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"content": "\u003cp>Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday raising concerns about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/meta\">Meta’s content moderation policies\u003c/a> — including fact-checking rollbacks, the automation of risk review and the spread of content generated by artificial intelligence across its platforms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With a \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/\">majority\u003c/a> of Americans getting at least some of their news from social media, Mullin told KQED he is “deeply concerned” and wants to know how Meta plans to combat deepfakes and manage AI-generated misinformation ahead of the 2026 election. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“While Meta is just one company, it runs some of the largest social media platforms in the world: Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp,” Mullin said. “Its decisions have a major impact on what Americans see every single day. American voters have a right to know whether what they are seeing online about candidates and elections is real or fake.” \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/10/2025/10/251002-pelosishutdown_00078_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058425\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251002-pelosishutdown_00078_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251002-pelosishutdown_00078_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251002-pelosishutdown_00078_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Congressman Kevin Mullin speaks at North East Medical Services on the second day since the government shutdown in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eighteen lawmakers, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Oakland, signed the letter alongside Mullin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Generative AI has already impacted political campaigns, according to the letter. A 22-year-old user in India created a fake conservative influencer named “Emily Hart” that espoused anti-abortion and anti-immigration views, and amassed millions of views before Instagram removed the account, Mullin wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahead of the 2026 midterms, multiple deepfakes have circulated across Senate races in Texas and Georgia, featuring false videos of candidates speaking to the camera. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meta posted its \u003ca href=\"https://www.meta.com/sr/meta-2026-us-elections/\">2026 election strategy\u003c/a> in February, the company said in an email. This includes blocking new political ads in the final week of the election, requiring AI disclosures for political ads, running an Election Operation Center and relying on \u003ca href=\"https://www.meta.com/technologies/community-notes/\">Community Notes\u003c/a> instead of fact checkers, which it used until \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/07/nx-s1-5251151/meta-fact-checking-mark-zuckerberg-trump\">2025\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last week, KQED \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">reported\u003c/a> that State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, planned to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over interference on social media, including a “surge of suspicious accounts, bot-like activity,” in the race to fill the seat formerly held by Eric Swalwell. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Meta has a responsibility to make sure voters are talking to real people and making decisions based on real information,” Wahab told KQED on Tuesday. “Political campaigns can’t be cyber investigators with the capabilities to figure out whether coordinated fake accounts are manipulating an election. That is Meta’s job.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Daniel Kreiss, a professor of political communication at the University of North Carolina, said that AI has made it cheaper both to produce creative content — like social media videos — and to target that content at key voting blocks using large data sets, including polling data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Individual bad actors, or collective bad actors, can do a lot more with a lot less,” Kreiss said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This new reality means that Meta has a heightened responsibility to ensure that electoral institutions can function properly, Kreiss continued. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These companies benefit from being in democracies,” Kreiss said. “They have an interest in protecting the very institutions and freedoms that enabled them to become profitable global companies.” \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/10/2025/04/MetaGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12035915\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg (center), attends the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump as he swears in as the 47th U.S. President in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Meta has started \u003ca href=\"https://www.meta.com/help/artificial-intelligence/355108217670024/\">flagging\u003c/a> the use of AI in advertisements, the platform’s design makes endorsement or sponsorship disclosure more opaque than traditional television ads — ultimately making it more difficult for voters to see what money is behind the speech circulating online. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a massive political influencer economy that takes shape on these platforms that is not disclosed to the public,” Kreiss said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even though California passed a law requiring content creators to disclose political ads in 2023, these disclosures are difficult to enforce, the \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-influencers-content-creators-paid-political-ads-531fced44944908eba1dbbef0c00fdc4\">\u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported. Users may not always know who is behind the content they’re seeing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mullin gave Meta until Sept. 18 to respond to nine questions outlined in Tuesday’s letter. He asked the company to report back on a range of questions, from staffing plans and budget for election integrity teams to the company’s current ad disclosure requirements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/skennedy\">\u003cem>Samantha Kennedy \u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ahead of the 2026 midterms, multiple deepfakes have circulated across Senate races in Texas and Georgia, featuring false videos of candidates speaking to the camera. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meta posted its \u003ca href=\"https://www.meta.com/sr/meta-2026-us-elections/\">2026 election strategy\u003c/a> in February, the company said in an email. This includes blocking new political ads in the final week of the election, requiring AI disclosures for political ads, running an Election Operation Center and relying on \u003ca href=\"https://www.meta.com/technologies/community-notes/\">Community Notes\u003c/a> instead of fact checkers, which it used until \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/07/nx-s1-5251151/meta-fact-checking-mark-zuckerberg-trump\">2025\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last week, KQED \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">reported\u003c/a> that State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, planned to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over interference on social media, including a “surge of suspicious accounts, bot-like activity,” in the race to fill the seat formerly held by Eric Swalwell. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Meta has a responsibility to make sure voters are talking to real people and making decisions based on real information,” Wahab told KQED on Tuesday. “Political campaigns can’t be cyber investigators with the capabilities to figure out whether coordinated fake accounts are manipulating an election. That is Meta’s job.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Daniel Kreiss, a professor of political communication at the University of North Carolina, said that AI has made it cheaper both to produce creative content — like social media videos — and to target that content at key voting blocks using large data sets, including polling data.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Individual bad actors, or collective bad actors, can do a lot more with a lot less,” Kreiss said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This new reality means that Meta has a heightened responsibility to ensure that electoral institutions can function properly, Kreiss continued. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These companies benefit from being in democracies,” Kreiss said. “They have an interest in protecting the very institutions and freedoms that enabled them to become profitable global companies.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s a massive political influencer economy that takes shape on these platforms that is not disclosed to the public,” Kreiss said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mullin gave Meta until Sept. 18 to respond to nine questions outlined in Tuesday’s letter. He asked the company to report back on a range of questions, from staffing plans and budget for election integrity teams to the company’s current ad disclosure requirements. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/skennedy\">\u003cem>Samantha Kennedy \u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday raising concerns about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/meta\">Meta’s content moderation policies\u003c/a> — including fact-checking rollbacks, the automation of risk review and the spread of content generated by artificial intelligence across its platforms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With a \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/\">majority\u003c/a> of Americans getting at least some of their news from social media, Mullin told KQED he is “deeply concerned” and wants to know how Meta plans to combat deepfakes and manage AI-generated misinformation ahead of the 2026 election. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“While Meta is just one company, it runs some of the largest social media platforms in the world: Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp,” Mullin said. “Its decisions have a major impact on what Americans see every single day. American voters have a right to know whether what they are seeing online about candidates and elections is real or fake.” \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/10/2025/10/251002-pelosishutdown_00078_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058425\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251002-pelosishutdown_00078_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251002-pelosishutdown_00078_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251002-pelosishutdown_00078_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Congressman Kevin Mullin speaks at North East Medical Services on the second day since the government shutdown in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eighteen lawmakers, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Oakland, signed the letter alongside Mullin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Generative AI has already impacted political campaigns, according to the letter. A 22-year-old user in India created a fake conservative influencer named “Emily Hart” that espoused anti-abortion and anti-immigration views, and amassed millions of views before Instagram removed the account, Mullin wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ahead of the 2026 midterms, multiple deepfakes have circulated across Senate races in Texas and Georgia, featuring false videos of candidates speaking to the camera. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meta posted its \u003ca href=\"https://www.meta.com/sr/meta-2026-us-elections/\">2026 election strategy\u003c/a> in February, the company said in an email. This includes blocking new political ads in the final week of the election, requiring AI disclosures for political ads, running an Election Operation Center and relying on \u003ca href=\"https://www.meta.com/technologies/community-notes/\">Community Notes\u003c/a> instead of fact checkers, which it used until \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/07/nx-s1-5251151/meta-fact-checking-mark-zuckerberg-trump\">2025\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last week, KQED \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">reported\u003c/a> that State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, planned to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over interference on social media, including a “surge of suspicious accounts, bot-like activity,” in the race to fill the seat formerly held by Eric Swalwell. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Meta has a responsibility to make sure voters are talking to real people and making decisions based on real information,” Wahab told KQED on Tuesday. “Political campaigns can’t be cyber investigators with the capabilities to figure out whether coordinated fake accounts are manipulating an election. That is Meta’s job.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Daniel Kreiss, a professor of political communication at the University of North Carolina, said that AI has made it cheaper both to produce creative content — like social media videos — and to target that content at key voting blocks using large data sets, including polling data.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Individual bad actors, or collective bad actors, can do a lot more with a lot less,” Kreiss said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This new reality means that Meta has a heightened responsibility to ensure that electoral institutions can function properly, Kreiss continued. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These companies benefit from being in democracies,” Kreiss said. “They have an interest in protecting the very institutions and freedoms that enabled them to become profitable global companies.” \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/10/2025/04/MetaGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12035915\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg (center), attends the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump as he swears in as the 47th U.S. President in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Meta has started \u003ca href=\"https://www.meta.com/help/artificial-intelligence/355108217670024/\">flagging\u003c/a> the use of AI in advertisements, the platform’s design makes endorsement or sponsorship disclosure more opaque than traditional television ads — ultimately making it more difficult for voters to see what money is behind the speech circulating online. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a massive political influencer economy that takes shape on these platforms that is not disclosed to the public,” Kreiss said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even though California passed a law requiring content creators to disclose political ads in 2023, these disclosures are difficult to enforce, the \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-influencers-content-creators-paid-political-ads-531fced44944908eba1dbbef0c00fdc4\">\u003cem>Associated Press\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported. Users may not always know who is behind the content they’re seeing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mullin gave Meta until Sept. 18 to respond to nine questions outlined in Tuesday’s letter. He asked the company to report back on a range of questions, from staffing plans and budget for election integrity teams to the company’s current ad disclosure requirements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/skennedy\">\u003cem>Samantha Kennedy \u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Wahab Leads Hernandez in Contentious East Bay Special Election for Congress",
