Top Ten Winners & Losers In California Politics For The Week Ending 4/17 - Who Had The Worst Week? Hint: He Wears A Gun On His Hip
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, I tend to find more losers... Just saying.
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. This week, being Spring Break, I have been light on the paywalls (look for this “preview week” to be over come Monday). So at the bottom of this post is our “Worst Week In California” special feature. It's me, in rare form, on video, going on why someone’s week sucked.
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⏱️ 5-minute read
This is where we examine state and local politics (or national issues with a California angle) and highlight individuals (or groups) who have achieved notable success or had a particularly challenging week. I strive to call balls and strikes fairly and objectively, which sometimes makes it difficult to assemble this list.
Top Winners & Losers This Week in California Politics
⬇️ LOSER: ERIC SWALWELL, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Eric Swalwell did not just have a bad week. He had a political wipeout. One minute, he is a sitting member of Congress, and the next, he is running for governor. Next, he is out of the race, out of office, and watching allies sprint for the exits. Endorsements dried up. Support collapsed. Reports of internal chaos and serious allegations of sexual assault turned a shaky campaign into a full-blown implosion. In politics, you can survive a stumble. This was not that. This was a collapse so fast and complete that there is nothing left to rebuild from.
⬆️ WINNER: JAY OBERNOLTE, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Jay Obernolte just scored a significant victory inside the House Republican Conference, winning the election as Chair of the House Republican Policy Committee. That is not a ceremonial title. It puts him in the room where policy direction is shaped, and messaging is coordinated for the entire conference. At a time when California Republicans have limited influence in Washington, Obernolte has carved out a real leadership role. It is a clear step up and a sign his colleagues trust him to help set the agenda.
⬇️ LOSER: JOHN EASTMAN, FORMER CHAPMAN LAW DEAN
No matter where you come down on John Eastman’s role in the 2020 election, the outcome here is objective. With his appeals exhausted, he has now been formally disbarred. That is not a political talking point. It is a career-ending professional sanction. You can believe he was right, wrong, or somewhere in between, but losing your law license is a definitive loss by any standard. In law, there is no penalty higher than a criminal conviction. This is as final as it gets. John is a personal friend of decades who went from lending advice to implementing it himself.
⬇️ LOSER: KAREN BASS, MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, AND HYDEE FELDSTEIN SOTO, LOS ANGELES CITY ATTORNEY
Los Angeles just suffered a massive data breach exposing sensitive LAPD records, including personnel files, internal investigations, and witness information. This failure happened on their watch. The breach originated in the City Attorney’s office, but the responsibility does not stop there. Bass’s name is on the door at City Hall, and this kind of breakdown reflects a broader failure of leadership and oversight. Instead of urgency and accountability, Angelenos got confusion and slow disclosure. Different offices, same result: a basic failure of governance.
⬆️ WINNER: TOM STEYER
With Eric Swalwell's complete collapse, Tom Steyer now has a clearer path forward. He was never that far behind, and as a billionaire willing to self-fund, he is already putting more of his personal fortune into the race. That combination of proximity and financial firepower makes him newly viable. But should Steyer ultimately win, California would be looking at a level of progressive governance that would make even Gavin Newsom’s governorship look tame.
⬇️ BIG LOSER: DAVID SERPA, CANDIDATE FOR STATE TREASURER
Republicans do not need candidates who blur lines with the political fringe, and Serpa keeps doing exactly that. A perennial candidate now running for state treasurer, he has operated in circles overlapping with the Groyper orbit tied to antisemitic rhetoric. When I confronted him at the recent CAGOP convention and gave him a chance to draw a clear line on Nazism, he did not. Instead, he said he believed in “absolute free speech rights.” That is evasion. It is a cautionary warning about this person and those like him. He couldn’t quite use his “free speech rights” to talk about how Hitler was evil. I wrote about the perniciousness of antisemitism spreading on the right.
⬇️ LOSER: TERRA LAWSON-REMER, CHAIR, SAN DIEGO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Terra Lawson-Remer used taxpayer dollars to fund polling that tested how to raise taxes and gauge support for governance changes that could extend her own time in office. Records show her office spent roughly $89,000 on two surveys conducted without approval from the full Board of Supervisors. That alone raises serious questions about oversight. But the larger issue is propriety. Using public funds to test political messaging crosses a line. Taxpayer dollars should not be used to workshop policies that conveniently benefit the politician commissioning the poll.
⬆️ WINNER: ROGER BENITEZ, U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE (RETIRED)
After more than two decades on the federal bench, Judge Roger Benitez retires as one of the most consequential defenders of constitutional rights in California. Known nationally for his fearless rulings striking down overreaching state laws, particularly on the Second Amendment, Benitez consistently put the Constitution ahead of political pressure. His departure marks the end of an era, but his judicial record stands as a lasting blueprint for principled, text-based jurisprudence.
⬇️ LOSER: GAVIN NEWSOM, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA
There are many things that could make this guy a loser, but this entry, in particular, is about how Gavin Newsom’s handling of special elections shows exactly how political his decision-making has become. When Rep. Doug LaMalfa passed away, Newsom delayed calling the special election and setting its dates for as long as possible. But when Eric Swalwell resigned, he called the election within hours and scheduled it as soon as possible. That is not neutrality. That is manipulation. Californians deserve consistent standards, not a governor who adjusts timing based on political advantage.
⬇️ LOSER: LAUSD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The LAUSD Board of Trustees just approved a labor deal that will cost roughly $1.2 billion annually, even as the district faces structural deficits and potential insolvency. Instead of standing up for students and taxpayers, they bowed to union pressure to avert a strike, locking in massive ongoing costs with no credible plan to pay for them. This was not leadership. It was capitulation. And the people who will pay the price are the very families the system is supposed to serve.
THE WORST WEEK IN CALIFORNIA POLITICS AWARD GOES TO…
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As always, ping me with any ideas you have for this column, but I need input by midday each Thursday. All input is treated as anonymous.
Jon