Congress accountability and enterprise reporter for @washingtonpost. Reach me at alexei.koseff@washpost.com or on Signal at akoseff.01
Washington, DC
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A woman who worked for nearly two years for Rep. Eric Swalwell told the Chronicle she had sexual encounters with him while he was her boss and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent. sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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Gov. @GavinNewsom attended a birthday dinner for one of his political advisers last week with at least a dozen people from several different households, the type of gathering his administration has discouraged during the coronavirus pandemic. sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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In a letter, the U.S. EPA administrator tells Newsom that his executive order mandating only new electric car sales in California by 2035 may be illegal and questions the feasibility of the increase demand in electricity "when you can't even keep the lights on today."
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Newsom says Washington, Oregon and Nevada are joining California's committee to review any coronavirus vaccine before distributing it to the public. This is the first we've heard publicly from their Western States Pact in many months. sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti…
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Fun fact: There are more registered voters in California than there are people in Florida.
My basic question is why can a heavily populated state like Florida count votes in 2 hours, and California and others, can’t do it in 2 days. Machines enable rapid tabulation. Standard procedures and laws are sorely needed. #election
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UPDATE: @GavinNewsom has issued a new statement: "While our family followed the restaurant's health protocols and took safety precautions, we should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner." sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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For further evidence of how politically toxic that UC Berkeley enrollment lawsuit is, the Assembly just voted 69-0 for a bill, made public three days ago, to eliminate environmental impact review for enrollment increases and override the court decision limiting the incoming class
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Newsom announces an 80-member task force to guide California's economic recovery, chaired by his chief of staff Ann O'Leary and Tom Steyer. It will include all four living former governors: Pete Wilson, Gray Davis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown.
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Kanye's Sacramento show started 90 minutes late, then lasted three songs and a rant before he ran off stage. Crowd chants "F--- you, Kanye!"
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Victory speech in Sacramento from @GavinNewsom
“No is not the only thing that was expressed tonight,” he says. “We said yes to science. We said to vaccines. We said yes to ending this pandemic.”
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Phasing out for-profit prisons could take years, as California still has 1,600 inmates in privately-run lockups. But the ban on private immigration detention centers immediately thrusts California into another clash with the Trump administration. sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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Governor has harsh words for California Republican Party's "unofficial ballot drop boxes," which @AlexPadilla4CA and @XavierBecerra just ordered the party to remove by Thursday. GOP officials say collection boxes are just a new form of "ballot harvesting": sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
Nothing reeks of desperation quite like the Republican Party organization these days -- willing to lie, cheat, and threaten our democracy all for the sake of gaining power.
These unofficial drop boxes aren’t just misleading, they are illegal.
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At an anti-recall rally for Newsom in Oakland today, @RepBarbaraLee gets a standing ovation from the union members in attendance for being the sole member of Congress to vote against the post-9/11 authorization for use of military force
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Only five questions taken during an 83-minute news conference where @GavinNewsom said California was on track to fill it ICUs by Christmas and floated a renewed stay-at-home order. Five! We desperately need these Facebook addresses to be more responsive and less of a monologue.
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Trump is upset that a growing number of automakers may be signing onto a deal with California to cut tailpipe emissions far below the levels required in a plan favored by the president. sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
Henry Ford would be very disappointed if he saw his modern-day descendants wanting to build a much more expensive car, that is far less safe and doesn’t work as well, because execs don’t want to fight California regulators. Car companies should know....
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Per pool report, President Trump today suggested withholding aid for California wildfires: "But they have massive fires again in California. Maybe we're just going to have to make them pay for it, because they don't listen to us. We say you got to get rid of the leaves."
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A reader has alerted me that this is what Jason Kinney, whose birthday Newsom was celebrating at the French Laundry, tweeted earlier that day:
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New adventures ahead: I'm excited to join @CalMatters in January to cover the Capitol and state politics.
