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California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who made history in 2021 as the first Black person to hold the office, is seeking a second four-year term.

As the incumbent and the only Democrat in the field, she will almost certainly cruise to victory in November. She faces only one serious challenger: Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, a Republican. No Republican has won a statewide race since 2006.

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During her tenure, Weber has faced criticism for California’s slow ballot-counting process — so slow that projected winners of state legislative races are often sworn in before Weber’s office certifies the results. Under state law, county election officials have 30 days to count ballots and conduct audits. Critics, including Wagner, say the time frame undermines voters’ trust in the state’s election integrity. 

In an interview with CalMatters, Weber dismissed the concerns as an issue President Donald Trump drummed up to pick on California. She argued it’s important to count every ballot and that most outcomes are known before she certifies the results anyway. 

“I know the value of being fast for some folks,” she said. “For me, accuracy is far more important.”

Wagner criticized Weber for doing little to lobby state lawmakers to speed up the ballot count. He said he would roll back the practice of sending universal mail-in ballots to every voter, which the state made permanent during the COVID-19 pandemic, though that would require legislative approval. He said he’d also support legislation to move up the deadline to certify election results. 

“Rather than wait 30 days, let’s make these changes that are right now causing people of all parties and no party to question: ‘Geez, is that really a fair election?’” Wagner said.

Weber, a former San Diego assemblymember, was appointed to the position by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 and later won a full term in 2022. The daughter of Arkansas sharecroppers who fled the Jim Crow South, Weber drew on her family history and campaigned on expanding voter access and boosting voter turnout.  

Over the past five years, Weber has overseen the administration of contentious elections that drew the national spotlight, from the recall against Newsom in 2021 to the congressional redistricting fight last November. She said she has focused on expanding voter outreach to rural corners of California and encouraging voter registration on high school and college campuses — something she said she would continue to focus on in her second term if she is reelected. 

Weber has been in court several times defending California election laws. She has sued local governments for violating election law while also defending the state’s election administration against legal challenges from both Democrats and Republicans. She most recently fended off a lawsuit by Trump’s Department of Justice seeking voter registration data in California. 

Weber said she fought to defend Californians’ voting rights. “If we were giving [voter information] away like candy, who would trust us … to protect their records?”

Weber has also faced criticism from advocates who say the state hasn’t done enough to make voting accessible. Disability advocates sued her in 2024 — albeit unsuccessfully — over state election laws that do not allow voters with disabilities to return their ballots electronically. 

Former Assemblymember Don Wagner, a Republican from Irvine, is running for secretary of state. Credit: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

Wagner, the Republican challenger, wants to present an alternative to Weber, even though he acknowledged that a GOP upset would shock even himself. But if he were elected, Wagner, who also served in the state Assembly, said he’d garner enough national attention to use the office as a “bully pulpit” with the Democratic supermajority in the state Legislature. He said he would require voters to display ID while voting, which also would require a new law. A GOP-backed voter ID ballot initiative on Friday qualified for the November ballot.

Wagner argued that the goal is to restore voters’ trust in state elections.

“I am not one of those Republicans who is going to be out there telling you that unless a Republican wins, the election got stolen,” he told CalMatters. “What I am saying is I believe folks on either side of the political aisle and in the middle question the integrity.”

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More than 100 people attended a reopening ceremony celebrating the completion of the $1.3 million repair of the historic Santa Cruz Wharf’s southern end.

A 150-foot section of the wharf partially collapsed on Dec. 23, 2024, after powerful waves battered the Santa Cruz coastline, causing widespread damage.

Fourth District Supervisor Scott Newsome called the reopening significant for the community. 

“This is the official opening of the south end of the wharf,” he said. “It’s a space for residents, visitors and families to come together, enjoy sweeping views of the bay, watch the sea lions and experience what the wharf has to offer.”

Newsome said there are no immediate plans for additional development at the site, but community meetings are expected to begin this summer about the future of the wharf’s southern end, including the possibility of extending it farther.

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Esta traducción fue generada utilizando inteligencia artificial y ha sido revisada por un hablante nativo de español; si bien nos esforzamos por lograr precisión, pueden ocurrir algunos errores de traducción. Para leer el artículo en inglés, haga clic aquí.

El Concejo Municipal de Capitola discutirá un posible cambio de un sistema electoral general a uno por distritos mientras la ciudad enfrenta un posible litigio de un bufete de abogados del sur de California.

Abogados de Shenkman & Hughes, con sede en Malibu, enviaron una carta a funcionarios de la ciudad en marzo, recomendando que inicie voluntariamente el proceso para cambiar a elecciones por distritos antes de la fecha límite del 5 de mayo o enfrente una demanda.

La base de la queja del bufete es que las elecciones generales privan de derechos a las comunidades minoritarias.

En una sesión especial el jueves, los concejales decidirán si aprueban una resolución que declare la intención de la ciudad de comenzar la transición a elecciones por distritos y autorizar un acuerdo con un consultor demógrafo.

Si la resolución se aprueba, la ciudad tendría 90 días para completar el cambio a elecciones por distritos, según un informe del personal. El proceso incluiría dos audiencias públicas antes de que se tracen los mapas, junto con divulgación pública.

El bufete afirma que la forma actual en que los residentes de Capitola eligen a los concejales viola la Ley de Derechos Electorales de California de 2001(CVRA). La ley busca dar a las comunidades minoritarias privadas de derechos más poder de voto en elecciones locales. Casi 229 ciudades en California han cambiado a elecciones por distritos, según un informe de Claremont McKenna College.

El abogado de la ciudad de Capitola, Marc Tran, dijo al concejo la semana pasada que los casos relacionados con la CVRA no requieren que los demandantes prueben si las ciudades con elecciones generales son intencionalmente discriminatorias, lo que hace que este tipo de casos sea difícil de defender.

Shenkman & Hughes tiene un historial de demandar o amenazar con demandar a ciudades y juntas escolares desde 2012, y ha ganado casi todas las demandas que el bufete ha presentado, según un informe del San Francisco Chronicle.

El bufete afirma que el sistema general de Capitola diluye la capacidad de los residentes latinos para elegir a un candidato de su preferencia “o de otro modo influir en el resultado de la elección del concejo municipal.” Los latinos actualmente representan alrededor del 26.5% de la población de casi 10,000 residentes de Capitola, según datos de la Oficina del Censo de Estados Unidos.

Bajo el sistema general de Capitola, los candidatos al concejo municipal pueden postularse para cualquier escaño disponible y representar a la comunidad en general. Todos los votantes eligen quién representa esos escaños. Por ejemplo, en la elección de noviembre de 2024, en la que dos escaños del concejo estaban disponibles, los dos candidatos con más votos fueron declarados ganadores.

