Top Ten Winners & Losers In California Politics For The Week Ending 4/24 - And Who Had the Worst Week (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, 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. 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
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 assembling this list difficult.
Top Winners & Losers This Week in California Politics
⬇️ LOSERS: ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA AND TONY THURMOND, GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES
Getting left off a high-profile debate stage is not some procedural hiccup; it is a public signal that your campaign is not making the cut. Debates are where candidates prove they belong, draw contrasts, and get seen by voters who are not already paying attention. Missing that stage tells donors, media, and voters the same thing: this is not a top-tier operation. It usually means weak polling, thin momentum, or both, and here it is both. While others are making their case, they are reduced to watching from the sidelines, hoping for relevance to somehow circle back.
⬇️ LOSER: KATIE PORTER, GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE, FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN
Instead of using this stretch to define a forward-looking case for governor, she is tied up responding to a series of resurfaced viral clips that cast her as combative and out of step with a broader electorate. That is forcing her campaign into damage control just as rivals are introducing themselves on their own terms. In a Democratic primary where tone and coalition-building matter, repeatedly explaining past moments is not just a distraction; it reinforces the very image she needs to move past. Hint: When you have to release testimonials from a bunch of current and former staff members defending you, you are off message.
⬇️ LOSER: NEXTSTAR MEDIA GROUP FOR THE GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE FORMAT/QUESTIONS
The debate fell flat largely because of the quick-hit, short-answer format that reduced serious issues to sound bites and prevented any real depth. Candidates cycled through rehearsed lines without being pressed, and there was little sustained back-and-forth to test their ideas. Perhaps more problematic, moderators skipped over major issues a governor will face, including the state’s chronic budget deficits, water supply, homelessness, the insurance crisis, housing costs, and broader economic pressures. The result was a debate that generated heat, but very little clarity for voters.
⬇️ LOSER: ROB BONTA, ATTORNEY GENERAL
Another swing, another miss. The 9th Circuit stepping in to block California’s attempt to regulate federal immigration agents, trying to mandate that they do not wear masks, among other things, is not just a technical loss; it is a fundamental reminder of constitutional limits that should have been obvious from the start. The court made clear that the state cannot dictate how federal operations are conducted, citing the Supremacy Clause to side against California’s position. For Rob Bonta, California’s Attorney General, this kind of Trump Derangement Syndrome-driven lawfare, where you litigate in every instance, even when a first-year law school student could tell you that you are going to lose, is unbecoming of our state’s top law enforcement official.
⬇️ LOSERS: TERRA LAWSON-REMER, PALOMA AGUIRRE, AND MONICA MONTGOMERY STEPPE, SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUPERVISORS
Nothing says “reform” quite like rewriting the rules to benefit yourself. These three self-dealers are advancing a November ballot package dressed up as a good-government cleanup that just happens to include blowing up the existing two-term limit so they can stick around longer. It is the kind of Sacramento-style maneuver voters claim to hate: wrap self-interest in lofty language and hope no one reads the fine print. If your best idea for reform conveniently extends your own political shelf life, voters are right to be skeptical about whose interests are really being served.
⬆️ WINNERS: HOWARD JARVIS TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION AND THE CALIFORNIA BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE
For years, taxpayer groups have mostly played defense, trying to stop the next tax hike or legal workaround. Here, they flipped the script and went on offense, qualifying a major constitutional amendment for the ballot with a strong showing of signatures. That is not just symbolic; it is a demonstration of organization, funding, and grassroots reach. More importantly, it forces the entire political conversation onto their terrain, putting local tax limits directly before voters and daring opponents to defend the status quo.
⬇️ LOSER: BETTY YEE, FORMER STATE CONTROLLER, FORMER GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE
When a campaign never gains traction, the ending is usually quiet, and that is exactly how this played out. Despite statewide name ID and years in office, there was no real polling movement, no fundraising surge, and no sense of momentum at any point. In a crowded Democratic field, that is fatal. Dropping out is the formal step, but in reality, the campaign had effectively ended long before the announcement. The race moved on without her, and voters never really engaged.
⬇️ LOSERS: PASADENA CITY COLLEGE TRUSTEES AND DR. JOSÉ A. GÓMEZ, SUPERINTENDENT/PRESIDENT
Nothing says “academic priorities” like a bureaucracy built around a “Division of Equity,” only to spin up a job explicitly described as an “Undocumented Student Success Specialist.” Not subtle. Not even disguised. This is a taxpayer-funded institution creating a role expressly held by illegal aliens while layering it into an already bloated DEI structure. Instead of focusing on broad student outcomes, leadership is carving out niche positions that double as political messaging. If this is their definition of equity, voters are right to question whether education is still the primary mission. This overt left-wing agenda doesn’t serve the interests of students or a balanced education.
⬇️ LOSER: GAVIN NEWSOM, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA
No one has been a more consistent feature in this column, and this week delivers a two-fer. First, the revelation that his political operation helped drive roughly $1.5 million in book purchases tied to a product he personally profits from raises obvious optics problems about self-dealing. Then comes the report that he has spent roughly one-fifth of the year outside California (to be clear, his OWN book), reinforcing the impression that his focus is on a national campaign rather than governing the state he was elected to run. It is a pattern, not a one-off.
⬇️ LOSER: KAREN BASS, MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES
While Los Angeles struggles with homelessness, public safety concerns, and basic city services, it is rolling out sweeping and costly climate initiatives and positioning itself on the global stage. A city that cannot even fund a full police department that is focused on full “electrification” of city buses… That disconnect is exactly what critics are seizing on. When leadership appears more focused on saving the planet than fixing the city in front of them, voters notice. At a time when core services remain strained and visible problems persist, the optics are not just bad; they reinforce a growing perception of misaligned priorities.
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! And we also hit the “runner-up” as well. Want to see these every week? Upgrade today!
