California Governor Election: Voter Turnout Threshold

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, have listed their Fair Oaks mansion near Sacramento for $7.5 million, roughly double the $3.7 million they paid for the property in December 2018, shortly before Newsom took office. The 12,700-square-foot, seven-bedroom estate sits on 8.2 acres along the American River bluffs and features a resort-style pool, hot tub, cold plunge, tennis court, private casita and a 5,000-bottle wine cellar. It is being marketed by Sotheby's International Realty.

The Newsoms briefly lived in the state's official governor's mansion before relocating to Fair Oaks, and in 2024 they also bought a $9.1 million home in Kentfield in the Bay Area. As his second and final term nears its end, Newsom has spent less time in Sacramento, a city he once called "so dull." In July, the couple disclosed tax returns showing at least $11 million in income since 2019. The sale effectively closes out his time in the capital region and comes as Newsom is widely viewed as a potential frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.

Progressive Aisha Wahab has won the special election runoff in California's 14th Congressional District, defeating moderate Melissa Hernandez to fill the remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell's term through January. The Associated Press called the race two days after polls closed, with Wahab taking 53.1% of the vote to Hernandez's 46.9%. The margin narrowed sharply from Wahab's double-digit primary lead after AIPAC's United Democracy Project and allied groups spent more than $2.5 million since August boosting Hernandez and attacking Wahab, largely on local issues like public safety rather than Israel policy. Wahab, a state senator, will become the first Afghan American in Congress, having earlier become the first Afghan American elected to any U.S. public office when she won a Hayward City Council seat in 2018; she said the result shows her district "cannot be bought."

Wahab has been critical of Israel's actions in Gaza but did not center the issue in her campaign; she has also championed housing affordability and previously wrote a caste-discrimination bill vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. She drew support from labor unions, the state Democratic Party, and J Street, while Hernandez, a BART director, was backed by police unions, AIPAC-aligned groups, and several Jewish Democratic members of Congress. Wahab succeeds Swalwell, who resigned in April amid sexual assault and harassment allegations he denies; federal agents recently seized his devices at a San Francisco airport and searched his D.C. home as investigations continue. Wahab and Hernandez will face off again in November for a full term beginning in 2027, in a district reshaped by redistricting to include part of Hernandez's former mayoral base in Dublin.

A new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, finds Trump's approval among California Republicans has fallen to 76%, down from 83% last year, with only 44% saying they "strongly" support his performance, down from 57% in August 2025. Pollster Mark DiCamillo said the softer numbers could reduce Republican turnout in the state's few competitive congressional races, while UC Berkeley's G. Cristina Mora suggested Trump's efforts to nationalize the midterms could instead galvanize Democratic voters.

The decline comes as California's redrawn congressional map, approved by voters last year at Gov. Gavin Newsom's urging, leaves Republicans with just four safe seats out of 52. Cook Political Report rates only one true toss-up: the 22nd District held by Rep. David Valadao, who faces progressive Democrat Randy Villegas. Two other GOP-held or contested seats, the 48th and 13th Districts, lean Democratic. The poll also found 70% of California voters disapprove of Trump's Iran policy and believe his immigration approach hurts the state's economy, including roughly one in five Republicans on each measure.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a package of bills establishing California's first statewide standards for testing and remediating smoke damage from wildfires, aimed at speeding recovery for survivors of the January 2025 Los Angeles County fires. Nearly two years later, many homeowners whose houses did not burn remain displaced amid disputes with insurers over who pays for smoke-damage testing and cleanup; the state Insurance Department estimates more than 13,000 such claims stemmed from the fires.

Assembly Bill 1642 directs the Department of Toxic Substances Control to set lead and asbestos testing standards by 2028 and broader contaminant standards by 2029, with existing federal and state rules applying in the interim. AB 1795 creates a legal presumption that smoke damage in a fire zone originated from the fire, requiring insurers to cover testing, remediation and alternative living expenses until a home is confirmed safe to reoccupy. Additional bills establish a statewide mortgage forbearance program for homes deemed uninhabitable after disasters and extend forbearance to 24 months for fire survivors. Advocacy group Eaton Fire Residents United, whose testing found lingering contaminants even after professional cleanup, backed the changes. Insurers and local governments remain in separate disputes over smoke-damage claim handling.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation banning marriage for anyone under 18, making California the 18th state in the past decade to enact an absolute minimum marriage age. The state had been one of only three, alongside New Mexico and Mississippi, with no minimum age, allowing minors to marry with parental consent and a judge's approval.