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"headTitle": "Wahab Leads Hernandez in Contentious East Bay Special Election for Congress | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>State Sen. Aisha Wahab narrowly leads BART board director Melissa Hernandez in a fractious special election for Congress in the East Bay that will decide who will temporarily fill the seat formerly held by disgraced Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The race between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Wahab\u003c/a> and Hernandez, both Democrats, interrupted the typically sleepy summer months for voters in Fremont, Hayward and the Tri-Valley. Though Wahab topped a June primary field by a wide margin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions of dollars of outside spending\u003c/a> have poured into the district — throwing Democratic divisions over Israel and party leadership into stark relief.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In initial returns on Tuesday night, Wahab was ahead of Hernandez 51% to 49% — a lead of fewer than 2,000 votes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED. “We believe that the numbers and the lead will just only grow.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The infighting is unlikely to end with this week’s results. While the winner of the special election will complete Swalwell’s term through the end of the year, Wahab and Hernandez will again face off on the November general election ballot for a full two-year term. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1393\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095858\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-1536x1081.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Aisha Wahab attends a press conference with Gov. Gavin Newsom about new statewide accountability and funding for homelessness and mental health in Hayward, California, on March 2, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview, Hernandez said she was still looking forward to seeing more results — and was heartened by the gains she made since finishing well behind Wahab in the special election primary.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Initially we had a lot of folks in the race … now it’s only us two,” Hernandez said. “So it’s really folks getting to know who I am.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nine-week sprint since the primary, the race has turned into a proxy war for larger divides between moderate and progressive Democrats, said David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You see a lot of outside money, a lot of outside influences, and you see a battle between two seasoned, smart politicians that isn’t settled this week,” McCuan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab, a former Hayward City Council member, has represented the area in the state Senate since 2023. In her run for Congress, she has the backing of the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor Unions and the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before serving on BART’s board of directors, Hernandez was a councilmember in Dublin and mayor until 2024. She has been endorsed by NewDems, a political group that works to elect moderate Democrats, and nearly a dozen members of California’s Democratic congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The chair of the delegation, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, criticized Wahab this week for her decision not to bow out of the special election in favor of a caretaker candidate. Lofgren said other Democrats had agreed to step aside and back a single candidate — who could have won a majority of votes in the June 16 special election primary and taken office immediately in the closely divided Congress. Wahab has derided the process of picking a caretaker as heavy-handed and out of touch with the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087582/polls-close-tonight-in-special-election-for-swalwells-former-seat\">special election primary\u003c/a>, Wahab received 43% of the vote, with Hernandez in second at 17%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The runoff is much closer, in part the result of a torrent of outside spending in support of Hernandez, much of it from United Democracy Project, the political arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The pro-Israel group has become a flashpoint in Democratic primaries throughout the country. Neither Wahab nor Hernandez has focused their campaign on America’s relationship with Israel — although in a candidate forum this spring, Wahab said she believed what was happening to the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hernandez responded to the yes-or-no question by saying she believed that Israel had a right to defend itself after Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, but that the subsequent destruction in Gaza has gone too far. \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/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095919\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART board director Melissa Hernandez. (Courtesy of Melissa Hernandez)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>United Democracy Project, which cannot coordinate directly with Hernandez’s campaign, has spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez and sink Wahab. The group has also sent money to BOLD America, another super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As she cast her ballot on Tuesday in Castro Valley, Leslie Hall bemoaned the polarizing political moment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The divisiveness that we have right now is mind-blowing,” Hall said. “What happened to love?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Jose Velazquez contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State Sen. Aisha Wahab narrowly leads BART board director Melissa Hernandez in a fractious special election for Congress in the East Bay that will decide who will temporarily fill the seat formerly held by disgraced Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The race between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Wahab\u003c/a> and Hernandez, both Democrats, interrupted the typically sleepy summer months for voters in Fremont, Hayward and the Tri-Valley. Though Wahab topped a June primary field by a wide margin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions of dollars of outside spending\u003c/a> have poured into the district — throwing Democratic divisions over Israel and party leadership into stark relief.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The race between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Wahab\u003c/a> and Hernandez, both Democrats, interrupted the typically sleepy summer months for voters in Fremont, Hayward and the Tri-Valley. Though Wahab topped a June primary field by a wide margin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions of dollars of outside spending\u003c/a> have poured into the district — throwing Democratic divisions over Israel and party leadership into stark relief.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In initial returns on Tuesday night, Wahab was ahead of Hernandez 51% to 49% — a lead of fewer than 2,000 votes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In initial returns on Tuesday night, Wahab was ahead of Hernandez 51% to 49% — a lead of fewer than 2,000 votes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED. “We believe that the numbers and the lead will just only grow.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED. “We believe that the numbers and the lead will just only grow.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The infighting is unlikely to end with this week’s results. While the winner of the special election will complete Swalwell’s term through the end of the year, Wahab and Hernandez will again face off on the November general election ballot for a full two-year term. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The infighting is unlikely to end with this week’s results. While the winner of the special election will complete Swalwell’s term through the end of the year, Wahab and Hernandez will again face off on the November general election ballot for a full two-year term. \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/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095858\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-1536x1081.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Aisha Wahab attends a press conference with Gov. Gavin Newsom about new statewide accountability and funding for homelessness and mental health in Hayward, California, on March 2, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an interview, Hernandez said she was still looking forward to seeing more results — and was heartened by the gains she made since finishing well behind Wahab in the special election primary.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Initially we had a lot of folks in the race … now it’s only us two,” Hernandez said. “So it’s really folks getting to know who I am.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an interview, Hernandez said she was still looking forward to seeing more results — and was heartened by the gains she made since finishing well behind Wahab in the special election primary.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Initially we had a lot of folks in the race … now it’s only us two,” Hernandez said. “So it’s really folks getting to know who I am.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the nine-week sprint since the primary, the race has turned into a proxy war for larger divides between moderate and progressive Democrats, said David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State University. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the nine-week sprint since the primary, the race has turned into a proxy war for larger divides between moderate and progressive Democrats, said David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State University. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wahab, a former Hayward City Council member, has represented the area in the state Senate since 2023. In her run for Congress, she has the backing of the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor Unions and the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Before serving on BART’s board of directors, Hernandez was a councilmember in Dublin and mayor until 2024. She has been endorsed by NewDems, a political group that works to elect moderate Democrats, and nearly a dozen members of California’s Democratic congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The chair of the delegation, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, criticized Wahab this week for her decision not to bow out of the special election in favor of a caretaker candidate. Lofgren said other Democrats had agreed to step aside and back a single candidate — who could have won a majority of votes in the June 16 special election primary and taken office immediately in the closely divided Congress. Wahab has derided the process of picking a caretaker as heavy-handed and out of touch with the district. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The chair of the delegation, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, criticized Wahab this week for her decision not to bow out of the special election in favor of a caretaker candidate. Lofgren said other Democrats had agreed to step aside and back a single candidate — who could have won a majority of votes in the June 16 special election primary and taken office immediately in the closely divided Congress. Wahab has derided the process of picking a caretaker as heavy-handed and out of touch with the district. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087582/polls-close-tonight-in-special-election-for-swalwells-former-seat\">special election primary\u003c/a>, Wahab received 43% of the vote, with Hernandez in second at 17%. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087582/polls-close-tonight-in-special-election-for-swalwells-former-seat\">special election primary\u003c/a>, Wahab received 43% of the vote, with Hernandez in second at 17%. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The runoff is much closer, in part the result of a torrent of outside spending in support of Hernandez, much of it from United Democracy Project, the political arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The runoff is much closer, in part the result of a torrent of outside spending in support of Hernandez, much of it from United Democracy Project, the political arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The pro-Israel group has become a flashpoint in Democratic primaries throughout the country. Neither Wahab nor Hernandez has focused their campaign on America’s relationship with Israel — although in a candidate forum this spring, Wahab said she believed what was happening to the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The pro-Israel group has become a flashpoint in Democratic primaries throughout the country. Neither Wahab nor Hernandez has focused their campaign on America’s relationship with Israel — although in a candidate forum this spring, Wahab said she believed what was happening to the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hernandez responded to the yes-or-no question by saying she believed that Israel had a right to defend itself after Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, but that the subsequent destruction in Gaza has gone too far. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hernandez responded to the yes-or-no question by saying she believed that Israel had a right to defend itself after Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, but that the subsequent destruction in Gaza has gone too far. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>United Democracy Project, which cannot coordinate directly with Hernandez’s campaign, has spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez and sink Wahab. The group has also sent money to BOLD America, another super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>United Democracy Project, which cannot coordinate directly with Hernandez’s campaign, has spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez and sink Wahab. The group has also sent money to BOLD America, another super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As she cast her ballot on Tuesday in Castro Valley, Leslie Hall bemoaned the polarizing political moment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The divisiveness that we have right now is mind-blowing,” Hall said. “What happened to love?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The divisiveness that we have right now is mind-blowing,” Hall said. “What happened to love?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Jose Velazquez contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "State Sen. Aisha Wahab and BART board director Melissa Hernandez face off in the 14th District race to complete Eric Swalwell’s term, which has divided Democrats. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State Sen. Aisha Wahab narrowly leads BART board director Melissa Hernandez in a fractious special election for Congress in the East Bay that will decide who will temporarily fill the seat formerly held by disgraced Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/eric-swalwell\">Eric Swalwell\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The race between \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/aisha-wahab\">Wahab\u003c/a> and Hernandez, both Democrats, interrupted the typically sleepy summer months for voters in Fremont, Hayward and the Tri-Valley. Though Wahab topped a June primary field by a wide margin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095020/aisha-wahab-to-file-fec-complaint-over-alleged-election-interference-in-race-for-swalwell-seat\">millions of dollars of outside spending\u003c/a> have poured into the district — throwing Democratic divisions over Israel and party leadership into stark relief.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In initial returns on Tuesday night, Wahab was ahead of Hernandez 51% to 49% — a lead of fewer than 2,000 votes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m very proud of this district for not listening to the hate-mongering and really knowing and believing the work that I’ve done,” Wahab told KQED. “We believe that the numbers and the lead will just only grow.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The infighting is unlikely to end with this week’s results. While the winner of the special election will complete Swalwell’s term through the end of the year, Wahab and Hernandez will again face off on the November general election ballot for a full two-year term. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1393\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095858\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2263914577-1536x1081.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Aisha Wahab attends a press conference with Gov. Gavin Newsom about new statewide accountability and funding for homelessness and mental health in Hayward, California, on March 2, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an interview, Hernandez said she was still looking forward to seeing more results — and was heartened by the gains she made since finishing well behind Wahab in the special election primary.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Initially we had a lot of folks in the race … now it’s only us two,” Hernandez said. “So it’s really folks getting to know who I am.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nine-week sprint since the primary, the race has turned into a proxy war for larger divides between moderate and progressive Democrats, said David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You see a lot of outside money, a lot of outside influences, and you see a battle between two seasoned, smart politicians that isn’t settled this week,” McCuan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab, a former Hayward City Council member, has represented the area in the state Senate since 2023. In her run for Congress, she has the backing of the California Democratic Party, the California Federation of Labor Unions and the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before serving on BART’s board of directors, Hernandez was a councilmember in Dublin and mayor until 2024. She has been endorsed by NewDems, a political group that works to elect moderate Democrats, and nearly a dozen members of California’s Democratic congressional delegation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The chair of the delegation, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, criticized Wahab this week for her decision not to bow out of the special election in favor of a caretaker candidate. Lofgren said other Democrats had agreed to step aside and back a single candidate — who could have won a majority of votes in the June 16 special election primary and taken office immediately in the closely divided Congress. Wahab has derided the process of picking a caretaker as heavy-handed and out of touch with the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12087582/polls-close-tonight-in-special-election-for-swalwells-former-seat\">special election primary\u003c/a>, Wahab received 43% of the vote, with Hernandez in second at 17%. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The runoff is much closer, in part the result of a torrent of outside spending in support of Hernandez, much of it from United Democracy Project, the political arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The pro-Israel group has become a flashpoint in Democratic primaries throughout the country. Neither Wahab nor Hernandez has focused their campaign on America’s relationship with Israel — although in a candidate forum this spring, Wahab said she believed what was happening to the Palestinian people constituted a genocide. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hernandez responded to the yes-or-no question by saying she believed that Israel had a right to defend itself after Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, but that the subsequent destruction in Gaza has gone too far. \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/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095919\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GH26_95996-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">BART board director Melissa Hernandez. (Courtesy of Melissa Hernandez)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>United Democracy Project, which cannot coordinate directly with Hernandez’s campaign, has spent $2.4 million to boost Hernandez and sink Wahab. The group has also sent money to BOLD America, another super PAC that has spent over $2 million to help Hernandez. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As she cast her ballot on Tuesday in Castro Valley, Leslie Hall bemoaned the polarizing political moment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The divisiveness that we have right now is mind-blowing,” Hall said. “What happened to love?