NOW: Democratic California leaders including Gov. @GavinNewsom, former House Speaker @SpeakerPelosi @TeamPelosi , @CA_Dem Party Chair @rustyhicks, Rep. @ZoeLofgren, @Scott_Wiener, @conniechansf, CA Lt. Gov. (and candidate for CA treasurer) @EleniForCA, CA Controller @MaliaCohen, and @ilike_mike are holding a “take it back” rally in San Francisco urging Californians to help Democrats take back the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. They are also speaking out against Prop 39 - the ballot measure to require voter ID in California. Pelosi called the ballot measure an attack on democracy.

It’s not even Thanksgiving (and not even Halloween) yet … but Christmas has officially arrived at the California State Capitol!🎄🌲Kind of… The Capitol’s official Christmas tree rolled in today and will soon be decked out with 200 ornaments made by children and adults with developmental disabilities and 10,000 LED lights. ❤️ You can find it on the west side of the Capitol. Come check it out! Now, the real question: Is it too soon to wish you a Merry Christmas? 🎄😂

California Attorney General Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) weighs in after the DOJ announced charges against 28 noncitizens accused of illegally registering to vote in U.S. elections. "28 out of 23 million registered voters in California is just a drop in the bucket numerically. It's 0.0001% of all of the registered voters and it makes the point there is no widespread voter fraud and that there is, at times, isolated one-off examples of voter fraud," said Bonta. See Bonta's full remarks on the matter below:

California Attorney General Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) weighs in after the DOJ announced charges against 28 noncitizens accused of illegally registering to vote in U.S. elections. "28 out of 23 million registered voters in California is just a drop in the bucket numerically. It's .0001% of all of the registered voters and it makes the point there is no widespread voter fraud and that there is, at times, isolated one-off examples of voter fraud," said Bonta. See Bonta's full remarks on the matter below:

The U.S. Dept. of Justice and Trump Admin announced charges this morning against 28 green-card holders in California (11 of them were arrested this morning) accused of fraudulently registering to vote, with many casting illegal ballots. All 28 are lawful permanent residents, not U.S. citizens. “Today’s arrests are part of ‘Operation Protect the Vote’ – a coordinated effort among all four California-based United States Attorney’s Offices to combat and root out fraud in U.S. elections and protect electoral integrity,” per the U.S. DOJ.

I want to be clear: I would have preferred not to make this video. I am sharing it to explain my upcoming coverage of the race for California state controller, including my efforts to interview incumbent Malia Cohen (D-CA) and why my candidate interview coverage of this office will feature only her challenger, Herb Morgan (R-CA). I would have preferred to produce a piece giving both candidates equal time. Those are journalistic values that guide me every day. After weeks of outreach and back-and-forth with Cohen’s team, a Zoom interview was scheduled, then abruptly canceled by her team. I was told she had no availability to reschedule before the election. Her team said I could submit written questions for Cohen to answer in writing. I respectfully declined because I wanted voters to hear directly from her on camera, with the opportunity for follow-up questions. I told her team multiple times I wanted to ensure voters heard her side, her priorities, and answer why she deserves a second term in office. I made every effort to make that happen. Fairness is always my priority. My goal was to give both candidates the same opportunity to discuss their records, answer meaningful and tough questions, and speak directly to voters. I regret that I could not make that happen, but voters deserve transparency about the process.

ELECTION 2026: California Gov. @GavinNewsom is heading to New Hampshire this weekend to campaign for Democrats. In Nashua, Exeter, Concord, and Manchester, he'll campaign and raise money alongside Democrats running for governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, and the state legislature. Among those he’ll campaign for: U.S. Senate candidate @ChrisPappasNH (D-NH).

California High-Speed Rail Board Chair Stephen Kawa spoke with reporters after the board returned from closed session. In a 7-2 vote, the board limited CEO Ian Choudri’s authority over contracts valued at less than $25 million. I asked Kawa if the board / @CaHSRA plans to recoup any of the funds at the center of the controversy involving nearly $600,000 in questionable travel expense reimbursements for four contractors working on the California High-Speed Rail project.. "If there was any dollar that was inappropriately reimbursed to any consultant that should not have been reimbursed, that should be immediately returned to the people of California," said Kawa. Full Q & A below:

As promised in the below thread, I am posting the full prepared remarks from CA High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri from today's @CaHSRA High-Speed Rail Board meeting. While Choudri did not take questions from reporters, I am sharing his full remarks to ensure fair coverage that includes his prepared response to the Inspector General’s report. "We remain committed and we take full responsibility and accountability to fix if there was something broken in the system," said Choudri. He said the Authority will implement stronger controls on expense report approval, including expense report training for certain managers. Full remarks below:

California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri just walked away from reporters (me, @ZavalaA, @juliewattsTV and @JeannieNguyenTV) and did not answer any questions following the special High-Speed Rail board board meeting addressing nearly $600,000 the CA High-Speed Rail Authority approved in taxpayer-funded contractor expenses deemed unallowable by the state inspector general. The expenses included first-class airfare, a cigar lounge, an escape room, and a nightclub, among other things. *In fairness to Mr. Choudri, I should not he made remarks during the meeting, itself. I plan to provide that in a post when possible. Raw footage:

High-Speed Rail Board Member Henry Perea calls for the termination of the four contractors at the center of the high-speed rail spending controversy. The Inspector General report found the High-Speed Rail Authority approved more than $500,000 of questionable travel expenses for KPMG, SYSTRA/TYPSA Joint Venture, legal services contractor Nossaman LLP, and program delivery support contractor AECOM-Fluor Joint Venture for things like first-class airfare, a cigar lounge, an escape room, and a nightclub. Perea and other board members note the contractors breached their contracts and should have never submitted the expense reports in the first place.

The California High-Speed Rail Board is meeting now to discuss an inspector general report that found the Authority approved more than $500K in taxpayer funds for questionable contractor travel expenses, including first-class airfare, a cigar lounge, an escape room, and a nightclub. Unclear what action, if any, the board will take. I am following the meeting and will report the outcome.