En las elecciones por distritos, sin embargo, los concejales representan un vecindario específico, en el que también viven. Los votantes pueden votar solo por los candidatos que representan su distrito. Las ciudades de Santa Cruz y Watsonville usan este modelo para elegir a los concejales. Scotts Valley, al igual que Capitola, tiene elecciones generales.

Shenkman & Hughes usa la elección reciente como ejemplo de cómo la estructura general de Capitola viola la Ley de Derechos Electorales de California.

“Enrique Dolmo Jr. recibió un apoyo significativo de votantes latinos, pero perdió debido a la falta de apoyo de votantes blancos no hispanos,” según la carta de marzo. Dolmo recibió 1,430 votos en la votación del concejo municipal de 2024, más de 1,300 votos detrás del candidato con más votos.

En 2020, la ciudad de Santa Cruz enfrentó una amenaza de demanda similar. Santa Cruz cambió oficialmente a elecciones por distritos después de que los votantes aprobaron la Medida E, una iniciativa que estableció los seis distritos de la ciudad y un alcalde elegido directamente, y realizó su primera elección por distritos durante las primarias de marzo de 2024.

Durante la transición de Santa Cruz fuera de elecciones generales, ex políticos dijeron a Lookout en 2022 que eran escépticos sobre cómo las elecciones por distritos llevarían a una representación diversa en el concejo.

La ciudad de Watsonville enfrentó una demanda en 1989, que llegó hasta el nivel de tribunal federal, y perdió. El tribunal determinó que las elecciones generales de Watsonville diluían el poder de voto de sus residentes latinos, que constituyen la mayoría de su población.

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday weakened a landmark Civil Rights-era law that has increased minority representation in Congress and elsewhere, striking down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana and opening the door for more redistricting across the country that could aid Republican efforts to control the House.

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The new data center proposed for a quiet city about 115 miles east of San Diego came across people’s radars in different ways.

For patrons of the deli on West Aten Road in Imperial, it was the white “Not In My Backyard” signs jutting out of lawns.  

For local irrigation district workers, it was something called an “electric service application.” 

For Margie Padilla, it was a rant on Facebook.

The 43-year-old mom came across a post online while she had a few minutes to scan social media last spring after a day spent tending her garden and taking care of her two boys.

“Somebody was complaining about this center,” Padilla said. “I was like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on here?’” 

What’s going on is the second-largest new data center being considered statewide, which would be less than half a mile from Padilla’s stucco home in the center of Imperial Valley. If finished by 2028, as the developer expects, the at least 950,000-square-foot, two-story data center could be the largest operating statewide, taking up 17 football fields’ worth of land. 

The roughly $10 billion, 330-megawatt data center would require 750,000 gallons of water a day to operate, said developer Sebastian Rucci, who insists electricity and water costs won’t rise due to the data center. 

“We have studies on the air. We have studies on the water. The electricity could be handled,” Rucci said. “We did our homework.” 

The proposed 330-megawatt data center in Imperial is slated to take up 17 football fields of land and needs 750,000 gallons of water a day. Credit: Sebastian Rucci via Inside Climate News

Imperial officials haven’t quelled local concerns, only noting that the project is facing litigation and that the center’s long-term impacts on utilities haven’t been determined. 

On top of the financial burden of maintaining her family’s health, gas and grocery expenses strain Padilla’s budget and she’s worried a new data center will only increase water and power costs. Padilla, who first heard of the data center a year ago, has only grown more concerned and she’s not alone. 

Some residents would see it from their backyards.

“I can only imagine the rates going up once that data center is up and running,” she said, shading her eyes from the beaming sun.

This is one of two dozen data centers expected to open in California in the next few years.

Growing concern and regulatory gaps

A majority of respondents to a nationwide poll by the US Water Alliance share Padilla’s worries, with 54% extremely or very concerned about the effect data centers will have on water quality, water supply and costs in their area. 

In its first question about data centers since the poll began in 2016, two-thirds of voters said it was important for their state to have a plan for the effects of data centers on water in the coming years.

“I suspect that as data centers continue to be part of the broad conversation, then these numbers will probably continue to go up as people are more concerned about the impacts they have on the things that affect them and their communities, like supply, quality and cost,” said Scott Berry, the senior advisor on policy and external affairs at the US Water Alliance, from Water Week in Washington, D.C., this month.

More than 90% of data centers in the U.S. get most of the water they need for cooling from municipal systems, estimated Shaolei Ren, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Riverside. 

During the hottest summer days, a large 100-megawatt facility can use about 1 million gallons of water for evaporative cooling. That amount is the same as about 10,000 people’s daily water use at home, Ren said. 

But those centers require “zero water for many days of the year when it’s cool outside,” he said.

Some data centers are exploring alternatives like treated wastewater or graywater for cooling instead of drinkable water, providing residents and officials with options that could reduce strain on local water supplies.

California doesn’t require artificial intelligence data centers to report water usage, and the state’s Water Resources Control Board does not maintain a specific list of water rights held by data centers. Although residents are working to require more transparency about water use from data centers, recent efforts to require the facilities’ owners to report how much water they use to the state have faltered.

On top of the data center boom in California, the hundreds of water districts, a deepening Southwestern megadrought and the diminishing of the Colorado River increasingly complicate water issues. 

Also, while data centers can take as little as two to three years to build, developing new water sources can take as long as 20 years, said Ren.

Plans for the steep increase in water demand from California data centers inevitably focus on infrastructure, experts said.

“Water is not purely an environmental issue,” Ren noted. “In many places, it is fundamentally an infrastructure challenge.”

Across the country, water infrastructure upgrades are estimated to cost between $10 billion to $58 billion, Ren’s research team found. How many more facilities are built and where will be a big factor in future infrastructure costs.

The amount of electricity a data center uses, to some degree, determines how much heat it produces, and consequently how much cooling it requires and, in turn, how much water it needs.

The Imperial County data center is one of 24 planned for completion across California by 2030, according to the latest information gathered by analysts at Cleanview, a market intelligence platform. 

Based on the about 1.7 GW of electricity the proposed data centers would use, with at least two projects for which there aren’t energy consumption figures, water infrastructure upgrade costs just for the demands of the centers in the state could run from about $200 million to $800 million, Ren said.

“This number assumes that California data centers’ water use intensity is the same as the national average,” he explained.

There is no central permitting authority for data centers in California, and most are overseen by city and county governments, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. Data Center Map shows 286 of the facilities currently operating in California.

While California’s size and tech focus lead some to expect many more data centers here, the cost and availability of power and land, as well as the general tax and regulatory climate, have been hurdles to building them out, according to the Data Center Coalition, which represents big corporations like Amazon, Meta, Google and Microsoft.

Nonetheless, California trails only Virginia and Texas in the number of individual data center locations, but its centers have much lower total new electricity capacity, which may also indicate lower water demand.

