump’s man in Los Angeles, Bill Essayli. lamaterial.com/p/bill-essay... h/t @lamaterial.bsky.social

Governor Newsom Endorses Fryday for California Lieutenant Governor | Josh Fryday for California Lieutenant Governor 2026 Weeks before voting starts, Governor Gavin Newsom today weighed into the Lieutenant Governor’s race—announcing his endorsement of Josh Fryday. “Seven years ago, I asked Josh Fryday to serve in my admi...

Gov. Newsom endorsed Josh Fryday for lieutenant governor over Michael Tubbs and Fiona Ma. The race has gotten no attention and the job has few responsibilities. But 2 of the past 4 governors have been lite guv. joshfryday.com/governor-new... No word on who Newsom will endorse in the race to succeed.

Federal Court Temporarily Freezes Nexstar’s Merger With Tegna

This is a big deal for independent media. I hope it stands on appeal: Federal Court Temporarily Freezes Nexstar’s Merger With Tegna www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/b...

That too

Eric Swalwell resigns from Congress Rep. Eric Swalwell announced Monday that he would resign from Congress as he faces a mounting effort to expel him over allegations of sexual misconduct.

What makes them think they're invisible?
www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

The California governor candidates discuss how they’ll address homelessness. YouTube video by CBS LA

CBS-Los Angeles conducted very interesting interviews with candidates for California governor about what they'd do about chronic homelessness. Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Controller Betty Yee said locked institutions are among the answers. The pendulum swings: youtu.be/EHkU_NAZJZ4?...

Well, now. It will be a very crowded field, with Californians. www.politico.com/news/2026/04...

We went to court to unseal the warrants behind Sheriff Chad Bianco's ballot seizures. What they reveal Riverside County Sheriff and California governor candidate Chad Bianco focused on claims from an activist group when he kicked off a voter fraud inquiry.

This is public service journalism: calmatters.org/politics/202... Thank you @calmatters.org

After a Rural Hospital Closed, a Health Center Fills Gaps in Patient Care Providers at Lone Star Family Health Center have seen an influx of young patients following the closure of a rural hospital that also offered primary care in Trinity, Texas. Most of the patients li…

Direct Relief: New York, Texas, Illinois, California, and Florida have the greatest number of rural populations at-risk of losing rural hospitals. www.directrelief.org/2026/04/afte...

Sacramento inches closer to allowing public cannabis consumption with indoor lounges A Midtown Sacramento cannabis dispensary is already marketing itself as "Sacramento's first cannabis consumption lounge."

Public health? Second-hand smoke’s impact on workers? Nah. It’s all about money. www.abridged.org/news/sacrame...

It’s fitting that at the California State Senate’s memorial for John Burton, Sen. Tony Strickland, among the most conservative members, speaks from the heart about his friend, Burton.

Cesar Chavez: Labor icon, Mexican-American hero ... rapist? The Democratic establishment is rushing to offer support for women who say they were sexually assaulted by the late civil rights figure. But justice demands more than strongly worded statements.

Mariel Garza: “The offenses outlined in the story include crimes and a possible cover-up by union officials.”
open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... h/t @goldenstateorg.bsky.social

Tesla and other EV sales plummet in Sacramento region. See what the latest data shows Electric vehicle sales dropped in the Sacramento region in 2025, but some experts believe that will change with stronger government support.

Tesla sales plunge: “More and more people will not buy an EV from Elon,” said Gil Tal, director of the EV Research Center at UC Davis. “If Elon was not what he is, probably Tesla sales would have gone up this year, not down.” www.abridged.org/news/ev-sale... h/t @abridgedpbskvie.bsky.social

Veterans Who Depend on Mental Health Care Keep Losing Their Therapists Under Trump Hundreds of mental health professionals have left the Department of Veterans Affairs since President Donald Trump took office, leaving staff “at a breaking point” and some veterans waiting as long as ...

