Mexican Citizens In California Could Play Key Role In Country's Upcoming Election

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, May 22, 2024: 

• Next month, voters will go to the polls in Mexico to select the country’s next president. The election is already historic because the two leading candidates, Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóchitl Gálvez are women. The election will also be notable because of the likely record number of Mexican citizens living in California and the rest of the U.S. who will cast ballots. 
• Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong won a special election Tuesday to complete the remainder of the term of ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. A McCarthy protege who was also endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Fong defeated fellow Republican and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux in the race for the 20th Congressional District. The two will square off again in November, with the winner serving a full two-year term in the district. 
• On Tuesday, the California Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could have a profound impact on app-based companies like Uber and Lyft as well as on their drivers. Proposition 22, which was passed by voters four years ago, allowed gig companies to reclassify workers as self-employed contractors, rather than employees. Now the state Supreme Court will decide whether to uphold the law, strike it down or strip out part and leave the rest intact.

With Mexico’s Election Coming Up, Californians Could Play A Role In Deciding The Winner

Mexico’s presidential election takes place on June 2. The election is historic, as both of Mexico’s front-running presidential candidates are women, Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóchitl Gálvez. And more than 20,000 different positions are at stake, from the presidency to the entire federal congress, along with several local races.

In California and across the United States, Mexican citizens are taking part in the election process.  There are about 12 million people who were born in Mexico who now live in the U.S. and are eligible to vote in the election.

 The number of people voting abroad has grown steadily, and this year there could be a record turnout.  

Republican Assemblyman Wins Special Election In Central Valley District

Vince Fong, a California State Assembly member backed by former President Donald Trump, won a special election Tuesday to complete the remainder of the term of former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which runs through January.

Fong defeated fellow Republican and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux in the 20th Congressional District, in the state’s Central Valley farm belt.

The two will face off once again in November, but this time, the winner will serve a full two-year term.

Fate of Gig Workers’ Benefits Now Up to the State Supreme Court

Based on their line of questioning, California Supreme Court justices seemed to be reaching for a compromise as they heard oral arguments Tuesday in the long-running legal saga over whether gig workers should be considered independent contractors or employees.

Proposition 22, the gig industry-backed initiative that 58% of state voters passed in 2020, has been mired in a legal back-and-forth since it became law — including being ruled unconstitutional by a Superior Court judge before being upheld by a state appeals court. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and other companies have used the law to treat their drivers and delivery workers in California as independent contractors, not as employees.

The specific question before the state’s highest court is whether Prop. 22 conflicts with the state Legislature’s constitutional power to enforce a complete workers’ compensation system.