A research team at UC Riverside recently found that data centers could collectively require 697 to 1,451 million gallons per day (MGD) of new water capacity nationally through 2030. New York City’s average daily supply is about 1,000 MGD.

Currently, data centers are estimated to use about 39 billion gallons of water nationally each year, Khara Boender, the senior manager for state policy at the Data Center Coalition, said, citing market research from Bluefield. 

“I know when we start to talk about billions of gallons of water in a year, that sounds absolutely crazy,” Boender said. “Looking at how that falls into context with some of these other large water users, I think that that kind of contextualization could be surprising to folks.”

Alfalfa irrigation in California’s Imperial Valley alone uses more than 800 billion gallons a year, an April essay in Outside highlighted. The beverage industry uses 533 billion gallons of water a year and the semiconductor industry uses 59 billion gallons, Boender noted.

But spikes in water needs for data centers can lead to bottlenecks in small community water systems, Ren, at UC Riverside, noted. “Only comparing the annual totals can obscure the real water challenge,” he said.

There is no single fix for the pressure data centers are placing on water supplies across the state, which will be different depending on the location and water systems where each facility is built, said Shivaji Deshmukh, the general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California—the largest supplier of treated water in the U.S. The district serves 19 million people in six California counties.

“Every community — even within our service area — is different in terms of costs, what type of supply they have. Some regions have access to groundwater. Some have access to treated wastewater or recycled water somewhere along the coast,” Deshmukh said.

So industries, most of which require water for cooling, will look to satisfy that thirst from different sources, depending on their location. 

“Imperial Irrigation District is one where I know they’re discussing … installation of data centers in their area,” Deshmukh said.

The Imperial dilemma

The plot of dirt on West Aton Road betrays nothing of the colossal data center that could one day sit on the land. Owner Sebastian Rucci hopes to have the facility up and running by the summer of 2028, he said.

Rucci, who is also a lawyer, has purchased 235 acres for his data center so far. He says the data center will allow Google to train its Gemini artificial intelligence, although Google denies any involvement “in a data center project in Imperial County.”

Before he can begin building on the site, a judge will weigh in on the city of Imperial’s lawsuit against the project, which demands that it clear higher environmental hurdles, including the California Environmental Quality Act — which often draws ire from developers who claim it can needlessly stall proposals. The local water district also has to complete its review of the project.

The site of the proposed data center in Imperial. Credit: Steven Rodas / Inside Climate News

Rucci is determined, though, citing a series of studies conducted by survey and consulting groups, and by the district itself, which manages water and provides power. He posted those reports online to show the data center made sense — in part because water and power could be effectively provided to the data center and the land was permitted for industrial use. 

The debate between supporters and opponents of the facility has escalated, with the next court date set for the end of April.

With that date in mind, Padilla, the Imperial mother, set out to work in her garden on a balmy Thursday morning. 

Donning a green, short-sleeved shirt and flip-flops, she checked on her squash, poked at her cherry tomatoes and dug in her spade to move periwinkle to a better spot for watering. And through it all, she wondered what the thirst of the proposed data center would do to her garden. And her monthly water bill.

Her payment for water, sewer and trash services currently ranges from $90 to $130 a month — more than double what she paid six years ago. 

“I’m also afraid they’re going to put [water] restrictions for us, for the residents,” said Padilla, who estimates her family of four uses about 300 gallons of water a day. “That’s going to be harsh on me, particularly, because of my garden. I grow my own food, my own vegetables.” 

Worries over power and water price surges are misguided, Rucci said. He has been considering power and water needs for the 18 months he has worked on the project, he said, and outlined how it would bring various economic benefits to the region, including about 100 permanent jobs post-construction. 

Still, Padilla is thinking about other things. She says her two sons were anemic when they were younger, requiring them to eat fresh produce to supplement the iron their bodies needed. Even after treating the condition, the Imperial mom keeps her sons’ diet filled with veggies and fruits. She needs her garden for that.

The Imperial Irrigation District declined to be interviewed for this story but, in a written statement, noted that it has yet to receive a formal request for water for the project.

The District, which provides water and power to all of Imperial County as well as parts of Riverside and San Diego counties, did not have specific estimates of how demand from the data center could impact its costs.

“Water was very concerning to us from the beginning,” Rucci said.

He’s spoken with city officials in Imperial and El Centro to arrange a water deal for the facility, he said, and proposed getting 6 million gallons per day of reclaimed water from both cities.

“Our plan was we would do all the municipal upgrades at our cost, and then we would take the excess water and run it clean to the Salton Sea,” he said. 

Those conversations have not paid off, although Rucci said he remains hopeful municipal officials will help him get water for his facility. 

“We first tried to do reclaimed water. I still prefer that but that seems to be taking months and I don’t know if that … will happen,” Rucci said. “Probably we’ll just get it from the [Imperial Irrigation District]” by purchasing it for industrial use.

How the center obtains its water may change as its plans are updated, he added. 

Through it all, he remains confident the data center will be built in Imperial County and be good for the area.

Carolina Paez disagrees.

The 46-year-old mother’s backyard abuts the data center site. She says she’d be able to hit it with a rock from her property. 

Both she and her son have asthma, and she’s worried about the construction dust, potential pollution and noise from the data center. And higher bills.

“I’m not just thinking about the expenses that are going to increase, but also about the things that are going to lose value—for instance, my house,” Paez said in Spanish.

“What am I going to do with this property? Who would even want to live here?”

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This post is updated throughout the day to reflect the latest incidents. It was last updated at 7:31 a.m..

Here’s what’s happening on the roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents

Road incidents as of 7:30 a.m. on April 29

• A hit and run happened at 2420 Highway 1 in Watsonville / Pajaro. A vehicle hit a white truck and a boat trailer, making the trailer turn sideways. The owners of the truck and trailer were possibly fishing and not at the scene. No injuries were reported. The incident was reported today.
   
• A lane on westbound SR-152 at Clifford Drive/Ohlone Parkway in Watsonville and Pajaro is closed for asphalt paving. The closure is expected to last until July 3, ending at 5:59 a.m.
   

Disclosure: Traffic incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

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Contract negotiations in Pajaro Valley Unified School District have intensified as teachers push back against a district proposal to cap health insurance contributions. The district says the cap is needed to address rising health care costs, while teachers argue it could drive staff out of the district.

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Downtown Santa Cruz’s comic hubs are rolling out the red carpet for Saturday’s national Free Comic Book Day, including an appearance by cartoonist Mike Kunkel of “Herobear and the Kid” fame at Atlantis Fantasyworld as it and Comicopolis celebrate the industry’s day in the sun.

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To prevent a potential lawsuit, the Capitola City Council will convene a special session on Thursday night to discuss switching from at-large to district-based elections.

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Joby’s electric air taxi takes Manhattan, a Monterey Bay nonprofit launches a forward-looking job training initiative and the end of the line for a Gateway Plaza coffee spot are all part of Jessica M. Pasko’s weekly look at local business.

