A new Emerson poll puts Xavier Becerra on top as Steve Hilton tightens the GOP lane and Tom Steyer trails closely. With ballots mailed and early voting starting May 23, undecided voters could decide who advances.

California funded a UC Berkeley database of police misconduct files — but the public portal appears to lack cases from the past two years, raising fresh transparency concerns.

Contra Costa says official ballots for the June 2 primary have been mailed. Oakley voters have City Hall drop‑off and early‑voting hours at the recreation center.

Councilmember Charlene Wang is floating a November ballot measure that would surcharge certain real‑estate transactions to pay for interim shelter and transitional housing. The plan follows city and county funding moves as Oakland seeks more beds.

Five leading governor candidates gathered in Oakland to debate housing plans as mail ballots begin arriving. Each sketched different fixes on permitting, production and investor rules.

UC Davis Health’s trauma recovery center was left out of this year’s state grants after Prop. 36 cut into the Prop. 47 savings that fund victim services. Advocates want $34M in bridge money to keep clinics open.

Councilmember Ken Houston filed a charter amendment to curb the Police Commission’s hiring and IG‑appointment powers, setting up a November ballot fight. The change would shift key oversight roles to elected officials.

Measure C would give many small Oakland businesses a one‑year break from the city's gross‑receipts tax; the question appears on the June 2, 2026 ballot.

California AG Rob Bonta joined 23 attorneys general in asking a federal judge to permanently block Executive Order 14399, which would shift control of mail voting to federal agencies.

Alameda County public defenders wore black in Oakland, saying surging caseloads and chronic underfunding have hollowed out the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

A video from a Berkeley Law teach‑in shows students applauding Israa Jaabis, convicted in a 2015 attempted car bombing. The clip has reignited campus debates over speech and safety.

California has spent hundreds of millions to add in‑state seats at Berkeley, UCLA and UCSD — and the bill could top $460 million. Analysts and lawmakers now disagree on a cheaper way forward.

A Prop 64‑funded Berkeley cannabis education program fell short of promised deliverables, yet the nonprofit and a subcontractor were paid roughly $607,000, records show. Evaluators and city documents raise oversight questions.