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Jose Velazquez contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>This November, California voters will consider Proposition 43 — a measure aimed at making it harder for cities and counties to raise local taxes. It’s sponsored by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. That’s the anti-tax group that brought California Proposition 13 in 1978, a landmark ballot measure limiting property tax increases.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marisa sits down with the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Jon Coupal. They discuss Prop. 43 and California’s broader tax system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also listen to the Non-Profit Housing Association’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103136/why-opponents-of-prop-43-say-it-would-cripple-local-funding\">Bill Barnes explain the opposition\u003c/a> to Prop. 43. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>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\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, an anti-tax group who brought California the landmark Proposition 13, is now sponsoring Proposition 43 — a measure to make it harder for cities and counties to raise local taxes. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>This November, California voters will consider Proposition 43 — a measure aimed at making it harder for cities and counties to raise local taxes. It’s sponsored by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. That’s the anti-tax group that brought California Proposition 13 in 1978, a landmark ballot measure limiting property tax increases.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marisa sits down with the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Jon Coupal. They discuss Prop. 43 and California’s broader tax system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can also listen to the Non-Profit Housing Association’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103136/why-opponents-of-prop-43-say-it-would-cripple-local-funding\">Bill Barnes explain the opposition\u003c/a> to Prop. 43. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>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\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Ten Bay Area voters called on a judge Monday to change the ballot language of a proposed regional sales tax \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">measure\u003c/a> that transit advocates say is critical to avoid deep service cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The challengers filed the petition in Santa Clara County Superior Court, contending that the ballot question about to be printed in five Bay Area counties this November is deceptive and biased in favor of a yes vote, violating election laws.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want it to be an unbiased statement of what’s going to happen,” said co-petitioner Gregg Dieguez, who is president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit, a group \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">opposed to the regional sales tax measure\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dieguez said in an interview that he and the other named petitioners are all “ concerned citizens who have longstanding complaints about the amount of money being wasted on traditional transit.” \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/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12051374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A BART car approaches the platform at Daly City Station in Daly City, on Dec. 4, 2024. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ballot question, as approved last month by a governing body known as the Public Transit Revenue Measure District, and made up of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors, is as follows:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers want to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Dieguez and his co-petitioners, these details matter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the Connect Bay Area Act. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area campaign, previously told KQED the committee’s claims were “not based in reality.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, director of legislation and public affairs at MTC, said the district is preparing its response.\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/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083263\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait to board the 29 Sunset bus near Lake Merced Boulevard and Middlefield Drive on May 11, 2026, in San Francisco. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Both documents were prepared in accordance with California election law, and the District will defend them on the schedule the court sets. As this is a pending legal matter, the District has no further comment,” Long told KQED in an email. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputes the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $200,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. It wants the amount listed on the ballot changed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The petition calls for the question to be trimmed down and amended significantly. If the opposition campaign were to have its way, it would look like this:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>Shall the measure imposing a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties) and 1% (San Francisco) sales and use tax for 14 years generating approximately $1,200,000,000 annually; Funding BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness; Repaving transit-serving roads; Requiring financial transparency; be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The petition quotes Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles as having said that the petition should be resolved by Aug. 28, “so the Registrar of Voters can meet necessary election deadlines.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of the story incorrectly stated that the petition aimed to block the measure, and misstated the difference between the sales tax revenue estimated in the ballot initiative language and the revenue petitioners said the measure would generate. The story has been corrected.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The challengers filed the petition in Santa Clara County Superior Court, contending that the ballot question about to be printed in five Bay Area counties this November is deceptive and biased in favor of a yes vote, violating election laws.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We want it to be an unbiased statement of what’s going to happen,” said co-petitioner Gregg Dieguez, who is president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit, a group \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">opposed to the regional sales tax measure\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dieguez said in an interview that he and the other named petitioners are all “ concerned citizens who have longstanding complaints about the amount of money being wasted on traditional transit.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The ballot question, as approved last month by a governing body known as the Public Transit Revenue Measure District, and made up of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors, is as follows:\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers want to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers want to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Dieguez and his co-petitioners, these details matter. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the Connect Bay Area Act. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the Connect Bay Area Act. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area campaign, previously told KQED the committee’s claims were “not based in reality.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Monday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Monday. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, director of legislation and public affairs at MTC, said the district is preparing its response.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Both documents were prepared in accordance with California election law, and the District will defend them on the schedule the court sets. As this is a pending legal matter, the District has no further comment,” Long told KQED in an email. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputes the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $200,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. It wants the amount listed on the ballot changed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputes the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $200,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. It wants the amount listed on the ballot changed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The petition calls for the question to be trimmed down and amended significantly. If the opposition campaign were to have its way, it would look like this:\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The petition calls for the question to be trimmed down and amended significantly. If the opposition campaign were to have its way, it would look like this:\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>Shall the measure imposing a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties) and 1% (San Francisco) sales and use tax for 14 years generating approximately $1,200,000,000 annually; Funding BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness; Repaving transit-serving roads; Requiring financial transparency; be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>Shall the measure imposing a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties) and 1% (San Francisco) sales and use tax for 14 years generating approximately $1,200,000,000 annually; Funding BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness; Repaving transit-serving roads; Requiring financial transparency; be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The petition quotes Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles as having said that the petition should be resolved by Aug. 28, “so the Registrar of Voters can meet necessary election deadlines.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The petition quotes Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles as having said that the petition should be resolved by Aug. 28, “so the Registrar of Voters can meet necessary election deadlines.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of the story incorrectly stated that the petition aimed to block the measure, and misstated the difference between the sales tax revenue estimated in the ballot initiative language and the revenue petitioners said the measure would generate. The story has been corrected.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Demanding a court injunction, opponents of the proposed November ballot initiative say it is biased and undercounts what the tax will generate. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Ten Bay Area voters called on a judge Monday to change the ballot language of a proposed regional sales tax \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">measure\u003c/a> that transit advocates say is critical to avoid deep service cuts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The challengers filed the petition in Santa Clara County Superior Court, contending that the ballot question about to be printed in five Bay Area counties this November is deceptive and biased in favor of a yes vote, violating election laws.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want it to be an unbiased statement of what’s going to happen,” said co-petitioner Gregg Dieguez, who is president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit, a group \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">opposed to the regional sales tax measure\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dieguez said in an interview that he and the other named petitioners are all “ concerned citizens who have longstanding complaints about the amount of money being wasted on traditional transit.” \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/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12051374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-002_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A BART car approaches the platform at Daly City Station in Daly City, on Dec. 4, 2024. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ballot question, as approved last month by a governing body known as the Public Transit Revenue Measure District, and made up of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors, is as follows:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers want to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Dieguez and his co-petitioners, these details matter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the Connect Bay Area Act. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area campaign, previously told KQED the committee’s claims were “not based in reality.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rebecca Long, director of legislation and public affairs at MTC, said the district is preparing its response.\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/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083263\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/05112629-BUS_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait to board the 29 Sunset bus near Lake Merced Boulevard and Middlefield Drive on May 11, 2026, in San Francisco. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Both documents were prepared in accordance with California election law, and the District will defend them on the schedule the court sets. As this is a pending legal matter, the District has no further comment,” Long told KQED in an email. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputes the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $200,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. It wants the amount listed on the ballot changed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The petition calls for the question to be trimmed down and amended significantly. If the opposition campaign were to have its way, it would look like this:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>Shall the measure imposing a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties) and 1% (San Francisco) sales and use tax for 14 years generating approximately $1,200,000,000 annually; Funding BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness; Repaving transit-serving roads; Requiring financial transparency; be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The petition quotes Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles as having said that the petition should be resolved by Aug. 28, “so the Registrar of Voters can meet necessary election deadlines.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of the story incorrectly stated that the petition aimed to block the measure, and misstated the difference between the sales tax revenue estimated in the ballot initiative language and the revenue petitioners said the measure would generate. The story has been corrected.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Trump Honors Teen Lifeguard at White House After Daring Santa Cruz Rescue",
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"content": "\u003cp>The 16-year-old California State Parks lifeguard who catapulted to national acclaim after his rescue of a boy from 8-to-10-foot waves at a beach in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-cruz\">Santa Cruz\u003c/a> sat in the Oval Office on Monday. The 10-year-old boy he saved sat a few feet away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>President Donald Trump had \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/2082159711852298494?s=20\">invited\u003c/a> lifeguard Ryder Williams and beachgoer Nathaniel Rai after footage of the July 25 rescue at Seabright State Beach garnered millions of views on social media. Both families came, along with several State Parks officials, including Aaron Bohnen, the second State Parks lifeguard who joined the rescue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a great story,” Trump said. “I’ve never seen water that looks so calm, and then every 15 seconds, you know, the violence comes back in.”\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/10/2026/08/AP26229644537635-scaled-e1787012052664.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095603\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump gestures to Nathaniel Rai, the boy lifeguard Ryder Williams, left, saved as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Williams, who has declined interviews since the rescue, spoke publicly for the first time. Asked what went through his mind, he said lifeguards “always try to fall back on our training.” He said he wants to become a firefighter and go through paramedic school.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fellow lifeguard Bohnen has already taken that path. He told Trump he works full time as a firefighter and paramedic for a California fire department and has stayed on the State Parks rolls anyway, helping train guards like Williams. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I owe this program a lot,” Bohnen said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bohnen noted that many of the lifeguards working the beaches around Santa Cruz are 16 or 17.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nathaniel’s father, Sumit Rai, said he was “beyond grateful” to Williams, Bohnen and the bystanders who tried to help, and that it was a privilege to sit beside his son a day before the boy’s birthday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Justin McHenry, an aquatic superintendent with State Parks, told Trump the department trains about 200 lifeguards a year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The work “requires a lot of integrity and resilience,” he said. In conditions like those at Seabright, he added, “losing a victim would be disastrous.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Asked whether more of the California coast needs coverage, McHenry pointed to staffing considerations. In beach towns with million-dollar homes, McHenry noted that lifeguards make a “little more” than minimum wage. Told of a push in Congress to classify open-water lifeguards as first responders, Trump said he would “put my weight behind it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The conditions at Seabright State Beach were not unusual for late summer on the day 10-year-old Rai was swept out to sea, with swells generated by tropical cyclones thousands of miles away. What makes them particularly dangerous, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093050/a-viral-santa-cruz-beach-rescue-previews-whats-to-come-officials-say\">officials told KQED\u003c/a>, are the disarmingly long lulls between wave sets.