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Micha Scott has been named the 2026 Santa Cruz County artist of the year by the county’s arts commission.

Scott is a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher who has performed on stages around the world as a 13-year member of Garth Fagan Dance.

The annual award is presented to local artists for outstanding achievement in the disciplines of performing, visual or literary arts who also have made a substantial contribution to the cultural enrichment of Santa Cruz County.

Since moving from New York to Santa Cruz in 2008, Scott has been involved in the local dance community, with particular focus on being an advocate for Black youth dance.

Since 2011, she has been the artistic director of the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center (TWDCC). In 2021, she also became the executive director, using her roles to highlight the artistic traditions passed on to her by dance pioneer Garth Fagan.

In 2022, Scott started the annual Deep Roots Dance Fest, bringing artists of the African diaspora to perform original contemporary dances rooted in their traditional forms to Santa Cruz stages.

Scott served on the grants panels at Arts Council Santa Cruz County from 2021 to 2025, on the California Arts Council in 2023-24 and recently served as a guest panelist for The Great Cabrillo Arts Design Challenge at Cabrillo College. She has secured more than $120,000 in grants over the past four years to bolster TWDCC’s youth scholarship program.

For information on previous artist of the year winners, visit the Santa Cruz County Parks website.

A profile performance will be held at the Museum of Art & History on June 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission is free, though seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis the night of the event.

Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your news releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.

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Just a few months after California overhauled the way it teaches children to read, a new bill takes on math education — and may be just as controversial.

Senate Bill 1067 would require schools to screen all kindergartners, first- and second-graders for basic math skills, and give them extra help if they’re behind. The idea is to help those children catch up to their peers who might have had much more exposure to math before starting school.

“A student’s early math skills are the most powerful predictor of their later success in school,” said Amy Cooper, a senior advisor at EdVoice, an education nonprofit that’s cosponsoring the bill. “We’re not talking about tracking kids. There’s no labels. It’s just about getting support to students so that they can get up to grade level.” 

California students, in all grade levels, have long struggled in math. Last year, just 37% of students performed at grade level in math, with some groups of students faring far worse. Just 16% of Black 11th-graders, for example, met the state’s grade-level standard. Nationwide, California ranks 43rd in 4th grade math scores, behind Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and dozens of other states. 

One reason for the poor performance, experts say, is California’s uneven early education landscape. Until transitional kindergarten became available to all 4-year-olds last year, children showed up at kindergarten with a wide array of abilities and skills. Some had years of exposure to early math — either at preschool or at home — and could count, do basic arithmetic and even read a little. Others, especially low-income children, had no prior exposure to the ABCs and 123s, and lagged far behind. Even now, TK and kindergarten are optional, so some students start first grade with no previous math instruction at all.

‘Critical tipping point’

Some of those children catch up eventually, but many continue to fall further and further behind, research shows. And because math is sequential, catching up becomes harder over time, and the gap widens. Some researchers found that early math skills can even be a predictor of how well students do in high school and college.

It’s still too early to gauge the impact of transitional kindergarten on students’ long-term math performance, but so far there’s still a gap between children who’ve had exposure to math — either through preschool or at home — and those who haven’t. Low-income children are far less likely to get that early exposure, said Alice Klein, a developmental psychologist and research director at the education research firm WestEd.

“It is a critical tipping point,” Klein said. “Unless those students get intervention, the gap will widen. It’ll be harder for them to access higher-level math classes later on, and this will have implications for future job opportunities and the economic future of California. It’s a continual closing of opportunities.”

Transitional kindergarten teacher Rachelle Bacong leads students during a math lesson at Ira Harbison Elementary School in National City. Credit: Adriana Heldiz / CalMatters Transitional kindergarten teacher Rachelle Bacong leads students during a math lesson at Ira Harbison Elementary School in National City. Credit: Adriana Heldiz / CalMatters

Klein supports the math screening legislation because she said it’s an effective way to identify students who are struggling and provide them with support. At least 20 other states have math screenings and have seen positive results, she said.

“I’m so happy that California is considering passing this bill,” Klein said. “It’s a great start, and could be the next step” in improving math outcomes in California.

Numbers and objects

Districts would have their choice of several screening tests to choose from, each ranging from 10 to 20 minutes long and testing children’s knowledge of basic math concepts. For example, kindergartners might be asked to look at two groups of dots and decide which group has more. Or they’d be asked to identify certain numbers and show that they understand what the numbers mean — that “three” means three objects, for example. English learners would take the test in their native languages. 

The bill is authored by state Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, a Democrat from San Diego, and last week passed unanimously in the Senate education committee. 

Its cosponsor, EdVoice, was behind the push for phonics-based literacy instruction in California public schools. That initiative passed, but only after a long fight with the California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union, and English learner advocates, who argued that it didn’t give teachers enough flexibility and that it wouldn’t be effective for students whose first language isn’t English. The final version of the bill doesn’t require schools to take advantage of state-funded teacher training, but it does require them to use phonics-based classroom materials. 

Too many tests?

There might be a fight over the proposed math testing as well. The California Teachers Association opposes it, as well as California County Superintendents, the Association of California School Administrators and the California Mathematics Council. 

They argue that the screening is unnecessary because the state already has a comprehensive new math framework and has made other big investments in early math. It’ll take time for those investments to show results. Also, the math framework emphasizes critical thinking and real-world math problems, and the screening might be too narrow and not take into account young children’s developmental differences.

They also argue that the testing will be pointless unless the state funds tutoring to help those students who are identified as needing extra help.

Transitional kindergarten students arrange number blocks during class at Ira Harbison Elementary School in National City. Credit: Adriana Heldiz / CalMatters

Nick Johnson, an associate professor of teacher education at San Diego State University, questioned whether schools need yet another standardized test. The federal education policy No Child Left Behind, adopted in the early 2000s, focused heavily on testing, and led to few improvements, he said.

“Since No Child Left Behind testing, we’ve assumed that (standardized testing) will improve student learning,” Johnson said. “But the evidence shows that’s rarely true. Is public education in a better place now than it was 25 years ago?”

Magic of math

Rachelle Bacong has been teaching kindergarten and TK for 30 years in National City, near San Diego. She weaves math into every activity the children do. When she sets up an art project, she asks them how many chairs are at the table and how many scissors they’ll need. When she makes smoothies with them, she asks them how much juice or how many chunks of bananas they should add. When the children wash their hands, she asks them how long they spent at the sink.

They also spend a good portion of their day playing with blocks, tiles and tubes, experimenting with shapes and dimensions. Bacon’s goal is to make math fun and easy to grasp, no matter where the child is developmentally.

“Math crosses all cultures, abilities and backgrounds. It’s accessible to everyone. It’s my job to design the learning environment to make it accessible to everyone,” Bacong said. “That’s what’s so magical about it.”

