California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Does Nithya Raman still have a chance? California’s uncounted votes could help Democrats -- With many races still very tight and millions of ballots yet to be counted, political experts said Democrats are likely to hold — or even gain — the edge as results of the primary election come into focus. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

Daniel Lurie might be the biggest winner in Tuesday’s S.F. election -- Lurie, who has enjoyed resounding popularity since becoming mayor 18 months ago, got more welcome news when voters elected all three local candidates he endorsed in the June 2 primary. Lurie was also on the winning side of at least two ballot measures; a third was breaking the mayor’s way as well but was still too close to call as of late Tuesday. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/3/26

June 2, 2026 California Primary Election Results -- Detailed list via Cal Secretary of State -- 6/3/26

Five things to know about California’s election, from Congress to the governor’s race -- It was a good night for normie Democrats, a bad one for self-funded campaigns, a mixed bag for state legislators aspiring to higher office and another electoral reminder of President Donald Trump’s dominant role in our politics — even in deepest blue California. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 6/3/26

Becerra and Bass surge in California as anti-establishment fever breaks -- The Democratic establishment swung back in California on Tuesday. Liam Dillon, Alex Nieves and Daniel Miller Politico -- 6/3/26

California governor’s primary pitted experience against promises of change -- California’s crowded primary for governor remained unresolved early Wednesday after three leading candidates tested voters’ appetites for an experienced politician or promises of sweeping change. Sophie Austin Associated Press -- 6/3/26

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass makes Nov. 3 runoff; Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman fight for second -- Pratt was in second place, while Raman was in third, those returns showed. The Associated Press declared that Bass had enough votes to make the runoff. David Zahniser and Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

Steve Hilton recalls Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California governorship in speech to supporters -- Hilton, a British immigrant, reminded voters that California’s last Republican governor was also an immigrant. Schwarzenegger, the body builder and movie star from Austria, was elected by California voters in a 2003 recall election and again in 2006. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 6/3/26

Democrat Xavier Becerra says he overcame underdog status in race for California governor -- Speaking to supporters Tuesday, Becerra noted he was once counted out. Now he’s among three contenders leading in early returns for two spots in the November general election. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 6/3/26

Becerra would be heavy favorite over Hilton in potential matchup for governor -- Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra led a crowded governor’s race on election night with about half of the expected vote counted. With 4.3 million votes counted, Hilton, a former Fox News host, had 26.8%. Becerra, who served as Health and Human Services Secretary under President Joe Biden, had 25.8%. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/3/26

Tom Steyer says he’ll ‘wait til every ballot is counted’ in California governor’s race -- The billionaire climate activist told supporters he and his backers “know we finished really strong.” Steyer pledged to advance progressive policies like universal healthcare and aggressive climate policy, ideas he reiterated as votes were still being tallied. Meg Kinnard Associated Press -- 6/3/26

LA Mayor Karen Bass thanks supporters, predicts winning a second term -- Bass thanked supporters for having faith in her after a tough first term and predicted she will win in November. Early returns in the race are coming in. Bass told supporters she appreciated the support when others doubted her. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 6/3/26

‘I hope she’s ready,’ Spencer Pratt says of LA Mayor Karen Bass --“We can do debates every Friday if she would like,” Pratt told a group of reporters under the flash of cameras in his first remarks after results started rolling in. “I got in this because I felt like my city failed myself, my neighbors,” he continued, painting a dark image of the current state of Los Angeles and sharing what he wants to fix, including to “help those homeless people.” Jesse Bedayn, Meg Kinnard Associated Press -- 6/3/26

Wiener and Chan advance to battle for Pelosi’s seat -- Wiener and Chan had emerged by Wednesday morning as the top two vote-getters out of a large slate of Democratic candidates vying to succeed Pelosi in the 11th Congressional District. With 50% of votes counted, Wiener led with 41.3% and Chan with 28.6% of the vote, according to the Associated Press, which called the race for both. Justine McDaniel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

California governor race: What prediction markets say on outcome — and why to take it seriously -- Election updates: Hilton, Becerra take early lead in California governor race, while Porter, Villaraigosa, Mahan concede; Wiener, Chan lead in race to replace Nancy Pelosi Aidin Vaziri, St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/3/26

 

Big Tech's big flop on primary night -- Vote tallying in California’s primaries could drag on for days, but one trend is already hard to miss: tech-bred and tech-backed candidates are striking out. Christine Mui and Chase DiFeliciantonio Politico -- 6/3/26

Democrat Marni von Wilpert and Republican Jim Desmond come out on top for Issa seat -- The 48th Congressional district was redrawn by Proposition 50 to give Democrats an edge. Ben Fox Politico -- 6/3/26

Vote count for California governor, L.A. mayor could be painfully slow. Don’t expect ‘instant gratification’ -- Voters should remember that it’s very likely that particular primaries, such as the gubernatorial and L.A. mayoral contests, won’t be called Tuesday night. Experts say California’s emphasis on voter accessibility and accuracy has slowed down the process, but it’s a product of the system working. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

California prepares for life after Newsom -- All of the likeliest contenders represent a stark departure from the current governor in substance and style. Melanie Mason Politico -- 6/3/26

 

San Diego voters rejecting measure that would heavily tax second homes -- The highly divisive Measure A seeks to tax second homes without a full-time resident up to $10,000 a year. Corporate-owned homes would face an even higher levy. Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 6/3/26

