Remember when? A look back at some of the biggest California news stories of 2024
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
2024 IS ALMOST OVER, HERE ARE SOME OF ITS MOST-READ STORIES
As 2024 limps to a finish, and 2025 promises to bring a new year full of upheaval, we thought it would be worthwhile to step back and take a look at some of the year’s most-read stories.
There was that time when Gov. Gavin Newsom recounted demanding to speak to an anonymous Target cashier’s manager after she allegedly blamed a shoplifting on him.
Naturally, there was high readership for a pair of stories we published about what happened overnight in the primary and general elections.
As Republican Steve Garvey and Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee had their final debate before the primary election in March, readers turned out in droves for a fact check on it.
This spring, the minimum wage for fast food restaurant jobs jumped to $20 an hour — though that increase came with a number of exemptions.
California’s budget woes were top of mind for many readers this year, particularly as Newsom unveiled his May Revise budget proposal that left a number of winners and losers.
Then there was the time that Google began experimenting with removing California news links from some searches on its platform, a power play aimed at putting pressure on state lawmakers to kill a bill that would have made the tech giant pay for news that appears on its site.
There was intense reader interest in the U.S. Senate’s vote to confirm President Joe Biden’s pick of Dena Coggins for a federal judgeship in the district that includes Sacramento.
And who could forget the time that the California Secretary of State’s Office accidentally mislabeled a Senate primary candidate’s occupation as “No Ballot Designation,” rather than what Christina Pascucci applied for, which was “Local Television Journalist?” Pascucci went on to get less than 1% of the vote.
Billionaire, and key Trump ally, Elon Musk has identified the California High-Speed Rail Authority as one of his targets for federal defunding, prompting intense reader interest.
Unsurprisingly, there was high reader interest in a story we did about Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz coming to Sacramento.
Newsom’s decision to uproot from his Fair Oaks mansion to a $9.1 million home in Marin County also turned out to be quite a talker.
Trump’s November presidential election victory left many shook, showing even progressive California shifting closer to the center.
Firebrand Assemblymember Bill Essayli, R-Corona, drew intense heat this year, after he labeled a fellow lawmaker as a “pedophile protector” and got booted from the Assembly Judiciary Committee for his trouble — prompting a GOP boycott of that committee’s next hearing.
Finally, while Newsom signed hundreds of bills into law this year, one that really resonated with readers was a law banning grocery stores from offering plastic bags to customers.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“On Wednesday, my car break-in legislation goes into effect. SB 905 ends the absurd loophole requiring proof not just of a break-in but also that all doors were locked. So if you don’t recall locking the door or a visitor who rented a car is no longer here, the case can be lost. No longer.”
- Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, via Bluesky.
Best of The Bee:
California politicians react to President Jimmy Carter’s death: ‘A man of rare character,’ via Jenavieve Hatch.
Will Trump’s proposed tariffs cause gas prices to go up in California? What experts say, via David Lightman.