\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/10/2026/08/AP26229646915279-scaled-e1787012030751.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095604\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lifeguard Ryder Williams listens as he meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The further the swell comes from, the farther away the waves have time to organize themselves,” David Bodine, marine safety captain for the Santa Cruz City Fire Department, told KQED last month. “And then they’re more powerful when they do hit.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forecasters had a beach hazards statement in effect for 33 days between June 1 and early August, about three times the average for that window since 2012.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There certainly are unguarded areas within the state and around the nation, and people getting in without the knowledge or ability to recreate in those waters can be extremely dangerous,” McHenry told Trump. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bohnen noted that many of the lifeguards working the beaches around Santa Cruz are 16 or 17.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nathaniel’s father, Sumit Rai, said he was “beyond grateful” to Williams, Bohnen and the bystanders who tried to help, and that it was a privilege to sit beside his son a day before the boy’s birthday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The work “requires a lot of integrity and resilience,” he said. In conditions like those at Seabright, he added, “losing a victim would be disastrous.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Asked whether more of the California coast needs coverage, McHenry pointed to staffing considerations. In beach towns with million-dollar homes, McHenry noted that lifeguards make a “little more” than minimum wage. Told of a push in Congress to classify open-water lifeguards as first responders, Trump said he would “put my weight behind it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The conditions at Seabright State Beach were not unusual for late summer on the day 10-year-old Rai was swept out to sea, with swells generated by tropical cyclones thousands of miles away. What makes them particularly dangerous, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093050/a-viral-santa-cruz-beach-rescue-previews-whats-to-come-officials-say\">officials told KQED\u003c/a>, are the disarmingly long lulls between wave sets.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The further the swell comes from, the farther away the waves have time to organize themselves,” David Bodine, marine safety captain for the Santa Cruz City Fire Department, told KQED last month. “And then they’re more powerful when they do hit.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There certainly are unguarded areas within the state and around the nation, and people getting in without the knowledge or ability to recreate in those waters can be extremely dangerous,” McHenry told Trump. \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The 16-year-old was joined at the Oval Office on Monday by the 10-year-old he pulled from the surf last month at Seabright State Beach.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The 16-year-old California State Parks lifeguard who catapulted to national acclaim after his rescue of a boy from 8-to-10-foot waves at a beach in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/santa-cruz\">Santa Cruz\u003c/a> sat in the Oval Office on Monday. The 10-year-old boy he saved sat a few feet away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>President Donald Trump had \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/2082159711852298494?s=20\">invited\u003c/a> lifeguard Ryder Williams and beachgoer Nathaniel Rai after footage of the July 25 rescue at Seabright State Beach garnered millions of views on social media. Both families came, along with several State Parks officials, including Aaron Bohnen, the second State Parks lifeguard who joined the rescue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a great story,” Trump said. “I’ve never seen water that looks so calm, and then every 15 seconds, you know, the violence comes back in.”\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/10/2026/08/AP26229644537635-scaled-e1787012052664.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095603\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump gestures to Nathaniel Rai, the boy lifeguard Ryder Williams, left, saved as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Williams, who has declined interviews since the rescue, spoke publicly for the first time. Asked what went through his mind, he said lifeguards “always try to fall back on our training.” He said he wants to become a firefighter and go through paramedic school.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fellow lifeguard Bohnen has already taken that path. He told Trump he works full time as a firefighter and paramedic for a California fire department and has stayed on the State Parks rolls anyway, helping train guards like Williams. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I owe this program a lot,” Bohnen said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bohnen noted that many of the lifeguards working the beaches around Santa Cruz are 16 or 17.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nathaniel’s father, Sumit Rai, said he was “beyond grateful” to Williams, Bohnen and the bystanders who tried to help, and that it was a privilege to sit beside his son a day before the boy’s birthday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Justin McHenry, an aquatic superintendent with State Parks, told Trump the department trains about 200 lifeguards a year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The work “requires a lot of integrity and resilience,” he said. In conditions like those at Seabright, he added, “losing a victim would be disastrous.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Asked whether more of the California coast needs coverage, McHenry pointed to staffing considerations. In beach towns with million-dollar homes, McHenry noted that lifeguards make a “little more” than minimum wage. Told of a push in Congress to classify open-water lifeguards as first responders, Trump said he would “put my weight behind it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The conditions at Seabright State Beach were not unusual for late summer on the day 10-year-old Rai was swept out to sea, with swells generated by tropical cyclones thousands of miles away. What makes them particularly dangerous, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093050/a-viral-santa-cruz-beach-rescue-previews-whats-to-come-officials-say\">officials told KQED\u003c/a>, are the disarmingly long lulls between wave sets.\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/10/2026/08/AP26229646915279-scaled-e1787012030751.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095604\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lifeguard Ryder Williams listens as he meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The further the swell comes from, the farther away the waves have time to organize themselves,” David Bodine, marine safety captain for the Santa Cruz City Fire Department, told KQED last month. “And then they’re more powerful when they do hit.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forecasters had a beach hazards statement in effect for 33 days between June 1 and early August, about three times the average for that window since 2012.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There certainly are unguarded areas within the state and around the nation, and people getting in without the knowledge or ability to recreate in those waters can be extremely dangerous,” McHenry told Trump. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Thousands of San José city workers on Monday moved one step closer to a historic work stoppage by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094427/san-jose-strike-vote-this-week-could-set-up-a-major-work-stoppage\">authorizing a strike\u003c/a> that could put librarians, parks workers and other municipal employees on the picket line. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Members of two unions, IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 101, overwhelmingly approved a strike authorization vote giving union leaders the power to order a work stoppage of up to three days. The move comes after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089834/san-jose-at-a-stalemate-with-its-largest-city-employee-union\">months of gridlock\u003c/a> between city leaders who argue San José is strapped for cash and workers who are demanding better pay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The biggest thing is wages,” said Hannah Ornellas, an environmental services specialist who manages trash and recycling in the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1386\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093641\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED-1536x1064.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kyle Wong, associate transportation specialist for the Department of Transportation, poses for a photo in San José on July 29, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During her four-year tenure, Ornellas said she’s seen massive attrition as coworkers leave for better-paying jurisdictions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The loss of institutional knowledge is just really great,” she said. “And every year with new staff, we just have to spend so much time training new staff on all of these annual processes.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A potential work stoppage by the two unions, which collectively represent as many as 4,500 workers, would be San José’s largest since 1981. City officials have been preparing contingency plans. Just three years ago, the same unions came to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">brink of a strike\u003c/a> before reaching an agreement with the city on raises. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, the city’s fiscal outlook is much worse, said Aram Kouyoumdjian, San José’s director of human resources and employee relations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2023, the council approved a budget with a $35 million surplus. The budget approved in June closed a $50 million shortfall in the current fiscal year, and another deficit is expected next year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While department directors are preparing for the “serious possibility” of a work stoppage, Kouyoumdjian said, “We are endeavoring to mitigate or prevent a strike in whatever way that we can while remaining responsible stewards of the public’s money.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before selecting the dates of a potential strike, the two unions have requested a process known as fact-finding. A three-person panel, facilitated by the California Public Employment Relations Board, will review the offers made by the two sides and issue non-binding recommendations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most recent public proposals show workers with the unions are asking for a 14% wage increase over three years, while the city has offered a 9% hike over that same time period. But Kouyoumdjian said the city is open to offering greater wage hikes that would be triggered if the budget situation improves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The strike would not affect garbage and recycling services, which separate contractors provide. Depending on the length of a work stoppage and participation levels, library hours, permit wait times and operations at San José Mineta International Airport could be affected to varying degrees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not something that we take lightly,” Ornellas said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A potential work stoppage by the two unions, which collectively represent as many as 4,500 workers, would be San José’s largest since 1981. City officials have been preparing contingency plans. Just three years ago, the same unions came to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">brink of a strike\u003c/a> before reaching an agreement with the city on raises. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2023, the council approved a budget with a $35 million surplus. The budget approved in June closed a $50 million shortfall in the current fiscal year, and another deficit is expected next year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Before selecting the dates of a potential strike, the two unions have requested a process known as fact-finding. A three-person panel, facilitated by the California Public Employment Relations Board, will review the offers made by the two sides and issue non-binding recommendations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Thousands of San José city workers on Monday moved one step closer to a historic work stoppage by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094427/san-jose-strike-vote-this-week-could-set-up-a-major-work-stoppage\">authorizing a strike\u003c/a> that could put librarians, parks workers and other municipal employees on the picket line. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Members of two unions, IFPTE Local 21 and MEF-AFSCME Local 101, overwhelmingly approved a strike authorization vote giving union leaders the power to order a work stoppage of up to three days. The move comes after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089834/san-jose-at-a-stalemate-with-its-largest-city-employee-union\">months of gridlock\u003c/a> between city leaders who argue San José is strapped for cash and workers who are demanding better pay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The biggest thing is wages,” said Hannah Ornellas, an environmental services specialist who manages trash and recycling in the city. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1386\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093641\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260729_SJCITYWORKERS_GC-4-KQED-1536x1064.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kyle Wong, associate transportation specialist for the Department of Transportation, poses for a photo in San José on July 29, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During her four-year tenure, Ornellas said she’s seen massive attrition as coworkers leave for better-paying jurisdictions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The loss of institutional knowledge is just really great,” she said. “And every year with new staff, we just have to spend so much time training new staff on all of these annual processes.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A potential work stoppage by the two unions, which collectively represent as many as 4,500 workers, would be San José’s largest since 1981. City officials have been preparing contingency plans. Just three years ago, the same unions came to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">brink of a strike\u003c/a> before reaching an agreement with the city on raises. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, the city’s fiscal outlook is much worse, said Aram Kouyoumdjian, San José’s director of human resources and employee relations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2023, the council approved a budget with a $35 million surplus. The budget approved in June closed a $50 million shortfall in the current fiscal year, and another deficit is expected next year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While department directors are preparing for the “serious possibility” of a work stoppage, Kouyoumdjian said, “We are endeavoring to mitigate or prevent a strike in whatever way that we can while remaining responsible stewards of the public’s money.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before selecting the dates of a potential strike, the two unions have requested a process known as fact-finding. A three-person panel, facilitated by the California Public Employment Relations Board, will review the offers made by the two sides and issue non-binding recommendations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most recent public proposals show workers with the unions are asking for a 14% wage increase over three years, while the city has offered a 9% hike over that same time period. But Kouyoumdjian said the city is open to offering greater wage hikes that would be triggered if the budget situation improves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The strike would not affect garbage and recycling services, which separate contractors provide. Depending on the length of a work stoppage and participation levels, library hours, permit wait times and operations at San José Mineta International Airport could be affected to varying degrees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not something that we take lightly,” Ornellas said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Unaccompanied Migrant Kids May Face Legal Gaps as Bay Area Groups Lose Federal Funding",