The ban follows a nearly decade-long push by advocates and survivors of forced marriage, who argue children cannot meaningfully consent to marriage and that the previous system created a loophole around California's statutory rape laws. A 2018 compromise law had only added screening for coercion and abuse rather than an outright ban, after opposition from the ACLU, the Children's Law Center and Planned Parenthood over concerns about minors' reproductive and health care autonomy. Planned Parenthood did not oppose this year's bill, saying it was focused on other priorities, while the ACLU maintained its opposition, citing lost legal protections for minors. Research cited by advocates links child marriage to higher poverty, school dropout and health risks for girls.

The future of capital punishment in California is becoming a key issue in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who imposed a moratorium on executions via executive order in March 2019 and ordered the dismantling of San Quentin's execution chamber. Any future governor seeking to resume executions would need to rebuild execution infrastructure, since no functional facility currently exists. California voters rejected a 2016 ballot measure to abolish the death penalty outright, and the state's death row still holds 564 inmates, most now housed in facilities other than San Quentin.

Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra has said he would continue the moratorium, while Republican candidate Steve Hilton has said he would lift it despite personal opposition to capital punishment, arguing the moratorium conflicts with the 2016 vote. Advocacy groups remain split: supporters of the death penalty argue life sentences don't guarantee permanent imprisonment, while opponents call executions costly and unevenly applied. The governor can commute sentences, though many require California Supreme Court approval, keeping the issue central to the gubernatorial contest.

The Department of Justice sent letters to election officials in every California county demanding they identify potential noncitizens on voter rolls within 48 hours, warning of "significant federal scrutiny" and possible prosecution for noncompliance. The letters, affecting roughly 20,000 voters statewide, requested sensitive data including Social Security numbers. Officials were told to segregate, not cancel, affected ballots. California's attorney general said the lists contain errors, including people living outside the counties named, and Los Angeles County found over 40% of a sampled group had already-canceled registrations, with most showing no voting history and nearly 4 in 10 born in the U.S.

The demand follows a DOJ lawsuit against California and a statewide sweep charging 28 people with illegal registration, coming days before the midterms as a 9th Circuit panel weighs the state's compliance obligations. The DOJ says it is not requesting a purge or cancellation of registrations, only collaboration, but federal prosecutors warned that clerks who process a noncitizen's ballot could face legal jeopardy. Governor Gavin Newsom accused the DOJ of sending lists containing people who never voted or who live in the wrong county, calling it fabricated evidence of fraud. County officials in Napa, Contra Costa, Inyo, Mendocino and elsewhere questioned the data's accuracy and said they are proceeding with ballot counting as usual despite the pressure.

Gov. Gavin Newsom told CNN's Jake Tapper during a fly-fishing interview that closing California beaches during the COVID-19 pandemic was "insane" in hindsight, adding that "everyone's a genius in hindsight." The remark revisits one of the most contentious episodes of his pandemic response, when Los Angeles-area beaches were shut in 2020 and authorities cracked down on violators, including the arrest of a paddleboarder in Malibu.

Newsom also acknowledged that major California school districts took too long to reopen classrooms, and again called his November 2020 dinner at the French Laundry restaurant, attended without a mask amid his own public health guidance, "boneheaded." Critics have long cited that dinner, along with extended school, church, and business closures, as evidence of inconsistency in his pandemic leadership. The comments come as speculation grows over a possible 2028 presidential run, drawing renewed scrutiny to his COVID-era record as he positions himself ahead of a potential national campaign.

Healthcare affordability has emerged as a central issue in California's governor's race, but Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton have offered few specifics on cost or funding. Becerra, who calls himself the "healthcare governor," touts his record defending the Affordable Care Act and a major antitrust settlement against Sutter Health as attorney general. He pledges to pursue universal coverage, prioritize primary care, and continue covering Californians affected by federal Medicaid cuts, but has not explained how he would pay for it, even as state officials warn the cuts could cost California up to $30 billion annually.

Hilton's "Working Class Healthcare Guarantee," unveiled last week, calls for price transparency, replacing part of Medi-Cal with health spending accounts, and a reinsurance program to stabilize premiums, though he could not estimate costs or savings. Both candidates support expanding low-cost drug programs. Becerra has raised over $33 million, including substantial healthcare industry donations, and leads polling by a wide margin heading toward their CNN debate.