Newsom pumps up Prop. 1 as support drops

Until recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s prized mental health measure Proposition 1 had overwhelming support in a state scarred by homelessness.

But as more questions arise and more opposition organizes, the ballot measure’s margin of approval has narrowed, though it still appears likely to pass. In a survey released this month by the Public Policy Institute of California, Prop. 1 led 59% to 38% among likely voters, but that’s down from 68% to 30% in a December poll.

With five more days of balloting left, Newsom isn’t taking any chances. As CalMatters’ Nigel Duara and Kristen Hwang report, the governor held a get-out-the-vote event in San Diego on Thursday, gathering with United Domestic Workers members, Attorney General Rob Bonta and other elected Democrats.

• Newsom: “Polling on this has been overwhelmingly positive, but polls don’t vote, people vote. We’re here to get people to the polls.”

Thursday’s rally was the first of four, including stops in Palm Springs, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In other election news:

Poll workers: Despite a higher turnover rate of election workers compared to the last election, ongoing threats and election fraud conspiracy theories, officials in more than a dozen California counties say they’re in good shape for staffing for the primary, writes CalMatters Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal. 

The road wasn’t easy: Outreach efforts, increased pay, beefed up security and partnerships with health departments to ensure the safety of workers and voters have all contributed to recruiting and retaining people to work the polls. But some counties still face challenges. In Shasta, officials reported difficulty hiring workers willing to deal with angry voters. Said Joanna Fransecut, the assistant registrar of voters: “We are, in fact, humans…. People tend to forget that.”

U.S. House races: California helped flip control of Congress in the 2022 election. In the latest Cook Political Report ratings out Thursday on competitive House races in 2024, it’s looking better for Democrats. Of the 11 Republican-held seats nationally rated as toss-ups, four are in California: the 13th District, the 22nd, the 27th and the 41st. And no California seats now held by Democrats are among the 10 toss-ups nationally.   

So far, $23 million has been spent on ads in California’s U.S. House races, according to AdImpact. California’s U.S. Senate race has more ad spending than any other this year, with $64 million and counting, making it the most expensive in state history. Add the $33 million spent on Prop. 1 and other races, and the total ad spend hits $120 million. 

Voter turnout: Nearly 2.2 million ballots had been returned by late Wednesday, a 9.9% turnout that is similar to the rate at the same point in the June 2022 statewide primary. Based on earlier returns, analysts were predicting there could be a record-low turnout for a presidential primary in California. And so far, the electorate is trending older and more Republican than in 2022.

Time to vote: We’re also answering common voting questions: How can you get your vote counted faster? How are the presidential primary rules different? How can you find information on local judicial candidates? And how can you protest President Biden’s Gaza policy without invalidating your ballot?

Our comprehensive March 5 primary Voter Guide has what you need to know on Proposition 1, the U.S. Senate contest and key races for U.S. House, state Senate and state Assembly.

Republican leaders in the Legislature doubled down Thursday in calling for Bonta to investigate a billionaire’s political donations, his relationship with Gov. Newsom and any ties to a carve-out from a law requiring that fast food restaurants pay workers at least $20 an hour starting April 1.

Bloomberg reported this week on the exemption for restaurant chains that bake and sell their own bread — and linked it to Panera Bread franchisee Greg Flynn, who opposed the law and also donated $100,000 to Newsom’s campaign against the 2021 recall and $64,800 to his 2022 reelection. 

Assembly GOP leader James Gallagher of Chico called it a “crooked deal,” while Senate Republican leader Brian Jones of San Diego called Thursday for scrapping the fast food law altogether, or at least putting it on hold. All Senate Republicans opposed the law last year, and on Thursday they voted against Assembly Bill 610 that would add exemptions for restaurants in airports and hotels. 

• Jones, in a statement: “Put simply, campaign contributions should not buy you carve-outs in legislation. That’s crony capitalism. It’s corrupt and unacceptable.”

Assemblymember Chris Holden, a Pasadena Democrat and the law’s author, told KCRA Thursday that he wasn’t involved in the negotiations that resulted in the Panera exemption. Flynn told Bloomberg he did not play a role in crafting the carve-out. Newsom’s office also says that there was nothing scandalous — and that Panera may have to comply with the law after all.

• Newsom spokesperson Alex Stack, in a statement: “The Governor never met with Flynn about this bill and this story is absurd. Our legal team has reviewed and it appears Panera is not exempt from the law.”

Tia Orr, executive director of SEIU California, which sponsored the bill, backed up the governor. “There was never an intent to exclude any one company, but instead to provide clarity on what constitutes a fast food establishment,” she said in a statement.

In other labor news: Labor groups are pushing for an expansion to a unique California law allowing workers to sue their bosses over alleged labor violations, as business groups gear up to repeal it, reports CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang.

AB 2288 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, a San Jose Democrat, would allow workers to seek court orders correcting the violations, rather than only collecting penalties under the current system. The proposal comes amid an election year in which voters may decide whether to keep the 20-year-old law, the Private Attorneys General Act, which business groups have criticized for opening up a flood of claims against employers primarily to enrich the attorneys who bring them. Proponents say expanding the law can help the understaffed state better enforce labor laws.

The funding for an experimental state program known as Hire UP — which provides college financial aid to formerly incarcerated people, foster youths and CalWorks recipients — is relatively small. But for students who are enrolled, Hire UP offers them considerable support to continue their education, writes CalMatters community college reporter Adam Echelman.

Modeled after California’s other guaranteed income programs, Hire UP pays students for every hour they spend in class and on homework. Ten community college districts have received the money from the $30 million program, and some schools are beginning to distribute the funds now.

This includes Santa Rosa Junior College, where Leah Richardson attends school part-time and juggles two jobs. As a formerly incarcerated person, Richardson will receive a “minimum wage” of $16 an hour, for the 30 hours she spends a week on school. This works out to be about $2,000 a month.

• Richardson: “I was exhausted — a lot. Now that I have this money, I don’t have the weight of having to go back to a job that’s going to drain me.”

Hire UP’s total funding can’t help all eligible students, however. San Diego Community College District, for example, is expected to spend most of its Hire UP money in its first two years. 

But for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, that’s sort of the point. It can advocate for more funding if it’s deemed a success. 

As Gina Browne, an assistant vice chancellor with the chancellor’s office put it: “We want them to run out of money.”

For more on Hire UP, read Adam’s story.