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"content": "\u003cp>Legal aid groups said they will continue to represent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/immigration\">unaccompanied immigrant children\u003c/a> in the Bay Area even after the Trump administration shifted federal funding away from seasoned service providers to a controversial anti-trafficking group.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/08/12/nx-s1-5929456/migrant-children-our-rescue\">$158 million contract —\u003c/a> which could grow to $244 million — to Our Rescue, a Utah-based anti-human-trafficking group whose founder was accused of sexual exploitation and whose current director led Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, during the first Trump administration. The group touts its expertise assisting law enforcement with sting operations, but advocates say it lacks experience representing children in immigration court.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Katrina Logan, executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://clsepa.org\">Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto,\u003c/a> said her team of lawyers and social workers is not walking away from the 33 children they represent, even though their contract funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expired July 31. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Immigration cases can go on for years and can involve complex forms of humanitarian relief, especially for children, she 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/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1838184632-scaled-e1786995916941.jpg\" alt=\"a line of kids outside in the desert\" class=\"wp-image-11986452\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Immigrant children await transport from the U.S.-Mexico border in December 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our attorneys have been doing this type of law for many years. They’ve developed the expertise,” Logan said. “They understand how to support clients. So it’s definitely tough to be losing this funding.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Logan’s organization is the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit that blocked HHS last year when it tried to terminate funding for lawyers to represent more than 20,000 children — including more than 4,000 in California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Aug. 6, an Oakland federal judge ordered HHS to release $65 million in back-due payments to the network of legal service providers, including Logan’s group and several others in California. The agency had stopped cutting checks in December, after the groups refused to comply with a new requirement to turn over information about the children and their cases. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín rejected the information-sharing requirement — which was not part of the original contract — and said the government was violating her 2025 order to pay for legal services, as Congress intended.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A 2008 law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, requires the government to ensure that unaccompanied migrant children “have counsel to represent them in legal proceedings or matters and protect them from mistreatment, exploitation, and trafficking,” Martínez-Olguín wrote. She noted that Congress has funded those services through 2027.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The $65 million — with interest — has now been paid, said Bilal Askaryar, spokesperson for the \u003ca href=\"https://acaciajustice.org\">Acacia Center for Justice\u003c/a>, which holds the master contract on behalf of Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto and roughly 100 other nonprofits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With the contract now expired, he said, HHS’s \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/orr\">Office of Refugee Resettlement\u003c/a>, which is tasked with the welfare of unaccompanied migrant children, made the sharing of what he called confidential information — including the children’s alien numbers and their lawyers’ plans for arguing their cases — a requirement to renew.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We told ORR that we would be happy to continue providing these services because we are the network with the trauma-informed lawyers who know how to work with children,” Askaryar said. “And we would not hand over our clients’ sensitive, confidential, privileged data in exchange for considering that work. ORR made that a requirement, and that was a red line that we would not cross.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Acacia did not apply to renew the contract under those terms, and, with the expiration of the old contract, Martínez-Olguín said the government seemed to be scrambling to meet its legal obligation to ensure kids have lawyers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It appears to the Court that no mechanism presently exists by which Defendants are complying with the preliminary injunction,” she wrote in her Aug. 6 ruling, and ordered the government to explain how it would comply with the law.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/gettyimages-91547950_slide-4d6100270cc91128d1beb27eca778a6dcd952acd-e1548610211215.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11721432\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Children of Mexican immigrants wait to receive a free health checkup inside a mobile clinic at the Mexican Consulate in Denver, Colorado, in 2009. (John Moore/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a declaration last week, the government said it was looking for additional contractors to provide legal representation for kids and trying to work out a transitional contract with Acacia to “support an orderly transition of cases to new legal service providers, including \u003ca href=\"https://ourrescue.org\">Our Rescue\u003c/a>.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It also said it had engaged the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants on a short-term $20 million contract to provide legal services for the 1,800 children who are in ORR shelters. The Virginia-based nonprofit has performed immigration legal services for Afghan arrivals and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/g-s1-65984/south-african-afrikaner-refugee-us\">helped settle\u003c/a> white South Africans granted refugee status in an expedited process last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These interim measures are intended to ensure that eligible children appearing without counsel have immediate access to representation while successor contracts are being negotiated,” attorneys for the government wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But lawyers representing Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto and the other legal aid groups in the suit say they anticipate gaps — that could have big consequences for unaccompanied children, who are navigating an often-bewildering legal system without a parent for guidance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It really does unfortunately mean that a lot of children may have court next week and may not have an attorney by their side,” said Álvaro Huerta, with Los Angeles-based \u003ca href=\"https://www.immdef.org\">Immigrant Defenders Law Center\u003c/a>, which represents children in immigration court and is also fighting the lawsuit. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the advocates wait for Martínez-Olguín’s next move in the case, leaders like Logan, at Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, say they’ll keep forging ahead, in spite of uncertainty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re just in that mode of being ready for whatever is going to come and hopefully having the capacity to continue to do the important work that we’ve been doing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Askaryar said the stakes of the work are greater than a contract or a federal program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is about what kind of country the United States of America wants to be … when a child stumbles onto our doorstep asking for help,” he said. “Do we offer them a lawyer that knows how to work with kids in a child-friendly way to help them rebuild their life, or do we offer them someone who is just going to rubber stamp their deportation?”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our attorneys have been doing this type of law for many years. They’ve developed the expertise,” Logan said. “They understand how to support clients. So it’s definitely tough to be losing this funding.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Logan’s organization is the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit that blocked HHS last year when it tried to terminate funding for lawyers to represent more than 20,000 children — including more than 4,000 in California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The $65 million — with interest — has now been paid, said Bilal Askaryar, spokesperson for the \u003ca href=\"https://acaciajustice.org\">Acacia Center for Justice\u003c/a>, which holds the master contract on behalf of Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto and roughly 100 other nonprofits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It appears to the Court that no mechanism presently exists by which Defendants are complying with the preliminary injunction,” she wrote in her Aug. 6 ruling, and ordered the government to explain how it would comply with the law.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a declaration last week, the government said it was looking for additional contractors to provide legal representation for kids and trying to work out a transitional contract with Acacia to “support an orderly transition of cases to new legal service providers, including \u003ca href=\"https://ourrescue.org\">Our Rescue\u003c/a>.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It also said it had engaged the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants on a short-term $20 million contract to provide legal services for the 1,800 children who are in ORR shelters. The Virginia-based nonprofit has performed immigration legal services for Afghan arrivals and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/g-s1-65984/south-african-afrikaner-refugee-us\">helped settle\u003c/a> white South Africans granted refugee status in an expedited process last year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But lawyers representing Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto and the other legal aid groups in the suit say they anticipate gaps — that could have big consequences for unaccompanied children, who are navigating an often-bewildering legal system without a parent for guidance.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It really does unfortunately mean that a lot of children may have court next week and may not have an attorney by their side,” said Álvaro Huerta, with Los Angeles-based \u003ca href=\"https://www.immdef.org\">Immigrant Defenders Law Center\u003c/a>, which represents children in immigration court and is also fighting the lawsuit. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is about what kind of country the United States of America wants to be … when a child stumbles onto our doorstep asking for help,” he said. “Do we offer them a lawyer that knows how to work with kids in a child-friendly way to help them rebuild their life, or do we offer them someone who is just going to rubber stamp their deportation?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "An Oakland judge is weighing whether a new Trump administration plan ensures that children are represented in immigration court as federal law requires. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Legal aid groups said they will continue to represent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/immigration\">unaccompanied immigrant children\u003c/a> in the Bay Area even after the Trump administration shifted federal funding away from seasoned service providers to a controversial anti-trafficking group.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/08/12/nx-s1-5929456/migrant-children-our-rescue\">$158 million contract —\u003c/a> which could grow to $244 million — to Our Rescue, a Utah-based anti-human-trafficking group whose founder was accused of sexual exploitation and whose current director led Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, during the first Trump administration. The group touts its expertise assisting law enforcement with sting operations, but advocates say it lacks experience representing children in immigration court.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Katrina Logan, executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://clsepa.org\">Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto,\u003c/a> said her team of lawyers and social workers is not walking away from the 33 children they represent, even though their contract funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expired July 31. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Immigration cases can go on for years and can involve complex forms of humanitarian relief, especially for children, she 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/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1838184632-scaled-e1786995916941.jpg\" alt=\"a line of kids outside in the desert\" class=\"wp-image-11986452\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Immigrant children await transport from the U.S.-Mexico border in December 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our attorneys have been doing this type of law for many years. They’ve developed the expertise,” Logan said. “They understand how to support clients. So it’s definitely tough to be losing this funding.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Logan’s organization is the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit that blocked HHS last year when it tried to terminate funding for lawyers to represent more than 20,000 children — including more than 4,000 in California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Aug. 6, an Oakland federal judge ordered HHS to release $65 million in back-due payments to the network of legal service providers, including Logan’s group and several others in California. The agency had stopped cutting checks in December, after the groups refused to comply with a new requirement to turn over information about the children and their cases. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín rejected the information-sharing requirement — which was not part of the original contract — and said the government was violating her 2025 order to pay for legal services, as Congress intended.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A 2008 law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, requires the government to ensure that unaccompanied migrant children “have counsel to represent them in legal proceedings or matters and protect them from mistreatment, exploitation, and trafficking,” Martínez-Olguín wrote. She noted that Congress has funded those services through 2027.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The $65 million — with interest — has now been paid, said Bilal Askaryar, spokesperson for the \u003ca href=\"https://acaciajustice.org\">Acacia Center for Justice\u003c/a>, which holds the master contract on behalf of Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto and roughly 100 other nonprofits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With the contract now expired, he said, HHS’s \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/orr\">Office of Refugee Resettlement\u003c/a>, which is tasked with the welfare of unaccompanied migrant children, made the sharing of what he called confidential information — including the children’s alien numbers and their lawyers’ plans for arguing their cases — a requirement to renew.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We told ORR that we would be happy to continue providing these services because we are the network with the trauma-informed lawyers who know how to work with children,” Askaryar said. “And we would not hand over our clients’ sensitive, confidential, privileged data in exchange for considering that work. ORR made that a requirement, and that was a red line that we would not cross.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Acacia did not apply to renew the contract under those terms, and, with the expiration of the old contract, Martínez-Olguín said the government seemed to be scrambling to meet its legal obligation to ensure kids have lawyers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It appears to the Court that no mechanism presently exists by which Defendants are complying with the preliminary injunction,” she wrote in her Aug. 6 ruling, and ordered the government to explain how it would comply with the law.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/gettyimages-91547950_slide-4d6100270cc91128d1beb27eca778a6dcd952acd-e1548610211215.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11721432\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Children of Mexican immigrants wait to receive a free health checkup inside a mobile clinic at the Mexican Consulate in Denver, Colorado, in 2009. (John Moore/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a declaration last week, the government said it was looking for additional contractors to provide legal representation for kids and trying to work out a transitional contract with Acacia to “support an orderly transition of cases to new legal service providers, including \u003ca href=\"https://ourrescue.org\">Our Rescue\u003c/a>.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>It also said it had engaged the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants on a short-term $20 million contract to provide legal services for the 1,800 children who are in ORR shelters. The Virginia-based nonprofit has performed immigration legal services for Afghan arrivals and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/g-s1-65984/south-african-afrikaner-refugee-us\">helped settle\u003c/a> white South Africans granted refugee status in an expedited process last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These interim measures are intended to ensure that eligible children appearing without counsel have immediate access to representation while successor contracts are being negotiated,” attorneys for the government wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But lawyers representing Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto and the other legal aid groups in the suit say they anticipate gaps — that could have big consequences for unaccompanied children, who are navigating an often-bewildering legal system without a parent for guidance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It really does unfortunately mean that a lot of children may have court next week and may not have an attorney by their side,” said Álvaro Huerta, with Los Angeles-based \u003ca href=\"https://www.immdef.org\">Immigrant Defenders Law Center\u003c/a>, which represents children in immigration court and is also fighting the lawsuit. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the advocates wait for Martínez-Olguín’s next move in the case, leaders like Logan, at Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, say they’ll keep forging ahead, in spite of uncertainty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re just in that mode of being ready for whatever is going to come and hopefully having the capacity to continue to do the important work that we’ve been doing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Askaryar said the stakes of the work are greater than a contract or a federal program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "California Billionaire Tax Has Strong Support of Democratic Voters, New Poll Shows",
