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"slug": "medi-cal-cuts-could-push-seniors-and-people-with-disabilities-off-of-coverage",
"title": "Medi-Cal Cuts Could Push Seniors and People With Disabilities Off of Coverage",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Julia Feinberg feels like she’s living in a sinister version of Groundhog Day. For the second year in a row \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> lawmakers have made it tougher for seniors and people with disabilities to qualify for state-funded health benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feinberg, 37, who has a degenerative neuromuscular disorder, said without Medi-Cal she would be confined to a nursing home rather than living and working as a therapist in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We keep having to have the same fight over and over and over again,” Feinberg said. She requires a power wheelchair and about 19 hours of caregiving each day, which Medi-Cal covers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California is cutting Medi-Cal after a decade of expansion, part of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/08/medi-cal-the-cut-healthcare-threatened/\">sweeping federal and state cuts\u003c/a> that experts estimate will kick more than 2.2 million Californians off coverage in the next four years, doubling the state’s uninsured rate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/CaregiverGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12063947\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/CaregiverGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/CaregiverGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/CaregiverGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A senior woman at home receiving health care. (LPETTET via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest cut came in June, when state leaders approved a budget that will lower the asset limit for low-income seniors and people with disabilities to $21,000 to qualify for Medi-Cal, starting in July 2027. Feinberg, who has built up emergency savings, will have to spend about $10,000 to get under the cap.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2024, the state eliminated longstanding Medi-Cal asset limits, but since then lawmakers have chipped away at that policy. At the beginning of this year, state leaders reinstated an asset limit of $130,000, and the June budget lowered it further. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A primary residence and one vehicle are exempt from the new limit, but people 65 and older as well as those with disabilities cannot own a second home or car, and they can’t have more than $21,000 in \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MC007-ENG.pdf\">savings accounts, certain retirement accounts, life insurance policies or even burial plots\u003c/a>. They must still meet \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/medi-cal/qualify/qualify-for-medi-cal-eligibility-chart/\">Medi-Cal income eligibility limits\u003c/a> of about $1,800 a month for a single person.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Advocates say the rules unfairly target older people and those with disabilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106309\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caretaker Lexi Marsh assists Elizabette Guéçamburu with various day-to-day tasks. (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s really expensive to be disabled,” said Elizabette Guéçamburu, 44, who like Feinberg has spinal muscular atrophy and requires a power wheelchair as well as daily caregiving.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guéçamburu said she’s saving up for a used wheelchair-accessible van, which costs about $75,000. Home modifications such as adding ramps and making bathrooms accessible also cost tens of thousands of dollars, none of which are covered by Medi-Cal. Guéçamburu said those expenses would be impossible to afford if she couldn’t save.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guéçamburu lives on her family’s farm in Patterson where they grow walnuts, almonds and alfalfa. She works part time as the farm’s bookkeeper. In 2024, doctors diagnosed Guéçamburu’s father with prostate cancer, and he could no longer act as her caregiver. The same year, California eliminated asset limits for people with disabilities and seniors — Guéçamburu cried, able to qualify for Medi-Cal for the first time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The timing was a godsend,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106310\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-ASSET-LIMIT-LV_CM_24-4689659e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106310\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-ASSET-LIMIT-LV_CM_24-4689659e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-ASSET-LIMIT-LV_CM_24-4689659e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-ASSET-LIMIT-LV_CM_24-4689659e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caretaker Lexi Marsh helps Elizabette Guecamburu get inside her van in the garage of her home outside Patterson on Oct. 16, 2026. Guecamburu is afraid that recently passed state Medi-Cal cuts will disqualify her from benefits. (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_20-967a950c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106311\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_20-967a950c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_20-967a950c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_20-967a950c-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caretaker Lexi Marsh feeds Elizabette Guéçamburu her food. (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, her aging father is unable to take care of her should she lose Medi-Cal, and Guéçamburu is struggling to figure out what to do with money left to her by her grandmother. She’ll likely have to put it into a special needs trust controlled by a family member and give up financial independence. She also had her family strike her from inheriting any portion of their 100-year-old farm. \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/long-term-care-affordability-report/\">Private home care costs thousands of dollars a month\u003c/a>, making it hard for lower- and middle-income people to pay for it out-of-pocket.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I have to surrender our legacy just to have medical security and have the ability to live my life,” Guéçamburu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Asset limit flip-flop\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gov. Gavin Newsom eliminated Medi-Cal asset requirements in 2024 after a yearslong campaign by senior and disability rights advocates. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/05/01/governor-newsom-proclaims-older-californians-month-2023/\">statement before the elimination\u003c/a>, Newsom said he was proud of the “bold investments” his administration was making to “protect life savings and homes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But two years later, faced with a $12 billion budget shortfall, Newsom proposed reinstating the former $2,000 limit, arguing that more than twice as many people enrolled as previously estimated. The Legislature opposed that proposal and compromised at the current higher limit of $130,000, lowering it again to $21,000 starting next July. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106175\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a rally alongside California Democratic Party members, labor leaders and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lindsay Imai Hong, California director for Hand In Hand, an advocacy group supporting families that need caregiving, said organizers are looking to the next governor for change.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We would love to see the asset test permanently taken off of the chopping block,” Imai Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said in a statement to CalMatters that he opposes asset limits. He criticized the state for extending other Medi-Cal benefits beyond what it could afford, including coverage for immigrants without legal status.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Seniors and people with disabilities shouldn’t lose their coverage because they’ve managed to save some money. They’ve done the responsible thing. Why punish them for it?” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic gubernatorial candidate and front-runner Xavier Becerra did not answer specific questions about the asset limit policy, but a campaign spokesperson blamed the Trump administration’s federal cuts for “squeezing” California’s Medi-Cal program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106312\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elizabette Guecamburu does her circulation exercises in the living room of her home outside of Patterson on Oct. 16, 2026. Guecamburu is afraid that recently passed state Medi-Cal cuts will disqualify her from benefits. (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra will be “focused on protecting access to care and demand savings that are real, measurable and sustainable,” spokesperson Johnathan Underland said. On the campaign trail, Becerra has called himself California’s next “healthcare governor” and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/27/xavier-becerra-wants-to-be-the-health-care-governor-00532691\">previously floated raising taxes\u003c/a> to reverse Medi-Cal cuts, but \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/09/california-governor-healthcare-plans-2026/\">has not released detailed health policy plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Camille Nguyen, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, said most people who struggle to stay under the limit have little financial security.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They have all of their life savings in cash savings instead of a house. That’s their retirement. That is the amount they are expecting to live off of for the rest of their life,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">State data shows about 600 people lost Medi-Cal when California reinstated the $130,000 limit. Advocates expect many more to lose Medi-Cal at the lower limit, but the state never released budget estimates before lawmakers approved the $21,000 limit. If the state reinstated the much lower $2,000 limit, the Department of Finance estimated 62,000 seniors and people with disabilities would lose Medi-Cal over two years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Limit fuels anxiety, anger among people with disabilities\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feinberg said the prospect of losing Medi-Cal is especially scary because she would also lose access to a special disability program that pays for extra caregiving hours and has a multiyear waitlist. Caregivers help Feinberg get in and out of bed, dress and prepare her meals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the limit was erased in 2024, Feinberg said she checked her bank account every day to make sure the balance was low. At the time, Feinberg was a graduate student and did not earn very much money. Now, as a licensed therapist Feinberg has been able to squirrel away some money.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I don’t want to spend down that money. I want to save that for retirement, maybe buying a house in the future,” Feinberg said. “The prospect of not being able to have a nest egg is very unsettling.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guéçamburu said she’s angry and frustrated that the state views services for people with disabilities as expendable.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s exhausting to have to justify your existence every legislative cycle,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/10/california-medi-cal-asset-limit-cut/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Feinberg, 37, who has a degenerative neuromuscular disorder, said without Medi-Cal she would be confined to a nursing home rather than living and working as a therapist in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We keep having to have the same fight over and over and over again,” Feinberg said. She requires a power wheelchair and about 19 hours of caregiving each day, which Medi-Cal covers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We keep having to have the same fight over and over and over again,” Feinberg said. She requires a power wheelchair and about 19 hours of caregiving each day, which Medi-Cal covers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California is cutting Medi-Cal after a decade of expansion, part of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/08/medi-cal-the-cut-healthcare-threatened/\">sweeping federal and state cuts\u003c/a> that experts estimate will kick more than 2.2 million Californians off coverage in the next four years, doubling the state’s uninsured rate. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The latest cut came in June, when state leaders approved a budget that will lower the asset limit for low-income seniors and people with disabilities to $21,000 to qualify for Medi-Cal, starting in July 2027. Feinberg, who has built up emergency savings, will have to spend about $10,000 to get under the cap.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The latest cut came in June, when state leaders approved a budget that will lower the asset limit for low-income seniors and people with disabilities to $21,000 to qualify for Medi-Cal, starting in July 2027. Feinberg, who has built up emergency savings, will have to spend about $10,000 to get under the cap.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2024, the state eliminated longstanding Medi-Cal asset limits, but since then lawmakers have chipped away at that policy. At the beginning of this year, state leaders reinstated an asset limit of $130,000, and the June budget lowered it further. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2024, the state eliminated longstanding Medi-Cal asset limits, but since then lawmakers have chipped away at that policy. At the beginning of this year, state leaders reinstated an asset limit of $130,000, and the June budget lowered it further. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A primary residence and one vehicle are exempt from the new limit, but people 65 and older as well as those with disabilities cannot own a second home or car, and they can’t have more than $21,000 in \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MC007-ENG.pdf\">savings accounts, certain retirement accounts, life insurance policies or even burial plots\u003c/a>. They must still meet \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/medi-cal/qualify/qualify-for-medi-cal-eligibility-chart/\">Medi-Cal income eligibility limits\u003c/a> of about $1,800 a month for a single person.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A primary residence and one vehicle are exempt from the new limit, but people 65 and older as well as those with disabilities cannot own a second home or car, and they can’t have more than $21,000 in \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MC007-ENG.pdf\">savings accounts, certain retirement accounts, life insurance policies or even burial plots\u003c/a>. They must still meet \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/medi-cal/qualify/qualify-for-medi-cal-eligibility-chart/\">Medi-Cal income eligibility limits\u003c/a> of about $1,800 a month for a single person.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Advocates say the rules unfairly target older people and those with disabilities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106309\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Caretaker Lexi Marsh assists Elizabette Guéçamburu with various day-to-day tasks.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106309\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Caretaker Lexi Marsh assists Elizabette Guéçamburu with various day-to-day tasks.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s really expensive to be disabled,” said Elizabette Guéçamburu, 44, who like Feinberg has spinal muscular atrophy and requires a power wheelchair as well as daily caregiving.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s really expensive to be disabled,” said Elizabette Guéçamburu, 44, who like Feinberg has spinal muscular atrophy and requires a power wheelchair as well as daily caregiving.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Guéçamburu said she’s saving up for a used wheelchair-accessible van, which costs about $75,000. Home modifications such as adding ramps and making bathrooms accessible also cost tens of thousands of dollars, none of which are covered by Medi-Cal. Guéçamburu said those expenses would be impossible to afford if she couldn’t save.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Guéçamburu said she’s saving up for a used wheelchair-accessible van, which costs about $75,000. Home modifications such as adding ramps and making bathrooms accessible also cost tens of thousands of dollars, none of which are covered by Medi-Cal. Guéçamburu said those expenses would be impossible to afford if she couldn’t save.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Guéçamburu lives on her family’s farm in Patterson where they grow walnuts, almonds and alfalfa. She works part time as the farm’s bookkeeper. In 2024, doctors diagnosed Guéçamburu’s father with prostate cancer, and he could no longer act as her caregiver. The same year, California eliminated asset limits for people with disabilities and seniors — Guéçamburu cried, able to qualify for Medi-Cal for the first time. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Guéçamburu lives on her family’s farm in Patterson where they grow walnuts, almonds and alfalfa. She works part time as the farm’s bookkeeper. In 2024, doctors diagnosed Guéçamburu’s father with prostate cancer, and he could no longer act as her caregiver. The same year, California eliminated asset limits for people with disabilities and seniors — Guéçamburu cried, able to qualify for Medi-Cal for the first time. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The timing was a godsend,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-ASSET-LIMIT-LV_CM_24-4689659e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106310\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caretaker Lexi Marsh helps Elizabette Guecamburu get inside her van in the garage of her home outside Patterson on Oct. 16, 2026. Guecamburu is afraid that recently passed state Medi-Cal cuts will disqualify her from benefits.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_20-967a950c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106311\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caretaker Lexi Marsh feeds Elizabette Guéçamburu her food. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, her aging father is unable to take care of her should she lose Medi-Cal, and Guéçamburu is struggling to figure out what to do with money left to her by her grandmother. She’ll likely have to put it into a special needs trust controlled by a family member and give up financial independence. She also had her family strike her from inheriting any portion of their 100-year-old farm. \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/long-term-care-affordability-report/\">Private home care costs thousands of dollars a month\u003c/a>, making it hard for lower- and middle-income people to pay for it out-of-pocket.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Now, her aging father is unable to take care of her should she lose Medi-Cal, and Guéçamburu is struggling to figure out what to do with money left to her by her grandmother. She’ll likely have to put it into a special needs trust controlled by a family member and give up financial independence. She also had her family strike her from inheriting any portion of their 100-year-old farm. \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/long-term-care-affordability-report/\">Private home care costs thousands of dollars a month\u003c/a>, making it hard for lower- and middle-income people to pay for it out-of-pocket.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I have to surrender our legacy just to have medical security and have the ability to live my life,” Guéçamburu said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I have to surrender our legacy just to have medical security and have the ability to live my life,” Guéçamburu said. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Asset limit flip-flop",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Asset limit flip-flop\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Asset limit flip-flop\u003c/h2>\n"
