California Republican lawmaker slams Latino Caucus over apparent exclusion of GOP colleague
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GOP LAWMAKER SLAMS LATINO CAUCUS FOR BLOCKING REPUBLICAN MEMBER
Second verse, same as the first.
Once again, the California Legislative Latino Caucus is drawing heat from the right for apparently precluding Republican lawmakers from joining.
When in 2022 the Legislature added four Latino GOP office-holders to the roster, Republicans criticized the caucus when it declined to let them join.
Now, in 2024, it’s likely Assemblyman-elect Jeff Gonzalez, R-Indio, whom Republicans say is barred from the caucus.
As of Monday afternoon, Gonzalez had received 51.6% of the vote in Assembly District 36, while Democrat Joey Acuña Jr. had 48.4%. The seat is currently held by Democratic Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia.
On X, Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, called Gonzalez “an incredible candidate.”
“He has a strong message, an amazing record of service to our country, and a passion for his community,” Gallagher wrote.
Republican staffer George Andrews noted on Bluesky that if Gonzalez wins the seat, it will be the first Democrat-to-Republican legislative seat flip in presidential election year since 1992.
Assemblyman Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin, in a post on X criticized the caucus for preemptively barring Gonzalez from joining.
“Democrats will not allow Jeff (a Marine Corps veteran) to join the Latino Caucus despite being Latino and representing a Latino district. It’s sad that the caucuses have become tools of the majority party to simply defeat Republicans, rather than advance policies to improve lives,” Patterson wrote.
Reached for comment, Caucus Chair Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, said in an email statement that the caucus “per our bylaws and since its inception over 50 years ago has always been Democratic.”
“Republican Latinos can and have created their own caucus, in the past,” she said.
Lena Gonzalez called on the media to ask her GOP colleagues “as to why they have refused to create their own Latino Caucus.”
“This type of media sensationalism detracts from the real issues that our Latino communities are facing daily in California and beyond: inflation, immigration, housing insecurity and more,” she said.
The senator added that the Legislative Latino Caucus will not compromise on its core values, including fighting mass deportation, “nor will we stand by idly while our communities have been discriminated against and threatened, by Donald Trump.”
OC COURT HANDS SETBACK TO STATE EFFORTS TO CHALLENGE LOCAL VOTER ID LAW
An Orange County Superior Court judge last week ruled that it is too early for California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office to bring a legal challenge to the Huntington Beach law requiring that people present an ID before voting in local elections.
“The Court finds that this matter is not ripe for adjudication,” according to the ruling handed down by Judge Nico Dourbetas.
In a statement released over the weekend, Bonta said that the law, including the recently passed SB 1174, by Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, as well as prior law prohibits municipal governments from disenfranchising voters at the polls by requiring an ID.
“Let me be clear: that has not changed. We disagree with the court’s decision that it is too early to bring our lawsuit, and remain confident in the strength of our case,” Bonta said.
Critics of voter ID laws liken the measure to the “poll tax” used by Jim Crow-era governments in the South to bar Black people from voting. A government ID costs money to acquire and requires a fixed permanent address, which precludes many unhoused people.
Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, in a statement last week, said that the ruling marked “a great day for our city.”
“We have not only successfully defended our city’s voter ID law, but also the rights of our residents from attacks by Governor (Gavin) Newsom and the state. We will not back down and will continue to fight for the city,” she said.
The court gave the state 20 days to file an amended motion in the case.
CALIFORNIA VOTER TURNOUT PLUMMETED THIS YEAR
Despite the cry from both parties that the November 2024 general election was “the most important election in our lifetime,” it turns out it just wasn’t that important to many Californians.
The nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California looked at the state turnout for the election and found that the results were underwhelming.
“Based on the most recent estimate, a little over 16 million Californians voted in the 2024 election. If this number holds, it would mark a significant decline in turnout: roughly 1.7 million fewer ballots than 2020, despite 550,000 more registered voters and 1.8 million more eligible residents,” wrote PPIC’s Mark McGhee in a Monday blog post.
“As a share of eligible residents, it would be the largest decline in any presidential election in the last 50 years (-11.3%) — and it would easily outpace the best estimates for this year’s nationwide decline in turnout (-2.9%),” McGhee wrote.
As always, the caveat holds that not every vote has been counted yet. More than 780,000 California ballots remain to be counted, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office.
But McGhee wrote that this information can be informative, because it suggests better voter engagement is possible.
“Many of those who stayed home this year might have voted in a different environment, since so many of them did so four years ago. Understanding all the factors that contributed to the decline in turnout will be an important topic moving forward,” he wrote.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I call on Newsom and Bonta to stop their politically motivated posturing over the President elect, end the hypocrisy, and start thinking about how to responsibly address the critical damage being inflicted on all Californians as a result of their progressive policies. Housing affordability, infrastructure development, public safety, and the rising cost of living require immediate and thoughtful attention. Californians deserve leadership that puts people over politics and collaborates with local governments to create policies that work for everyone. Many Californians simply can’t afford to live here anymore.”
- Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, in an op-ed criticizing the governor for calling a special session to “Trump-proof” the state.
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New report blasts UC Davis’ response to antisemitism on campus; gives university failing grade, via Darrell Smith.
California’s biggest loser this election? LA nonprofit admits double defeat on ballot props, via Nicole Nixon.
This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 4:55 AM.