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"headTitle": "California Billionaire Tax Has Strong Support of Democratic Voters, New Poll Shows | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>California Democrats are strongly backing a proposal to levy a one-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/billionaire-tax\">tax on billionaires\u003c/a> and opposing a measure that would require voters to present ID at the ballot box, according to a new UC Berkeley poll. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the overall likely November electorate, the tax measure labeled Proposition 40 holds a narrow lead, 48% to 41%, the survey from the Institute of Governmental Studies found. Opinions about the proposed 5% tax on billionaires’ overall wealth — which would be used to backfill cuts to federal healthcare funding — were highly partisan: 70% of Democrats say they’ll back it, with 80% of Republicans opposed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voters with no party preference were more evenly split, with 50% saying they’ll vote yes and 39% saying they’ll vote no. Overall, 11% of likely voters told IGS pollsters they are still undecided. \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/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093728\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A T-shirt with a campaign message is seen before the start of a rally led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during the campaign kickoff for the California Billionaire Tax Act at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, on Feb. 18, 2026. Sanders is seeking the support of California voters for a November ballot initiative of an emergency tax on billionaires to help the state’s healthcare system. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the poll suggests strong support for the billionaire tax among Democratic voters, the measure has split the party’s political establishment. It narrowly won the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093726/california-democratic-party-endorses-billionaire-tax-splitting-with-newsom\">endorsement of the California Democratic Party\u003c/a> and is backed by the healthcare workers union SEIU-UHW West, but it is opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and some labor unions, in addition to a group of billionaires. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>IGS co-director Eric Schickler said the survey indicates that Proposition 40’s backers will need to rely on more liberal voters to succeed in passing the tax.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These results suggest that the billionaires tax initiative is shaping up to be a closely fought contest, with the key question being whether opponents can make big enough inroads among the state’s traditionally Democratic-leaning voters,” Schickler said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schickler said voter opinions on Proposition 39, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081404/voter-id-initiative-qualifies-for-californias-november-election\">voter ID measure\u003c/a> put on the ballot by state Republicans, are even more partisan and ideological, with 80% of Democrats opposed and 93% of Republicans in favor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure is trailing in the poll, with 51% of likely voters saying they will vote against it and 42% in support. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 39 would require voters to show a government-issued ID if they vote in person, or write the last four digits of an ID on a mail-in ballot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schickler said opponents of that initiative “have already started to solidify making it a more typical Democratic-Republican fight, in which Democrats in California generally hold the advantage.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Given Democrats’ strong registration advantage in California, it may be difficult for Republicans to close that gap: Just 7% of likely voters told IGS they don’t yet know how they will vote on the voter ID measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll also asked likely voters about two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088883/california-billionaire-tax-november-ballot-measures\">other ballot measures\u003c/a>, authored by a group of billionaires who oppose the wealth tax, that are aimed at nullifying the billionaire tax if it passes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 41 would prohibit new taxes enacted after Jan. 1 of this year — when Proposition 40 would retroactively take effect; Proposition 42 would prohibit both wealth taxes like Proposition 40 and any retroactive taxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1322\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-1536x1015.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Healthcare workers and other supporters with the Billionaire Tax Now coalition hold placards during a media briefing in Los Angeles on April 27, 2026. Healthcare workers and allies outlined the next steps in their effort to get California’s Billionaire Tax on the ballot for the November election, with their efforts already exceeding 1,500,000 signatures collected from across the state. The initiative would levy a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Both measures were written so they would supersede Proposition 40 if they receive more votes than the billionaire wealth tax. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>IGS found likely voters had no clear consensus around the measures, and that many had never heard of them. That’s in contrast to the proposed billionaire tax, which more than 70% of likely voters are aware of despite the fact that the campaigns for and against it have not yet kicked off in earnest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California Democrats are strongly backing a proposal to levy a one-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/billionaire-tax\">tax on billionaires\u003c/a> and opposing a measure that would require voters to present ID at the ballot box, according to a new UC Berkeley poll. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Among the overall likely November electorate, the tax measure labeled Proposition 40 holds a narrow lead, 48% to 41%, the survey from the Institute of Governmental Studies found. Opinions about the proposed 5% tax on billionaires’ overall wealth — which would be used to backfill cuts to federal healthcare funding — were highly partisan: 70% of Democrats say they’ll back it, with 80% of Republicans opposed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Among the overall likely November electorate, the tax measure labeled Proposition 40 holds a narrow lead, 48% to 41%, the survey from the Institute of Governmental Studies found. Opinions about the proposed 5% tax on billionaires’ overall wealth — which would be used to backfill cuts to federal healthcare funding — were highly partisan: 70% of Democrats say they’ll back it, with 80% of Republicans opposed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Voters with no party preference were more evenly split, with 50% saying they’ll vote yes and 39% saying they’ll vote no. Overall, 11% of likely voters told IGS pollsters they are still undecided. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Voters with no party preference were more evenly split, with 50% saying they’ll vote yes and 39% saying they’ll vote no. Overall, 11% of likely voters told IGS pollsters they are still undecided. \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/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093728\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-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 T-shirt with a campaign message is seen before the start of a rally led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during the campaign kickoff for the California Billionaire Tax Act at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, on Feb. 18, 2026. Sanders is seeking the support of California voters for a November ballot initiative of an emergency tax on billionaires to help the state’s healthcare system.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though the poll suggests strong support for the billionaire tax among Democratic voters, the measure has split the party’s political establishment. It narrowly won the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093726/california-democratic-party-endorses-billionaire-tax-splitting-with-newsom\">endorsement of the California Democratic Party\u003c/a> and is backed by the healthcare workers union SEIU-UHW West, but it is opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and some labor unions, in addition to a group of billionaires. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Though the poll suggests strong support for the billionaire tax among Democratic voters, the measure has split the party’s political establishment. It narrowly won the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093726/california-democratic-party-endorses-billionaire-tax-splitting-with-newsom\">endorsement of the California Democratic Party\u003c/a> and is backed by the healthcare workers union SEIU-UHW West, but it is opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and some labor unions, in addition to a group of billionaires. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>IGS co-director Eric Schickler said the survey indicates that Proposition 40’s backers will need to rely on more liberal voters to succeed in passing the tax.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>IGS co-director Eric Schickler said the survey indicates that Proposition 40’s backers will need to rely on more liberal voters to succeed in passing the tax.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These results suggest that the billionaires tax initiative is shaping up to be a closely fought contest, with the key question being whether opponents can make big enough inroads among the state’s traditionally Democratic-leaning voters,” Schickler said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“These results suggest that the billionaires tax initiative is shaping up to be a closely fought contest, with the key question being whether opponents can make big enough inroads among the state’s traditionally Democratic-leaning voters,” Schickler said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Schickler said voter opinions on Proposition 39, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081404/voter-id-initiative-qualifies-for-californias-november-election\">voter ID measure\u003c/a> put on the ballot by state Republicans, are even more partisan and ideological, with 80% of Democrats opposed and 93% of Republicans in favor. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Schickler said voter opinions on Proposition 39, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081404/voter-id-initiative-qualifies-for-californias-november-election\">voter ID measure\u003c/a> put on the ballot by state Republicans, are even more partisan and ideological, with 80% of Democrats opposed and 93% of Republicans in favor. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure is trailing in the poll, with 51% of likely voters saying they will vote against it and 42% in support. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Proposition 39 would require voters to show a government-issued ID if they vote in person, or write the last four digits of an ID on a mail-in ballot. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Schickler said opponents of that initiative “have already started to solidify making it a more typical Democratic-Republican fight, in which Democrats in California generally hold the advantage.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Schickler said opponents of that initiative “have already started to solidify making it a more typical Democratic-Republican fight, in which Democrats in California generally hold the advantage.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Given Democrats’ strong registration advantage in California, it may be difficult for Republicans to close that gap: Just 7% of likely voters told IGS they don’t yet know how they will vote on the voter ID measure. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Given Democrats’ strong registration advantage in California, it may be difficult for Republicans to close that gap: Just 7% of likely voters told IGS they don’t yet know how they will vote on the voter ID measure. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The poll also asked likely voters about two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088883/california-billionaire-tax-november-ballot-measures\">other ballot measures\u003c/a>, authored by a group of billionaires who oppose the wealth tax, that are aimed at nullifying the billionaire tax if it passes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The poll also asked likely voters about two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088883/california-billionaire-tax-november-ballot-measures\">other ballot measures\u003c/a>, authored by a group of billionaires who oppose the wealth tax, that are aimed at nullifying the billionaire tax if it passes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Proposition 41 would prohibit new taxes enacted after Jan. 1 of this year — when Proposition 40 would retroactively take effect; Proposition 42 would prohibit both wealth taxes like Proposition 40 and any retroactive taxes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Proposition 41 would prohibit new taxes enacted after Jan. 1 of this year — when Proposition 40 would retroactively take effect; Proposition 42 would prohibit both wealth taxes like Proposition 40 and any retroactive taxes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-1536x1015.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-1536x1015.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Healthcare workers and other supporters with the Billionaire Tax Now coalition hold placards during a media briefing in Los Angeles on April 27, 2026. Healthcare workers and allies outlined the next steps in their effort to get California’s Billionaire Tax on the ballot for the November election, with their efforts already exceeding 1,500,000 signatures collected from across the state. The initiative would levy a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Both measures were written so they would supersede Proposition 40 if they receive more votes than the billionaire wealth tax. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>IGS found likely voters had no clear consensus around the measures, and that many had never heard of them. That’s in contrast to the proposed billionaire tax, which more than 70% of likely voters are aware of despite the fact that the campaigns for and against it have not yet kicked off in earnest. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>IGS found likely voters had no clear consensus around the measures, and that many had never heard of them. That’s in contrast to the proposed billionaire tax, which more than 70% of likely voters are aware of despite the fact that the campaigns for and against it have not yet kicked off in earnest. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Proposition 40, which would levy a one-time tax on billionaires, holds a narrow lead among likely voters overall. The poll also shows Proposition 39, a voter ID proposal, trailing.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California Democrats are strongly backing a proposal to levy a one-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/billionaire-tax\">tax on billionaires\u003c/a> and opposing a measure that would require voters to present ID at the ballot box, according to a new UC Berkeley poll. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the overall likely November electorate, the tax measure labeled Proposition 40 holds a narrow lead, 48% to 41%, the survey from the Institute of Governmental Studies found. Opinions about the proposed 5% tax on billionaires’ overall wealth — which would be used to backfill cuts to federal healthcare funding — were highly partisan: 70% of Democrats say they’ll back it, with 80% of Republicans opposed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voters with no party preference were more evenly split, with 50% saying they’ll vote yes and 39% saying they’ll vote no. Overall, 11% of likely voters told IGS pollsters they are still undecided. \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/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093728\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A T-shirt with a campaign message is seen before the start of a rally led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during the campaign kickoff for the California Billionaire Tax Act at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, on Feb. 18, 2026. Sanders is seeking the support of California voters for a November ballot initiative of an emergency tax on billionaires to help the state’s healthcare system. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the poll suggests strong support for the billionaire tax among Democratic voters, the measure has split the party’s political establishment. It narrowly won the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093726/california-democratic-party-endorses-billionaire-tax-splitting-with-newsom\">endorsement of the California Democratic Party\u003c/a> and is backed by the healthcare workers union SEIU-UHW West, but it is opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and some labor unions, in addition to a group of billionaires. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>IGS co-director Eric Schickler said the survey indicates that Proposition 40’s backers will need to rely on more liberal voters to succeed in passing the tax.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These results suggest that the billionaires tax initiative is shaping up to be a closely fought contest, with the key question being whether opponents can make big enough inroads among the state’s traditionally Democratic-leaning voters,” Schickler said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schickler said voter opinions on Proposition 39, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081404/voter-id-initiative-qualifies-for-californias-november-election\">voter ID measure\u003c/a> put on the ballot by state Republicans, are even more partisan and ideological, with 80% of Democrats opposed and 93% of Republicans in favor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure is trailing in the poll, with 51% of likely voters saying they will vote against it and 42% in support. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 39 would require voters to show a government-issued ID if they vote in person, or write the last four digits of an ID on a mail-in ballot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schickler said opponents of that initiative “have already started to solidify making it a more typical Democratic-Republican fight, in which Democrats in California generally hold the advantage.