Even in a state that reliably votes blue, a surprising number of Californians want government to do less and tax them less, according to new research that offers a nuanced portrait of the state’s political landscape heading into the November election.
An August report from the Public Policy Institute of California breaks down political and economic attitudes across 46 distinct regions statewide, and one finding stands out: a slim majority of residents say they’d prefer a leaner state government with lower taxes, even as most voters continue to send Democrats to Sacramento election after election.
The timing carries weight. This November, voters will weigh in on five tax-related ballot measures, most notably a proposal to impose a one-time tax on billionaires to help fund healthcare spending.
The same PPIC survey found most Californians view immigration as a net positive for the state and back continued state action on climate change. But on the question of government size, opinion tilts — narrowly — toward less.
“It’s an interesting quirk of the state’s politics given how Democratic the state is,” said Eric McGhee, PPIC’s policy director and a senior fellow at the institute.
The research also points to a geographic realignment in California’s conservative movement. Orange County, long regarded as ground zero for the modern conservative movement both in California and nationally, has ceded that distinction to the far north — a region that occasionally brands itself as the “State of Jefferson.”
“This includes the suburbs northeast of Sacramento, but also the Red Bluff/Redding area — that’s the heartbeat of conservatism in California today,” McGhee said.
Meanwhile, the Bay Area stands apart from the rest of the state, both ideologically and economically. Residents there lean further left than Californians overall and report deeper pessimism about the broader economy. Yet paradoxically, the region appears somewhat insulated from the affordability crunch squeezing much of the state — Bay Area respondents reported the least worry about keeping up with their bills.
Community colleges reverse course on degree bill
California’s community college system is now opposing two bills it once championed — legislation designed to help colleges offer more bachelor’s degrees — after last-minute amendments changed the terms of the deal, according to CalMatters reporting.
For years, community colleges have pushed to expand their authority to grant four-year degrees. The two bills now headed to the governor’s desk would establish new rules for determining which colleges can create bachelor’s programs and how many they’re allowed to offer. Under the proposals, colleges would need to demonstrate strong student completion rates and prove there’s genuine workforce demand in their region before adding a new degree program.
Community college leaders initially supported the legislation, but say the amended bills are now too vague and unwieldy. Their chief complaints: newly imposed caps on the number of degrees a district can offer, and a requirement that districts’ completion rates be measured against the statewide average — a bar some fear they won’t clear.
Hospitals face penalties for busting state spending caps
California hospitals are pushing back against new state rules that would financially penalize them for exceeding spending limits set by the state’s healthcare affordability watchdog, CalMatters reports.
The California Office of Health Care Affordability caps annual spending growth for health providers at 3.5%, an effort to slow the overall rise in healthcare costs statewide. Last week, the office signed off on a penalty structure that could require hospitals, insurers and medical groups to pay up to 125% of whatever amount they spend beyond that cap.
Consumer advocates argue the penalties are a necessary accountability measure, pointing to data showing 38% of Californians reported carrying medical debt in 2024, and that healthcare costs statewide jumped 30% between 2015 and 2020.
Industry leaders counter that the spending targets and penalty structure are overly punitive, warning that squeezing provider budgets could ultimately force cuts to patient services.
CalMatters recognized with national journalism honors
CalMatters took home two first-place awards at the global Online Journalism Awards this year.
Working with co-creators Evident Media and Bellingcat, CalMatters won top honors in the digital video series category for “Agents of Chaos: Tracking Border Patrol Operations Across the US,” with judges highlighting its inventive use of open-source video footage.
The newsroom also earned first place for explanatory reporting by a medium-sized newsroom for “License to Kill,” which judges praised for exposing systemic failures through deeply personal storytelling.
Original source: CalMatters
