CAPITOL DAYBOOK NEWS
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Appeals court rejects bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots, and a second judge bars threats to election workers
A Ninth Circuit panel voted 2 to 1 Friday to leave California ballot counting unchanged, finding no feasible way to segregate the disputed ballots. Hours later, Judge Trina Thompson barred federal officials from threatening election workers over ballot processing.
Associated Press · USA Today · 10/30/26
Becerra and Hilton make closing pitches in the governor's race
Xavier Becerra campaigned Friday in San Francisco with Mayor Daniel Lurie and heads to Modesto and a Sunday rally with Gov. Gavin Newsom. Steve Hilton campaigned in Sacramento on job training, homelessness and the cost of living.
California Post · 10/30/26
Bass and Raman tied at 40 percent in Los Angeles mayor's race
A Berkeley IGS poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times found Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman tied at 40 percent among likely voters, with 19 percent undecided. Bass erased an 11 point Raman lead from September.
FOX LA · 10/28/26
Democrats lead in four House districts redrawn under Proposition 50, USC poll finds
A USC battleground poll found Democratic candidates ahead by 8 to 14 points in four districts redrawn under Proposition 50, including Randy Villegas over Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley. The survey was conducted October 22 to 28.
USC Dornsife · 10/30/26
Support for Proposition 40 billionaire tax slips below a majority in PPIC poll
PPIC found 46 percent of likely voters support Proposition 40, the one-time 5 percent tax on assets over $1 billion, down from 52 percent in September. PPIC also found 82 percent of adults say the country is headed in the wrong direction.
PPIC · The Desert Sun · 10/27/26
King tides flood Southern California coast for a fourth day, damaging more than 100 Huntington Beach properties
King tides flooded homes, businesses and streets in low-lying coastal communities Friday, and Huntington Beach declared a local emergency after damage to more than 100 properties. Experts warned higher tides could return around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
ABC7 · 10/30/26
Courts
Ninth Circuit keeps federal voter fraud door-to-door program on hold in nine states
A unanimous Ninth Circuit panel denied the administration's request to resume door-to-door voter fraud investigations in nine states, including California, before Election Day. The panel found the government had not shown irreparable harm from pausing the program.
Democracy Docket · Associated Press · 10/30/26
Campaigns and Ballot Measures
Fourteen legislative candidates use red boxing to signal outside groups, CalMatters finds
CalMatters found 14 legislative candidates posting attack lines, research or video on campaign websites in formats outside groups can lift into ads. State rules presume such red boxing is coordination, but the Fair Political Practices Commission would not say whether it is investigating.
CalMatters · 10/30/26
Health
Trump administration rural health announcement is not new money, state officials say
The administration announced $233.6 million for rural health in California five days before the election, but state officials say California has received no additional funding. The money is the state's share of a $50 billion program approved in 2025.
CalMatters · 10/29/26
Tech and AI
Anthropic tells Newsom courts should be able to block risky AI models
In an October 15 letter, Anthropic proposed letting California's attorney general seek a court order pausing a model that poses a serious risk. OpenAI sent Newsom separate recommendations on October 20 that did not endorse court orders to block models.
Reuters · 10/28/26
Wildfire and Insurance
Kim and Allen clash over the cost of a state-run wildfire insurance plan
Insurance commissioner candidates Jane Kim and Ben Allen disputed what Kim's proposed state-backed wildfire insurer would cost homeowners. Kim said Allen misread her brief, which put reinsurance at about $150 to $230 per policyholder, and his campaign stood by its claim.
Education
Voters in 82 districts decide $12.6 billion in school bonds
Eighty-two California school districts in 40 counties are asking voters to approve $12.6 billion in bonds for roofs, plumbing, labs and classrooms. The largest is San Diego Unified's $3.5 billion measure, and the measures need 55 percent to pass.
EdSource · 10/30/26