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Given Democrats’ strong registration advantage in California, it may be difficult for Republicans to close that gap: Just 7% of likely voters told IGS they don’t yet know how they will vote on the voter ID measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll also asked likely voters about two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088883/california-billionaire-tax-november-ballot-measures\">other ballot measures\u003c/a>, authored by a group of billionaires who oppose the wealth tax, that are aimed at nullifying the billionaire tax if it passes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 41 would prohibit new taxes enacted after Jan. 1 of this year — when Proposition 40 would retroactively take effect; Proposition 42 would prohibit both wealth taxes like Proposition 40 and any retroactive taxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1322\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-1536x1015.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Healthcare workers and other supporters with the Billionaire Tax Now coalition hold placards during a media briefing in Los Angeles on April 27, 2026. Healthcare workers and allies outlined the next steps in their effort to get California’s Billionaire Tax on the ballot for the November election, with their efforts already exceeding 1,500,000 signatures collected from across the state. The initiative would levy a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Both measures were written so they would supersede Proposition 40 if they receive more votes than the billionaire wealth tax. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>IGS found likely voters had no clear consensus around the measures, and that many had never heard of them. That’s in contrast to the proposed billionaire tax, which more than 70% of likely voters are aware of despite the fact that the campaigns for and against it have not yet kicked off in earnest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Silicon Valley’s most rich and powerful technologists are trying to end democracy in favor of a corporate-run authoritarian world order. That’s what Gil Durán warns in his new book “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marisa sits down with the journalist and former Democratic political advisor to discuss how tech billionaires — including Peter Thiel and Elon Musk — are contributing to the rise of what he dubs “tech fascism,” and what we can do to fight back.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/Pi9oXQsc3BI\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>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\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In his new book “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy,” journalist Gil Durán warns that tech billionaires are attempting to overthrow American democracy - a movement that’s been years in the making. But will they succeed?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Silicon Valley’s most rich and powerful technologists are trying to end democracy in favor of a corporate-run authoritarian world order. That’s what Gil Durán warns in his new book “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marisa sits down with the journalist and former Democratic political advisor to discuss how tech billionaires — including Peter Thiel and Elon Musk — are contributing to the rise of what he dubs “tech fascism,” and what we can do to fight back.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Pi9oXQsc3BI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Pi9oXQsc3BI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>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\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "becerra-easily-leading-california-governors-race-defined-by-partisan-split-poll-shows",
"title": "Becerra Easily Leading California Governor’s Race Defined by Partisan Split, Poll Shows",
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"content": "\u003cp>Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is leading Republican businessman Steve Hilton by a double-digit margin in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/2026-governors-race\">race for California governor\u003c/a>, according to a new poll from UC Berkeley. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Institute of Governmental Studies poll found about 55% of likely voters saying they’ll support Becerra, 37% backing Hilton and just 7% undecided. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra’s 18-point lead marks a stark contrast to June’s messy and crowded primary contest, which included numerous serious Democratic candidates and remained \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086501/california-governor-election-steve-hilton-advances\">unsettled until the very end\u003c/a>.\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/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081063\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s shaping up to be a pretty traditional Democrat versus Republican general election matchup with strong partisan preferences kind of dominating everything,” poll director Mark DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s electorate is largely Democratic — Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats nearly 2 to 1, and independent voters make up more than one-fifth of the electorate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Partisan leanings appear to be driving voter opinions in the governor’s race, DiCamillo said: 88% of Democrats are backing Becerra, while 91% of Republicans are behind Hilton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll’s findings overall track with trends in recent statewide races, including the 2024 presidential contest, which former Vice President Kamala Harris won by 20 points over President Donald Trump in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When you ask voters, ‘Why are you supporting Becerra?’ they want a Democrat who takes the positions that Democrats traditionally take — that’s what they’re voting for. Plus they want somebody who’s going to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083992/xavier-becerra-says-he-will-fight-for-california-who-did-he-fight-for-as-ag\">fight Trump\u003c/a>,” DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those partisan, anti-Trump views appear to outweigh Becerra’s history-making potential: If he wins, he would be the first Latino elected governor of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yet just 1% of poll respondents said his identity as the son of Mexican immigrants is the reason they’re supporting him, the poll shows. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It will be difficult for Hilton to close the gap with Becerra, DiCamillo said, because the survey shows that he’s also struggling among voters not affiliated with one of the two major political parties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll shows Hilton’s favorability rating underwater among independents, with 31% viewing him favorably and 59% unfavorably. \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/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chad Bianco, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, Xavier Becerra, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, and Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, arrive for a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on April 22, 2026. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In order for Hilton to win, he really has to go after the Democratic constituencies,” DiCamillo said. “If you look at, for example, no party preference voters, sometimes you try to peel those off if you’re a challenger on the Republican side.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But with a strong majority of independents viewing the Republican businessman negatively, “it’s a tall order,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Hilton represents the Republicans. He’s the standard bearer. And the reason people are voting for him is because that’s what they’re voting for,” DiCamillo said. “Unfortunately for Republicans and for Hilton, there’s not enough of them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s shaping up to be a pretty traditional Democrat versus Republican general election matchup with strong partisan preferences kind of dominating everything,” poll director Mark DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Partisan leanings appear to be driving voter opinions in the governor’s race, DiCamillo said: 88% of Democrats are backing Becerra, while 91% of Republicans are behind Hilton. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The poll’s findings overall track with trends in recent statewide races, including the 2024 presidential contest, which former Vice President Kamala Harris won by 20 points over President Donald Trump in California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When you ask voters, ‘Why are you supporting Becerra?’ they want a Democrat who takes the positions that Democrats traditionally take — that’s what they’re voting for. Plus they want somebody who’s going to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083992/xavier-becerra-says-he-will-fight-for-california-who-did-he-fight-for-as-ag\">fight Trump\u003c/a>,” DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those partisan, anti-Trump views appear to outweigh Becerra’s history-making potential: If he wins, he would be the first Latino elected governor of California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yet just 1% of poll respondents said his identity as the son of Mexican immigrants is the reason they’re supporting him, the poll shows. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It will be difficult for Hilton to close the gap with Becerra, DiCamillo said, because the survey shows that he’s also struggling among voters not affiliated with one of the two major political parties. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It will be difficult for Hilton to close the gap with Becerra, DiCamillo said, because the survey shows that he’s also struggling among voters not affiliated with one of the two major political parties. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The poll shows Hilton’s favorability rating underwater among independents, with 31% viewing him favorably and 59% unfavorably. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In order for Hilton to win, he really has to go after the Democratic constituencies,” DiCamillo said. “If you look at, for example, no party preference voters, sometimes you try to peel those off if you’re a challenger on the Republican side.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Hilton represents the Republicans. He’s the standard bearer. And the reason people are voting for him is because that’s what they’re voting for,” DiCamillo said. “Unfortunately for Republicans and for Hilton, there’s not enough of them.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Democrat Xavier Becerra holds an 18-point lead over Republican Steve Hilton among likely voters in the new poll from UC Berkeley, a stark contrast to June’s messy primary contest.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is leading Republican businessman Steve Hilton by a double-digit margin in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/2026-governors-race\">race for California governor\u003c/a>, according to a new poll from UC Berkeley. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Institute of Governmental Studies poll found about 55% of likely voters saying they’ll support Becerra, 37% backing Hilton and just 7% undecided. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Becerra’s 18-point lead marks a stark contrast to June’s messy and crowded primary contest, which included numerous serious Democratic candidates and remained \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086501/california-governor-election-steve-hilton-advances\">unsettled until the very end\u003c/a>.\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/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081063\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/FTP_9P3A3423_1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, during a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. California will hold its primary election on June 2, where the top two finishers advance to the general election in November regardless of party affiliation. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s shaping up to be a pretty traditional Democrat versus Republican general election matchup with strong partisan preferences kind of dominating everything,” poll director Mark DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s electorate is largely Democratic — Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats nearly 2 to 1, and independent voters make up more than one-fifth of the electorate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Partisan leanings appear to be driving voter opinions in the governor’s race, DiCamillo said: 88% of Democrats are backing Becerra, while 91% of Republicans are behind Hilton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll’s findings overall track with trends in recent statewide races, including the 2024 presidential contest, which former Vice President Kamala Harris won by 20 points over President Donald Trump in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When you ask voters, ‘Why are you supporting Becerra?’ they want a Democrat who takes the positions that Democrats traditionally take — that’s what they’re voting for. Plus they want somebody who’s going to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083992/xavier-becerra-says-he-will-fight-for-california-who-did-he-fight-for-as-ag\">fight Trump\u003c/a>,” DiCamillo said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those partisan, anti-Trump views appear to outweigh Becerra’s history-making potential: If he wins, he would be the first Latino elected governor of California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yet just 1% of poll respondents said his identity as the son of Mexican immigrants is the reason they’re supporting him, the poll shows. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It will be difficult for Hilton to close the gap with Becerra, DiCamillo said, because the survey shows that he’s also struggling among voters not affiliated with one of the two major political parties. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll shows Hilton’s favorability rating underwater among independents, with 31% viewing him favorably and 59% unfavorably. \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/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2272001355-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chad Bianco, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, Xavier Becerra, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for California, and Steve Hilton, Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, arrive for a gubernatorial debate at KRON Studios in San Francisco on April 22, 2026. (Jason Henry/Nexstar/Bloomberg)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In order for Hilton to win, he really has to go after the Democratic constituencies,” DiCamillo said. “If you look at, for example, no party preference voters, sometimes you try to peel those off if you’re a challenger on the Republican side.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But with a strong majority of independents viewing the Republican businessman negatively, “it’s a tall order,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Hilton represents the Republicans. He’s the standard bearer. And the reason people are voting for him is because that’s what they’re voting for,” DiCamillo said. “Unfortunately for Republicans and for Hilton, there’s not enough of them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Aisha Wahab to File FEC Complaint Over Alleged Election Interference in Race for Swalwell Seat",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085551/aisha-wahab-leading-race-for-swalwells-former-congressional-seat\">State Sen. Aisha Wahab\u003c/a>, D-Hayward, said Wednesday she plans to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over what she called election interference on social media, as groups associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spend millions to crush her bid to replace Eric Swalwell in Congress. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Aug. 18 special election between Wahab and Melissa Hernandez, fellow Democrat and BART board president, has become a priority for pro-Israel interests, with over $5 million in outside money spent on advertisements opposing Wahab and championing Hernandez in the final days of the race, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2026/08/06/aisha-wahab-aipacs-latest-target-01026765\">\u003cem>Politico\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab said the fight has now moved online, where her team alleges social media platforms are being weaponized to spread false information. \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/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12007576\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, speaks at a press conference on committee assignments for the 118th U.S. Congress at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we are seeing is a surge of suspicious accounts, bot-like activity, and very much coordinated to say the same vile, misleading narratives,” she said at a press conference outside Hayward City Hall on Wednesday. “A lot of these accounts have one friend and three posts that have no connection to the district.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab, the first Muslim woman and Afghan American elected to the state Legislature, is no stranger to hateful comments on her social media posts. But campaign spokesperson Joe Macaluso said her team has noticed a new pattern of defamatory posts. Unlike the fear-mongering Islamaphobic content they’ve come to expect, these make specific false claims, like a reference to Wahab assaulting a former staffer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Outright lies,” Macaluso said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab stopped short of blaming any particular group, but her campaign has collected examples of the comments and is finalizing a request to Meta to analyze the activity, according to Macaluso. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said the team will simultaneously file a complaint with the FEC, asking it to investigate whether the activity is part of an organized, paid effort to influence the election that should have been reported under federal campaign-finance law.