This is my last week at the Chronicle. I was so lucky to work the past three years with the amazing @joegarofoli, @TalKopan, @dustingardiner, @SaraLibby and @trapperbyrne.
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Public biographies of Gov. Gavin Newsom have long touted his baseball career, including that he played at Santa Clara University. But he was never on the roster, among other misperceptions of his accomplishments. Newsom has not corrected the record.
calmatters.org/politics/2024…
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California, Michigan and Vermont all voted to add abortion rights to their state constitutions.
Kentucky and Montana voters rejected efforts to remove abortion protections, after Kansas voters did so in August.
BREAKING: Montana has officially rejected an anti-abortion ballot initiative, meaning abortion rights groups won all (6/6) of their ballot fights this year. politico.com/news/2022/11/09…
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Gov. @GavinNewsom is in Oakland this morning to begin a week of budget rollout. He announces that California has a $75.7 billion surplus — which finance officials project will give the state about $38 billion discretionary spending. sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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Assembly sends @AsmMarcBerman's AB37 to the governor's desk. If signed by @GavinNewsom, California would mail ballots to every active registered voter — a system the state adopted for the pandemic — in all future elections.
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Time for a change: Today is my last day at @sacbee_news. But I'm not going too far! I'm excited to be joining @sfchronicle's Sacramento bureau, starting next week, to cover the Capitol. Thank you to The Bee for so many great opportunities the past five years. Onto new adventures!
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Harris sued Corinthian Colleges when she was California attorney general and ultimately obtained a $1.1 billion judgment against the company after it shut down latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m…
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To be clear, Trump is still annoyed that California won't listen to him about raking the forest floors. Here is the full quote:
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This is extremely disturbing. The Los Angeles County sheriff is investigating an LA Times reporter for exposing a coverup in his office of a deputy who knelt on the head of a handcuffed inmate for three minutes: latimes.com/california/story…
BREAKING: @LACoSheriff says he is investigating @latimes reporter @AleneTchek in connection with a leak of information, displaying a photo of her at today’s newser. This is an extraordinary escalation in the sheriff’s attack not only on the paper but also on the First Amendment.
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Newsom says the transition away from fossil fuels has left California with a gap in the reliability of its energy system. He says the state must examine its reliance on solar power and how that fits into its broader energy portfolio.
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Governor’s press office and campaign largely focused on keeping the media away from this media stunt of a march to kick of Newsom’s second inaugural, including threats that we would be blocked from attending the speech
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On midterm redistricting in California, @GavinNewsom now says he wants to call a special election the first week of November presenting a new congressional map to voters for approval
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President Biden had arrived in Sacramento to tour wildfire damage before he heads down to Long Beach tonight for an anti-recall rally
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Am I on drugs?
ALT Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrates a vaccine lottery with minions and Optimus Prime
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State finance officials project California will have a $38 billion discretionary surplus in the upcoming fiscal year, more than double what they estimated in January.
sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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After suffering a heart attack and dropping out of the race last week, @DougOse endorses @KevinKileyCA in the recall this morning.
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If you've been dodging a reporter's interview requests for more than a week, it probably helps to spend some of that time preparing to do more than just read a written statement.
WATCH: California Assemblymember Mia Bonta refuses to answer questions, won't say if she'll recuse herself from overseeing her husband, Attorney General Rob Bonta's budget:
"There is no violation of ethical rules in my holding this position."
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Newsom slammed the "ideological BS" and all but called on Americans to vote Trump out of office. I don't think I've heard a California official this angry about climate change since Jerry Brown was dismissing the "troglodytes." sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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Gov. @GavinNewsom says California recorded its highest number of new coronavirus cases in a single day yesterday: 12,807. Another 115 people died. "It's just another reminder of the magnitude of the impact that this virus continues to have," he said.
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Once California gets through priority vaccinations (seniors 65 and older, health care workers, agricultural workers, teachers and school staff), Newsom says the state will move to an age-based eligibility system. So the rest of the existing vaccine tiers are being scrapped.