Transitional kindergarten teacher Rachelle Bacong insider her classroom at Ira Harbison Elementary School in National City. Credit: Adriana Heldiz / CalMatters

She also spends time every day explicitly teaching them math, although in a way that’s blended with play. She’ll teach them songs about numbers, show them how shapes fit together, and gently guide them when a solution might not be clear. Math instruction needs to come from several angles, she said, because children’s cognitive skills develop at such different rates.

She welcomes extra help for children who need it, but she’s skeptical that a test will reflect how individual children process math concepts. She already knows how her students are faring, and she fears that screening results will be used to stigmatize children, teachers or schools. 

“My fear is that it’ll focus on a child’s deficits,” Bacong said. “Math needs to be joyful, fun and developmentally appropriate. We want to set students up for success, so they’ll be prepared for whatever they’re going to be designing or building in the future.”

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Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.

Here is what’s new in local business recently.

New businesses

• INERTIA COMPONENTS was registered at 1334 Brommer St., Suite B6, Santa Cruz, by Zana Fabrication LLC as a limited liability company on April 13.
• VITALITY MEDICINE was registered at 52 Tanglewood Trail, Santa Cruz, by Evelyn Skultety as an individual business on April 13.
• CHARLIS DELIVERY SERVICE was registered at 2 Loma Prieta Ave., Freedom, by Janet Munoz as an individual business on April 14.
• STALLED 2 SALES was registered at 17 Saint Francis Dr., Watsonville, by Pfv Media LLC as a limited liability company on April 14.
• WILLOWPOND WELLNESS PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES was registered at 6530 Highway 9, Felton, by Susan Jane Gulbe Walsh as an individual business on April 15.
• ED’S CONSTRUCTION SERVICES was registered at 55 Miller Rd., Royal Oaks, by Everardo Mendoza as an individual business on April 15.
• FRANKY FIREWOOD SALES was registered at 142 Hall Rd., Watsonville, by Daisy Silva-Saldana as an individual business on April 15.
• SANTA CRUZ TECH CO was registered at 228 Trescony St., Santa Cruz, by Nathan Margolis as an individual business on April 15.
• CreativeMornings Santa Cruz was registered at 165 Spaten Way, Santa Cruz, by Emily Rose Antflick as an individual business on April 16.
• BAYVIEW PET CARE PET SITTING AND DOG WALKING was registered at 250 Southwood Dr., Scotts Valley, by Jake Thull as an individual business on April 16.
• MICHELE CHILDS ENVIRONMENTAL was registered at 15065 Bear Creek Rd., Boulder Creek, by Michele Lyn Childs as an individual business on April 16.
• TOPSIDE SERVICES LLC was registered at 144 Bay St., Santa Cruz, by Topside Services LLC as a limited liability company on April 16.
• CLEANING SOLUTIONS MOPA was registered at 120 Raymond St., Santa Cruz, by Alfredo Moya Fonseca as a co-partnership on April 17.
• GARDENS OF EDEN was registered at 2071 Huntington Dr., Aptos, by Robert William Rule as an individual business on April 17.
• ADAMS SPEECH THERAPY was registered at 332 Linden St., Santa Cruz, by Laura Elliott Adams as an individual business on April 17.
• JULIO’S LANDSCAPING was registered at 1099 38th Ave., Spc #39, Santa Cruz, by Julio Hernandez Torres as an individual business on April 17.
• LOQUAT HEALTH was registered at 2955 Park Ave., Soquel, by Olivia W.r. Baker as an individual business on April 20.
• DEGRANDE MARKETPLACE was registered at 120 Gail Dr., Felton, by Donna Degrande as an individual business on April 20.
• CHRYSALIS BLOOM THERAPY was registered at 684 30th Ave., Santa Cruz, by Jessica Marie Ignacio as an individual business on April 20.
• LONE OAK REAL ESTATE was registered at 501 Soquel Ave., Suite J, Santa Cruz, by The Rezzato Group LLC as a limited liability company on April 21.
• J AND J DESIGN PRINTING was registered at 70 Mariposa Ave., Suite B, Watsonville, by Jesus Duarte Orozco as an individual business on April 21.
• RANCHO CERRITOS MHP was registered at 2121 Kralj Dr., Watsonville, by Jc Rancho LLC on April 21.
• WESTSIDE WINDOWS was registered at 10 Sunlit Lane, Santa Cruz, by Blue Echo, Inc. as a corporation on April 21.
• TRADER KIKI was registered at 16 Crescent Dr., Scotts Valley, by Kacey Lee Lewis as an individual business on April 21.
• CROSSFIT APTOS was registered at 7960 Soquel Dr., D1, Aptos, by Strong Ever After LLC as a limited liability company on April 22.
• LEM O’NADI was registered at 934 Lake Village Dr., Watsonville, by Nadia P. De La Torre as an individual business on April 22.
• 410 EXTRACTS was registered at 236 Encinal St., Santa Cruz, by SC Bloom Network Inc. as a corporation on April 22.
• SMALL TOWN COOKIE CO. was registered at 260 Villa Way, Boulder Creek, by Rebecca Wels as an individual business on April 22.
• THE CAN BUDDY was registered at 207 Spring St., Santa Cruz, by Matthew Peter Stelling as an individual business on April 22.
• HEALTHY ROOTS TREE CARE was registered at 2317 Vine Hill Rd., Santa Cruz, by Josias M. Harder as an individual business on April 22.
• WILLOW WORKS was registered at 5980 Highway 9, Felton, by Mariana Catarina Timmer as an individual business on April 22.
• OCEAN MAHJ was registered at 506 Hampstead Way, Santa Cruz, by Merilee Colle Ferdinand as an individual business on April 22.
• SANTA CRUZ PAINT CO. was registered at 3912 Portola Dr., S1, Santa Cruz, by Artt Paint Supplies LLC as a limited liability company on April 22.
• HARVEY WEST STUDIOS was registered at 119 Coral St., Santa Cruz, by 180 Supportive Housing, LLC as a limited liability company on April 22.
• JOHNNY’S ROAD DAWGS was registered at 1326 El Rancho Dr., Santa Cruz, by John Gambardella as an individual business on April 23.
• XDALLAS DESIGN was registered at 1646 Dolphin Dr., Aptos, by Dallas John Macdonald as an individual business on April 23.
• SWINGLINE TREE SERVICES was registered at 11560 Clear Creek Rd., Brookdale, by Feliciano, Jr., Gerard as an individual business on April 23.
• THE SAWMILL was registered at 15520 Highway 9, Boulder Creek, by Alex Lewis Consulting LLC as a limited liability company on April 23.
• SMARTWIRE was registered at 153 Marine Parade, Santa Cruz, by Robert Brian Hubbard as an individual business on April 24.
• METICULOUS MAID was registered at 14785 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, by Rachael A. Danckert as an individual business on April 24.
• Pantoja’s Junk Hauling & Removal was registered at 737 Glemar St., Watsonville, by Jesus E Pantoja Flores as an individual business on April 24.
• ROOTS BOUTIQUE SALON was registered at 2920 Park Ave., Suite C, Soquel, by Kelli Butcher as an individual business on April 24.
• Taproot Massage and Wellness was registered at 412 Cedar St., Suite A, Santa Cruz, by Julie Gallant as an individual business on April 24.
• KARINA GARCIA CPR TRAINING was registered at 582 Arlene Dr., Watsonville, by Karina Garcia as an individual business on April 24.
• MACKENZIE DONALDSON HAIR was registered at 2920 Park Ave., Suite C, Soquel, by Mackenzie Donaldson as an individual business on April 24.
• MID-COAST CHARTERS was registered at 111 Rogers Ave., Watsonville, by Kavi Treesong-engel as an individual business on April 24.
• On Point Wellness was registered at 879 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, by Jordan Michael Boerner as an individual business on April 25.
• FELTON DONUTS AND PASTRIES was registered at 6259 Graham Hill Rd., Felton, by Veasna Chuop as a business operated by a married couple on April 25.
• LAND AND LEAF ADVISORY, MOUNTAIN FLOWER FARMS, PURE AQUASCAPES was registered at 110 Brookwood Dr., Santa Cruz, by Sgid, Inc. as a corporation on April 25.