],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom eliminated Medi-Cal asset requirements in 2024 after a yearslong campaign by senior and disability rights advocates. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/05/01/governor-newsom-proclaims-older-californians-month-2023/\">statement before the elimination\u003c/a>, Newsom said he was proud of the “bold investments” his administration was making to “protect life savings and homes.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom eliminated Medi-Cal asset requirements in 2024 after a yearslong campaign by senior and disability rights advocates. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/05/01/governor-newsom-proclaims-older-californians-month-2023/\">statement before the elimination\u003c/a>, Newsom said he was proud of the “bold investments” his administration was making to “protect life savings and homes.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But two years later, faced with a $12 billion budget shortfall, Newsom proposed reinstating the former $2,000 limit, arguing that more than twice as many people enrolled as previously estimated. The Legislature opposed that proposal and compromised at the current higher limit of $130,000, lowering it again to $21,000 starting next July. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But two years later, faced with a $12 billion budget shortfall, Newsom proposed reinstating the former $2,000 limit, arguing that more than twice as many people enrolled as previously estimated. The Legislature opposed that proposal and compromised at the current higher limit of $130,000, lowering it again to $21,000 starting next July. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106175\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a rally alongside California Democratic Party members, labor leaders and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106175\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a rally alongside California Democratic Party members, labor leaders and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lindsay Imai Hong, California director for Hand In Hand, an advocacy group supporting families that need caregiving, said organizers are looking to the next governor for change.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Lindsay Imai Hong, California director for Hand In Hand, an advocacy group supporting families that need caregiving, said organizers are looking to the next governor for change.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We would love to see the asset test permanently taken off of the chopping block,” Imai Hong said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We would love to see the asset test permanently taken off of the chopping block,” Imai Hong said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said in a statement to CalMatters that he opposes asset limits. He criticized the state for extending other Medi-Cal benefits beyond what it could afford, including coverage for immigrants without legal status.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said in a statement to CalMatters that he opposes asset limits. He criticized the state for extending other Medi-Cal benefits beyond what it could afford, including coverage for immigrants without legal status.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Seniors and people with disabilities shouldn’t lose their coverage because they’ve managed to save some money. They’ve done the responsible thing. Why punish them for it?” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Seniors and people with disabilities shouldn’t lose their coverage because they’ve managed to save some money. They’ve done the responsible thing. Why punish them for it?” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Democratic gubernatorial candidate and front-runner Xavier Becerra did not answer specific questions about the asset limit policy, but a campaign spokesperson blamed the Trump administration’s federal cuts for “squeezing” California’s Medi-Cal program.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Democratic gubernatorial candidate and front-runner Xavier Becerra did not answer specific questions about the asset limit policy, but a campaign spokesperson blamed the Trump administration’s federal cuts for “squeezing” California’s Medi-Cal program.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106312\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elizabette Guecamburu does her circulation exercises in the living room of her home outside of Patterson on Oct. 16, 2026. Guecamburu is afraid that recently passed state Medi-Cal cuts will disqualify her from benefits.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106312\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elizabette Guecamburu does her circulation exercises in the living room of her home outside of Patterson on Oct. 16, 2026. Guecamburu is afraid that recently passed state Medi-Cal cuts will disqualify her from benefits.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Becerra will be “focused on protecting access to care and demand savings that are real, measurable and sustainable,” spokesperson Johnathan Underland said. On the campaign trail, Becerra has called himself California’s next “healthcare governor” and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/27/xavier-becerra-wants-to-be-the-health-care-governor-00532691\">previously floated raising taxes\u003c/a> to reverse Medi-Cal cuts, but \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/09/california-governor-healthcare-plans-2026/\">has not released detailed health policy plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Becerra will be “focused on protecting access to care and demand savings that are real, measurable and sustainable,” spokesperson Johnathan Underland said. On the campaign trail, Becerra has called himself California’s next “healthcare governor” and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/27/xavier-becerra-wants-to-be-the-health-care-governor-00532691\">previously floated raising taxes\u003c/a> to reverse Medi-Cal cuts, but \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/09/california-governor-healthcare-plans-2026/\">has not released detailed health policy plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Camille Nguyen, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, said most people who struggle to stay under the limit have little financial security.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Camille Nguyen, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, said most people who struggle to stay under the limit have little financial security.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They have all of their life savings in cash savings instead of a house. That’s their retirement. That is the amount they are expecting to live off of for the rest of their life,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They have all of their life savings in cash savings instead of a house. That’s their retirement. That is the amount they are expecting to live off of for the rest of their life,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State data shows about 600 people lost Medi-Cal when California reinstated the $130,000 limit. Advocates expect many more to lose Medi-Cal at the lower limit, but the state never released budget estimates before lawmakers approved the $21,000 limit. If the state reinstated the much lower $2,000 limit, the Department of Finance estimated 62,000 seniors and people with disabilities would lose Medi-Cal over two years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>State data shows about 600 people lost Medi-Cal when California reinstated the $130,000 limit. Advocates expect many more to lose Medi-Cal at the lower limit, but the state never released budget estimates before lawmakers approved the $21,000 limit. If the state reinstated the much lower $2,000 limit, the Department of Finance estimated 62,000 seniors and people with disabilities would lose Medi-Cal over two years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Limit fuels anxiety, anger among people with disabilities",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Limit fuels anxiety, anger among people with disabilities\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Limit fuels anxiety, anger among people with disabilities\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Feinberg said the prospect of losing Medi-Cal is especially scary because she would also lose access to a special disability program that pays for extra caregiving hours and has a multiyear waitlist. Caregivers help Feinberg get in and out of bed, dress and prepare her meals.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Feinberg said the prospect of losing Medi-Cal is especially scary because she would also lose access to a special disability program that pays for extra caregiving hours and has a multiyear waitlist. Caregivers help Feinberg get in and out of bed, dress and prepare her meals.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Before the limit was erased in 2024, Feinberg said she checked her bank account every day to make sure the balance was low. At the time, Feinberg was a graduate student and did not earn very much money. Now, as a licensed therapist Feinberg has been able to squirrel away some money.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Before the limit was erased in 2024, Feinberg said she checked her bank account every day to make sure the balance was low. At the time, Feinberg was a graduate student and did not earn very much money. Now, as a licensed therapist Feinberg has been able to squirrel away some money.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to spend down that money. I want to save that for retirement, maybe buying a house in the future,” Feinberg said. “The prospect of not being able to have a nest egg is very unsettling.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to spend down that money. I want to save that for retirement, maybe buying a house in the future,” Feinberg said. “The prospect of not being able to have a nest egg is very unsettling.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Guéçamburu said she’s angry and frustrated that the state views services for people with disabilities as expendable.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Guéçamburu said she’s angry and frustrated that the state views services for people with disabilities as expendable.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s exhausting to have to justify your existence every legislative cycle,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“It’s exhausting to have to justify your existence every legislative cycle,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/10/california-medi-cal-asset-limit-cut/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/10/california-medi-cal-asset-limit-cut/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Next July, new Medi-Cal rules prohibit seniors and people with disabilities from saving more than $21,000. Senior and disability rights advocates say the cuts unfairly target vulnerable groups.",
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"title": "Medi-Cal Cuts Could Push Seniors and People With Disabilities Off of Coverage | KQED",
"description": "Next July, new Medi-Cal rules prohibit seniors and people with disabilities from saving more than $21,000. Senior and disability rights advocates say the cuts unfairly target vulnerable groups.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Julia Feinberg feels like she’s living in a sinister version of Groundhog Day. For the second year in a row \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> lawmakers have made it tougher for seniors and people with disabilities to qualify for state-funded health benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feinberg, 37, who has a degenerative neuromuscular disorder, said without Medi-Cal she would be confined to a nursing home rather than living and working as a therapist in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We keep having to have the same fight over and over and over again,” Feinberg said. She requires a power wheelchair and about 19 hours of caregiving each day, which Medi-Cal covers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California is cutting Medi-Cal after a decade of expansion, part of \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/08/medi-cal-the-cut-healthcare-threatened/\">sweeping federal and state cuts\u003c/a> that experts estimate will kick more than 2.2 million Californians off coverage in the next four years, doubling the state’s uninsured rate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/CaregiverGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12063947\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/CaregiverGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/CaregiverGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/CaregiverGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A senior woman at home receiving health care. (LPETTET via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest cut came in June, when state leaders approved a budget that will lower the asset limit for low-income seniors and people with disabilities to $21,000 to qualify for Medi-Cal, starting in July 2027. Feinberg, who has built up emergency savings, will have to spend about $10,000 to get under the cap.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2024, the state eliminated longstanding Medi-Cal asset limits, but since then lawmakers have chipped away at that policy. At the beginning of this year, state leaders reinstated an asset limit of $130,000, and the June budget lowered it further. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A primary residence and one vehicle are exempt from the new limit, but people 65 and older as well as those with disabilities cannot own a second home or car, and they can’t have more than $21,000 in \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MC007-ENG.pdf\">savings accounts, certain retirement accounts, life insurance policies or even burial plots\u003c/a>. They must still meet \u003ca href=\"https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/medi-cal/qualify/qualify-for-medi-cal-eligibility-chart/\">Medi-Cal income eligibility limits\u003c/a> of about $1,800 a month for a single person.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Advocates say the rules unfairly target older people and those with disabilities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106309\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_04-a244a4ca-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caretaker Lexi Marsh assists Elizabette Guéçamburu with various day-to-day tasks. (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s really expensive to be disabled,” said Elizabette Guéçamburu, 44, who like Feinberg has spinal muscular atrophy and requires a power wheelchair as well as daily caregiving.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guéçamburu said she’s saving up for a used wheelchair-accessible van, which costs about $75,000. Home modifications such as adding ramps and making bathrooms accessible also cost tens of thousands of dollars, none of which are covered by Medi-Cal. Guéçamburu said those expenses would be impossible to afford if she couldn’t save.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guéçamburu lives on her family’s farm in Patterson where they grow walnuts, almonds and alfalfa. She works part time as the farm’s bookkeeper. In 2024, doctors diagnosed Guéçamburu’s father with prostate cancer, and he could no longer act as her caregiver. The same year, California eliminated asset limits for people with disabilities and seniors — Guéçamburu cried, able to qualify for Medi-Cal for the first time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The timing was a godsend,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106310\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-ASSET-LIMIT-LV_CM_24-4689659e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106310\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-ASSET-LIMIT-LV_CM_24-4689659e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-ASSET-LIMIT-LV_CM_24-4689659e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-ASSET-LIMIT-LV_CM_24-4689659e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caretaker Lexi Marsh helps Elizabette Guecamburu get inside her van in the garage of her home outside Patterson on Oct. 16, 2026. Guecamburu is afraid that recently passed state Medi-Cal cuts will disqualify her from benefits. (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106311\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_20-967a950c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106311\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_20-967a950c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_20-967a950c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_20-967a950c-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caretaker Lexi Marsh feeds Elizabette Guéçamburu her food. (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, her aging father is unable to take care of her should she lose Medi-Cal, and Guéçamburu is struggling to figure out what to do with money left to her by her grandmother. She’ll likely have to put it into a special needs trust controlled by a family member and give up financial independence. She also had her family strike her from inheriting any portion of their 100-year-old farm. \u003ca href=\"https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/long-term-care-affordability-report/\">Private home care costs thousands of dollars a month\u003c/a>, making it hard for lower- and middle-income people to pay for it out-of-pocket.