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Despite pledging to release his tax returns every year, @GavinNewsom has yet to make any additional filings public in his second term.
Newsom’s finances have come under renewed scrutiny following reports that he recently paid $9 million for a new home.
calmatters.org/politics/capi…
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“The board ejected Thurmond, who was led away by security officers to shouts of ‘kick him out.’” pressenterprise.com/2023/07/…
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As the Proposition 1 celebrations begin in the background, the whole Newsom family is also here to celebrate @GavinNewsom’s election to a second term.
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What happens when a small-town council member loses her home and can’t find anywhere to live in her own district? A glimpse into a California increasingly out of reach, where the lack of affordable housing has distorted every facet of life. calmatters.org/politics/2023…
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Happy new year! I'm back on the Capitol beat starting today for @CalMatters. Please send your juicy tips to alexei@calmatters.org.
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Was the collective rage at "Moonlight" losing Best Picture so powerful that it sent the #Oscars back in time to change the results?
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An experiment in Stockton that gave dozens of residents an extra $500 per month reduced their financial instability, improved their mental health and helped many of them get better jobs, researchers found. sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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In gaggle at #CADem19, @GavinNewsom is not on board with SB276, to require Department of Public Health approval for vaccine medical exemptions. Newsom says he has serious concerns about bureaucrats getting involved with decision that should be between families and their doctors.
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Longtime top Harris staff member Larry Wallace resigned Wednesday after The Bee asked about a $400,000 harassment and retaliation settlement related to his work for Harris at the California Department of Justice. sacbee.com/news/politics-gov…
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Then a motion by Republican members to take up a measure suspending California's gas tax failed and we learned that @RichardBloom became a grandfather today. A very eventful five minutes!
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So you know better than the reporter who is in the room covering the meeting, even though you weren’t there?
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Trump says the scenes of devastation in Paradise have not changed his opinions about climate change. “No, no,” he says. “I want a great climate.”
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Gov. @GavinNewsom has just signed SB9 (streamlined lot-splitting/duplex process) and SB10 (allow cities to rezone some parcels up to 10 units). Background on those bills: sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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While a protest against coronavirus vaccine mandates takes place outside the state Capitol, the Assembly just passed @DrPanMD's SB742, which would make it a crime to obstruct a vaccination site or harass people trying to enter one.
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With Gov. @GavinNewsom and Lt. Gov. @EleniForCA out of state, @toniatkins is signing some bills today. She says she is the first state senator to ever do so, per the California State Library.
“I’m thrilled to step into the governor’s shoes, though I have better shoes than him.”
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Latino caucus at #CADem19 breaks into chaos as @BernieSanders walks into the room. “If we’re all trying to get selfies, we’ll never get through this,” someone says, asking the crowd to sit down.
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Newsom declined to answer any questions from the Capitol press corps after his victory speech on election night, then he spent the evening with a DC columnist to prove his disinterest in national politics.
NEW: I spent election night w @GavinNewsom in the governor’s mansion, a building filled with prez history.
But unlike Reagan + Jerry Brown, Newsom isn’t challenging an incumbent
His hope: super surrogate
“Put me in coach,” he told Biden
My column:
politico.com/news/2022/11/26…
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Instead of rolling out policy announcements online, it would be great if the governor held press conferences so reporters could get answers to questions like: How would the tax work? On what timeline does he want this to happen? Is this a real proposal or a campaign stunt?
Oil companies are ripping you off. Their record profits are coming at your expense at the pump.
I’m calling for a NEW windfall tax exclusively on oil companies. If they won't lower their prices we will do it for them.
The $$ will go directly back to you.
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With Proposition 1, the abortion rights measure, at nearly 70% in early returns, @SenToniAtkins already celebrating victory.
“This is a historic moment,” she said, “and we’ve met it with a historic response.”