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Wahab campaign’s complaint comes as campaign-finance allegations are flying in both directions in the race. Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley earlier this month \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uplzCZUVFri8yw3n51x6Z6CBWrP0Vl_G/view?usp=sharing\">filed a separate FEC complaint\u003c/a> accusing Wahab of receiving an illegal, unreported in-kind contribution after her state Senate campaign gave $60,000 to the Alameda County Democratic Party, which later launched an independent expenditure supporting her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I would consider that money laundering,” Miley said at a press conference put on by the Hernandez campaign Friday. “I must admit I’ve never seen a money trail this brazen…. Our district deserves better leadership.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Wahab called the complaint “a political stunt and transparent retribution…I called attention to failures Miley would rather keep buried: a $12 million settlement over the preventable death of Sophia Mason, state intervention in Alameda County’s child welfare system, an independent audit, and SB 1193 to rein in politicians’ discretionary slush funds.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Db_tvpVmcE9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">statement posted to Instagram\u003c/a>, the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee denied wrongdoing, writing “As is routine for county central committees, every election cycle, the ACDCC works to support candidates and measures we have endorsed, and our work is independently directed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hernandez’s campaign situates Miley’s complaint within a broader argument that Wahab’s criticisms of AIPAC’s spending are hypocritical. “Senator Wahab has spent this entire campaign attacking Melissa over who funds her campaign, so let’s talk about who funds Senator Wahab’s campaign,” Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert said at Friday’s event, lambasting her for taking donations from the pharmaceutical and fossil fuel industries. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She cashes those checks, she lectures us about corruption,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement Wednesday, Hernandez said: “Our campaign is getting hit by bots too, likely from her wealthy corporate donors. We’re not launching bots. We’re winning votes from voters who are comparing our records.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab handily beat Hernandez in the June primary, but outside spending has since poured in, turning up the intensity of the race in its final stretch. \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/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, called for Democratic unity on Wednesday after narrowly defeating the party establishment’s candidate in Michigan and claiming the nomination for one of November’s most important US Senate races. (Jeff Kowalsky / AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That includes $1.2 million from the United Democracy Project, which is backed by AIPAC, and $2.1 million from Bold American Pac, according to \u003cem>Politico\u003c/em>’s reporting. Bold America has received significant financial backing from the United Democracy Project, according to the PAC’s FEC \u003ca href=\"https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?committee_id=C00854299&two_year_transaction_period=2026&data_type=processed\">filings\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab’s team is emphasizing AIPAC’s role in the campaign, following the playbook of progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who won the Michigan Senate primary this week in part by criticizing AIPAC’s colossal spending against him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve been attacked before, I’ve been threatened before,” Wahab told supporters. “I didn’t back down then, and I don’t plan to back down now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of the outcome of the Aug. 18 special election, Hernandez and Wahab will face off again in the November contest for the district’s full congressional term.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Aug. 18 special election between Wahab and Melissa Hernandez, fellow Democrat and BART board president, has become a priority for pro-Israel interests, with over $5 million in outside money spent on advertisements opposing Wahab and championing Hernandez in the final days of the race, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2026/08/06/aisha-wahab-aipacs-latest-target-01026765\">\u003cem>Politico\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What we are seeing is a surge of suspicious accounts, bot-like activity, and very much coordinated to say the same vile, misleading narratives,” she said at a press conference outside Hayward City Hall on Wednesday. “A lot of these accounts have one friend and three posts that have no connection to the district.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wahab, the first Muslim woman and Afghan American elected to the state Legislature, is no stranger to hateful comments on her social media posts. But campaign spokesperson Joe Macaluso said her team has noticed a new pattern of defamatory posts. Unlike the fear-mongering Islamaphobic content they’ve come to expect, these make specific false claims, like a reference to Wahab assaulting a former staffer. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wahab stopped short of blaming any particular group, but her campaign has collected examples of the comments and is finalizing a request to Meta to analyze the activity, according to Macaluso. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He said the team will simultaneously file a complaint with the FEC, asking it to investigate whether the activity is part of an organized, paid effort to influence the election that should have been reported under federal campaign-finance law.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Wahab campaign’s complaint comes as campaign-finance allegations are flying in both directions in the race. Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley earlier this month \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uplzCZUVFri8yw3n51x6Z6CBWrP0Vl_G/view?usp=sharing\">filed a separate FEC complaint\u003c/a> accusing Wahab of receiving an illegal, unreported in-kind contribution after her state Senate campaign gave $60,000 to the Alameda County Democratic Party, which later launched an independent expenditure supporting her. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Wahab campaign’s complaint comes as campaign-finance allegations are flying in both directions in the race. Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley earlier this month \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uplzCZUVFri8yw3n51x6Z6CBWrP0Vl_G/view?usp=sharing\">filed a separate FEC complaint\u003c/a> accusing Wahab of receiving an illegal, unreported in-kind contribution after her state Senate campaign gave $60,000 to the Alameda County Democratic Party, which later launched an independent expenditure supporting her. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I would consider that money laundering,” Miley said at a press conference put on by the Hernandez campaign Friday. “I must admit I’ve never seen a money trail this brazen…. Our district deserves better leadership.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I would consider that money laundering,” Miley said at a press conference put on by the Hernandez campaign Friday. “I must admit I’ve never seen a money trail this brazen…. Our district deserves better leadership.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement, Wahab called the complaint “a political stunt and transparent retribution…I called attention to failures Miley would rather keep buried: a $12 million settlement over the preventable death of Sophia Mason, state intervention in Alameda County’s child welfare system, an independent audit, and SB 1193 to rein in politicians’ discretionary slush funds.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a statement, Wahab called the complaint “a political stunt and transparent retribution…I called attention to failures Miley would rather keep buried: a $12 million settlement over the preventable death of Sophia Mason, state intervention in Alameda County’s child welfare system, an independent audit, and SB 1193 to rein in politicians’ discretionary slush funds.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Db_tvpVmcE9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">statement posted to Instagram\u003c/a>, the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee denied wrongdoing, writing “As is routine for county central committees, every election cycle, the ACDCC works to support candidates and measures we have endorsed, and our work is independently directed.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Db_tvpVmcE9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">statement posted to Instagram\u003c/a>, the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee denied wrongdoing, writing “As is routine for county central committees, every election cycle, the ACDCC works to support candidates and measures we have endorsed, and our work is independently directed.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hernandez’s campaign situates Miley’s complaint within a broader argument that Wahab’s criticisms of AIPAC’s spending are hypocritical. “Senator Wahab has spent this entire campaign attacking Melissa over who funds her campaign, so let’s talk about who funds Senator Wahab’s campaign,” Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert said at Friday’s event, lambasting her for taking donations from the pharmaceutical and fossil fuel industries. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hernandez’s campaign situates Miley’s complaint within a broader argument that Wahab’s criticisms of AIPAC’s spending are hypocritical. “Senator Wahab has spent this entire campaign attacking Melissa over who funds her campaign, so let’s talk about who funds Senator Wahab’s campaign,” Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert said at Friday’s event, lambasting her for taking donations from the pharmaceutical and fossil fuel industries. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She cashes those checks, she lectures us about corruption,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement Wednesday, Hernandez said: “Our campaign is getting hit by bots too, likely from her wealthy corporate donors. We’re not launching bots. We’re winning votes from voters who are comparing our records.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wahab handily beat Hernandez in the June primary, but outside spending has since poured in, turning up the intensity of the race in its final stretch. \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Groups affiliated with the pro-Israel lobby organization AIPAC have poured millions into attack ads against Wahab, who is campaigning for the vacant East Bay congressional seat formerly held by Eric Swalwell. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085551/aisha-wahab-leading-race-for-swalwells-former-congressional-seat\">State Sen. Aisha Wahab\u003c/a>, D-Hayward, said Wednesday she plans to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over what she called election interference on social media, as groups associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spend millions to crush her bid to replace Eric Swalwell in Congress. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Aug. 18 special election between Wahab and Melissa Hernandez, fellow Democrat and BART board president, has become a priority for pro-Israel interests, with over $5 million in outside money spent on advertisements opposing Wahab and championing Hernandez in the final days of the race, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2026/08/06/aisha-wahab-aipacs-latest-target-01026765\">\u003cem>Politico\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab said the fight has now moved online, where her team alleges social media platforms are being weaponized to spread false information. \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/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12007576\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/EricSwalwellGetty1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, speaks at a press conference on committee assignments for the 118th U.S. Congress at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we are seeing is a surge of suspicious accounts, bot-like activity, and very much coordinated to say the same vile, misleading narratives,” she said at a press conference outside Hayward City Hall on Wednesday. “A lot of these accounts have one friend and three posts that have no connection to the district.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab, the first Muslim woman and Afghan American elected to the state Legislature, is no stranger to hateful comments on her social media posts. But campaign spokesperson Joe Macaluso said her team has noticed a new pattern of defamatory posts. Unlike the fear-mongering Islamaphobic content they’ve come to expect, these make specific false claims, like a reference to Wahab assaulting a former staffer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Outright lies,” Macaluso said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab stopped short of blaming any particular group, but her campaign has collected examples of the comments and is finalizing a request to Meta to analyze the activity, according to Macaluso. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said the team will simultaneously file a complaint with the FEC, asking it to investigate whether the activity is part of an organized, paid effort to influence the election that should have been reported under federal campaign-finance law.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Wahab campaign’s complaint comes as campaign-finance allegations are flying in both directions in the race. Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley earlier this month \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uplzCZUVFri8yw3n51x6Z6CBWrP0Vl_G/view?usp=sharing\">filed a separate FEC complaint\u003c/a> accusing Wahab of receiving an illegal, unreported in-kind contribution after her state Senate campaign gave $60,000 to the Alameda County Democratic Party, which later launched an independent expenditure supporting her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I would consider that money laundering,” Miley said at a press conference put on by the Hernandez campaign Friday. “I must admit I’ve never seen a money trail this brazen…. Our district deserves better leadership.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Wahab called the complaint “a political stunt and transparent retribution…I called attention to failures Miley would rather keep buried: a $12 million settlement over the preventable death of Sophia Mason, state intervention in Alameda County’s child welfare system, an independent audit, and SB 1193 to rein in politicians’ discretionary slush funds.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Db_tvpVmcE9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">statement posted to Instagram\u003c/a>, the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee denied wrongdoing, writing “As is routine for county central committees, every election cycle, the ACDCC works to support candidates and measures we have endorsed, and our work is independently directed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hernandez’s campaign situates Miley’s complaint within a broader argument that Wahab’s criticisms of AIPAC’s spending are hypocritical. “Senator Wahab has spent this entire campaign attacking Melissa over who funds her campaign, so let’s talk about who funds Senator Wahab’s campaign,” Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert said at Friday’s event, lambasting her for taking donations from the pharmaceutical and fossil fuel industries. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She cashes those checks, she lectures us about corruption,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement Wednesday, Hernandez said: “Our campaign is getting hit by bots too, likely from her wealthy corporate donors. We’re not launching bots. We’re winning votes from voters who are comparing our records.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab handily beat Hernandez in the June primary, but outside spending has since poured in, turning up the intensity of the race in its final stretch. \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/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2288364439-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, called for Democratic unity on Wednesday after narrowly defeating the party establishment’s candidate in Michigan and claiming the nomination for one of November’s most important US Senate races. (Jeff Kowalsky / AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That includes $1.2 million from the United Democracy Project, which is backed by AIPAC, and $2.1 million from Bold American Pac, according to \u003cem>Politico\u003c/em>’s reporting. Bold America has received significant financial backing from the United Democracy Project, according to the PAC’s FEC \u003ca href=\"https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?committee_id=C00854299&two_year_transaction_period=2026&data_type=processed\">filings\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wahab’s team is emphasizing AIPAC’s role in the campaign, following the playbook of progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who won the Michigan Senate primary this week in part by criticizing AIPAC’s colossal spending against him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve been attacked before, I’ve been threatened before,” Wahab told supporters. “I didn’t back down then, and I don’t plan to back down now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of the outcome of the Aug. 18 special election, Hernandez and Wahab will face off again in the November contest for the district’s full congressional term.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"order": 8
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},
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"order": 1
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
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"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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