S.F. union-backed Overpaid CEO Tax too close to call in early results -- Proposition D, which its supporters called the Overpaid CEO Act, was behind with only 44.6% of the vote, though more ballots were left to count. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/3/26

Early returns indicate L.A. County voters have doubts about healthcare sales tax measure -- Early returns Tuesday showed a majority of L.A. County voters rejecting a proposed sales tax increase to offset federal spending cuts on healthcare. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

Luna leads Villanueva in early L.A. County sheriff’s race results -- Incumbent L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna held an early lead in his bid for reelection. Luna faced an array of challengers, including his predecessor, former sheriff Alex Villanueva. Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

California primary 2026: Who is leading in the insurance commissioner race? -- Two Democrats pulled ahead in early returns in the race to be California’s next insurance commissioner, which would set up a battle of competing visions in November for what has become one of the state’s most scrutinized jobs. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/3/26

Wildfire

Temporary rent-gouging protection vanishes for L.A. fire survivors as county lets ban expire -- Emergency rent-gouging protections tied to the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires have quietly expired in L.A. County after supervisors failed to extend a cap on post-disaster rent hikes, leaving fire-displaced renters fearing sharp increases. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

Education

Conservative school board president Sonja Shaw leads in primary for state superintendent -- Trump-aligned conservative Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley school board president, leads the primary for California superintendent of public instruction. Democrat Richard Barrera is in second place. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ Diana Lambert EdSource -- 6/3/26

Workplace

USC faculty groups vote to unionize and university vows to challenge it -- Adjunct and other non-tenure-track faculty won a vote at USC to unionize with United Auto Workers. USC quickly moved to challenge the election with federal labor regulators, arguing the bargaining unit is overly broad. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

Becerra, Hilton or Steyer? What will each mean for California state workers? -- Here’s a breakdown of the three candidates and how they might serve as state workers’ next boss after Gov. Gavin Newsom leaves office. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/3/26

Marketplace

Value of Huntington Beach defense tech startup balloons to $1.8 billion -- The Huntington Beach startup’s soaring valuation underscores how defense tech funding is booming as armed conflicts such as the Iran war and the Russian-Ukrainian war continue. Infinite Capital and Rabbit Capital led Mach Industries’ Series C funding round. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

High Speed Rail

CA High-Speed Rail reveals private group that could help build past Central Valley -- The head of the California High-Speed Rail Authority has revealed the group of private partners that could advance money and build train routes outside the Central Valley — though he’s still waiting on changes to state law that would allow it. Erik Galicia in the Fresno Bee -- 6/3/26

 

Bay Area families sue to block DOJ from getting transgender children’s Stanford medical records -- A lawsuit filed against Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford seeks to block the hospital from complying with a U.S. Department of Justice criminal subpoena seeking the information. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/3/26

Street

FBI fatally shoots a man holding hostages in a California office building, police say -- A man who was holding hostages inside a California office building for about 12 hours was shot and killed by the FBI early Wednesday, police said. The hostages were found unharmed inside the downtown Bakersfield building that houses a bank and a school district office, the Bakersfield Police Department said in a statement. Julie Watson and John Seewer Associated Press -- 6/3/26

POTUS 47

A Trump Endorsement Falls Flat: 4 Election Takeaways From Iowa and Beyond -- The president’s pick for governor of Iowa lost his primary, while Democrats in the state chose their nominee in what they hope will be a competitive Senate race. Reid J. Epstein in the New York Times$ -- 6/3/26

Why the President Tapped ‘Little Trump’ as His Intelligence Chief -- Pulte has no known national security experience, but he has something Trump values above all else: loyalty. In conversations with the president, Pulte made the case that he would be an unyielding advocate for the president’s f oreign policy agenda and he signaled support for the war in Iran, according to people familiar with the matter. Brian Schwartz, Gina Heeb and Josh Dawsey in the Wall Street Journal$ Daniella Cheslow Politico -- 6/3/26

Trump’s ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund Is Dead, Blanche Says -- The $1.8 billion fund criticized by Republicans won’t move forward, but a provision ending audits of the president will remain, acting attorney general says. Lindsay Wise, Sadie Gurman and Siobhan Hughes in the Wall Street Journal$ Glenn Thrush and Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ -- 6/3/26

Order Shielding Trump Family From I.R.S. Audits Will Remain, Blanche Says -- The acting attorney general said the administration was preserving a broad order protecting the president and his family from audits of already filed returns, despite dropping a $1.8 billion payout fund. Andrew Duehren and Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ -- 6/3/26

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin refuses to commit to following court orders -- His refusal to commit to complying with court orders came during a testy exchange with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Murphy quoted Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz in Minnesota — a Republican appointee — who said Immigration and Customs Enforcement had violated nearly 100 court orders and had “likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.” Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/3/26

White House Seeks to Impose Political Test on Billions in Federal Grants -- The White House is seeking to exert more control over billions of dollars in annual government grants, aiming to restrict a vast swath of funding — in health, housing, science and transportation — so that it primarily serves the purposes and organizations politically aligned with President Trump. Tony Romm in the New York Times$ -- 6/3/26

Trump to impose new tariffs over forced labor claims -- A total of 60 trading partners including the E.U., China, Japan and the United Kingdom would be affected. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 6/3/26