California News

Some of you may be asking yourself, "Who is Spencer Pratt?" Let me explain, in a city drowning in tents, trash, crime, and broken promises, Los Angeles voters are desperate for someone—anyone—who will actually say what’s obvious: the system is rigged, the leadership has failed, and “more programs” aren’t the answer. Enter Spencer Pratt.

What Is the California Statewide Voter ID Initiative? The initiative proposes simple changes to California’s voting process. It would require voters to show valid identification at the polls to enhance election security and reduce the risk of voter fraud.

An online MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Town Hall held Monday, April 20, 2026, brought together four candidates seeking to lead California out of its chronic disease crisis. Hosted by Jeff Dornick on the Pickax platform, the nearly 2-hr. event featured leading Republican contenders Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, along with underdog candidates Leo Zacky (R) and Lewis Herms (No Party Pref.). All four candidates expressed strong agreement on core MAHA

With Eric Swalwell now out of the California Governor's race, candidate Tom Steyer has risen to the top in the latest polling. Tom Steyer, the billionaire climate crusader, is still pitching himself as California’s affordability savior in the 2026 gubernatorial race. He vows to slash electricity bills by 25% through competition against utility monopolies and an aggressive push for renewables.

A citizen-led ballot initiative that could wipe out property taxes for tens of thousands of California homeowners aged 60 and older is now circulating petitions across the state — including right here in Shasta County — with backers calling it long-overdue justice for seniors who built the Golden State.

At the center of the controversy is a bigger question: Is it ever okay to protect individuals or organizations accused of committing high-level fraud and stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayers? When public money meant for daycare services, hospice care, or immigrant support is allegedly being pocketed while the programs appear empty or nonexistent, many Californians believe the public has a right to know. Critics of AB 2624 argue that shielding these programs

In a stunning one-two punch over the last 48 hours, East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell has suspended his bid for California governor and says he will resign his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The moves come amid a rapidly escalating scandal involving multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and assault from women, including former staffers.

Darin Hale, a candidate for California’s 1st Assembly District and Anderson Union High School District trustee, continues to spotlight what he calls a troubling shift in public education: the expansion of the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) into on-campus mental health and medical services that can bypass parents. Hale argues the program is creating “Medical, Behavioral, and Wellness Clinics on each school site,” with schools already treating stude

The wheels are coming off Eric Swalwell’s once-dominant campaign for California governor. Just days after unverified social media rumors began circulating, the San Francisco Chronicle dropped a bombshell investigative report featuring the first on-the-record accuser: a former Swalwell staffer who says the longtime Democratic congressman sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions — once while she worked for him in 2019 and again in 2024 after she had left his office.

Federal prosecutors in California are intensifying their efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in state-administered public programs, with the high-profile guilty plea of career fraudster Paul Richard Randall serving as a stark example. In a Fox Business interview aired this week, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California directly linked the case to broader ongoing investigations.

New US Census Bureau and state data confirm that California’s long-running population outflow showed little sign of slowing in 2025, with Los Angeles County recording the nation’s largest numeric population decline and the Bay Area continuing to shed residents through domestic migration. While some stabilization appeared in U-Haul one-way moves, the broader trend—driven by high housing costs, taxes, and quality-of-life concerns—persists.

President Donald Trump on Monday issued his “COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT” for Steve Hilton in the race for California governor, posting on Truth Social that he has "known and respected" the former Fox News host for many years. “Gavin Newscum and the Democrats have done an absolutely horrendous job,” Trump wrote, criticizing high taxes, rising crime and the exodus of residents and businesses. “Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him

California lawmakers are on the verge of reviving one of the state’s most dangerous predators — and the rest of us will pay the price with our safety, our livestock, and potentially our lives. Senate Bill 1305, the so-called “California Grizzly Restoration Act,” was quietly introduced in February by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-Inglewood). It doesn’t dump grizzly bears into the wild tomorrow, but it does something almost as reckless: it declares it official state policy to bring

In November of 2025, a comprehensive, peer-reviewed study was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that delivered a scathing indictment of “gender-affirming care” for minors, concluding that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries. These interventions expose children and adolescents to significant, often irreversible harms with virtually no reliable evidence of long-term benefit. Commissioned in response to President Trump’s January

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s decision to seize more than 650,000 ballots and election materials from the county Registrar of Voters following the November 2025 special election on Proposition 50 has ignited a fierce legal and political battle with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. At its core, the dispute raises a fundamental question about authority in American elections,

A former information technology project manager at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the owner of a Texas-based tech company have been charged with felonies in what prosecutors call one of the largest money laundering schemes in the district’s history.

California operates one of the most complex K-12 systems in the nation: the state Department of Education, 58 county offices of education (including Shasta County Office of Education - SCOE), and over 1,000 local districts—many tiny and rural. In Shasta County, there are 25 independent districts, plus SCOE, that serve about 26,000–27,000 students. Despite spending $billions, students are being left behind.

In a packed courtroom, Shasta County Superior Court Judge Benjamin Hanna heard arguments from petitioner Jennifer Katske, who is representing herself in pro per. Katske seeks a writ of mandate to prevent Measure B—a 14-point election integrity initiative—from appearing on the June 2, 2026, ballot. The judge stated that he would issue a written ruling by March 27, 2026.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a leading Republican candidate for California governor in 2026, has seized approximately 650,000–657,000 ballots from the November 2025 statewide special election on Proposition 50, launching an investigation into alleged discrepancies in vote counts. The action has sparked a high-profile clash with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and local election officials, who say the probe lacks credible evidence of fraud and could undermine

LOS ANGELES — The University of Southern California and KABC-TV abruptly canceled a high-profile 2026 California gubernatorial debate scheduled for Tuesday evening, March 24, after days of intense criticism that its invitation criteria unfairly excluded prominent candidates of color. The event, titled “Your Voice, Your Vote: Race for Governor 2026,” had been set to air live from USC’s Bovard Auditorium and stream statewide.