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This post is updated throughout the day to reflect the latest incidents. It was last updated at 7:30 a.m..

Here’s what’s happening on the roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents

Road incidents as of 7:30 a.m. on April 28

• A lane on westbound SR-152 at Clifford Drive/Ohlone Parkway in Watsonville and Pajaro is closed for asphalt paving. The closure will last until July 3 at 5:59 a.m.
   

Disclosure: Traffic incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

The post Tuesday morning traffic: Westbound SR-152 lane closed for paving until July 3 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz coffeehouses are expanding into full-service dining, adding chef-driven, all-day menus as high-quality coffee becomes standard and less of a differentiator. While some cafés embrace the shift to stand out and draw customers, others stick with simpler offerings, reflecting a split in how the industry is evolving.

The post In Santa Cruz, cafés evolve into all-day dining spots as coffee culture shifts appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Shakespeare turns to the letters between Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo in “Vincent,” exploring the legendary artist’s life marked by passion, struggle and vision. It is an intimate, solo-actor production anchored by a commanding performance from Charles Pasternak, Jana Marcus writes in her latest theater review, asking us to reconsider not just the artist, but how we choose to see artists at all.

The post Two brothers, one actor: Charles Pasternak shines in Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s ‘Vincent’ appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Gen Z is facing a rise in colorectal cancer, yet many young people with symptoms delay screening out of fear or embarrassment. UC Santa Cruz literature and psychology student Kathleen Whilden wants to end the embarrassment and writes that yes, getting a colonoscopy is uncomfortable, but it’s far less frightening than a late diagnosis. She knows. She has had several colonoscopies and lived to tell about them – she even has some souvenirs. She pushes her peers to lose their fear of potty jokes and get tested.

The post Gen Z, don’t let it scare the crap out of you. Get a colonoscopy. appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for its newsletters.

California is preparing to share with an outside organization detailed information about driver’s license-holders, including immigrants who do not have legal authorization to live in the U.S.

That breaks a promise the state made a decade ago when it began issuing licenses to unauthorized immigrants, advocates say, and it means more than 1 million people could face higher risk of deportation.

But if state officials don’t turn over the data, the Department of Homeland Security could refuse to accept California licenses and IDs at airports, the advocates believe, following a briefing with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month. State authorities confirmed they plan to share the data to comply with the Real ID Act of 2005, which set requirements for accepting state identification in federal facilities like airports.

Representatives from four advocacy groups who participated in the briefing told CalMatters the shared information will show whether a person has a Social Security number, meaning it could be used to identify people in the country without authorization. 

The state plans to provide the information to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a nonprofit organization whose governing board is made up of DMV officials from across the country. 

The information given to the association will go into the group’s State-to-State Verification system and its platform, known as SPEXS, which allows DMVs and contractors that work with them to verify if someone has more than one license issued in their name. Sharing that data allows agencies that issue driver’s licenses to verify that a person doesn’t have duplicate licenses in multiple states.

In the future, an ID database like the one the association maintains could be used to support mobile licenses people can use on their iPhones or online age verification for access to mature content or chatbots.

But advocates fear that federal immigration officials will try to gain bulk access to the data and use the fact that a person doesn’t have a Social Security number as a signal that they’re deportable.

The state received assurances from the association that safeguards will be added to prevent bulk searches for unauthorized immigrant license holders in the database and to prevent access by the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to people who joined the briefing with the DMV and governor’s office. But they remain skeptical.

To carry out the plan to share data with the association the California Legislature will need to approve $55 million to cover the DMV’s costs. It might also need to amend existing law, which states that a Social Security number obtained by the DMV cannot be shared for any other purpose than to address unpaid taxes, parking tickets or child support. 

A spokesperson for the governor’s office declined to confirm details of the call or respond to specific concerns from advocates.

“California continues to lead in supporting immigrant families and protecting personal data from federal overreach,” the spokesperson, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, wrote in an email. “The state has taken the same approach to protect Californians’ data during the Real ID implementation, while maintaining Real ID compliance for the benefit of all Californians.”

Ian Grossman, the chief executive of the DMV administrator association, told CalMatters that participation in the verification system is voluntary and that only authorized state employees or contractors have access to the system, that bulk searches of the system are not currently allowed, and all searches must contain specific information about an individual like their name and date of birth.

Social Security number ‘99999’

For more than a decade, California and 18 other states invited undocumented people to obtain drivers licenses in order to support public safety and the economy. Economists say that such laws improve economic activity, drive billions of dollars in taxes into state coffers, and benefit public safety because people who lack federal authorization to be in the country can feel more comfortable reporting criminal activity.

More than 1 million people have obtained drivers licenses in California under Assembly Bill 60, a law passed in 2013. The law prohibits the state from using information obtained in the licensure process to consider an individual’s citizenship.

But the multistate verification system can reveal whether a person is an undocumented immigrant. According to an association manual obtained by CalMatters, the database will include the last five digits of a person’s Social Security number, and if that person has no Social Security number, the association allows states to use the placeholder “99999.”

Advocates fear that federal immigration officials could gain access to information in the database, including on undocumented Californians, by asking local officials to make requests on their behalf.

That sort of end run would not be without precedent. 

CalMatters reported on instances last year and this year where local law enforcement agencies broke state law and shared information gathered by automated license plate readers with ICE or Border Patrol agents.

