Articles by Ben Christopher

February 2020

Brace for the Deluge: Special Interests Are Spending Millions to Get the California Legislators They Want

The Presidential Contest for California Cash, in 6 Data Visualizations

January 2020

Shenanigans? Under California’s Primary Rules, Some Campaigns Boggle the Mind

FACT CHECK: Trump Hits and Misses as He Campaigns for Re-Election — and Against California

Want to Vote for President in California but Bewildered by the Changing Rules? We’ve Got You.

December 2019

Fight or Switch? One California Republican Legislator Ditches GOP, the Other Gets Primaried

Kamala Harris Quits Presidential Race — What It Means for California

November 2019

Why California’s Trump Tax Return Law — Authored by Sen. Mike McGuire — Was Struck Down by the State’s Top Court Today

No-Shows, Endorsement Spats and Drag Queens: What’s on Tap at This Weekend’s California Democratic Convention

October 2019

Fact Check: Do Californians Really Cool on Ballot Measures as the Election Approaches?

Conservatives Clap Back Against California in Court — Twice

September 2019

Newsom Cracks Down on Vaping — and Asks the Legislature for Help

Vaping Industry Breathes Easier: For Now, California Lawmakers Won’t Restrict Its Business

August 2019

Bluer Than Blue: Are California Democrats Ready to Exploit a Possible Lopsided Primary Turnout?

As Gun Control Efforts Advance in California Capitol, Opponents Turn to the Courts

What Does Trump’s Latest Immigration Crackdown Mean for California?

What California Knows About Kamala Harris

California Stretches Applicant Deadline to Draw Political Districts — Pool’s Too White, Too Male

July 2019

Frontrunner No More: California Poll Puts Harris on Top and Biden (Way) Down

Lawsuit: California Should Open Its Presidential Primary to Independents

Trump’s California Funders — Where They Are and What They’re Giving

The Democratic Scramble for California’s Cash: A Deeper Dive in Four Charts

State May Push Cities and Counties to Draw ‘Fairer’ Districts

Can California Crack Down on Deepfakes Without Violating the First Amendment?

June 2019

Any Spike in Repeat Crimes After California Sped Prisoner Release? New Research Says No

A Million Independent Voters Risk Being Irrelevant in California’s Presidential Primary

In California, a Blue Wave and Progressive Governor: So Why Are So Many Leftist Plans Going Under?

STATE CONVENTION: California Democrats Loudly Lean Left — But Quietly Make a Safe Choice

May 2019

Californians Can Be Nation’s First to Cast 2020 Primary Ballots — And That’s Shaking Up Presidential Race

Shouts, Tears and 67 ‘Yes’ Votes Push Police Use-Of-Force Standard Through State Assembly

Democrats in California Have All the Power — And Much of the Turmoil

‘If You Think the System Works, You’re Dead Wrong’: A Discussion on California’s Mental Health System

As More Californians Borrow at Shockingly High Interest Rates, Will State Crack Down on ‘Predatory Lending’?

HOT off the GRILLE! Is California Ready to Legalize Roadkill Cuisine?

Can They Do That? California Dems Again Try to Force Trump to Show His Taxes

March 2019

Did Gov. Newsom ‘Defy’ the Will of the People on Executions? New Poll Says No

February 2019

California Republicans Select First Millennial Latina as New Chair

Embrace Trump, Ignore Trump or Reject Trump: How Can California Republicans Get Back in the Game?