Proposed California Initiative Would Pressure State Motion if President Exceeds Two-Time period Restrict
*California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., introduced {that a} new initiative was cleared for circulation on Jan. 5, 2026, permitting the proponent to start accumulating petition signatures.
The measure, formally titled “Requires State Response if President of the US Unlawfully Retains Workplace Past Two-Time period Restrict. Initiative Constitutional Modification,” directs California to take motion if a president stays in workplace after two phrases in violation of the Twenty-Second Modification.
Underneath the initiative, if a courtroom finds a president has unlawfully retained workplace, “The State of California should cease recognizing the person as President; the Lawyer Common should take lawful steps to arrest and prosecute the person; and the Legislature should enact legal guidelines disqualifying the person from future state workplace.”
The Legislative Analyst’s Workplace (LAO) and the Director of Finance Joe Stephenshaw estimate a possible improve in one-time state prices “not more likely to exceed the low hundreds of thousands of {dollars}” for enforcement, in addition to further prices to guard state workers, veterans, and servicemembers who refuse unconstitutional orders.
Proponent Roberto Ramos should collect signatures from 874,641 registered voters — 8% of the whole votes forged for governor within the November 2022 common election — inside 180 days. Petitions should be submitted to county elections officers by July 6, 2026.
The Secretary of State’s monitoring quantity for the measure is 2007, and the Lawyer Common’s is 25-0030A1. Ramos may be reached at 549 Hilltop Terrace, Palmdale, CA 93551, (808) 600-0636, or [email protected].
Pleasure Atkinson, Advocate for Black Ladies in Public Coverage, Remembered
Pleasure Atkinson, a longtime civic chief and advocate for Black ladies in public coverage and political management, has died.
Atkinson served as consulting government director of the Los Angeles African American Ladies’s Public Coverage Institute and was a founding member of the group. She spent many years supporting its management growth packages centered on coverage coaching, civic training, and preparation for public service.
Over a profession spanning greater than 30 years, Atkinson labored to develop alternatives for Black ladies in authorities, advocacy, and neighborhood management. The institute’s packages skilled a whole lot of girls who later pursued roles in public workplace, nonprofit management, and civic engagement.
Earlier in her profession, Atkinson labored for former California Assemblymember Gwen Moore, the place she gained expertise in legislative operations and constituent providers. She later held a number of civic management roles in Los Angeles, together with appointments to metropolis commissions centered on neighborhood empowerment and neighborhood engagement.
Atkinson additionally served as a mentor to ladies pursuing careers in public service. Her affect continues via the people and organizations formed by her work.
Gov. Newsom Points Proclamation Saying June 2 as Major Election Day
California voters will head to the polls on June 2, 2026, after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation final week declaring the date of the state’s subsequent statewide direct main election.
The announcement, launched on Jan. 5, formally units the election in accordance with state regulation and descriptions the places of work that can seem on the poll. The first will decide candidates for California’s prime government, legislative, and congressional races forward of the November common election.
Underneath the proclamation, voters will forged ballots for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, lawyer common, insurance coverage commissioner, and state superintendent of public instruction, in addition to members of the State Board of Equalization from every of the state’s 4 districts.
California’s full congressional delegation will probably be on the first poll, with candidates operating in every of the state’s 52 U.S. Home districts. Legislative races will embody state Senate seats from even-numbered districts and all 80 Meeting seats.
“I, Gavin Newsom, Governor of the State of California, pursuant to California regulation, together with with out limitation, part 12000 of the Elections Code, proclaim and order {that a} Statewide Direct Major Election will probably be held all through this State on Tuesday, the 2nd day of June 2026,” Newsom introduced in an official proclamation.
The first may also embody contests for county, judicial and different places of work as offered by regulation. As well as, voters could also be requested to resolve on proposed constitutional amendments, poll propositions and different questions which are required to be submitted underneath state regulation.
California operates underneath a top-two main system, that means all candidates, no matter occasion affiliation, seem on the identical main poll. The 2 candidates who obtain probably the most votes in every race advance to the final election, even when each belong to the identical political occasion.
California Marks First Anniversary of Devastating Los Angeles Fires
California marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires as state and federal leaders renewed requires continued catastrophe restoration assist and highlighted progress made for the reason that blazes tore via elements of the larger Los Angeles County area.
The fires, fueled by wind gusts of as much as 100 miles per hour, claimed no less than 30 lives, burned greater than 40,000 acres, destroyed over 16,000 constructions, and compelled tens of 1000’s of residents to evacuate. The catastrophe triggered widespread harm to houses, companies, highways, and different important infrastructure throughout the area.
As communities proceed to rebuild, Gov. Gavin Newsom stated the fires underscored the necessity for quicker and extra focused wildfire prevention efforts statewide.
“The Los Angeles fires confirmed us we have to transfer quicker and smarter,” Newsom stated. “We’re streamlining tasks that used to take years, deploying new expertise to focus on our efforts the place they matter most, and investing file funding in prevention. We’re turning arduous classes into concrete motion and delivering outcomes on the bottom.”
