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California Doubles Down on Rehabilitation
On a hot August morning, state and local leaders gathered in Fresno to cut the ribbon on California’s newest community reentry facility. The site, run in partnership with TURN Behavioral Health Services, is designed to help people finishing prison sentences adjust to life on the outside. For Jorge M
03 Sep, 2025
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5 min read
Who’s Running for Governor of California in 2026?
California voters are lucky. In 2026, when they choose their next governor, they will do so under a system that ensures no spoilers, no wasted votes, and a guaranteed majority winner. Thanks to the state’s nonpartisan top two primary, every candidate appears on the same ballot, and the top two finis
26 Aug, 2025
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10 min read
How Californians Without Solar Got Stuck Paying for Those Who Do
Californians pay the second-highest electricity rates in the nation, more than double the U.S. average, and those rates are climbing faster than inflation and rising more quickly than in almost every other state.
At the heart of the problem is a little-known state policy operating as a reverse Robin Hood, a system that favors those who can afford to own homes and outfit them with rooftop solar panels — while forcing everyone else, especially renters, to foot the bill.
The program at the center
19 Aug, 2025
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9 min read
The 10 Worst Gerrymandered States in the Country
Monday marked another escalation in the mid-cycle redistricting fight between Republicans in Texas and Democrats in California – with one in another special session to add 5 more GOP seats, and the other maneuvering to counter this with 5 new Democratic seats.
18 Aug, 2025
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7 min read
California Legislative Counsel Refuses to Provide Republican Member Legal Services
On August 12, Republican California Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (San Diego) sent a letter to the Director of California's Legislative Counsel, Cara Jenkins, requesting a legal opinion on what he calls an “unconstitutional effort for mid-cycle redistricting.”
14 Aug, 2025
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5 min read
Here’s Proof that Independent Voters are Not Just Democrats or Republicans
IVN recognizes that being independent means something different to different people. It isn’t an ideology. It doesn’t require people to fall “in the center.” Being independent-minded is a mindset, and these voters can exist across the political spectrum.
11 Aug, 2025
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3 min read
Californians Just Voted to Get Tough on Crime. So Why Is Newsom Closing Another Prison?
Less than a year after 10 million Californians voted to lengthen prison sentences and crack down on retail theft and fentanyl dealing, Governor Gavin Newsom is shutting down yet another state prison.
08 Aug, 2025
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4 min read
Hate Gerrymandering? Let’s Start Voting in Primaries
Responding to pressure from President Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Republican-controlled legislature are moving forward with a plan to redraw their district lines in advance of the 2026 midterms. Democrats are contemplating how to fight back and blunt any gains the GOP makes in Texas by
07 Aug, 2025
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4 min read
From Relief to Rage: $100M FireAid Concert Engulfed in Political Scandal
It seems we can’t even have a $100 million benefit concert without inviting partisan bickering. What began as an urgent and well-intentioned philanthropic effort to help victims of two catastrophic fires has turned into another political fight between the two major political parties.
05 Aug, 2025
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10 min read
Beyond Ranked Choice Voting: How We Count The Votes Matters
Ranked choice voting keeps winning headlines. New York City uses it in primaries, Maine uses it statewide, Alaska uses it with a nonpartisan primary, and advocates from Better Choices are pushing for more consensus.
24 Jul, 2025
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5 min read