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I have to surrender our legacy just to have medical security and have the ability to live my life,” Guéçamburu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Asset limit flip-flop\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gov. Gavin Newsom eliminated Medi-Cal asset requirements in 2024 after a yearslong campaign by senior and disability rights advocates. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/05/01/governor-newsom-proclaims-older-californians-month-2023/\">statement before the elimination\u003c/a>, Newsom said he was proud of the “bold investments” his administration was making to “protect life savings and homes.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But two years later, faced with a $12 billion budget shortfall, Newsom proposed reinstating the former $2,000 limit, arguing that more than twice as many people enrolled as previously estimated. The Legislature opposed that proposal and compromised at the current higher limit of $130,000, lowering it again to $21,000 starting next July. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106175\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-33-BL-KQED-7273678d-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a rally alongside California Democratic Party members, labor leaders and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lindsay Imai Hong, California director for Hand In Hand, an advocacy group supporting families that need caregiving, said organizers are looking to the next governor for change.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We would love to see the asset test permanently taken off of the chopping block,” Imai Hong said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said in a statement to CalMatters that he opposes asset limits. He criticized the state for extending other Medi-Cal benefits beyond what it could afford, including coverage for immigrants without legal status.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Seniors and people with disabilities shouldn’t lose their coverage because they’ve managed to save some money. They’ve done the responsible thing. Why punish them for it?” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic gubernatorial candidate and front-runner Xavier Becerra did not answer specific questions about the asset limit policy, but a campaign spokesperson blamed the Trump administration’s federal cuts for “squeezing” California’s Medi-Cal program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106312\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926_ASSET-LIMIT_LV_CM_07-2a2066eb-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elizabette Guecamburu does her circulation exercises in the living room of her home outside of Patterson on Oct. 16, 2026. Guecamburu is afraid that recently passed state Medi-Cal cuts will disqualify her from benefits. (Larry Valenzuela/CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra will be “focused on protecting access to care and demand savings that are real, measurable and sustainable,” spokesperson Johnathan Underland said. On the campaign trail, Becerra has called himself California’s next “healthcare governor” and has \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/27/xavier-becerra-wants-to-be-the-health-care-governor-00532691\">previously floated raising taxes\u003c/a> to reverse Medi-Cal cuts, but \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/09/california-governor-healthcare-plans-2026/\">has not released detailed health policy plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Camille Nguyen, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, said most people who struggle to stay under the limit have little financial security.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They have all of their life savings in cash savings instead of a house. That’s their retirement. That is the amount they are expecting to live off of for the rest of their life,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">State data shows about 600 people lost Medi-Cal when California reinstated the $130,000 limit. Advocates expect many more to lose Medi-Cal at the lower limit, but the state never released budget estimates before lawmakers approved the $21,000 limit. If the state reinstated the much lower $2,000 limit, the Department of Finance estimated 62,000 seniors and people with disabilities would lose Medi-Cal over two years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Limit fuels anxiety, anger among people with disabilities\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feinberg said the prospect of losing Medi-Cal is especially scary because she would also lose access to a special disability program that pays for extra caregiving hours and has a multiyear waitlist. Caregivers help Feinberg get in and out of bed, dress and prepare her meals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the limit was erased in 2024, Feinberg said she checked her bank account every day to make sure the balance was low. At the time, Feinberg was a graduate student and did not earn very much money. Now, as a licensed therapist Feinberg has been able to squirrel away some money.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I don’t want to spend down that money. I want to save that for retirement, maybe buying a house in the future,” Feinberg said. “The prospect of not being able to have a nest egg is very unsettling.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guéçamburu said she’s angry and frustrated that the state views services for people with disabilities as expendable.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s exhausting to have to justify your existence every legislative cycle,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/2026/10/california-medi-cal-asset-limit-cut/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "doj-orders-contra-costa-other-california-counties-to-verify-ballots",
"title": "DOJ Orders Contra Costa, Other California Counties to Verify Ballots",
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"headTitle": "DOJ Orders Contra Costa, Other California Counties to Verify Ballots | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars across California on Friday demanding that local officials set aside and verify ballots that the Department of Justice said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12104425/california-officials-denounce-trump-dojs-demands-to-prove-voters-citizenship\">may belong to noncitizens\u003c/a>, according to the Los Angeles County registrar and a letter obtained by The Associated Press.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letters are the latest escalation in a \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/doj-california-elections-e08ec04efdb1110c0e3f815f2ce6a3db\">legal battle\u003c/a> between California and President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, which has recently focused on the state in its efforts to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/homeland-security-justice-department-midterms-noncitizen-voting-09b8391612fc87676267a254c55eaee8\">root out noncitizen voting\u003c/a> ahead of the midterm elections. Data shows illegal voting by people who aren’t U.S. citizens is \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/noncitizens-voting-republicans-election-2024-immigration-09b86e6768f755fd875f3c51b0e8ea70\">incredibly rare\u003c/a>, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this month, the federal government targeted \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-justice-department-voting-noncitizens-lawsuit-12c62cf12a7db6480c60975b6dea49b8\">Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office\u003c/a> in a lawsuit that aimed to block them from counting the votes of roughly 20,000 people who are “likely” noncitizen voters. A hearing on the case is scheduled for Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087182\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ballots sit in crates before being counted at the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of last year’s statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration asked the 9th Circuit court of appeals to rule on the lawsuit barring a decision from the district judge assigned to the case. They set a deadline for Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, according to the LA County registrar’s office, at least 18 counties across the state have received similar letters. They have been given a 48 hour deadline from Friday to provide identifying information corresponding with ballots that the federal government believes were sent to noncitizens illegally registered to vote. The letter requests that county officials also sequester any ballots where citizenship cannot be verified.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Any election official who knowingly processes the ballot of a noncitizen is opening themselves to legal jeopardy,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">East Bay Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, whose district includes parts of Contra Costa County, said in a statement that Contra Costa election officials were among those that received a letter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12014671\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) speaks during a House Rules Committee hearing on the impeachment against President Donald Trump on Dec. 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I have confidence that local elections officials are conducting this election in accordance with all state and federal laws and working to protect the Constitutional rights guaranteed to American citizens, including ensuring that every eligible voter who wants to participate in the upcoming election has the opportunity to do so,” DeSaulnier said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Justice Department is asking counties to send information about the voters it suspects are noncitizens including social security numbers, ID information, a copy of their registration and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That information can help the government and state quickly assess each person suspected of illegally registering to vote, said the letter sent to San Bernardino County voting officials. The letter says the government’s list of suspected noncitizen voters includes 1,133 people from the inland Southern California county.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California’s secretary of state and the Los Angeles County registrar have opposed the federal government’s demands. In legal filings, lawyers for California say the request threatens to delay the certification of the vote and undermine the legitimacy of the November midterms. They have also argued that the federal government’s data is unreliable and that their demands risk disenfranchisement of citizens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Voting is underway in California, with the state’s more than 23 million registered voters receiving ballots in the mail earlier this month. The state said in legal filings that over 330,000 mail-in ballots have already been counted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letters came on the heels of \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-election-naturalization-voting-62ebeea82da863d93ee4e112e5b9f86e\">statewide sweep by federal authorities\u003c/a> earlier in the week, where 28 people from the list of 20,000 were charged with illegally registering to vote. Some were also charged with illegally voting and lying on naturalization paperwork. Those charges could lead to years in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Alex Padilla, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee with oversight over federal elections, said in a statement that the Trump administration is “afraid and desperate” and attempting to interfere in the state’s elections.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Trump’s DOJ has not provided any evidence for their claims of massive voter fraud. They’ve admitted that the data they point to is inaccurate and unreliable,” Padilla said. “No matter how many lawsuits they file or how many election officials they threaten, they do not have the authority to interfere.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/skennedy\">Samantha Kennedy\u003c/a> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars across California on Friday demanding that local officials set aside and verify ballots that the Department of Justice said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12104425/california-officials-denounce-trump-dojs-demands-to-prove-voters-citizenship\">may belong to noncitizens\u003c/a>, according to the Los Angeles County registrar and a letter obtained by The Associated Press.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars across California on Friday demanding that local officials set aside and verify ballots that the Department of Justice said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12104425/california-officials-denounce-trump-dojs-demands-to-prove-voters-citizenship\">may belong to noncitizens\u003c/a>, according to the Los Angeles County registrar and a letter obtained by The Associated Press.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The letters are the latest escalation in a \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/doj-california-elections-e08ec04efdb1110c0e3f815f2ce6a3db\">legal battle\u003c/a> between California and President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, which has recently focused on the state in its efforts to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/homeland-security-justice-department-midterms-noncitizen-voting-09b8391612fc87676267a254c55eaee8\">root out noncitizen voting\u003c/a> ahead of the midterm elections. Data shows illegal voting by people who aren’t U.S. citizens is \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/noncitizens-voting-republicans-election-2024-immigration-09b86e6768f755fd875f3c51b0e8ea70\">incredibly rare\u003c/a>, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The letters are the latest escalation in a \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/doj-california-elections-e08ec04efdb1110c0e3f815f2ce6a3db\">legal battle\u003c/a> between California and President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, which has recently focused on the state in its efforts to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/homeland-security-justice-department-midterms-noncitizen-voting-09b8391612fc87676267a254c55eaee8\">root out noncitizen voting\u003c/a> ahead of the midterm elections. Data shows illegal voting by people who aren’t U.S. citizens is \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/noncitizens-voting-republicans-election-2024-immigration-09b86e6768f755fd875f3c51b0e8ea70\">incredibly rare\u003c/a>, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the federal government targeted \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-justice-department-voting-noncitizens-lawsuit-12c62cf12a7db6480c60975b6dea49b8\">Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office\u003c/a> in a lawsuit that aimed to block them from counting the votes of roughly 20,000 people who are “likely” noncitizen voters. A hearing on the case is scheduled for Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the federal government targeted \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-justice-department-voting-noncitizens-lawsuit-12c62cf12a7db6480c60975b6dea49b8\">Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office\u003c/a> in a lawsuit that aimed to block them from counting the votes of roughly 20,000 people who are “likely” noncitizen voters. A hearing on the case is scheduled for Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087182\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ballots sit in crates before being counted at the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of last year’s statewide special election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration asked the 9th Circuit court of appeals to rule on the lawsuit barring a decision from the district judge assigned to the case. They set a deadline for Saturday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Trump administration asked the 9th Circuit court of appeals to rule on the lawsuit barring a decision from the district judge assigned to the case. They set a deadline for Saturday.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, according to the LA County registrar’s office, at least 18 counties across the state have received similar letters. They have been given a 48 hour deadline from Friday to provide identifying information corresponding with ballots that the federal government believes were sent to noncitizens illegally registered to vote. The letter requests that county officials also sequester any ballots where citizenship cannot be verified.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Now, according to the LA County registrar’s office, at least 18 counties across the state have received similar letters. They have been given a 48 hour deadline from Friday to provide identifying information corresponding with ballots that the federal government believes were sent to noncitizens illegally registered to vote. The letter requests that county officials also sequester any ballots where citizenship cannot be verified.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Any election official who knowingly processes the ballot of a noncitizen is opening themselves to legal jeopardy,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Any election official who knowingly processes the ballot of a noncitizen is opening themselves to legal jeopardy,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>East Bay Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, whose district includes parts of Contra Costa County, said in a statement that Contra Costa election officials were among those that received a letter.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>East Bay Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, whose district includes parts of Contra Costa County, said in a statement that Contra Costa election officials were among those that received a letter.