Top Ten Winners & Losers In California Politics For The Week Ending 4/3 - Who Had The Worst Week?
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. Under the paywall, is our “Worst Week In California” special feature. It's me, in rare form, on video, going on why someone’s week sucked. I recorded this video commentary this morning live from San Francisco Airport, which is appropriate - as you will see when you watch it!
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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: ETHAN AGARWAL, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE (CA-17)
A Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna in the Silicon Valley is now dealing with self-inflicted political damage after admitting he previously “downloaded some porn” tied to a past legal dispute. Looking at porn isn’t illegal — but to a lot of voters, it’s just gross. The disclosure comes in the middle of a competitive race and shifts attention away from policy and toward personal judgment and credibility, handing opponents an easy, ongoing line of attack in a high-profile contest.
⬆️ WINNER: ERIC SWALWELL, CONGRESSMAN AND GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE
Swalwell scored a major institutional endorsement from the California Teachers Association, the state’s most powerful public employee union, giving his campaign a significant boost in resources, credibility, and political muscle. In a crowded field, locking down CTA support is a real strategic win that can shape the dynamics of the race and influence other organized labor groups. It provides fundraising advantages, field operations, and messaging amplification that most candidates can only hope to match. This would be like giving Saruman of Isengard a win for aligning with Sauron — notable and consequential, but still pretty gross. We now know with certainty that a Governor Swalwell will do nothing meaningful to improve public education in the state. But we have to acknowledge his political win.
⬇️ LOSER: MATT MAHAN, SAN JOSE MAYOR AND GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE
Another week of stagnation for a campaign that continues to struggle to gain traction statewide, now compounded by a at the top of the operation. Parting ways with a key strategist is rarely a sign of strength, especially for a candidate already stuck in the low single digits and failing to break through in a crowded field. With time running short and no clear path to momentum, the campaign increasingly looks like it is searching for a reset that may not come. Mahan had the worst week in California politics last week, and is still losing this week. He’s running out of time to turn things around…
⬇️ LOSER: STATE SENATOR AKILAH WEBER PIERSON
A newly introduced bill seeks to carve out a project-specific exemption from California’s landmark environmental law to advance the Midway Rising development in San Diego. The measure would allow a massive redevelopment — including housing and a new arena — to bypass CEQA review entirely, even after courts halted related efforts over inadequate environmental analysis. This is another example of Sacramento picking winners and losers: if you are a politically favored project, the rules can be waived — for everyone else, no such luck. Sigh - CEQA exception for me, but not for thee. Wonder if the developers are signed up for the annual “Speakers Cup” fundraising event. That’s usually how this works.
⬆️ WINNER: DR. STEFAN BEAN, ORANGE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
Conservative Bean secured reelection after a Superior Court judge ruled that his opponent failed to meet basic legal requirements to appear on the ballot, effectively ending the race before it began. With the challenger disqualified, the path to another term is cleared without the cost or uncertainty of a contested campaign. Winning in court rather than at the ballot box is still winning, and this outcome underscores the importance of meeting even the most fundamental candidate filing standards. Conservative Board of Education President Mari Barke had no opponent file at all. And the other conservative incumbent Trustee, Lisa Sparks, has token opposition. The other three incumbents, conservatives all, are not up for election this year.
⬆️ WINNER: BILL ESSAYLI, FIRST ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
Federal prosecutors moved aggressively on a major healthcare fraud scheme, arresting eight individuals tied to an alleged operation that sought more than $50 million in Medicare payouts. The case centers on hospice providers accused of enrolling patients who were not terminally ill, turning a sensitive end-of-life benefit into a revenue stream. The takedown signals a renewed federal enforcement posture and puts a spotlight on systemic vulnerabilities in large public healthcare programs.
⬇️ LOSER: SHERYL DAVIS, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAN FRANCISCO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Federal and local investigators say a once-powerful San Francisco official turned a taxpayer-funded equity program into a personal spending vehicle, with allegations including using public funds for travel, tuition, and self-promotion. Arrested this week on multiple felony charges tied to conflicts of interest and misappropriation, the case lays bare a pattern of self-dealing tied to millions in city spending. What was pitched as social justice programming is now at the center of a major public corruption scandal. What a mess.
⬆️ WINNER: U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is deploying a new generation of AI-powered surveillance towers along the San Diego sector of the U.S.-Mexico border, significantly improving real-time detection and response capabilities. Equipped with advanced sensors, radar, and computer vision, the systems can monitor remote terrain far more efficiently than traditional patrols, identifying and tracking movement across wide areas. As enforcement increasingly shifts toward technology-driven solutions, this rollout marks a meaningful step toward closing coverage gaps and strengthening operational control in one of the nation’s busiest crossing corridors.
⬇️ LOSER: LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY POLLING
A Loyola Marymount University poll of the Los Angeles mayor’s race, released about a week ago, is drawing scrutiny after reporting results that diverge so sharply from every other public survey as to strain basic credibility. The poll showed Mayor Karen Bass’ opponent, Councilwoman Nithya Raman, with a massive lead — a finding that stands in stark contrast to the broader body of available polling. The topline numbers raise serious questions about sample composition, weighting, and question design, and risk distorting rather than informing public understanding.
⬆️ WINNER: NATHAN HOCHMAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges in what prosecutors describe as the largest money-laundering scheme in LAUSD history, involving $22 million in contracts and millions in alleged kickbacks. The case targets a former district employee and an outside vendor accused of a multi-year pay-to-play operation that siphoned taxpayer dollars meant for students. Bringing a major public corruption case like this signals a renewed willingness to aggressively pursue complex financial crimes in public institutions.
If you have a few minutes, just watch District Attorney Hochman lay out the devastating case. LAUSD is just a train wreck.
THE WORST WEEK IN CALIFORNIA POLITICS AWARD GOES TO…
Below the paywall is my weekly pithy video where I talk about the person in California politics who has had the worst week! What? Not a paid subscriber? GOOD NEWS - this week, we are making it available to all! So you know what you are usually missing if you are not yet a paid subscriber!
