Top Ten Winners & Losers In California Politics This Week - Starting, Of Course, With Uncouth Katie Porter
Each week we pick ten people or groups that had a particularly good or bad week, and label them winners or losers! This is for the week ending 10/10/25!
Below is our Top Ten List of Winners and Losers for the Week. This feature available to all of our subscribers, free and paid. However, at the bottom of the column, past the firewall is something extra, just for paid subscribers as a thank you!
⏱️ 6 minute read
This is where we look over state and local politics (or national with a California angle), and highlight people (or groups) that have had some solid wins, or who have just had a really rough week. If you want to make your own suggestions for this list — just send in an email (you can just hit reply to any of these e-mails) and suggest away! I promise to keep confidential the people making suggestions! Oh yes, thank you to our thousands of subscribers, and if you know something you think would like this, forward it along! Here we go…
Top Ten Winners & Losers This Week in California Politics
⬇️ LOSER: DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE KATIE PORTER
Former Congresswoman Katie Porter had a rough week—and only herself to blame. During what should have been a routine CBS interview, she melted down when faced with basic, fair questions from reporter Christina Watts, who was simply doing her job. Porter’s defensive outburst revealed a fragile temperament and a candidate seemingly accustomed to the gentle treatment she gets from liberal outlets like MSNBC. Making matters worse, another video surfaced showing Porter dropping an f-bomb on a staffer for walking into a camera shot. For a candidate already battling an image problem, it was a one-two punch of bad optics and worse judgment.
⬆️ WINNER: THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE CA VOTER ID INITIATIVE
Momentum is clearly building behind the campaign to qualify the California Voter ID Initiative. Signature gathering is booming across the state, with both volunteers and paid circulators working full tilt. The campaign has even mailed out mass quantities of hand-addressed envelopes containing petitions—a smart grassroots touch. And here in my own town of Yorba Linda, I’m seeing tables set up at nearly every grocery store. Californians clearly want voter ID on the ballot. You can get involved here.
⬆️ WINNER: SAN JOSE MAYOR MATT MAHAN
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is carving out a rare lane in California politics—an independent-minded Democrat willing to challenge Gavin Newsom from the center. While most big-city mayors echo Sacramento’s progressive orthodoxy, Mahan has dared to question Newsom’s priorities on homelessness, housing, and public safety. Politico even dubbed him Newsom’s “new headache.” By standing up to the far-left machine that dominates state politics, Mahan is emerging as the kind of pragmatic Democrat leader that has become very rare in that party.
⬇️ LOSERS: THE LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL
The Los Angeles City Council just voted to hike trash collection rates by nearly 30 percent over the next two years—another stealth tax to bankroll union pay raises and pet projects. Instead of reining in spending or reforming broken departments, city leaders passed the costs to residents already struggling with housing and inflation. To their credit, Councilmembers Nazarian and Rodriguez voted no, and the criminally indicted Curren Price was absent. Once again, taxpayers are footing the bill for City Hall’s political priorities. This city is so jacked up.
⬇️ LOSER: THE BROADER NO ON 50 EFFORT
Despite some high-profile opposition, including from Arnold Schwarzenegger, the broader “No on 50” campaign remains outgunned. While Charles Munger Jr. has put in roughly $32 million of his own toward a more nonpartisan opposition effort, other GOP fundraising—though exceeding $10 million—hasn’t come close to matching Newsom’s “Yes” juggernaut. Democrat Tom Steyer just pledged his own $12 million yes effort, putting out this bizarre ad. With weeks to go, Washington’s well-funded GOP infrastructure has been conspicuously quiet, leaving us wondering if they are weighing whether their money is better spent trying to stop the California partisan gerrymander, or used to try to pick up competitive seats elsewhere. Nothing would make this conservative who calls balls and strikes happier than to make the No on 50 Campaign winners next week after a massive cash infusion.
⬆️ WINNERS: CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT HOLDERS IN CALIFORNIA
Concealed carry permit holders scored a quiet but significant victory this week as the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a Hawaii case that could strengthen gun rights nationwide. A favorable ruling could also strike down California’s absurd new restriction that bans carrying on publicly accessible private property unless the owner posts a sign allowing it—effectively making self-defense illegal in most public settings. For those who respect both the Constitution and self-defense, relief may finally be on the horizon.
⬇️ LOSER: THE CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
The California Teachers Association managed to turn a sincere effort to confront antisemitism in schools into political mush. Lawmakers had crafted a bill to define and combat antisemitic behavior in classrooms—but after the CTA’s lobbying, it was gutted into feel-good language that accomplishes nothing. The saddest part is watching legitimate organizations that truly oppose antisemitism praise the watered-down bill, afraid to admit they’ve been beaten down by the powerful CTA, which resists any rules of conduct on its members—no matter how heinous the behavior. Once again, union power trumped principle, leaving students unprotected and moral clarity sacrificed to politics.
⬆️ WINNERS: LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WHO FOUND PALISADES ARSONIST
A remarkable coalition of agencies joined forces to track down and arrest Raymond Calixte, the Uber driver accused of deliberately setting the devastating Palisades fire: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Los Angeles Fire Department Arson and Counter-Terrorism Section, Los Angeles Police Department Major Crimes Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Joint Regional Fire Crimes Task Force, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Their teamwork paid off. In a state where bureaucracy so often replaces results, these agencies showed how focused, coordinated law enforcement can deliver accountability.
⬇️ LOSER: SECRETARY OF STATE SHIRLEY WEBER
Shirley Weber’s office botched the voter information guide for Proposition 50—forcing taxpayers to cough up millions for a statewide correction mailing. It’s an embarrassing, expensive blunder that underscores how sloppy Sacramento’s political machine can be when rushing a ballot measure. Weber’s mistake didn’t just waste money—it reminded voters why Prop 50’s hasty rollout was flawed from the start.
⬇️ LOSER: ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB BONTA
Attorney General Rob Bonta’s ethical compass seems to be spinning wildly. The state’s top law enforcer pocketed hefty campaign checks from tribal gaming interests—then conveniently issued a legal opinion banning their competition in the online sports betting space that boosted their profits. It’s the kind of pay-to-play politics Sacramento pretends doesn’t happen, but this time the dots connect too neatly. Californians deserve an attorney general enforcing the law, not auctioning it off.
Now that you see what this column is all about, keep your eyes peeled. If you have someone to suggest to be considered for featuring in this column next week, drop me a note. I will keep confidential the names of those who make the suggestions! Four of the awardees above came from suggestions from subscribers!
Now for our paid subscribers I have a treat below the pay wall. I actually made three more awesome cartoon images that ended up not making the column. But they are great. Mahan on Newsom, a scene in the CTA board room, and I really lampoon the LA City Council. Try a free week of busting through our paywalls below!
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