Articles by Ben Christopher

August 2021

How Did John Cox Go From GOP Standard-Bearer to Bears and Trash Balls?

July 2021

Recall Money Wars: What Do Newsom’s Million-Dollar Donors Want?

June 2021

A Serious Man: Can Kevin Faulconer Run for Governor Without the Gimmicks?

California’s Big Reopening: What Changes — and What Doesn’t — on June 15?

May 2021

Vax for Cash: Newsom Offers Big Bucks for Californians Who Get Their Shots

Who’s Bankrolling the Newsom Recall Campaigns?

Facing Recall, Newsom Uses Anti-Tax Amendment for His Own Devices

California’s Population Shrank, in 2020, but Don’t Call It an Exodus

Recall Backers Raise More, but Newsom’s Side Has More Cash in the Bank

April 2021

California Loses Congressional Seat for First Time

Carrots, Sticks and Jabs: What Will California Do to Win Over Vaccine Skeptics?

March 2021

Gov. Newsom and Legislators Have Lots of Money to Spend, Few Strings Attached

How California’s Recall Rules Could Spell Trouble for Gavin Newsom

February 2021

The Squeeze Is On: Amid Recall Threat, Newsom Faces Single-Payer Dilemma

Despite Months to Prep, Why California Lags on COVID Vaccination

January 2021

Better Than ‘Anyone Could Have Imagined’: Inside Newsom’s Optimistic, Record-Breaking Budget Proposal

Next Secretary of State Aims to Teach Californians ‘How Fragile the Democracy Is’

December 2020

Five Things to Know About California’s New US Senator, Alex Padilla

With Barrett on Supreme Court, California’s Church COVID Limits in Legal Jeopardy

November 2020

Now That the Results Are In, Did Big Political Spenders Get What They Paid For?

The Trumpiest and Most Anti-Trump Counties in California: Where Does Yours Rank?

In Liberal California, Election Shows Prop. 13 Tax Revolt Is Alive

California Election Results: What We Know and Don’t Know

October 2020

Is It Too Late to Mail in Your Ballot? Here’s Why You Don’t Need to Panic

Slated for Deception? Beware of All Those Glossy Mailers Telling You How to Vote

Why Do We Keep Voting on This? Exploring the Prop. 13 Tax Revolt Family Tree

California GOP in Legal Trouble for ‘Ballot Harvesting’ With Unofficial Drop Boxes

Lawmakers Want to Amend This Prop? It’ll Take a ‘Super, Super, Super-Duper Majority’

How the Pandemic Reshaped California Politics in 2020

September 2020

If Californians Vote to Raise Taxes on Corporate Landlords, Will Small Biz Foot the Bill?

Suburban Blues: Where Democrats Have Gained Most in California

Unmasked: Tempers Flare and Patience Frays as California Lawmakers Hit Viral End of Session

August 2020

As Trump Takes Aim at Postal Funding, Could He Undermine California’s All-Mail Election?

The Veepstakes Are Over — but Whom Might Newsom Pick to Replace Kamala Harris?

July 2020

If Feds Let Jobless Benefits Drop, Key California Dems Float ‘Backdoor Borrowing’ Idea to Make Up Difference

Big Bet: Why the Country’s Largest Pension Fund Is Getting Into Banking

June 2020

Props to You, Californians: A Preview of What’s on Your November Ballot

Judge to Newsom on Vote-By-Mail Strategy: Restrain Yourself

California Posts Guidelines for Gyms, Bars, Hotels, Camps to Reopen as Soon as June 12

Is Now the Time to Bring Back Affirmative Action in California?

May 2020

Valid Assumptions or ‘Tacky Bluffs’ — the Econ Forecast Shaping Newsom’s Budget

Can California Cities Weather the COVID Recession?

April 2020

Not If, but How: California Prepares for an All Vote-By-Mail Election in November

How Coronavirus Could Test California’s Commitment to Privacy

Shortage on a Stick: More Swabs on the Way, but That Alone Won’t Solve California Test Gap

Reopen California? That’s the Toughest Phase Yet, Newsom Says

Open for Easter? Legal Spat Brews Over Lockdown Restrictions on Sunday Service

Newsom the Beneficent? California Governor Steps Into Pandemic Supply Vacuum

As California’s Coronavirus Curve Bends, Newsom’s Not Ready to Be the Bearer of Good News

March 2020

Coronavirus ‘Can Impact Anybody and Everybody’: L.A. County Teen Is First Infected Youngster to Die in US