Top Ten Winners & Losers In California Politics For The Week Ending 5/8 - And We Present The Worst Week In Politics Video…
Every week I'm closely following politics here in the Golden State. This is a weekly feature where we call out ten winners and/or losers. Actually, this week it's an "all losers" edition!
Below is our Top Ten List of Winners and Losers for the Week. This feature is available to all of our subscribers, free and paid. At the bottom of this post is our “Worst Week In California Politics” special feature. It's me, in rare form, on video, going on why someone’s week sucked. It is below the paywall for our paid subscribers, though. Please support my independent calling of balls and strikes, and unlock lots of content by upgrading today! It’s only $7 a month (or $70 for an entire year).
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⏱️ 5-minute read
Top Winners & Losers LAST Week in California Politics
WINNERS AND LOSERS OF THE WEEK (ALL LOSERS EDITION!)
⬇️ LOSER: JUAN P. CERVANTES, HUMBOLDT COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS
Juan P. Cervantes is overseeing the kind of election embarrassment that destroys public confidence in the system. Humboldt County officials somehow “discovered” a locked box filled with unopened ballots months after the election, which is exactly the scenario election administrators are supposed to prevent. Californians are constantly lectured that elections are flawless and beyond criticism, yet every cycle seems to produce another stunning breakdown involving ballots, counting, chain-of-custody issues, or plain incompetence. Election administration is not a casual clerical exercise. It is one of the most important responsibilities in government. Makes you wonder if they are sampling some of Humboldt County’s locally grown weed over there at the Registrar of Voters’ office.
⬇️ LOSERS: CNN AND NBC’S CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE FORMATS
Last week’s CNN and NBC/Telemundo gubernatorial debates failed California voters in opposite ways. Candidates were either cut off so abruptly that serious answers became impossible, or the pendulum swung the other direction, and candidates walked all over each other without being reined in. Some issues that should have been raised never came up at all, while others were handled so superficially that viewers heard almost nothing substantive from the candidates. Voters deserved real debates, not soundbite chaos masquerading as civic engagement (the link is to my rant).
⬇️ LOSER: TONY THURMOND, CALIFORNIA STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
Tony Thurmond’s gubernatorial campaign is rapidly becoming a case study in political irrelevance. The California Teachers Association helped propel him to statewide office, but then completely abandoned him during his run for governor, endorsing Tom Steyer instead. He has raised little money, failed to gain traction, and has been excluded from nearly every major debate because his campaign metrics are so weak. Now Thurmond is trying to generate attention with profanity-laced social media videos dropping F-bombs online. When a statewide candidate starts chasing viral outrage instead of building an actual campaign, it usually means the campaign is already over. This is just such a little man, who has done untold hard to public education at California, by opposing any meaningful reports for better outcomes.
⬇️ LOSERS: LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEES
LAUSD is once again under federal investigation — this time over allegations that teachers accused of sexual misconduct were reassigned instead of fully removed from student-facing environments during investigations. Even if the district and teachers’ union argue that “reassignment” meant administrative leave at home, the optics are devastating. Parents already distrust the district’s leadership and bureaucracy, and stories involving possible failures to protect students are politically radioactive. Another scandal tied to accountability, transparency, and institutional protectionism is the last thing LAUSD needed.
⬇️ LOSER: BAY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
Only in California would unelected air-quality bureaucrats look at sky-high housing costs and decide what homeowners really need is a more expensive water heater mandate. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is pushing rules that could make replacing a broken water heater vastly more expensive, turning a basic household repair into another climate-policy shakedown. Depending on the home, these mandates could mean thousands more in equipment, electrical upgrades, permitting, and installation costs. Families need hot water, not regulatory sermons from agencies that never seem to care what their rules actually cost.
⬇️ LOSER: UNITE HERE LOCAL 11, THE UNION REPRESENTING SOFI STADIUM WORKERS
Unite Here Local 11 is threatening to turn the World Cup into an illegal immigration pressure campaign, demanding that ICE be kept away from SoFi Stadium or workers may strike. That is not worker protection. It is political hostage-taking. The premise is upside down. If someone came to this country in violation of our laws, the problem is not that ICE might be near the World Cup. The problem is that California’s left-wing political class thinks international soccer should become one more sanctuary zone from American law.
⬇️ LOSERS: LOS ANGELES MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Los Angeles is less than two years from hosting the Olympics, and City Hall is still arguing over whether the Los Angeles Police Department will have enough officers and equipment to secure the Games. This is what happens when anti-police politics collide with reality. You cannot posture for years about shrinking law enforcement, then act surprised when the city needs officers, vehicles, and a serious security plan for one of the biggest events on Earth. The world is coming, and Los Angeles looks unprepared, unserious, and trapped by its own ideology.
⬇️ LOSER: CALIFORNIA’S “FIRST PARTNER” JENNIFER SIEBEL NEWSOM
A Politico article last Thursday put fresh attention on Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the privileged political ecosystem surrounding California’s first family. But the real issue goes beyond one flattering national-profile piece. As I wrote last Friday, Siebel Newsom has benefited from a political and media culture that too often treats her as beyond scrutiny while nonprofit fundraising, donor relationships, access, influence, and taxpayer-adjacent political activism swirl around her various projects. California’s ruling class increasingly behaves as though scrutiny itself is unfair whenever it is directed at politically connected progressives.
⬇️ LOSER: THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The California State University Board of Trustees is moving toward reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees that I believe risk cheapening the value of a four-year diploma. CSU officials may call these “streamlined” degrees an innovation and a source of workforce flexibility, but I see something else: lowering the bar while tuition, fees, and administrative costs continue to climb. Californians already question whether higher education delivers value for the money. Handing out watered-down degrees is not likely to restore confidence in the system.
⬇️ LOSERS: MATT MAHAN, XAVIER BECERRA, KATIE PORTER, TOM STEYER, AND ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA
California’s Democratic candidates for governor were asked whether they would keep funding the high-speed rail boondoggle, and none of them were willing to simply say no. That tells voters everything. This “train to nowhere” has become a giant taxpayer-funded giveaway to the unions and contractors building it, while the price tag keeps exploding and actual passenger service remains a fantasy. Credit to Republican candidates Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, who were unequivocal about shutting it down if elected. If you cannot walk away from a failed project this obvious, you are not serious about fixing California. You can watch them all embrace this massive boondoggle yourself…
THE WORST WEEK IN CALIFORNIA POLITICS “AWARD” GOES TO…
Below is my weekly pithy video about the person in California politics who has had the worst week! You do NOT want to miss this rant — seven minutes of pure Jon. Upgrade today!
Who had the worst week in California politics last week? We have a runner-up, and then the “grand prize” winner!
