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Daily Report: Money and Politics

Winners, losers emerge in frenzied spending on state initiatives

November 7, 2012, 1:24 PM
Multimillionaire activists, big labor unions and major corporations combined to pump more than $363 million into political fights over 11 propositions on Tuesday’s state ballot, a California Watch analysis shows. That’s about $20 in political spending for each of California’s... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

State legislative campaigns least competitive in nation

July 10, 2012, 12:05 AM
Legislative races in California have been the most expensive and among the least competitive – in terms of fundraising – in the country, according to a new report. The candidates with the most money in state races almost always have more than twice as much as their competitors,... + read more
Spotlight: Money and Politics

State's top 100 political donors contribute $1.25 billion

June 4, 2012, 12:05 AM
Elite donors gave nearly five times as much to winning candidates as they did to losers. And about 55 percent of every dollar they contributed aided a winning initiative campaign.  + read more
Spotlight: Money and Politics

How we identified the state’s top political donors

June 4, 2012, 12:05 AM
“The Rainmakers” isn’t the first attempt to identify powerful donors in California.  + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

State's presidential primaries have history of irrelevance

April 24, 2012, 12:05 AM
When Rick Santorum folded his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination earlier this month, he also doomed the California presidential primary to irrelevance – for the ninth election and 36th year in a row. California’s Republican primary hasn’t made a difference in... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Despite state law, many school boards not budging on elections

March 29, 2012, 12:05 AM
Dozens of school boards in the Central Valley are changing their election systems in response to a state law aimed at increasing minority representation, but much of the rest of the state hasn't budged. Some county boards of education have aggressively pushed for change, spurred on by... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Technology failures prompt criticism of secretary of state

December 20, 2011, 12:05 AM
The latest technology snafus to hit Secretary of State Debra Bowen's office have added to growing frustration from registrars and watchdog groups, who say Bowen has been unresponsive to their concerns. The server crash that brought down California’s campaign finance disclosure... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

No challenger yet, but Feinstein raising cash for re-election

May 5, 2011, 12:05 AM
If it weren't for her appearance at the California state Democratic convention last month, it would be easy to forget that Sen. Dianne Feinstein will be up for re-election again next year. That is, unless you're one of her donors. Although no Republican challengers have clearly... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Report: Recounts rarely impact state elections

May 3, 2011, 12:05 AM
Between 2000 and 2009, recounts in state elections were extremely uncommon and rarely resulted in reversals when they did happen, according to a new study [PDF] by the Center for Voting and Democracy. Out of 2,884 statewide general elections there were 18 recounts, only three of which resulted... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

In tight state elections, recounts might have altered history

March 11, 2011, 12:05 AM
California has a history of cliffhanger elections – but there has never been a statewide recount. Experts say the cost – state law requires losing candidates to foot the bill – has dissuaded even candidates who lost by the narrowest of margins. A... + read more
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