California Update: The Drama-Light Election

While America experienced a political upheaval on Election Night, California rode atop the “blue wave” by keeping all statewide offices in Democratic hands while reducing Republicans to a mere carpool in the nation’s largest congressional delegation (only 4 of 52 House seats for the GOP in the next Congress thanks to Proposition 50’s partisan gerrymander). That said, California’s ballot slate produced mixed results (a billionaire trounced; a temporary income tax on high earners made permanent). As for California Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra, the state’s first elected Latino chief executive, once he takes over in January, will he stay the course with Gavin Newsom’s agenda – tempting, as he relies on Newsom advisors for political and policy guidance – or does he act differently on such thorny matters as taxation, spending discipline, a lack of affordable housing, and the Golden State’s much-maligned high-speed rail project? Meanwhile, in one election that did produce drama: what does the future bode for Los Angeles and an undecided mayor’s race whose winner likewise won’t lack for challenges in America’s second-largest city (chronic homelessness, a dwindling entertainment industry, and gearing up for the 2028 Summer Olympics)?

Recorded on November 4, 2026.