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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 [ mailto:[email protected] ] (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: WAYMO
In San Bruno, police conducting a DUI operation stopped a Waymo vehicle after it made an illegal U-turn [ [link removed] ]—only to discover no driver inside. The bizarre scene highlighted glaring accountability gaps and became a public embarrassment for Waymo, raising serious questions about safety, oversight, and whether the company’s much-touted driverless technology is truly ready for busy California streets.
⬇️ LOSER: INSURANCE COMMISSIONER RICARDO LARA
This week marked nine months [ [link removed] ] since Insurance Commissioner Lara was first pressed to explain his 48 globe-trotting taxpayer-funded trips. In all that time, he has evaded giving straight answers, even as Californians face soaring premiums and shrinking coverage. His silence on the scandal underscores why Lara looks increasingly disconnected, unaccountable, and undeserving of public trust.
⬇️ LOSER: FORMER STATE SENATE PRESIDENT TONI ATKINS
This week, Former State Senate President Toni Atkins conceded defeat by dropping out of the 2026 governor’s race [ [link removed] ] — despite millions in campaign cash and deep legislative connections. Atkins remained stuck in the single digits in polling, unable to carve a compelling lane in a crowded field. Her exit underscores her inability to turn money and resume into real momentum. Time is starting to get short [ [link removed] ] for this clown car fill of candidates to gel.
⬆ WINNER: ASSEMBLYMAN CARL DEMAIO
Assemblyman Carl DeMaio is a clear winner this week for his leadership in spearheading qualification efforts for California’s new Voter ID ballot measure. From his San Diego headquarters, DeMaio is also serving as a key voice in opposing Prop 50, rallying grassroots energy and organizational strength. His on-the-ground presence shows how persistence and clarity can define a statewide reform movement. This video [ [link removed] ] tells you all you need to know about Carl.
⬆ WINNERS: DEATH ROW INMATES
At two gubernatorial candidate forums, Democratic hopefuls largely pledged to uphold Gavin Newsom’s moratorium on executions [ [link removed] ]. Newsom unilaterally imposed the halt in 2019, sparing condemned inmates despite voters twice rejecting repeal of the death penalty at the ballot box. Though he hasn’t broadly commuted death sentences, his moratorium keeps executions off the table—making death row inmates - the undeniable winners of California’s penchant for electing progressive Governors.
⬆ WINNER: ASST. U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL HARMEET DHILLON
Assistant United States Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon scored a major win this week by filing the Department of Justice’s first-ever affirmative civil rights lawsuit advancing Second Amendment rights [ [link removed] ]. By targeting Los Angeles County’s weapon permit delays, Dhillon set a national precedent, positioning the DOJ as an active defender of constitutional freedoms and strengthening her stature within conservative legal circles.
⬇️ LOSER: CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF LABOR
This week, the California Federation of Labor suffered a major setback when a federal judge blocked the “captive audience” law [ [link removed] ] it sponsored, which sought to ban mandatory anti-union meetings. The defeat undermines organized labor’s push to restrict employer speech and represents a sharp rebuke of its agenda. The ruling raises questions about labor’s strategy, political strength, and influence in Sacramento.
⬇️ LOSERS: XIMENA MORENO, ANDREW MENDOZA, AND ANTONIO PEREZ
This week, Ximena Moreno, Andrew Mendoza, and Antonio Perez were indicted in Los Angeles for doxxing a federal ICE agent [ [link removed] ]—publishing his home address, chasing him from work, and livestreaming threats in his own neighborhood. They are the losers for endangering the safety of federal law enforcement officers, crossing far beyond any protest line into criminal behavior. Their reckless actions now carry serious consequences. And you wonder why these agents might want to hide their identities?
⬇️ LOSER: THE CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
CNPA face-planted this week [ [link removed] ] by running a full-page Los Angeles Times open letter urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to place ballot-measure advertising in California papers, touting their readers as decisive for Prop 50. That’s not neutral housekeeping; it’s a solicitation aligning publishers with one side of a campaign while they cover it. The spectacle erodes credibility, blurs watchdog lines, and reinforces perceptions that the press is chasing political cash, not trust.
⬆ WINNER: CA LABOR UNIONS (CLF, TEAMSTERS, SEIU, ET. AL.)
This week, California labor unions including the California Federation of Labor, Teamsters, and SEIU celebrated Gov. Newsom’s signing of AB 288 [ [link removed] ]. The bill shifts oversight of union elections, retaliation disputes, and employer violations from federal to state jurisdiction whenever the NLRB fails to act. It ensures workers retain protections in the face of a less labor-friendly administration in Washington, strengthening union confidence, leverage, and influence in California’s ongoing battles over workplace rights. This bill shows how labor gets what they want as they spent countless millions electing the Governor and Democratic legislators.
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!

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