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A Los Angeles Times op-ed argues California should strip party labels from elections for state controller and treasurer, two technical fiscal watchdog roles currently elected like partisan offices. The author, a former controller candidate, contends party affiliation dominates these races—citing research showing partisanship explains over 80% of vote variation in partisan contests versus just 10% in nonpartisan ones—letting incumbents like Controller Malia Cohen and Treasurer Eleni Kounalakis avoid scrutiny of their records. About half of states already treat controller races as nonpartisan, and roughly a third do so for treasurer.

The piece calls for a citizen-led ballot initiative, since the Democratic-controlled Legislature is unlikely to act on its own.

President Trump campaigned in Greenville, North Carolina, urging voters to back Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who trails former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper by a wide margin in polling for the seat of retiring Senator Thom Tillis. The race could help determine Senate control after the November 3 midterms. National Republican groups, including the Senate Leadership Fund, have pulled spending from the contest, and early voting data show Democrats casting ballots at twice the rate of Republicans in the state. Trump's approval rating has fallen to 31%, with 68% of Americans disapproving of his economic handling amid rising gas prices. Competitive House races in the state have also drawn tens of millions in outside spending.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 2599, the Truth in Disclosure Act, making California the first state to require large companies to disclose whether they or their corporate predecessors profited from chattel slavery. Authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan and backed by the California Legislative Black Caucus, the law applies to companies with more than $100 million in annual worldwide gross receipts that existed, or had a predecessor that existed, on or before December 1964. Sworn disclosures, subject to perjury penalties, must be filed by January 15, 2029, and will be posted in a searchable public database maintained by the state's Civil Rights Department.

Supporters say the measure, likely to affect banks, insurers, and agricultural firms, will help researchers and advocates trace links between modern corporate wealth and the slave economy. Some insurers opposed the bill, citing an existing 2000 disclosure law. The measure follows California's 2023 reparations task force report, which recommended over 100 remedies and estimated hundreds of billions owed to Black residents, though broader reparations legislation has stalled.