The DMV and the governor’s office say the association will notify California of requests from any entity other than a participating state, including attempts to subpoena the database for information about California license holders, providing them with the opportunity to challenge subpoenas or intervene in other requests. But if a subpoena is accompanied by a gag order the association could not deliver any such notification. An agreement between the association and the California DMV obtained by CalMatters states that the association will inform California “if legally permitted” if it receives a subpoena “to release, disclose, discuss, or obtain access to S2S information.”

Hasbrouck believes the DMV and governor’s office “must have known” the reassurances they got from the association were “hollow given the possibility of gag orders.”

He also said that, as a private entity, the association has less protection from court orders or subpoenas than a government agency. Its data sharing is also more easily hidden, since the association is not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests or open meeting laws.

Advocates see ‘a direct betrayal’

Advocates who spoke with CalMatters said sharing the driver’s license information with the association sells out immigrant license holders. The law that created the program prohibits the state from using information the program gathers to determine citizenship. 

“It’s unclear how extreme the danger people are being put into by this decision but there ’s no doubt we told people with AB 60 licenses this would never happen, but it’s happening, and that’s a direct betrayal,” said Tracy Rosenberg, head of advocacy at Oakland Privacy, who was on the call.

Linda Nguy, an associate director at the Western Center on Law and Poverty, compared the disclosure to a move last summer by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy to share data about millions of non-citizens with federal immigration agencies. That was a violation of federal law, department officials concluded, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press.

Pedro Rios, director of the U.S.-Mexico Border Program at the American Friends Service Committee, was not on the call, but echoed Rosenberg and Nguy, calling the data sharing plan “a betrayal of California’s commitment to protect and defend all its residents, especially those who have an AB 60 drivers license.”

Becca Cramer-Mowder, who was on the call representing the Electronic Frontier Foundation, questioned why the governor’s office and DMV are in a rush to comply with the Real ID Act two decades after it passed at a time of increased pressure from the Trump administration.

“It just seems like we’re missing the bigger picture of this moment in time,” she said

The plan to share license information with the database depends on the state budget process because the DMV is requesting $55 million to move the data over to the association’s systems.

At a state Senate budget hearing last month to approve the funding, lawmakers questioned why the state should follow a timeline set by a private organization and share part of Californians’ Social Security numbers. They also asked the DMV to explore the reasoning behind a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma lawmakers in January to block data sharing with the association, in which they argued that sharing personal data collected for driver’s licenses violates state law there. 

DMV director Steve Gordon told them that California unsuccessfully tried to convince the motor vehicle association to consider a unique identifier other than a Social Security number and “anybody who has a Social Security number that’s sharing information of course would have a concern” but told lawmakers “we need to go. We need to go now.”

DMV spokesperson Jaime Garza said that Californians can submit a request to surrender or cancel a driver’s license but that driving without a license is illegal.

Nick Miller, a spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, told CalMatters that lawmakers continue to work on the policy issue. 

“Protecting immigrant communities from the Trump administration’s relentless attacks — and ensuring Californians are empowered and defended — continues to be a top priority for the Speaker,” he said in an email.

Rosenberg with Oakland Privacy suggested that the state might be better off opting out of the Real ID system than sharing information about its license holders, noting that more than 60% of Californians already have passports.

“I just wonder what would happen if the state asked Californians to get a passport in order to fly for a couple of years in order to protect 1 million Californians with AB 60 licenses. Maybe we should give people that opportunity.”

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Downtown Santa Cruz is hosting its annual Kids Day this Saturday, May 2, from noon to 4 p.m. on Cooper Street and on Pacific Avenue between Locust and Church streets. 

The streets will be transformed into a car-free zone filled with free hands-on activities and live entertainment for kids of all ages.

This is the first year that Kids Day is expanding onto Pacific Avenue, creating an additional indoor activity hub in the storefront that was once occupied by Palace Art & Office Supply.

Presented in partnership with Abbott Square and Growing Up In Santa Cruz, the event features activity booths hosted by local organizations, along with performances and demonstrations by Be Natural Music, All About Theatre, International Academy of Dance, Santa Cruz Museum of Discovery, Jewel Box Band and Kirby School.

Downtown businesses including Fusion Fare, Ibiza, Go Ask Alice, Lively Kids, Pacific Wave, The Salty Otter Sports Grill, Palmetto Superfoods, Botanic & Luxe, Mission Hill Coffee & Creamery, Stripe the Store, Artisans & agency, 3D Entrepreneurs Club, Woodstock’s Pizza, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Kianti’s Pizza & Pasta Bar, Comicopolis, Super Silver and Mythic Games. Many of the businesses are offering in-store specials for the event.

For more information, visit the Downtown Association website.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for its newsletters.

Picking the next insurance commissioner could be one of the most important decisions Californians make for their wallets this election year.

They may have seen a big increase in their insurance premiums in the past couple of years. They might know someone whose homeowners policy got canceled. Or perhaps they’re trying to rebuild after last year’s deadly Los Angeles County fires.

ELECTION 2026: Read more local, state and national coverage here from Lookout and our content partners

If you’re not sure what the insurance commissioner does, here’s a rundown: 

• Regulates the nation’s largest property and casualty insurance market, which includes policies for homeowners, businesses, landlords, renters and drivers. 
• Leads the Insurance Department, which reviews and approves premium rate increases. 
• Regulates life, health and workers’ compensation insurance. 

Whoever is elected to succeed Commissioner Ricardo Lara will have a long to-do list. For the past few years, insurance companies have paused writing homeowner policies or reduced their presence in California. That’s starting to change because of industry-friendly regulations Lara put in place, but premiums are still rising and the market cannot be described as healthy yet. 

The L.A.-area fires last year highlighted other problems, such as homeowners dealing with insurers delaying or denying claims, discovering they were underinsured, or finding out there are no standards for smoke-damage claims. Frustrated fire survivors called for Lara to step down.

In a recent poll commissioned by the Insurance Fairness Project, a national insurance information hub, 62% of likely voters said they are very concerned about the cost of home insurance and 43% said they are not confident at all that California’s insurance system can withstand future extreme weather disasters. 

Former insurance commissioner John Garamendi, who held the position two separate times and is now a U.S. congressmember, calls the commissioner job the second-hardest in the state behind the governor. Another former commissioner, Dave Jones, said the next commissioner needs to keep a closer eye on insurance companies and regularly examine their conduct, creating “clear enforcement triggers.” He worked on a blueprint with recommendations galore for Lara’s successor.

About a dozen candidates are officially vying for the position, though not all of them have active campaigns. The two who receive the most votes in June’s primary will move on to the November ballot.

CalMatters interviewed the five candidates who have raised the most money for their campaigns.

All of them are calling for more transparency and accountability from insurance companies within the law that governs insurance in the state, Proposition 103. They want to help reduce fire risk at the individual and community level. Most of them agree California should try to hold the fossil-fuel industry accountable for climate risks that are helping drive up insurance costs.