Such an important story: www.propublica.org/article/vete... h/t @mindsitenews.bsky.social for flagging it and @propublica.org for reporting it.

The hat.

I didn’t often talk with Congressman Issa but each time I did, he was gratuitously rude. … Veteran Rep. Darrell Issa decides not to seek reelection in new Democratic-leaning district, sources say

Man in apparent mental health crisis taken by ICE from hospital, transferred out of state A 27-year-old man, who is a citizen of Mexico, was taken by ICE agents from a hospital and moved out of state against the advice of medical professionals who diagnosed him with acute mental illness.

This story needs much more attention. Would ICE have seized the person if he was undergoing chemo or if he had had a heart attack or stroke?
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

Why Did U.S. Fentanyl Overdose Deaths Drop? A big part of the story now seems that law enforcement coordinated across U.S. agencies, and elements of the Mexican government, to disrupt fentanyl trafficking. A conversation w/ Jake Braun.

Whenever I listen to Sam Quinones' podcast, I learn something new, this one especially on fentanyl, h/t @samquinones.bsky.social substack.com/home/post/p-...

After receiving multiple email invitations for amazing parties in the last few weeks from long-lost friends, only to discover they're phishing attempts, I will never open an online invitation. If anyone receives an online invitation from me, please know I would never send an online invitation.

One Adelanto detainee's decision to leave everything behind California will be the lesser for my friend's coerced decision to depart the United States, where he built a business, a family and a life.

This is a powerful and infuriating piec by David Freed. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... h/t @marielgarza.bsky.social @paulthornton.bsky.social @goldenstateorg.bsky.social

Direct Relief Surpasses $2.2 Billion in Aid for Ukraine Direct Relief—one of the world’s largest providers of charitable medical aid—announced today that its support for Ukraine has exceeded $2.2 billion, underscoring both the urgency of the ongoing cri…

This: www.directrelief.org/2026/02/dire...

When @marielgarza.bsky.social writes a piece about trash, you *have* to read it.

Supreme Court won’t disturb new California congressional map It seemed unlikely the justices would block Democrats’ gerrymandering effort after they kept Texas’ Republican map in place.

This is a big deal: www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

What a cold night in Sacramento interviewing homeless people taught us We volunteered to count the unsheltered people in our community. Our conversations with those who agreed to talk touched our hearts and demonstrated why homelessness is so difficult to solve.

What we saw on a January evening volunteering for the Point-In-Time count of people living on the streets in Sacramento. www.golden-state.org/what-a-cold-... h/t @marielgarza.bsky.social @paulthornton.bsky.social

The man who built CalMatters into a respected, thriving California journalism institution Co-founder Dave Lesher turned CalMatters into one of California’s most influential newsrooms — and launched new tools to make your government transparent

Very cool piece about a news organization on the ascent, and the guy who started it—David Lesher. calmatters.org/inside-the-n...

My Visit to Muskogee, OK The small town Merle Haggard once sang about reflected what was going on in an ignored part the country. Almost 60 years later, it may still.

I love this slice of American life by Sam Quinones @samquinones.bsky.social posted on his Dreamland Substack. I think Merle would love it too. open.substack.com/pub/samquino...

Few California voters pay attention to the race for lieutenant governor. But Gray Davis and Gavin Newsom showed it can be a stepping stone to the governor's office. The Calif Teachers Assn and the Calif Federation of Teachers today endorsed lite guv candidate Josh Fryday.

No, Trump won’t be able to drill off California’s coast The administration wants new drilling off the 1,100-mile coastline. Fat chance: This is probably illegal and faces overwhelming backlash.

Smart analysis in the Golden State Report, @goldenstateorg.bsky.social, showing why Trump’s demand to drill offshore from California’s coast won’t happen. open.substack.com/pub/goldenst... An aside: Assemblyman Pete Wilson drove the drilling ban in 1969. Ronald Reagan was governor.