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Don't you love when a government agency sends you a multi-paragraph response that doesn't even address, let alone answer, the specific question you asked?
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To be clear: President Trump has not won re-election yet, despite what he says. Huge numbers of votes remain uncounted in several closely contested states.
BREAKING: President Trump said falsely Wednesday morning that he has already won the election and vowed to take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court. “We want all the voting to stop,” Trump said. trib.al/palyCxV
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There are about twice as many registered Democrats in California as Republicans and polling suggests they have not turned against Newsom in any large number. So if he survives the recall, it's because of basic political math, not voter fraud.
Fox hosts and personalities are already setting the stage to blame voter fraud if Newsom prevails in the California recall -- it seems like this is now the right-wing media playbook for every election
Lahren: "The only thing that will save Gavin Newsom is voter fraud"
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When I tried to ask the governor a question about why he’s marching down Capitol Mall today, I was stopped by @BrandonRichards, who told me, “We’re not doing that today.” He wouldn’t tell me what “that” is. Maybe reporting the news.
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Minor Capitol mention in LA City Council members tape: Kevin de León, former Senate leader, complains that white members of his caucus were too quick to call for the resignation of Tony Mendoza, who faced three accusations of workplace sexual harassment. sacbee.com/news/politics-gov…
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Latest Orange County report gives slight boost to Democrats:
Katie Porter (D), Mike Levin (D) extend narrow leads. Challengers to Michelle Steel (R), Young Kim (R) still trail significantly.
Sharon Quirk-Silva (D) gains nearly 400, now down 2 votes in potential Assembly upset.
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Gov. @GavinNewsom will forgo a traditional State of the State address again this year, per his office. He will release a pre-recorded speech via social media on Tuesday and send a report to the Legislature instead.
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Newsom says he has no regrets supporting Prop 47, which reclassified some petty theft and drug crimes as misdemeanors. He says it's been used as a scapegoat for crime concerns, then returns to one his favorite talking points: murder rates are higher in Republican-led states.
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This is Trump’s fourth post today blaming Newsom for the fires in Los Angeles. He has yet to post any condolences for the victims or offer assistance for the recovery.
Trump on Truth Social continues to blame Gov. Newsom for the wildfires in Southern California and says he should resign.
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California police killed 172 people last year, according to new use of force data released today by @AGRobBonta. That's up from 147 people killed in 2019. data-openjustice.doj.ca.gov/…
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President Biden released a statement this evening urging a no vote on the recall:
“Governor Newsom is leading California through unprecedented crises," Biden said. "He knows how to get the job done because he's been doing it."
Possible in-person events in the works.
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Exciting news: @CalMatters staff is unionizing! We’re forming @CalMattersGuild to have a voice at the table in a growing news organization. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues as we work for a secure and thriving future for our newsroom.
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California's summer COVID-19 surge from the delta variant has slowed enough to bring the state out of the worst category of spread
sfchronicle.com/health/artic…
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Gov. @GavinNewsom's "roadmap to recovery" for ending California's stay-at-home order includes an ability to test broadly and continue isolating those most vulnerable to the coronavirus. But he gave no sense we are close to that point yet.
sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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How far can this proposal get in the Legislature? Supporters are pushing for big tax increases in an election year. latimes.com/california/story…
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The order bans evictions through May 31 against tenants who have previously paid their rent and now cannot because they were laid off, lost hours or had to miss work to care for a child or a sick family member during the pandemic. sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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At least Newsom’s team is being more honest that they have no interest in speaking to California audiences about California issues. Thanks to @politicoca for catching this.
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With at least 367 fires breaking out across the state in the past 72 hours following lightning storms, Cal Fire is stretched thin. They've asked for help from neighboring states, including requesting 125 fire engines. sfchronicle.com/california-w…
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Newsom says he's ready to expand Medi-Cal, state's health care program for the poor, to all Californians regardless of immigration status, starting in 2024. This would be a first nationwide.
