Which district will you be in for the upcoming elections?

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Rep. Darrell Issa’s once-safe seat is now vulnerable, as new district has more Democrats than Republican voters.

February 5, 2026 (San Diego’s East County) — State Republicans have lost a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to block Prop 50 redistricting of Congressional districts.  The high court declined to hear the case, with no justices dissenting from the order.  As a result, San Diego County’s Congressional district lines will change dramatically for the June primary and November general election. 

Governor Gavin Newsom pushed forward the California redistricting plan, which was approved by voters and favors Democrats; experts predict it could flip five seats in California, including the 48^th district currently represented by Republican Darrell Issa. California’s redrawing of districts came in response to Texas redistricting  which favors Republicans and was allowed to stand by the Supreme Court. At stake is the balance of power in Congress.

By Henri Migala

Photo by Miriam Raftery: California state seal at capitol in Sacramento

January 10, 2026 (Sacramento) -- Nearly 800–900 bills were signed into law in 2025 in California spanning workers’ rights, consumer protections, public health, education, housing, tech/AI policy, immigration policy, environmental safety, and more. Below are major statutes that took effect on January 1, 2026, unless otherwise noted.

For details, full legislative texts, and the complete set of laws, refer to official California legislative information (http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/) or the Office of Administrative Law (https://oal.ca.gov/).

By Paul Levikow

January 14, 2026 (San Diego) – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday advanced a new law that would prohibit federal agents from accessing non-public areas at County facilities unless they have a warrant or court order.

By Alexander J. Schorr

January 11, 2026 (San Diego) — The “Free America Walkout” is a nationwide protest initiative scheduled for Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. local time across the United States. Being organized by groups like The Women’s March and the 50501 movement, the event encourages people to walk out of work, school, and commence to protest fascism and the policies of the Trump administration.

At least seven events are planned in San Diego County, including at Waterfront Park downtown, in Escondido, and several other city of San DIego locations. Find an event here:  https://www.freeameri.ca/ 

By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams

Photo:  Renee Good, 37, U.S. citizen and mother of a-6-year-old, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minnnesota.

January 9, 2026 (Minneapolis) - Federal immigration enforcement agents, unleashed and emboldened by President Donald Trump, have been rampaging through the streets of cities across the United States for months, racking up an appalling record of abuses and alleged crimes, including kidnapping, beatings, and murder.

By Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters

Photo:  Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during the State of the State address in the Assembly chamber at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Jan. 8, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

January 9, 2026 (Sacramento) - Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Friday forecast a “modest shortfall” of $2.9 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, down sharply from previous estimates in a nearly $349 billion budget proposal that relies heavily on continued windfalls from tech and AI stocks. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima after his capture, via U.S. Dept. of War

January 4, 2025 (San Diego) – Without notifying Congress and in apparent violation of international law, President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes and a ground raid on Venezuela’s capital city that resulted in capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura and his wife, Cilia Flores, overnight. Both have been transported to the U.S. to face charges of alleged drug trafficking.

Some civilians reportedly died in the bombings and some U.S. service members were injured.

Trump, in a press conference,  announced that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela and takeover the country’s oil production. Venezuela has more proven oil reserves than any other nation on earth. The president said he is not averse to "boots on the ground" but did not clarify how he intends to run Venezuela's government or oil facilities over the objections of its interim leader. 

Maduro, an authoritarian strongman and socialist whom Biden accused of stealing an election, is unpopular with U.S. elected officials on both the left and right.  But disapproving of a regime does not grant any nation the right to initiate military action against another country, let alone forcibly remove and arrest a nation’s leader. Legal scholars and members of Congress have argued that the action violated both U.S.and international law.

By Marisa Kendall, CalMatters

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Photo:  Physician assistant Brett Feldman checks Carla Bolen’s blood pressure at her encampment on the Figueroa Street Viaduct above Highway 110 in Elysian Valley Park in Los Angeles on Nov. 18, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

December 30, 2025 (Sacramento) - Senate Bill 634 would have made a big splash if it survived in the form Pasadena Democrat Sasha Renée Pérez originally intended. She wanted to make it illegal for cities to cite or arrest homeless Californians for sleeping outside. But, faced with intense backlash from cities and law enforcement agencies, the legislator watered down her bill.

Photos and story by Karen Pearlman

Dec. 22, 2025 (San Diego) — Across the street from the calm San Diego Bay but amid a rising tide of global concern, some of San Diego County’s top elected officials, law enforcement and multi-faith leaders gathered Monday at the County Administration Center to send a singular message: Hate has no sanctuary in San Diego.

Organized by San Diego County Assessor Jordan Marks (shown speaking in photo above right), Monday afternoon’s "Rally for Light," marked the eighth and final day of Hanukkah, and the hour-long event ended with a ceremonial lighting of a 6-foot hanukkiah (menorah) by local faith leaders, county employees and community members.

While the event celebrated the "Festival of Lights," the atmosphere was underscored by a somber urgency following a string of recent anti-Semitic attacks reaching from San Francisco to an outdoor celebration on Bondi Beach in Australia.

By Maya C. Miller and Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters

Photo:  a “No on Prop 50” sign at the Kern County Republican Party booth at the Kern County Fair in Bakersfield on Sept. 26, 2025. Republicans are seeking to overturn the congressional maps voters approved last month. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

December 20, 2025 (Sacramento) - Just last week California’s secretary of state officially certified that nearly two-thirds of Californians voted to pass Proposition 50, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to temporarily gerrymander the state’s congressional maps in favor of Democrats.

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

December 18, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- Health care premiums for an estimated 1.7 million Californians are set to skyrocket on January 1, as Congress has been unable to agree on a fix.

On Wednesday, four Republicans joined Democrats to force a vote on a proposal to extend COVID-era subsidies, which won't likely happen until January. Those subsidies make plans cheaper on Affordable Care Act marketplace known as Covered California.