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I have confidence that local elections officials are conducting this election in accordance with all state and federal laws and working to protect the Constitutional rights guaranteed to American citizens, including ensuring that every eligible voter who wants to participate in the upcoming election has the opportunity to do so,” DeSaulnier said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Justice Department is asking counties to send information about the voters it suspects are noncitizens including social security numbers, ID information, a copy of their registration and more.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That information can help the government and state quickly assess each person suspected of illegally registering to vote, said the letter sent to San Bernardino County voting officials. The letter says the government’s list of suspected noncitizen voters includes 1,133 people from the inland Southern California county.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That information can help the government and state quickly assess each person suspected of illegally registering to vote, said the letter sent to San Bernardino County voting officials. The letter says the government’s list of suspected noncitizen voters includes 1,133 people from the inland Southern California county.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California’s secretary of state and the Los Angeles County registrar have opposed the federal government’s demands. In legal filings, lawyers for California say the request threatens to delay the certification of the vote and undermine the legitimacy of the November midterms. They have also argued that the federal government’s data is unreliable and that their demands risk disenfranchisement of citizens.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California’s secretary of state and the Los Angeles County registrar have opposed the federal government’s demands. In legal filings, lawyers for California say the request threatens to delay the certification of the vote and undermine the legitimacy of the November midterms. They have also argued that the federal government’s data is unreliable and that their demands risk disenfranchisement of citizens.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Voting is underway in California, with the state’s more than 23 million registered voters receiving ballots in the mail earlier this month. The state said in legal filings that over 330,000 mail-in ballots have already been counted.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Voting is underway in California, with the state’s more than 23 million registered voters receiving ballots in the mail earlier this month. The state said in legal filings that over 330,000 mail-in ballots have already been counted.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The letters came on the heels of \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-election-naturalization-voting-62ebeea82da863d93ee4e112e5b9f86e\">statewide sweep by federal authorities\u003c/a> earlier in the week, where 28 people from the list of 20,000 were charged with illegally registering to vote. Some were also charged with illegally voting and lying on naturalization paperwork. Those charges could lead to years in prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The letters came on the heels of \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-election-naturalization-voting-62ebeea82da863d93ee4e112e5b9f86e\">statewide sweep by federal authorities\u003c/a> earlier in the week, where 28 people from the list of 20,000 were charged with illegally registering to vote. Some were also charged with illegally voting and lying on naturalization paperwork. Those charges could lead to years in prison.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sen. Alex Padilla, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee with oversight over federal elections, said in a statement that the Trump administration is “afraid and desperate” and attempting to interfere in the state’s elections.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sen. Alex Padilla, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee with oversight over federal elections, said in a statement that the Trump administration is “afraid and desperate” and attempting to interfere in the state’s elections.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Trump’s DOJ has not provided any evidence for their claims of massive voter fraud. They’ve admitted that the data they point to is inaccurate and unreliable,” Padilla said. “No matter how many lawsuits they file or how many election officials they threaten, they do not have the authority to interfere.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Trump’s DOJ has not provided any evidence for their claims of massive voter fraud. They’ve admitted that the data they point to is inaccurate and unreliable,” Padilla said. “No matter how many lawsuits they file or how many election officials they threaten, they do not have the authority to interfere.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/skennedy\">Samantha Kennedy\u003c/a> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/skennedy\">Samantha Kennedy\u003c/a> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Election officials across California, including in Contra Costa County, received letters demanding officials verify ballots that may belong to noncitizens. ",
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"title": "DOJ Orders Contra Costa, Other California Counties to Verify Ballots | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars across California on Friday demanding that local officials set aside and verify ballots that the Department of Justice said \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12104425/california-officials-denounce-trump-dojs-demands-to-prove-voters-citizenship\">may belong to noncitizens\u003c/a>, according to the Los Angeles County registrar and a letter obtained by The Associated Press.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letters are the latest escalation in a \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/doj-california-elections-e08ec04efdb1110c0e3f815f2ce6a3db\">legal battle\u003c/a> between California and President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, which has recently focused on the state in its efforts to \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/homeland-security-justice-department-midterms-noncitizen-voting-09b8391612fc87676267a254c55eaee8\">root out noncitizen voting\u003c/a> ahead of the midterm elections. Data shows illegal voting by people who aren’t U.S. citizens is \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/noncitizens-voting-republicans-election-2024-immigration-09b86e6768f755fd875f3c51b0e8ea70\">incredibly rare\u003c/a>, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this month, the federal government targeted \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-justice-department-voting-noncitizens-lawsuit-12c62cf12a7db6480c60975b6dea49b8\">Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office\u003c/a> in a lawsuit that aimed to block them from counting the votes of roughly 20,000 people who are “likely” noncitizen voters. A hearing on the case is scheduled for Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087182\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/251030-BayAreaVoters-25-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ballots sit in crates before being counted at the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of last year’s statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration asked the 9th Circuit court of appeals to rule on the lawsuit barring a decision from the district judge assigned to the case. They set a deadline for Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, according to the LA County registrar’s office, at least 18 counties across the state have received similar letters. They have been given a 48 hour deadline from Friday to provide identifying information corresponding with ballots that the federal government believes were sent to noncitizens illegally registered to vote. The letter requests that county officials also sequester any ballots where citizenship cannot be verified.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Any election official who knowingly processes the ballot of a noncitizen is opening themselves to legal jeopardy,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">East Bay Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, whose district includes parts of Contra Costa County, said in a statement that Contra Costa election officials were among those that received a letter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12014671\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/MarkDeSaulnierGetty-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) speaks during a House Rules Committee hearing on the impeachment against President Donald Trump on Dec. 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I have confidence that local elections officials are conducting this election in accordance with all state and federal laws and working to protect the Constitutional rights guaranteed to American citizens, including ensuring that every eligible voter who wants to participate in the upcoming election has the opportunity to do so,” DeSaulnier said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Justice Department is asking counties to send information about the voters it suspects are noncitizens including social security numbers, ID information, a copy of their registration and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That information can help the government and state quickly assess each person suspected of illegally registering to vote, said the letter sent to San Bernardino County voting officials. The letter says the government’s list of suspected noncitizen voters includes 1,133 people from the inland Southern California county.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California’s secretary of state and the Los Angeles County registrar have opposed the federal government’s demands. In legal filings, lawyers for California say the request threatens to delay the certification of the vote and undermine the legitimacy of the November midterms. They have also argued that the federal government’s data is unreliable and that their demands risk disenfranchisement of citizens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Voting is underway in California, with the state’s more than 23 million registered voters receiving ballots in the mail earlier this month. The state said in legal filings that over 330,000 mail-in ballots have already been counted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letters came on the heels of \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-election-naturalization-voting-62ebeea82da863d93ee4e112e5b9f86e\">statewide sweep by federal authorities\u003c/a> earlier in the week, where 28 people from the list of 20,000 were charged with illegally registering to vote. Some were also charged with illegally voting and lying on naturalization paperwork. Those charges could lead to years in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Alex Padilla, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee with oversight over federal elections, said in a statement that the Trump administration is “afraid and desperate” and attempting to interfere in the state’s elections.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Trump’s DOJ has not provided any evidence for their claims of massive voter fraud. They’ve admitted that the data they point to is inaccurate and unreliable,” Padilla said. “No matter how many lawsuits they file or how many election officials they threaten, they do not have the authority to interfere.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/skennedy\">Samantha Kennedy\u003c/a> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-democrats-rally-to-deliver-on-proposition-50-was-it-really-needed",
"title": "California Democrats Rally to ‘Deliver’ on Proposition 50. Was It Really Needed?",
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"headTitle": "California Democrats Rally to ‘Deliver’ on Proposition 50. Was It Really Needed? | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feeling buoyant about their chances to retake the U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/house-of-representatives\">House of Representatives\u003c/a> in November, California’s leading Democrats took a victory lap Friday over the congressional maps they drew last year to flip Republican-held seats amid a nationwide redistricting battle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it ends on November 3rd, as long as we do our job,” Gov. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/gavin-newsom\">Gavin Newsom\u003c/a> said at a rally in a San Francisco union hall. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064834/how-prop-50-just-rewrote-californias-2026-congressional-map\">passage of Proposition 50\u003c/a> in a special election last November won Newsom praise from Democrats across the country who saw the daring redistricting move as a powerful counterpunch against Republican gerrymanders in Texas and other states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106174\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A crowd listens to speakers during a rally with California Democratic Party members, labor leaders, and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, Newsom pitched the gerrymandering measure as an existential fight: “If Californians don’t act now, Donald Trump will seize total power for two more years,” the governor wrote in the official voter guide argument.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a year later, that outcome seems increasingly unlikely, and the gains made through what some Democrats called “emergency maps” could be rendered a mere drop in a blue wave. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nonpartisan analysts now project Democrats could capture as many as 20 Republican-held seats nationwide in the Nov. 3 midterm election — raising the possibility that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092388/the-roadblocks-on-democrats-path-to-retaking-the-house-in-2026\">Democrats could claim a majority\u003c/a> regardless of results in California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dragged down by President Donald Trump’s plummeting approval rating, the political environment has gotten so dire for the GOP that multiple California Republicans likely would have been endangered even under the state’s old maps. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It very well could be [Democrats] would have taken back Congress anyway, it turns out,” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist. “But at the time it did make a lot of political sense.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Supporters of Proposition 50 said the new maps, which paved the way for Democrats to add up to five additional seats in California, were an appropriate response to what they described as an emergency for democracy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spurred on by Trump, Republicans in Texas had launched an effort to redraw their maps to add five seats to the GOP column, followed by similar plans in North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and a handful of southern states that together could have tilted anywhere from seven to 15 seats toward Republicans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Proposition 50 passed with over 64% of the vote. But in the process of wading into the gerrymandering battle, California voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050983/californias-political-maps-are-drawn-independently-will-newsom-change-that\">cast aside political lines\u003c/a> drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission — an independent panel of citizens who seek to group communities together in districts based on shared needs, not political aims.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The commission collected months of testimony about shared commute patterns, natural boundaries and local industries to inform their district lines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“And that matters because one would hope that the elected official that a community elects would represent those issues in Congress,” redistricting commissioner Pedro Toledo told KQED last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Prop 50 sign sits on a chair during a rally with Governor Gavin Newsom, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and local elected officials in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What’s more, the Proposition 50 lines have brought headaches for some Democratic incumbents, who suddenly were forced to run for reelection in reshaped districts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked after Friday’s rally whether he would still consider Proposition 50 worthwhile if Democrats win a big victory in the House, Newsom said the measure signaled “a pivotal moment when we stood up and we fought back.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We fought fire with fire, and that moment I think is coming full circle,” Newsom said. “But we’ve got to deliver on the promise and the promotion, and that’s why it’s critical that we get those five seats and not just redraw those five districts.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defenders of Proposition 50 said the message was just as important as the math. At a time when liberal voters \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12050346/will-newsoms-maps-bring-the-fight-democrats-desire\">were yearning\u003c/a> for a fight, the redistricting push showed Democrats willing to take their gloves off. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106172\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi speaks at a rally alongside California Democratic Party members, labor leaders and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I think it started that momentum,” said Jodi Hicks, CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. “It was voters having a chance to stand up and say that they want to stop what Washington is doing…. I think the whole country was looking at California.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The measure added hundreds of thousands of Democratic voters to two GOP-held seats in Northern California — and drastically reconfigured the Inland Empire district held by Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. The Proposition 50 maps also bolstered Democrats’ chances in two additional seats held by Republicans: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105844/randy-villegas-has-a-theory-of-how-to-win-in-the-central-valley\">22nd District in the Central Valley\u003c/a>, and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102409/local-loyalties-and-trump-opposition-collide-in-san-diego-house-race\">48th District\u003c/a>, which covers parts of San Diego and Riverside counties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the national political climate suggests Democrats are likely to win back the House, even without the Proposition 50 redraw.