Is California’s progressive image irreparably damaged?
Upon hearing the results of a September poll indicating California voters’ readiness to approve a tough-on-crime ballot initiative that reversed long-standing criminal justice reforms, Governor Gavin Newsom expressed surprise.
He stated, “I was wondering what state I’m living in,” underscoring that California isn’t as deep blue as it may seem.
The outcome of the November election unveiled California as being red with traces of blue and hints of purple. This paints a picture of an electorate that feels bruised rather than mapped out.
Weary from some of the nation’s highest taxes, utility bills, gas prices, housing expenses, insurance premiums, and grocery costs — and discontent with public policies seemingly promoting crime, drug use, homelessness, and business closures — California residents took action at the ballot box.
On November 5, voters in and around Vice President Kamala Harris’ hometown of Oakland removed Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price through separate recall elections.
Los Angeles County voters also ousted hyper-progressive District Attorney George Gascón.
Both cities are grappling with spikes in crime and homelessness.
In San Francisco, voters ousted Mayor London Breed by a 13-point margin and replaced her with a more moderate Democrat, Daniel Lurie, who pledged to put an end to the “acceptance of lawlessness as a part of life.”
Suspicions have arisen among Californians that lawlessness may have tainted the state’s elections.
A week after the polls closed, only around 80% of the votes had been tallied.
What is causing such delays?
California follows a quite expansive yet labor-intensive voting process. Section 20991 of the California Code of Regulations mandates that counties accept mail-in ballots for seven days post-Election Day.
No postmark is necessary as long as “the voter has dated the vote-by-mail ballot identification envelope or the envelope otherwise indicates that the ballot was executed on or before Election Day.”
The deadline for submitting mail-in ballots to county offices finally elapsed on November 12.
California mails a ballot to every active registered voter, totaling about 22 million. In-person voting is also an option, and identification is not required.
When the city of Huntington Beach modified its charter earlier this year to mandate voter ID, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber filed a lawsuit to nullify the requirement.
Subsequently, Newsom signed Senate Bill 1174, prohibiting any California city from enacting its own voter ID mandate.
The new law asserts, “The implementation of voter identification laws in municipal elections conflicts with California’s established, well-balanced methods of ensuring election integrity across the state.”
Not everyone is convinced.
As Newsom convened an emergency special session of the legislature to safeguard the state’s “California values,” the president-elect posted on his Truth Social account that he “will be DEMANDING THAT VOTER I.D., AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP, ARE A NECESSARY PART AND COMPONENT OF THE VOTING PROCESS!”
A recent Gallup poll revealed that 83% of Americans back a requirement for proof of citizenship to register and 84% support needing a photo ID to vote.
Support for Trump has surged in California. His popular vote share was 31.6% in 2016, 34.3% in 2020, and reached 40% this year before settling at 38.2% as more ballots were counted.
Nevertheless, this marks a double-digit increase.
Republican US Senate candidate and former Major League Baseball All-Star Steve Garvey fared even better in his campaign against Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff. Garvey secured 41% of the statewide vote. Only 25% of registered voters are Republicans.
In September, Garvey’s campaign announced an allocation of at least $5 million towards television, radio, and digital ads targeting California’s Latino community.
The campaign mentioned, “This all-in Latino community strategy is unprecedented in statewide campaigns in California, by either Democratic or Republican candidates.”
Garvey’s efforts may have benefited Trump, who garnered 45% support from Latino voters nationwide according to NBC exit polls, marking a 13-point increase from 2020.
California appears more liberal than it is due to the 77% Democrat majority in the legislature. Consequently, little stands in the way of California’s most extreme leftist proposals becoming what Newsom refers to as “national leadership.”
However, when ordinary Californians vote on ballot measures, the outcomes often tend to be neither radical nor leftist.
Voters turned down Propositions 5 and 33 last week, which would have led to significant property tax increases and rent control ordinances, respectively.
They also rejected the elimination of work requirements for prison inmates.
Moreover, the stringent tough-on-crime measure, Prop. 36, saw a resounding victory with 69% of the vote despite Newsom’s opposition.
“Sounds like the voters know where Newsom is. He’s in their way.”
Susan Shelley is a columnist and editorial writer for the Southern California News Group and vice president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. On X.com @Susan_Shelley.