California already covers undocumented residents up to age 26 and after age 50.
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The @SacPressClub awards tonight were so much fun! I’m honored to be recognized for daily Capitol beat reporting, especially alongside my former San Francisco Chronicle bureau colleague @dustingardiner.
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The first half of @BetoORourke’s speech to the Latino caucus at #CADem19 is all in Spanish. He tells the crowd he believes “no en muros, o en jaulas, pero en tratar toda la gente con respeto.”
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As we have learned over the past year, Newsom likes showing off his arms. sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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Gov. @GavinNewsom acknowledged expansion to undocumented adults is “partial” reason for Medi-Cal overruns, but does not plan to roll program back.
“That’s not on my docket. But that said, the realities are the realities,” he said leaving the State of the Judiciary this morning.
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Gov. @GavinNewsom signs AB1666, which nullifies civil judgments from other states against people who perform or seek abortions, and says he looks forward to signing a package of more than a dozen other protections now advancing to his desk.
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Assemblywoman @TinaMcKinnor1, who is carrying the bill this session to allow California legislative staff to unionize, will be the new chair of the Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee, where the previous iteration died last session.
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California voters overwhelmingly reject recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom
sfchronicle.com/politics/art…
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Bizarre situation at the Capitol this morning. @JonesSawyerAD57, who is introducing a gun control constitutional amendment with the governor, refused to speak with a group of reporters about it if @ZavalaA was part of the scrum.
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Gov. @GavinNewsom just announced a last-minute campaign stop today, greeting volunteers in San Francisco at 12:30 p.m.
While several of the leading replacement candidates are holding victory parties, Newsom doesn't have anything public on his schedule tonight.
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After @GavinNewsom called it “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports, Republican lawmakers urged the governor to support legislation to ban them in California. Newsom refused to take a position on their bills. calmatters.org/politics/2025…
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California's Senate Republican leader apparently refuses to accept the results of the election.
I still believe @realDonaldTrump will be President foe the next 4 years. #EXPOSETHECORRUPTION #USA
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Gov. @GavinNewsom is heading back into 10-day quarantine after coming into contact with staff member who tested positive for the coronavirus, per governor’s office. He just finished two-week quarantine earlier this month. His office said Newsom tested negative for virus today.
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New @PPICNotes poll on November props
2 (school $): 54-44
3 (gay marriage): 68-21
4 (water $): 65-33
5 (bond approval): 49-50
6 (prison labor): 46-50
32 (min wage): 50-49
33 (rent control): 51-46
34 (AHF): 53-43
35 (Medi-Cal): 63-34
36 (sentencing): 71-26
ppic.org/publication/ppic-st…
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Republican candidates largely avoided voter fraud talk after the recall was badly defeated.
Now Kevin Kiley, state legislator who got about 240,000 votes, has sent a fundraising email with subject "How Newsom Cheated." Reasons include adopting all-mail ballots and running ads.
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With 28-6 vote, state Senate gives final approval to @Scott_Wiener's SB10. It now goes to @GavinNewsom, who will decide whether to sign the bill, which gives cities the ability to rezone some parcels, including those near public transit, for apartment buildings up to 10 units.
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Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has regularly taken side jobs running Bay Area nonprofits during his tenure as California’s elected schools chief, earning tens of thousands of dollars to supplement his income, financial disclosures show.
calmatters.org/politics/2025…
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So the final night of the legislative session wrapped up by 9 p.m. and then the recall election got called before 9 p.m. The California politics gods were looking out for newspaper deadlines this past week.
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Gov. @GavinNewsom cooking tikel gomen at Queen Sheba restaurant in Sacramento earlier today.
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Just in time for the holidays, @GavinNewsom issues travel advisory: Anyone traveling to California or returning from out of state should quarantine for 14 days. Newsom avoided adopting similar policy during earlier surges, but coronavirus is now spreading uncontrolled in the US.
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