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump’s approval rating has fallen below 40% in public polling as tariffs, health care cuts and rising gas prices driven by the war in Iran have roiled many voters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nationwide, voters now prefer a generic Democratic candidate over a generic Republican by 8 points, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/state-of-the-union/generic-congressional-vote\">Real Clear Polling\u003c/a>, and nonpartisan analysts are increasingly bullish about Democrats’ chances in the House. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia have Democrats winning around 235 seats on the high end of likely outcomes — well past the 218 needed for a majority. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“At this point not only would it be a shock if Republicans held the House, but it would also be a surprise if Democrats did not at least exceed the tiny-sized majorities of the last three Congresses,” managing editor Kyle Kondik wrote in Sabato’s Crystal Ball this week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats are running competitive races in deep red territory and continue to be hopeful about their chances to pick up seats in Iowa, Texas and Montana that Trump won by 10 points or more in 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under a wave of that size, Democrats could have realistically won a handful of seats in California even without the Proposition 50 redraw, said Eric McGhee, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Bakersfield-area 22nd District held by Republican Rep. David Valadao shifted toward Trump in 2024 but would have remained competitive under the old maps. In Southern California, Trump won the old 41st District, held by Calvert, by less than 6 points in the last election and the 40th District, represented by Republican Rep. Young Kim, by less than 3 points. And in Northern California, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085346/californias-3rd-congressional-district-race-pits-longtime-politician-against-progressive-newcomer\">Rep. Kevin Kiley\u003c/a> would have been tasked with defending a Sacramento-area seat that Trump won by less than 4 points. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) listens to testimony as the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight holds a field hearing on violent crime in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. In a recent interview on Morning Edition, he discusses his decision to continue showing up to work during the government shutdown, advocating for the House to resume its functions.\" class=\"wp-image-12062547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-2000x1333.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Kevin Kiley listens to testimony during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight field hearing on violent crime on Sept. 29, 2025. Kiley responded to Proposition 50 gerrymandering by running as an independent in a neighboring district. (Nell Redmond/AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s not clear in a midterm election with an unpopular president that the Democrats wouldn’t just pick up these seats anyway,” McGhee said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the Proposition 50 lines moved Calvert’s seat to a safe blue part of Los Angeles and forced Kim and Calvert into a head-to-head matchup that will ensure one incumbent will be leaving Congress after the election. Kiley responded to the gerrymandering of his seat by running as an independent in a neighboring district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats running in safe blue seats were also affected by the line changes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the North Bay, Rep. Mike Thompson is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087322/democrat-eric-jones-set-up-for-runoff-battle-against-longtime-napa-valley-congressman\">facing a challenge\u003c/a> from fellow Democrat Eric Jones in a district that lost tens of thousands of Democratic voters that Thompson had previously represented in Sonoma. Rep. Doris Matsui faces a similar dynamic as she seeks reelection in Sacramento against Democratic City Councilmember Mai Vang. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be sure, Proposition 50 did more than simply elevate Democrats’ chances of flipping Republican-held seats in 2026. The new maps also increased the party’s margins in competitive districts already held by Democrats — providing a fire wall against a more unfavorable political climate in 2028 or 2030. Under current law, the independent redistricting commission won’t resume its work until after the 2030 election.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-01-BL-KQED-0891b709.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106167\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-01-BL-KQED-0891b709.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-01-BL-KQED-0891b709-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-01-BL-KQED-0891b709-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A crowd listens to speakers during a rally with California Democratic Party members, labor leaders, and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There’s definitely opportunities for a harder year for Democrats to come along, and this plan is helpful to them for those kinds of years,” said McGhee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And few politicians seemed to grasp the desire for a partisan scrap more than Newsom, who emerged from the Proposition 50 campaign as a leading contender for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“He’s positioned himself as a fighter against Trump,” said former Democratic Assemblymember Phil Ting. “You see Democrats across the country feeling kind of helpless — they’re saying, ‘Hey Democratic leaders, who is fighting for us?’ And they see our governor fighting.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for the prospect of a big Democratic wave washing away the relevance of Proposition 50? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Ting said. “Absolutely it was worth it because you had to set the tone … are we just going to stand and watch or are we going to fight?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it ends on November 3rd, as long as we do our job,” Gov. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/gavin-newsom\">Gavin Newsom\u003c/a> said at a rally in a San Francisco union hall. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106174\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A crowd listens to speakers during a rally with California Democratic Party members, labor leaders, and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the time, Newsom pitched the gerrymandering measure as an existential fight: “If Californians don’t act now, Donald Trump will seize total power for two more years,” the governor wrote in the official voter guide argument.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the time, Newsom pitched the gerrymandering measure as an existential fight: “If Californians don’t act now, Donald Trump will seize total power for two more years,” the governor wrote in the official voter guide argument.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But a year later, that outcome seems increasingly unlikely, and the gains made through what some Democrats called “emergency maps” could be rendered a mere drop in a blue wave. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nonpartisan analysts now project Democrats could capture as many as 20 Republican-held seats nationwide in the Nov. 3 midterm election — raising the possibility that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092388/the-roadblocks-on-democrats-path-to-retaking-the-house-in-2026\">Democrats could claim a majority\u003c/a> regardless of results in California. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dragged down by President Donald Trump’s plummeting approval rating, the political environment has gotten so dire for the GOP that multiple California Republicans likely would have been endangered even under the state’s old maps. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supporters of Proposition 50 said the new maps, which paved the way for Democrats to add up to five additional seats in California, were an appropriate response to what they described as an emergency for democracy. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Spurred on by Trump, Republicans in Texas had launched an effort to redraw their maps to add five seats to the GOP column, followed by similar plans in North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and a handful of southern states that together could have tilted anywhere from seven to 15 seats toward Republicans.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Proposition 50 passed with over 64% of the vote. But in the process of wading into the gerrymandering battle, California voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050983/californias-political-maps-are-drawn-independently-will-newsom-change-that\">cast aside political lines\u003c/a> drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission — an independent panel of citizens who seek to group communities together in districts based on shared needs, not political aims.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The commission collected months of testimony about shared commute patterns, natural boundaries and local industries to inform their district lines.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And that matters because one would hope that the elected official that a community elects would represent those issues in Congress,” redistricting commissioner Pedro Toledo told KQED last year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Prop 50 sign sits on a chair during a rally with Governor Gavin Newsom, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and local elected officials in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What’s more, the Proposition 50 lines have brought headaches for some Democratic incumbents, who suddenly were forced to run for reelection in reshaped districts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Asked after Friday’s rally whether he would still consider Proposition 50 worthwhile if Democrats win a big victory in the House, Newsom said the measure signaled “a pivotal moment when we stood up and we fought back.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We fought fire with fire, and that moment I think is coming full circle,” Newsom said. “But we’ve got to deliver on the promise and the promotion, and that’s why it’s critical that we get those five seats and not just redraw those five districts.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We fought fire with fire, and that moment I think is coming full circle,” Newsom said. “But we’ve got to deliver on the promise and the promotion, and that’s why it’s critical that we get those five seats and not just redraw those five districts.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Defenders of Proposition 50 said the message was just as important as the math. At a time when liberal voters \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12050346/will-newsoms-maps-bring-the-fight-democrats-desire\">were yearning\u003c/a> for a fight, the redistricting push showed Democrats willing to take their gloves off. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Defenders of Proposition 50 said the message was just as important as the math. At a time when liberal voters \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12050346/will-newsoms-maps-bring-the-fight-democrats-desire\">were yearning\u003c/a> for a fight, the redistricting push showed Democrats willing to take their gloves off. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106172\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi speaks at a rally alongside California Democratic Party members, labor leaders and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think it started that momentum,” said Jodi Hicks, CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. “It was voters having a chance to stand up and say that they want to stop what Washington is doing…. I think the whole country was looking at California.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure added hundreds of thousands of Democratic voters to two GOP-held seats in Northern California — and drastically reconfigured the Inland Empire district held by Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. The Proposition 50 maps also bolstered Democrats’ chances in two additional seats held by Republicans: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105844/randy-villegas-has-a-theory-of-how-to-win-in-the-central-valley\">22nd District in the Central Valley\u003c/a>, and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102409/local-loyalties-and-trump-opposition-collide-in-san-diego-house-race\">48th District\u003c/a>, which covers parts of San Diego and Riverside counties. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure added hundreds of thousands of Democratic voters to two GOP-held seats in Northern California — and drastically reconfigured the Inland Empire district held by Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. The Proposition 50 maps also bolstered Democrats’ chances in two additional seats held by Republicans: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105844/randy-villegas-has-a-theory-of-how-to-win-in-the-central-valley\">22nd District in the Central Valley\u003c/a>, and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102409/local-loyalties-and-trump-opposition-collide-in-san-diego-house-race\">48th District\u003c/a>, which covers parts of San Diego and Riverside counties. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the national political climate suggests Democrats are likely to win back the House, even without the Proposition 50 redraw.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Trump’s approval rating has fallen below 40% in public polling as tariffs, health care cuts and rising gas prices driven by the war in Iran have roiled many voters. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nationwide, voters now prefer a generic Democratic candidate over a generic Republican by 8 points, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/state-of-the-union/generic-congressional-vote\">Real Clear Polling\u003c/a>, and nonpartisan analysts are increasingly bullish about Democrats’ chances in the House. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia have Democrats winning around 235 seats on the high end of likely outcomes — well past the 218 needed for a majority. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia have Democrats winning around 235 seats on the high end of likely outcomes — well past the 218 needed for a majority. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“At this point not only would it be a shock if Republicans held the House, but it would also be a surprise if Democrats did not at least exceed the tiny-sized majorities of the last three Congresses,” managing editor Kyle Kondik wrote in Sabato’s Crystal Ball this week. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Democrats are running competitive races in deep red territory and continue to be hopeful about their chances to pick up seats in Iowa, Texas and Montana that Trump won by 10 points or more in 2024. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Democrats are running competitive races in deep red territory and continue to be hopeful about their chances to pick up seats in Iowa, Texas and Montana that Trump won by 10 points or more in 2024. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under a wave of that size, Democrats could have realistically won a handful of seats in California even without the Proposition 50 redraw, said Eric McGhee, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under a wave of that size, Democrats could have realistically won a handful of seats in California even without the Proposition 50 redraw, said Eric McGhee, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Bakersfield-area 22nd District held by Republican Rep. David Valadao shifted toward Trump in 2024 but would have remained competitive under the old maps. In Southern California, Trump won the old 41st District, held by Calvert, by less than 6 points in the last election and the 40th District, represented by Republican Rep. Young Kim, by less than 3 points. And in Northern California, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085346/californias-3rd-congressional-district-race-pits-longtime-politician-against-progressive-newcomer\">Rep. Kevin Kiley\u003c/a> would have been tasked with defending a Sacramento-area seat that Trump won by less than 4 points. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Bakersfield-area 22nd District held by Republican Rep. David Valadao shifted toward Trump in 2024 but would have remained competitive under the old maps. In Southern California, Trump won the old 41st District, held by Calvert, by less than 6 points in the last election and the 40th District, represented by Republican Rep. Young Kim, by less than 3 points. And in Northern California, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085346/californias-3rd-congressional-district-race-pits-longtime-politician-against-progressive-newcomer\">Rep. Kevin Kiley\u003c/a> would have been tasked with defending a Sacramento-area seat that Trump won by less than 4 points. \u003c/p>\n"
