Mayor Javier Lopez admitted using AI to "lighten" a cleanup photo after residents and a councilmember who visited the site found debris still present. The post has raised transparency concerns.

Xavier Becerra told California doctors he isn’t pushing single‑payer right now as the California Medical Association endorsed him. The move reshapes the health‑care fight in the governor’s race.

Incumbent Malia Cohen faces Herb Morgan and Meghann Adams in a June 2 primary shaped by audits, blockchain transparency and roughly $15 billion in unclaimed property.

Growers in the Tule and Tulare Lake basins had to report groundwater use by May 1, 2026; new state fees, meters and data collection aim to curb subsidence and protect wells.

A crowded June 2 primary will decide who replaces Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. Big names including Fiona Ma, Michael Tubbs and Josh Fryday are vying for the post.

Supervisors reviewed proposals to cut more than 100 county jobs and millions from programs to close a projected $35M hole.

Matt Mahan told followers on X he would suspend California’s gas tax on day one — a campaign promise that runs into legal, budget and political hurdles.

John Seymour, a onetime Anaheim mayor and the last Republican to represent California in the U.S. Senate, died April 18 at 88. He later led housing nonprofits in Southern California.

Dr. Phuong Luu will lead Sacramento County Public Health beginning June 1, 2026, after unanimous board approval.

Sutter County has named Kyle Long its new fire chief. The Vallejo veteran started April 13 and will oversee the county’s three stations amid staffing and budget pressure.

Incumbent Shanti Landon faces Lincoln Councilmember Holly Andreatta in a heated June primary marked by a fundraising gap and a documented March confrontation. The district will decide which message—growth, safety or transparency—wins out.

City council will weigh a ban on overnight parking at busy parks while the city advances a staffed safe‑parking plan.

State senators advanced two bills to limit ICE’s bedside role in California hospitals and curb “blackout” practices after advocates raised cases of detained patients being isolated. The measures now move to Appropriations.