They want to reduce Californians’ dependence on the FAIR Plan, the insurer that’s mandated to sell fire insurance to those who can’t buy it from individual insurance companies. At the end of 2025, the plan had nearly 650,000 noncommercial dwelling policies, up from about 264,000 in 2022.

Here is how each candidate, in alphabetical order, plans to tackle the challenges.

Ben Allen State Sen. Ben Allen. Credit: California State Senate via CalMatters

Last year’s massive fires in the L.A. area hit the senator’s district. Along with other insurance-related bills, Allen has introduced legislation that would give the commissioner more power to hold insurance companies accountable. After hearing from his constituents about the department’s handling of their problems after the fires, he wants to boost the number of staff handling consumer complaints and create a consumer advocate position in the insurance department, he told CalMatters. 

Allen, a Democrat, would take a more comprehensive approach to risk reduction, including by creating funding sources such as state-backed loans for hardening homes, and by bringing together insurers, builders, local governments, firefighters and the state to work on solutions. As part of reducing risk, he wants to restrict new construction in high-risk zones, saying developers who are building in such areas are “basically freeloading off the rest of us.” He also wants to “carefully and sensitively” find a way to incentivize those already living in risky areas to move elsewhere.

The senator — a lawyer who will be termed out of the Legislature, where he has worked on environmental issues — said his eyes are wide open about how tough the job would be, but believes he has and can create the relationships needed, including with an incoming governor, to address the issues. On the role of intervenors, members of the public who can challenge insurers’ rate reviews, he indicated he needed to look into it further and that they shouldn’t be slowing down rate reviews — adopting a refrain by the current commissioner, who is seeking to reduce intervenors’ power. 

He has received the most endorsements from the who’s-who of state politics, including Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, both U.S. senators from California, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, and more than two dozen state lawmakers. Jones, the former commissioner, also endorsed him.

Steven Bradford Steven Bradford. Credit: California State Senate Archive via CalMatters

The former Southern California senator and assemblymember would establish a public-private partnership that would share risk with insurers to keep them in the state. What that would look like needs more exploration, Bradford told CalMatters. 

The Democrat, a former executive at the utility company Southern California Edison, would invite insurance companies “to the table” when discussing land use and planning, and support a voluntary buyout program to encourage people to move away from high-risk areas. 

He said funding could come from expanding an existing program in the insurance department called the California Organized Investment Network, which is backed by the insurance industry and invests in underserved communities, environmentally friendly and affordable housing projects, and more. Insurers’ investments in the program have grown from tens of millions of dollars to more than $1 billion in 2023, according to the commissioner’s annual report in 2024.

Bradford would push insurers for clear explanations when they raise rates, saying it won’t be easy but that because the state’s insurance market is so big, it “would behoove them to do what they can to be partners with California.”

He is endorsed by U.S. Reps. Adam Gray and Luz Rivas, state Treasurer Fiona Ma and Secretary of State Shirley Weber, plus Teamsters California, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California and other labor groups.

Merritt Farren Merritt Farren. Credit: Merritt Farren for California Insurance Commissioner 2026

The Pacific Palisades home of the former Amazon and Disney executive was destroyed in last year’s fires. He became an intervenor and pushed for more information on State Farm’s request to raise its rates as a result of the fires, which led to his campaign for commissioner.

Farren, a Republican, would create CAL Reinsure so the state could provide a backstop for insurers. The entity would be funded by a fee charged by insurers and would eliminate the need for the FAIR Plan because companies would be more inclined to write policies, he told CalMatters. The authority could issue bonds that could be sold in the commercial market, and would be backed by the state, like municipal bonds. 

He would want to “revamp” regulations that get in the way of allowing new insurance products in the market, saying that he wishes insurers had a premium product that charged customers more but would “pay out immediately on loss without putting them through the drama and trauma they have to go through today.”

Farren said he sees the commissioner’s job as one of consumer advocacy, and invoked his days at Amazon, where he says the motto was to be the most customer-centric company in the world. “You can be a consumer advocate and still appreciate the fact that there will be no insurance for consumers without insurance companies,” he said.

Jane Kim Jane Kim. Credit: Jane Kim for Insurance Commissioner

The lawyer, consumer advocate and former San Francisco supervisor told CalMatters that the commissioner’s office has been “under-leveraged” and has the levers to protect people from the powerful insurance industry. 

Kim, a Democrat and head of the California Working Families Party, has three main proposals around more government involvement, the main one to create “natural disaster insurance for all.” It would be funded by a portion of policyholder premiums that insurance companies would pass along to the state. The state would manage the fund, which would guarantee fire and flood coverage. Insurance companies would continue to provide coverage for other risks. It’s not her idea — New Zealand has the same system, and it allows the country to invest the premiums in preventive measures, she said. Establishing such a system in California could allow the state to invest profit from premiums that would have gone to insurers’ shareholders in its communities instead, she said.

She would establish a public option for auto insurance by expanding eligibility for an existing program that provides low-cost insurance to drivers who make less than $38,000 a year. 

Kim also wants to provide Medicare for kids. She believes California should centralize all insurance authority within the insurance department instead of having managed health care handled by the Managed Health Care Department.

She acknowledges that her biggest ideas are for the long term and will require her to win over naysayers. 

“I’ve heard it — ‘She doesn’t know anything,’ ” Kim said. “We’re all so tired of seeing candidates that don’t have political courage.”

Kim is endorsed by some big names, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont — she was California political director for his presidential campaign in 2020 — Ro Khanna, the Silicon Valley congressmember, and unions such as SEIU California, the California Teachers Association and the UFCW Western States Council.

Patrick Wolff Patrick Wolff. Credit: Patrick Wolff for Insurance Commissioner

The financial analyst, a Democrat who lives in San Francisco and has never held public office, obtained an insurance license ahead of his run for commissioner. Wolff told CalMatters that he has invested his own money in his campaign — $600,000, according to campaign finance records — and simply wants to help fix the problems he sees in the insurance market. “It would be the honor of my lifetime if I can do this job and really do this job well,” he said.

Wolff would create a report card that would grade how insurers handle claims based on existing market conduct annual surveys of insurance companies, which is now anonymized but which he would push to be identifiable. He said that would let  the insurance department help customers decide which insurers to reward or punish for their behavior. 

He would consider allowing auto insurers to use telematics, which companies use in other states to track driver behavior for underwriting purposes. He said it could help for more accurate underwriting and possibly even lower auto insurance premiums, but acknowledged privacy concerns around the technology and said insurance companies should be prohibited from sharing or selling driver information. 

Wolff would roll out a dashboard that would disclose complaints about providers of life insurance. The insurance department is not making that data public, and he doesn’t see why not, he said.

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The post Who wants to be California’s insurance commissioner? Your guide to the candidates appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.