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"alt": "Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) listens to testimony as the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight holds a field hearing on violent crime in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. In a recent interview on Morning Edition, he discusses his decision to continue showing up to work during the government shutdown, advocating for the House to resume its functions.",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) listens to testimony as the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight holds a field hearing on violent crime in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. In a recent interview on Morning Edition, he discusses his decision to continue showing up to work during the government shutdown, advocating for the House to resume its functions.\" class=\"wp-image-12062547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-2000x1333.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Kevin Kiley listens to testimony during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight field hearing on violent crime on Sept. 29, 2025. Kiley responded to Proposition 50 gerrymandering by running as an independent in a neighboring district. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nell Redmond/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s not clear in a midterm election with an unpopular president that the Democrats wouldn’t just pick up these seats anyway,” McGhee said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Instead, the Proposition 50 lines moved Calvert’s seat to a safe blue part of Los Angeles and forced Kim and Calvert into a head-to-head matchup that will ensure one incumbent will be leaving Congress after the election. Kiley responded to the gerrymandering of his seat by running as an independent in a neighboring district. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Instead, the Proposition 50 lines moved Calvert’s seat to a safe blue part of Los Angeles and forced Kim and Calvert into a head-to-head matchup that will ensure one incumbent will be leaving Congress after the election. Kiley responded to the gerrymandering of his seat by running as an independent in a neighboring district. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Democrats running in safe blue seats were also affected by the line changes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the North Bay, Rep. Mike Thompson is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087322/democrat-eric-jones-set-up-for-runoff-battle-against-longtime-napa-valley-congressman\">facing a challenge\u003c/a> from fellow Democrat Eric Jones in a district that lost tens of thousands of Democratic voters that Thompson had previously represented in Sonoma. Rep. Doris Matsui faces a similar dynamic as she seeks reelection in Sacramento against Democratic City Councilmember Mai Vang. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the North Bay, Rep. Mike Thompson is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087322/democrat-eric-jones-set-up-for-runoff-battle-against-longtime-napa-valley-congressman\">facing a challenge\u003c/a> from fellow Democrat Eric Jones in a district that lost tens of thousands of Democratic voters that Thompson had previously represented in Sonoma. Rep. Doris Matsui faces a similar dynamic as she seeks reelection in Sacramento against Democratic City Councilmember Mai Vang. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To be sure, Proposition 50 did more than simply elevate Democrats’ chances of flipping Republican-held seats in 2026. The new maps also increased the party’s margins in competitive districts already held by Democrats — providing a fire wall against a more unfavorable political climate in 2028 or 2030. Under current law, the independent redistricting commission won’t resume its work until after the 2030 election.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>To be sure, Proposition 50 did more than simply elevate Democrats’ chances of flipping Republican-held seats in 2026. The new maps also increased the party’s margins in competitive districts already held by Democrats — providing a fire wall against a more unfavorable political climate in 2028 or 2030. Under current law, the independent redistricting commission won’t resume its work until after the 2030 election.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-01-BL-KQED-0891b709.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106167\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A crowd listens to speakers during a rally with California Democratic Party members, labor leaders, and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely opportunities for a harder year for Democrats to come along, and this plan is helpful to them for those kinds of years,” said McGhee. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s definitely opportunities for a harder year for Democrats to come along, and this plan is helpful to them for those kinds of years,” said McGhee. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And few politicians seemed to grasp the desire for a partisan scrap more than Newsom, who emerged from the Proposition 50 campaign as a leading contender for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And few politicians seemed to grasp the desire for a partisan scrap more than Newsom, who emerged from the Proposition 50 campaign as a leading contender for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“He’s positioned himself as a fighter against Trump,” said former Democratic Assemblymember Phil Ting. “You see Democrats across the country feeling kind of helpless — they’re saying, ‘Hey Democratic leaders, who is fighting for us?’ And they see our governor fighting.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“He’s positioned himself as a fighter against Trump,” said former Democratic Assemblymember Phil Ting. “You see Democrats across the country feeling kind of helpless — they’re saying, ‘Hey Democratic leaders, who is fighting for us?’ And they see our governor fighting.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As for the prospect of a big Democratic wave washing away the relevance of Proposition 50? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As for the prospect of a big Democratic wave washing away the relevance of Proposition 50? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Ting said. “Absolutely it was worth it because you had to set the tone … are we just going to stand and watch or are we going to fight?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Ting said. “Absolutely it was worth it because you had to set the tone … are we just going to stand and watch or are we going to fight?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Supporters of the redistricting measure argued the state needed “emergency maps” to counter Republican gerrymanders. But Democrats appear likely to retake the House regardless of California’s results. ",
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"title": "California Democrats Rally to ‘Deliver’ on Proposition 50. Was It Really Needed? | KQED",
"description": "Supporters of the redistricting measure argued the state needed “emergency maps” to counter Republican gerrymanders. But Democrats appear likely to retake the House regardless of California’s results. ",
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"headline": "California Democrats Rally to ‘Deliver’ on Proposition 50. Was It Really Needed?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feeling buoyant about their chances to retake the U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/house-of-representatives\">House of Representatives\u003c/a> in November, California’s leading Democrats took a victory lap Friday over the congressional maps they drew last year to flip Republican-held seats amid a nationwide redistricting battle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it ends on November 3rd, as long as we do our job,” Gov. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/gavin-newsom\">Gavin Newsom\u003c/a> said at a rally in a San Francisco union hall. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064834/how-prop-50-just-rewrote-californias-2026-congressional-map\">passage of Proposition 50\u003c/a> in a special election last November won Newsom praise from Democrats across the country who saw the daring redistricting move as a powerful counterpunch against Republican gerrymanders in Texas and other states. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106174\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-25-BL-KQED-0cc8fdc5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A crowd listens to speakers during a rally with California Democratic Party members, labor leaders, and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, Newsom pitched the gerrymandering measure as an existential fight: “If Californians don’t act now, Donald Trump will seize total power for two more years,” the governor wrote in the official voter guide argument.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a year later, that outcome seems increasingly unlikely, and the gains made through what some Democrats called “emergency maps” could be rendered a mere drop in a blue wave. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nonpartisan analysts now project Democrats could capture as many as 20 Republican-held seats nationwide in the Nov. 3 midterm election — raising the possibility that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092388/the-roadblocks-on-democrats-path-to-retaking-the-house-in-2026\">Democrats could claim a majority\u003c/a> regardless of results in California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dragged down by President Donald Trump’s plummeting approval rating, the political environment has gotten so dire for the GOP that multiple California Republicans likely would have been endangered even under the state’s old maps. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It very well could be [Democrats] would have taken back Congress anyway, it turns out,” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist. “But at the time it did make a lot of political sense.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Supporters of Proposition 50 said the new maps, which paved the way for Democrats to add up to five additional seats in California, were an appropriate response to what they described as an emergency for democracy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spurred on by Trump, Republicans in Texas had launched an effort to redraw their maps to add five seats to the GOP column, followed by similar plans in North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and a handful of southern states that together could have tilted anywhere from seven to 15 seats toward Republicans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Proposition 50 passed with over 64% of the vote. But in the process of wading into the gerrymandering battle, California voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050983/californias-political-maps-are-drawn-independently-will-newsom-change-that\">cast aside political lines\u003c/a> drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission — an independent panel of citizens who seek to group communities together in districts based on shared needs, not political aims.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The commission collected months of testimony about shared commute patterns, natural boundaries and local industries to inform their district lines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“And that matters because one would hope that the elected official that a community elects would represent those issues in Congress,” redistricting commissioner Pedro Toledo told KQED last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Prop 50 sign sits on a chair during a rally with Governor Gavin Newsom, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and local elected officials in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What’s more, the Proposition 50 lines have brought headaches for some Democratic incumbents, who suddenly were forced to run for reelection in reshaped districts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked after Friday’s rally whether he would still consider Proposition 50 worthwhile if Democrats win a big victory in the House, Newsom said the measure signaled “a pivotal moment when we stood up and we fought back.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We fought fire with fire, and that moment I think is coming full circle,” Newsom said. “But we’ve got to deliver on the promise and the promotion, and that’s why it’s critical that we get those five seats and not just redraw those five districts.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defenders of Proposition 50 said the message was just as important as the math. At a time when liberal voters \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12050346/will-newsoms-maps-bring-the-fight-democrats-desire\">were yearning\u003c/a> for a fight, the redistricting push showed Democrats willing to take their gloves off. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106172\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-16-BL-KQED-7b217a58-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi speaks at a rally alongside California Democratic Party members, labor leaders and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I think it started that momentum,” said Jodi Hicks, CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. “It was voters having a chance to stand up and say that they want to stop what Washington is doing…. I think the whole country was looking at California.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The measure added hundreds of thousands of Democratic voters to two GOP-held seats in Northern California — and drastically reconfigured the Inland Empire district held by Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. The Proposition 50 maps also bolstered Democrats’ chances in two additional seats held by Republicans: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105844/randy-villegas-has-a-theory-of-how-to-win-in-the-central-valley\">22nd District in the Central Valley\u003c/a>, and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12102409/local-loyalties-and-trump-opposition-collide-in-san-diego-house-race\">48th District\u003c/a>, which covers parts of San Diego and Riverside counties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the national political climate suggests Democrats are likely to win back the House, even without the Proposition 50 redraw.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump’s approval rating has fallen below 40% in public polling as tariffs, health care cuts and rising gas prices driven by the war in Iran have roiled many voters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nationwide, voters now prefer a generic Democratic candidate over a generic Republican by 8 points, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/state-of-the-union/generic-congressional-vote\">Real Clear Polling\u003c/a>, and nonpartisan analysts are increasingly bullish about Democrats’ chances in the House. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia have Democrats winning around 235 seats on the high end of likely outcomes — well past the 218 needed for a majority. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“At this point not only would it be a shock if Republicans held the House, but it would also be a surprise if Democrats did not at least exceed the tiny-sized majorities of the last three Congresses,” managing editor Kyle Kondik wrote in Sabato’s Crystal Ball this week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats are running competitive races in deep red territory and continue to be hopeful about their chances to pick up seats in Iowa, Texas and Montana that Trump won by 10 points or more in 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under a wave of that size, Democrats could have realistically won a handful of seats in California even without the Proposition 50 redraw, said Eric McGhee, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Bakersfield-area 22nd District held by Republican Rep. David Valadao shifted toward Trump in 2024 but would have remained competitive under the old maps. In Southern California, Trump won the old 41st District, held by Calvert, by less than 6 points in the last election and the 40th District, represented by Republican Rep. Young Kim, by less than 3 points. And in Northern California, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085346/californias-3rd-congressional-district-race-pits-longtime-politician-against-progressive-newcomer\">Rep. Kevin Kiley\u003c/a> would have been tasked with defending a Sacramento-area seat that Trump won by less than 4 points. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) listens to testimony as the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight holds a field hearing on violent crime in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. In a recent interview on Morning Edition, he discusses his decision to continue showing up to work during the government shutdown, advocating for the House to resume its functions.\" class=\"wp-image-12062547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-2000x1333.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/ap25272590477547-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Kevin Kiley listens to testimony during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight field hearing on violent crime on Sept. 29, 2025. Kiley responded to Proposition 50 gerrymandering by running as an independent in a neighboring district. (Nell Redmond/AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s not clear in a midterm election with an unpopular president that the Democrats wouldn’t just pick up these seats anyway,” McGhee said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the Proposition 50 lines moved Calvert’s seat to a safe blue part of Los Angeles and forced Kim and Calvert into a head-to-head matchup that will ensure one incumbent will be leaving Congress after the election. Kiley responded to the gerrymandering of his seat by running as an independent in a neighboring district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats running in safe blue seats were also affected by the line changes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the North Bay, Rep. Mike Thompson is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087322/democrat-eric-jones-set-up-for-runoff-battle-against-longtime-napa-valley-congressman\">facing a challenge\u003c/a> from fellow Democrat Eric Jones in a district that lost tens of thousands of Democratic voters that Thompson had previously represented in Sonoma. Rep. Doris Matsui faces a similar dynamic as she seeks reelection in Sacramento against Democratic City Councilmember Mai Vang. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be sure, Proposition 50 did more than simply elevate Democrats’ chances of flipping Republican-held seats in 2026. The new maps also increased the party’s margins in competitive districts already held by Democrats — providing a fire wall against a more unfavorable political climate in 2028 or 2030. Under current law, the independent redistricting commission won’t resume its work until after the 2030 election.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-01-BL-KQED-0891b709.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106167\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-01-BL-KQED-0891b709.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-01-BL-KQED-0891b709-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261023-PROP50VICTORYLAP-01-BL-KQED-0891b709-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A crowd listens to speakers during a rally with California Democratic Party members, labor leaders, and advocates in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There’s definitely opportunities for a harder year for Democrats to come along, and this plan is helpful to them for those kinds of years,” said McGhee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And few politicians seemed to grasp the desire for a partisan scrap more than Newsom, who emerged from the Proposition 50 campaign as a leading contender for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“He’s positioned himself as a fighter against Trump,” said former Democratic Assemblymember Phil Ting. “You see Democrats across the country feeling kind of helpless — they’re saying, ‘Hey Democratic leaders, who is fighting for us?’ And they see our governor fighting.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for the prospect of a big Democratic wave washing away the relevance of Proposition 50? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Ting said. “Absolutely it was worth it because you had to set the tone … are we just going to stand and watch or are we going to fight?”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "golden-state-valkyries-take-on-atlanta-dream-in-game-4-of-the-wnba-finals",
"title": "Valkyries Win Game 4 in Atlanta to Tie WNBA Finals Series 2-2",
"publishDate": 1792850400,
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"headTitle": "Valkyries Win Game 4 in Atlanta to Tie WNBA Finals Series 2-2 | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/golden-state-valkyries\">Golden State Valkyries\u003c/a> beat the Atlanta Dream in Game 4 of the Women’s National Basketball Finals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Valkyries were coming off a difficult 97-71 loss in Game 3, but tied up the best-of-seven series in Atlanta on Saturday with a 67-62 win. The win guarantees that the series will at least go through Game 6. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guard Tiffany Hayes told reporters after the game that fans in Ballhalla in San Francisco — where Game 5 will take place on Monday — need to “get loud, get ready.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106262\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-11-KQED_-38f9f628.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106262\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-11-KQED_-38f9f628.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-11-KQED_-38f9f628-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-11-KQED_-38f9f628-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alex Morrison holds a “believe” flag at Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106261\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-10-KQED_-9bf3b443.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-10-KQED_-9bf3b443.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-10-KQED_-9bf3b443-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-10-KQED_-9bf3b443-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans cheer during Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year has marked a historic playoff series for the WNBA as a whole. The 2026 WNBA championship tournament has brought in record-breaking viewers and stadium sell-outs, giving basketball fans across the country reasons to celebrate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Valkyries were looking for redemption. The team changed up their starting lineup, putting in Hayes and Kaila Charles for Game 4, putting Charles in to defend Dream star forward Angel Reese. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Golden State played scrappier on Saturday, diving for loose balls and securing turnovers. By halftime, the team took a commanding lead of 42-26 over the Dream. Valkyries held on to a more narrow advantage of 54-45 by the end of the third quarter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With less than 30 seconds left in the game, the Dream had narrowed the lead even more, but the Valkyries held on.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12106299\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-36-KQED_-251d90ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106299\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-36-KQED_-251d90ec.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-36-KQED_-251d90ec-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-36-KQED_-251d90ec-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans cheer after the Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 67-62 during Game 4 of the WNBA finals at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12106298\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-35-KQED_-9bfc09c7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106298\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-35-KQED_-9bfc09c7.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-35-KQED_-9bfc09c7-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-35-KQED_-9bfc09c7-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans cheer after the Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 67-62 during Game 4 of the WNBA finals at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The beauty of our sport is that as bad as we felt on Wednesday, we get to turn around and make it right today,” forward Gabby Williams said after the game. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fan Miles Ott was hyped about the win. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’ve got a freaking series, baby,” Ott told KQED after the game. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Renard Hayes, Tiffany Hayes father, said after the game that Atlanta brought the vibe, but Golden State got the win. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“As for being her father, I’m so proud of her,” Renard said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-4-KQED_-e7ea4439.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106255\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-4-KQED_-e7ea4439.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-4-KQED_-e7ea4439-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-4-KQED_-e7ea4439-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) runs toward the basket during the first quarter of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dozens of Valkyries fans from across the country trekked out to Atlanta for Game 4, gathering at a food hall just outside of State Farm Arena on Saturday morning before tip off. They brought the Ballhalla spirit to the east coast in head-to-toe purple, from hats and sequin bomber jackets, to custom crocheted Valkyries vests, and extravagant mythical warrior costumes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though the Golden State fans were outnumbered on the Dream’s home turf, they were loud and took over a section of the stands in all violet on Saturday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beverly McClendon and Leanne Deegenaars — donning Williams-signed jerseys, Valkyries headgear and violet checkered pants — flew from San Francisco to cheer on the team with other fans and said they were “ready to win it all.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s like you have 150 of your new best friends that you just met.” McClendon said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase reacts during the first quarter of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ashley Thomas-Williams organized a meet-up that brought several fans to the game. She said she did “a little tossing and turning” the night before the game, but still wanted to support the team. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They need us here. They need to feel us,” Thomas-Williams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stephisha Ycoy-Walton, who came with their family, said going into the game 2-1 was a gut-wrenching, but they “know why we’re here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I want to see them play with heart — like we always do. That’s our Valkyries team,” Ycoy-Walton said. “No matter the outcome, we’re always gonna be proud.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in the Bay, hundreds of fans flocked to an Oakland block party to show their love during the game. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Madison Huynh said the “best team in the world” took better care of the ball this game. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It looks like we’re the team we’re supposed to be,” Huynh said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It will be a first and historic victory for either team that takes away the 2026 WNBA championship title. The Dream has not made it to the WNBA finals since 2013, when they lost to the Minnesota Lynx. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Valkyries are only in their second season after launching in 2025. The team made it to the playoffs in their inaugural season, but the Lynx knocked them out in the first round. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Wednesday, Game 3 was close at halftime, but the Dream ran away with the lead by the end of the fourth quarter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This game they wanted it more than us and that’s not who we are, that’s not who we’ve been and that’s not how we got here,” said shooting guard Tiffany Hayes in the postgame conference.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Williams said the team was, “undisciplined on defense.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Emotions were high for Valkyries fans who traveled across the country for the Wednesday night away game. They were disappointed and frustrated, but overall optimistic that the team could still come back and prevail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I mean, I’m a little bummed to lose, but I believe in us,” said Hill Winans, who was among the Valkyries diehards to attend Game 4 in Atlanta this week. “We just need to play better defense and better basketball in general. But we can do it, we’ve been doing it all season.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12106288\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-17-KQED_-90ae7b3a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106288\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-17-KQED_-90ae7b3a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-17-KQED_-90ae7b3a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-17-KQED_-90ae7b3a-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans celebrate as they wait in line to get into State Farm Arena ahead of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12106287\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-16-KQED_-6d0e161d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106287\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-16-KQED_-6d0e161d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-16-KQED_-6d0e161d-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-16-KQED_-6d0e161d-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, fans Viveca Ycoy-Walton, Stephisha Ycoy Walton and Karter of Oakland celebrate as they wait in line to get into State Farm Arena ahead of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Golden State super fans were loud but far outnumbered for Game 3 in State Farm Arena, which was completely sold out and a sea of blue on Wednesday. But even more fans are traveling to root for the Valkyries on Saturday for Game 4. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ott flew from Oakland to Atlanta on Friday night for a quick turnaround trip just to cheer on his favorite team. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re going to support this team no matter what,” Ott said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-19-KQED_-9cd648c2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106289\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-19-KQED_-9cd648c2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-19-KQED_-9cd648c2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-19-KQED_-9cd648c2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans cheer during Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coach Natalie Nakase had confidence even before Game 4 that her team could still come back and win it today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“After times when we’ve been punched, we know how to come back,” Nakase said in Wednesday’s postgame conference. “What’s good is that usually we come back even tighter.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Game 5 will be played at Chase Center on Monday, Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>KQED’s\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/calam\">\u003cem>Christopher Alam\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Valkyries were coming off a difficult 97-71 loss in Game 3, but tied up the best-of-seven series in Atlanta on Saturday with a 67-62 win. The win guarantees that the series will at least go through Game 6. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Guard Tiffany Hayes told reporters after the game that fans in Ballhalla in San Francisco — where Game 5 will take place on Monday — need to “get loud, get ready.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This year has marked a historic playoff series for the WNBA as a whole. The 2026 WNBA championship tournament has brought in record-breaking viewers and stadium sell-outs, giving basketball fans across the country reasons to celebrate. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Valkyries were looking for redemption. The team changed up their starting lineup, putting in Hayes and Kaila Charles for Game 4, putting Charles in to defend Dream star forward Angel Reese. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The beauty of our sport is that as bad as we felt on Wednesday, we get to turn around and make it right today,” forward Gabby Williams said after the game. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase reacts during the first quarter of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ashley Thomas-Williams organized a meet-up that brought several fans to the game. She said she did “a little tossing and turning” the night before the game, but still wanted to support the team. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It will be a first and historic victory for either team that takes away the 2026 WNBA championship title. The Dream has not made it to the WNBA finals since 2013, when they lost to the Minnesota Lynx. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, Game 3 was close at halftime, but the Dream ran away with the lead by the end of the fourth quarter. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This game they wanted it more than us and that’s not who we are, that’s not who we’ve been and that’s not how we got here,” said shooting guard Tiffany Hayes in the postgame conference.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-16-KQED_-6d0e161d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106287\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, fans Viveca Ycoy-Walton, Stephisha Ycoy Walton and Karter of Oakland celebrate as they wait in line to get into State Farm Arena ahead of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Golden State super fans were loud but far outnumbered for Game 3 in State Farm Arena, which was completely sold out and a sea of blue on Wednesday. But even more fans are traveling to root for the Valkyries on Saturday for Game 4. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Golden State super fans were loud but far outnumbered for Game 3 in State Farm Arena, which was completely sold out and a sea of blue on Wednesday. But even more fans are traveling to root for the Valkyries on Saturday for Game 4. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ott flew from Oakland to Atlanta on Friday night for a quick turnaround trip just to cheer on his favorite team. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-19-KQED_-9cd648c2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106289\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans cheer during Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Coach Natalie Nakase had confidence even before Game 4 that her team could still come back and win it today. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“After times when we’ve been punched, we know how to come back,” Nakase said in Wednesday’s postgame conference. “What’s good is that usually we come back even tighter.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“After times when we’ve been punched, we know how to come back,” Nakase said in Wednesday’s postgame conference. “What’s good is that usually we come back even tighter.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Game 5 will be played at Chase Center on Monday, Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/calam\">\u003cem>Christopher Alam\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Golden State Valkyries took Game 4 on the Dream’s court after losing two in a row.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/golden-state-valkyries\">Golden State Valkyries\u003c/a> beat the Atlanta Dream in Game 4 of the Women’s National Basketball Finals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Valkyries were coming off a difficult 97-71 loss in Game 3, but tied up the best-of-seven series in Atlanta on Saturday with a 67-62 win. The win guarantees that the series will at least go through Game 6. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guard Tiffany Hayes told reporters after the game that fans in Ballhalla in San Francisco — where Game 5 will take place on Monday — need to “get loud, get ready.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106262\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-11-KQED_-38f9f628.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106262\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-11-KQED_-38f9f628.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-11-KQED_-38f9f628-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-11-KQED_-38f9f628-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alex Morrison holds a “believe” flag at Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106261\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-10-KQED_-9bf3b443.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106261\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-10-KQED_-9bf3b443.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-10-KQED_-9bf3b443-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-10-KQED_-9bf3b443-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans cheer during Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year has marked a historic playoff series for the WNBA as a whole. The 2026 WNBA championship tournament has brought in record-breaking viewers and stadium sell-outs, giving basketball fans across the country reasons to celebrate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Valkyries were looking for redemption. The team changed up their starting lineup, putting in Hayes and Kaila Charles for Game 4, putting Charles in to defend Dream star forward Angel Reese. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Golden State played scrappier on Saturday, diving for loose balls and securing turnovers. By halftime, the team took a commanding lead of 42-26 over the Dream. Valkyries held on to a more narrow advantage of 54-45 by the end of the third quarter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With less than 30 seconds left in the game, the Dream had narrowed the lead even more, but the Valkyries held on.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12106299\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-36-KQED_-251d90ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106299\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-36-KQED_-251d90ec.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-36-KQED_-251d90ec-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-36-KQED_-251d90ec-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans cheer after the Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 67-62 during Game 4 of the WNBA finals at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12106298\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-35-KQED_-9bfc09c7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106298\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-35-KQED_-9bfc09c7.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-35-KQED_-9bfc09c7-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-35-KQED_-9bfc09c7-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans cheer after the Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 67-62 during Game 4 of the WNBA finals at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The beauty of our sport is that as bad as we felt on Wednesday, we get to turn around and make it right today,” forward Gabby Williams said after the game. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fan Miles Ott was hyped about the win. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’ve got a freaking series, baby,” Ott told KQED after the game. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Renard Hayes, Tiffany Hayes father, said after the game that Atlanta brought the vibe, but Golden State got the win. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“As for being her father, I’m so proud of her,” Renard said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-4-KQED_-e7ea4439.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106255\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-4-KQED_-e7ea4439.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-4-KQED_-e7ea4439-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-4-KQED_-e7ea4439-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) runs toward the basket during the first quarter of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dozens of Valkyries fans from across the country trekked out to Atlanta for Game 4, gathering at a food hall just outside of State Farm Arena on Saturday morning before tip off. They brought the Ballhalla spirit to the east coast in head-to-toe purple, from hats and sequin bomber jackets, to custom crocheted Valkyries vests, and extravagant mythical warrior costumes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though the Golden State fans were outnumbered on the Dream’s home turf, they were loud and took over a section of the stands in all violet on Saturday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beverly McClendon and Leanne Deegenaars — donning Williams-signed jerseys, Valkyries headgear and violet checkered pants — flew from San Francisco to cheer on the team with other fans and said they were “ready to win it all.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s like you have 150 of your new best friends that you just met.” McClendon said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106258\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-7-KQED_-dbd88dc6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase reacts during the first quarter of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ashley Thomas-Williams organized a meet-up that brought several fans to the game. She said she did “a little tossing and turning” the night before the game, but still wanted to support the team. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They need us here. They need to feel us,” Thomas-Williams said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stephisha Ycoy-Walton, who came with their family, said going into the game 2-1 was a gut-wrenching, but they “know why we’re here.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I want to see them play with heart — like we always do. That’s our Valkyries team,” Ycoy-Walton said. “No matter the outcome, we’re always gonna be proud.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in the Bay, hundreds of fans flocked to an Oakland block party to show their love during the game. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Madison Huynh said the “best team in the world” took better care of the ball this game. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It looks like we’re the team we’re supposed to be,” Huynh said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It will be a first and historic victory for either team that takes away the 2026 WNBA championship title. The Dream has not made it to the WNBA finals since 2013, when they lost to the Minnesota Lynx. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Valkyries are only in their second season after launching in 2025. The team made it to the playoffs in their inaugural season, but the Lynx knocked them out in the first round. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Wednesday, Game 3 was close at halftime, but the Dream ran away with the lead by the end of the fourth quarter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This game they wanted it more than us and that’s not who we are, that’s not who we’ve been and that’s not how we got here,” said shooting guard Tiffany Hayes in the postgame conference.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Williams said the team was, “undisciplined on defense.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Emotions were high for Valkyries fans who traveled across the country for the Wednesday night away game. They were disappointed and frustrated, but overall optimistic that the team could still come back and prevail. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I mean, I’m a little bummed to lose, but I believe in us,” said Hill Winans, who was among the Valkyries diehards to attend Game 4 in Atlanta this week. “We just need to play better defense and better basketball in general. But we can do it, we’ve been doing it all season.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12106288\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-17-KQED_-90ae7b3a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106288\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-17-KQED_-90ae7b3a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-17-KQED_-90ae7b3a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-17-KQED_-90ae7b3a-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans celebrate as they wait in line to get into State Farm Arena ahead of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12106287\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-16-KQED_-6d0e161d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106287\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-16-KQED_-6d0e161d.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-16-KQED_-6d0e161d-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-16-KQED_-6d0e161d-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, fans Viveca Ycoy-Walton, Stephisha Ycoy Walton and Karter of Oakland celebrate as they wait in line to get into State Farm Arena ahead of Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Golden State super fans were loud but far outnumbered for Game 3 in State Farm Arena, which was completely sold out and a sea of blue on Wednesday. But even more fans are traveling to root for the Valkyries on Saturday for Game 4. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ott flew from Oakland to Atlanta on Friday night for a quick turnaround trip just to cheer on his favorite team. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re going to support this team no matter what,” Ott said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-19-KQED_-9cd648c2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106289\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-19-KQED_-9cd648c2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-19-KQED_-9cd648c2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261024_ValkyriesGame4_GC-19-KQED_-9cd648c2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden State Valkyries fans cheer during Game 4 of the WNBA finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coach Natalie Nakase had confidence even before Game 4 that her team could still come back and win it today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“After times when we’ve been punched, we know how to come back,” Nakase said in Wednesday’s postgame conference. “What’s good is that usually we come back even tighter.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Game 5 will be played at Chase Center on Monday, Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>KQED’s\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/calam\">\u003cem>Christopher Alam\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "former-benicia-elementary-teacher-found-guilty-of-sexually-abusing-his-students",
"title": "‘Justice Was Served’: Former Benicia Elementary Teacher Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Students",
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"headTitle": "‘Justice Was Served’: Former Benicia Elementary Teacher Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Students | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Shelton would smile. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cp>“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A Solano County jury found Matthew Shelton guilty of sexually abusing Benicia students. He was acquitted of similar allegations in Napa.\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Shelton would smile. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "governor-newsom-weighs-commuting-the-death-sentences-of-over-500-inmates",
"title": "Governor Newsom Weighs Commuting the Death Sentences of Over 500 Inmates",
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"headTitle": "Governor Newsom Weighs Commuting the Death Sentences of Over 500 Inmates | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Governor Newsom is facing a big decision before he leaves office — whether to commute the death sentences of more than 500 condemned inmates and convert them to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His choice could gain national attention. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scott and Marisa sit down with Melanie Mason, California Bureau Chief at POLITICO. They discuss the political implications of Newsom’s decision as he prepares for a likely run for president in 2028. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus, they talk about Proposition 40, the so-called billionaire tax, opposed by Newsom and the candidates hoping to succeed him as governor: Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don’t forget to use \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/voterguide\">KQED’s voter guide\u003c/a> when filling out your ballot!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus, check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Scott and Marisa sit down with Melanie Mason, California Bureau Chief at POLITICO. They discuss the political implications of Newsom’s decision as he prepares for a likely run for president in 2028. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> recorded 48 fatal drug overdoses in September, placing the total number of such accidental deaths this year at 399 — including the city’s first fatal overdose from a synthetic opioid sold at gas stations and convenience stores, officials said.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The kratom-derived opioid MGM-15 produces \u003ca href=\"https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-13581.pdf\">more potent effects than morphine\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“The products are not safe and can pose a risk of overdosing,” said Hillary Kunins, director of Behavioral Health and Mental Health with the San Francisco Health Department, at a press conference Friday. “People should avoid products that don’t come from reputable sources. And products that contain kratom and kratom-derived substances.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Earlier this week, the health department \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-fatal-overdose-involving-kratom-derived-opioid\">shared\u003c/a> a photo of the pill’s bright purple packaging, which was marketed as a “paradise blend” of “uncaria tomentosa extract” — an herbal supplement derived from a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/cats-claw?\">wild-growing woody vine\u003c/a> found in the Amazon rainforest and other tropical areas of Central and South America.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It’s colloquially referred to as “cat’s claw.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250528-SJSMOKESHOPS-JG-4_qed-82757d8a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106020\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250528-SJSMOKESHOPS-JG-4_qed-82757d8a.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250528-SJSMOKESHOPS-JG-4_qed-82757d8a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250528-SJSMOKESHOPS-JG-4_qed-82757d8a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A person rides a skateboard by Houdini’s Smoke Shop in downtown San José on May 28, 2025. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While very few high-quality scientific studies have been conducted on the drug, the National Institutes of Health’s website said it “appears to be safe when used orally for short periods of time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The packaging shared by the health department doesn’t appear to mention, at all, kratom or MGM-15. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The drug has been labeled as a schedule-1 controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Agency and can cause physical and psychological dependence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials in Utah and Washington have previously identified overdose deaths from MGM-15 in those states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anyone believed to be suffering an overdose after consuming MGM-15, health officials said, should be given naloxone, often called by its brand name Narcan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the latest \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/2026_10_OCME_Overdose_Report_mlQYRnv.pdf\">snapshot\u003c/a> of the city’s overdose crisis provided by the medical examiner, the majority of the individuals who died in September were white men. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly half of the deaths occurred in ZIP codes that include the Tenderloin, Civic Center and Mid-Market neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overdose deaths have fallen in recent years, but they are still more common than they were before the pandemic in San Francisco, a city with a death rate that is among the worst in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> recorded 48 fatal drug overdoses in September, placing the total number of such accidental deaths this year at 399 — including the city’s first fatal overdose from a synthetic opioid sold at gas stations and convenience stores, officials said.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>The kratom-derived opioid MGM-15 produces \u003ca href=\"https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-13581.pdf\">more potent effects than morphine\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“The products are not safe and can pose a risk of overdosing,” said Hillary Kunins, director of Behavioral Health and Mental Health with the San Francisco Health Department, at a press conference Friday. “People should avoid products that don’t come from reputable sources. And products that contain kratom and kratom-derived substances.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Earlier this week, the health department \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/news-fatal-overdose-involving-kratom-derived-opioid\">shared\u003c/a> a photo of the pill’s bright purple packaging, which was marketed as a “paradise blend” of “uncaria tomentosa extract” — an herbal supplement derived from a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/cats-claw?\">wild-growing woody vine\u003c/a> found in the Amazon rainforest and other tropical areas of Central and South America.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It’s colloquially referred to as “cat’s claw.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250528-SJSMOKESHOPS-JG-4_qed-82757d8a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106020\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250528-SJSMOKESHOPS-JG-4_qed-82757d8a.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250528-SJSMOKESHOPS-JG-4_qed-82757d8a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/250528-SJSMOKESHOPS-JG-4_qed-82757d8a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A person rides a skateboard by Houdini’s Smoke Shop in downtown San José on May 28, 2025. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While very few high-quality scientific studies have been conducted on the drug, the National Institutes of Health’s website said it “appears to be safe when used orally for short periods of time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The packaging shared by the health department doesn’t appear to mention, at all, kratom or MGM-15. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The drug has been labeled as a schedule-1 controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Agency and can cause physical and psychological dependence.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials in Utah and Washington have previously identified overdose deaths from MGM-15 in those states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anyone believed to be suffering an overdose after consuming MGM-15, health officials said, should be given naloxone, often called by its brand name Narcan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the latest \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/2026_10_OCME_Overdose_Report_mlQYRnv.pdf\">snapshot\u003c/a> of the city’s overdose crisis provided by the medical examiner, the majority of the individuals who died in September were white men. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly half of the deaths occurred in ZIP codes that include the Tenderloin, Civic Center and Mid-Market neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overdose deaths have fallen in recent years, but they are still more common than they were before the pandemic in San Francisco, a city with a death rate that is among the worst in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"soldout": {
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"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
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