On the federal degree, California’s complete congressional delegation used the anniversary to press President Trump for added catastrophe restoration funding. U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff , together with Reps. Ken Calvert (R-CA-41) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), led a bipartisan letter urging the administration to approve overdue federal help wanted for long-term restoration in Los Angeles County.
Whereas lawmakers praised the federal authorities’s preliminary response, together with what they described because the quickest wildfire particles cleanup in U.S. historical past, they stated present funding is just not sufficient to fulfill ongoing wants. The Military Corps of Engineers cleared hazardous particles from greater than 9,000 properties in underneath 30 days and eliminated greater than 2.5 million tons of particles within the first 9 months after the fires.
“Because the restoration course of continues, further federal assist is required, and our complete delegation seems ahead to working cooperatively together with your administration to make sure the communities of Southern California obtain their justifiable share of federal catastrophe help,” the bipartisan lawmakers acknowledged in an open letter to President Donald Trump.
State and native officers have additionally moved to chop purple tape and pace up rebuilding via streamlined allowing and reconstruction insurance policies. Nonetheless, lawmakers harassed that the size of destruction from the Eaton and Palisades fires requires sustained federal involvement, much like assist offered to communities affected by different main disasters nationwide.
As California displays on the anniversary of considered one of its most damaging wildfire occasions, leaders say continued funding and coordination will probably be important to assist affected households and communities absolutely get well and rebuild.
CalPERS Hires Shari Slate as Chief Variety, Fairness, and Inclusion Officer
The California Public Staff’ Retirement System introduced it has employed Shari Slate as its new chief range, fairness, and inclusion officer, including a veteran company government to its management group because the pension system continues efforts to embed DEI throughout its operations.
Slate, a Sacramento-area resident, brings practically twenty years of expertise main range and inclusion methods at main nationwide corporations. She most lately served as senior vice chairman and chief range, fairness, and inclusion officer at CVS Well being, whose companies embody retail pharmacies, pharmacy advantages administration, and Aetna medical insurance.
In her new position, Slate will lead CalPERS’ work to combine range, fairness, and inclusion all through the group and throughout relationships with suppliers, contractors, and funding companions. She’s going to serve on the CalPERS government group and report on to Chief Government Officer Marcie Frost.
“Shari brings the sort of management this second requires, connecting range, inclusion, and fairness to belief, governance, and our core values,” Frost stated. “She’s going to assist CalPERS proceed to steer with our goal, which is to ship the most effective outcomes for the hundreds of thousands of people that rely on us for his or her retirement and well being care advantages.”
Earlier than becoming a member of CVS Well being, Slate was chief inclusion and collaboration officer and senior vice chairman at Cisco Programs Inc., the place she helped launch the Workplace of Inclusion and Collaboration in 2015. Throughout her tenure, Cisco constructed a broad pipeline of numerous expertise and acquired a number of office honors, together with being named No. 1 on Fortune Journal’s “World’s 25 Finest Locations to Work” listing in 2019 and 2020 and incomes spots on Fortune’s 100 Finest Corporations to Work For within the U.S. from 2021 via 2023.
Slate stated CalPERS’ mission drew her to the position.
“CalPERS reveals up for folks at one of the vital moments of their lives, when work ends and belief issues most,” she stated. “I hope to make sure that CalPERS works for all of the folks it was constructed to serve, starting with our folks and increasing to each member who is dependent upon this method.”
A graduate of Mills School, Slate started her profession at Xerox Corp. earlier than changing into one of many youngest range officers at a Fortune 500 firm whereas at Solar Microsystems. She has served on a number of boards and councils, together with the California State College Basis Board of Governors and the World Financial Discussion board’s World Future Council on Systemic Inequalities and Social Cohesion.
CalPERS is the most important defined-benefit public pension system in the US, serving practically 2.4 million retirement members and administering well being advantages for greater than 1.5 million members and their households.
Stockton Impartial Assessment Clears Vice Mayor Jason Lee in Wild ’N Out inquiry; Debate Continues at Metropolis Corridor
A $50,000, taxpayer-funded investigation has cleared Stockton Vice Mayor Jason Lee of any authorized or moral violations tied to a 2025 cease of Wild ’N Out, the rap battle improv TV present, within the metropolis.
The findings haven’t ended the political fallout surrounding the episode.
An impartial assessment by Hanson Bridgette LLP concluded that Lee didn’t abuse his authority, improperly affect metropolis employees, misuse public funds, or maintain a monetary curiosity requiring recusal in reference to the Might 24, 2025, comedy present that includes entertainer Nick Cannon. The agency discovered no violations of state regulation, the town constitution, or municipal ethics guidelines.
The investigation stemmed from allegations raised months after the occasion, when critics accused Lee of utilizing his movie star connections to push metropolis employees to bend established insurance policies. Lee publicly rejected these claims, stating the manufacturing got here to Stockton as a private favor meant to raise the town’s cultural visibility and display that it may appeal to nationally acknowledged leisure.
Regardless of these denials, the problem escalated in December 2025 when Mayor Christina Fugazi moved to broaden the inquiry, together with scrutiny of Lee’s participation in discussions associated to the investigation itself. The Stockton Metropolis Council voted 4–3 to proceed, a choice that underscored deep divisions amongst council members and drew criticism over the associated fee and scope of the probe.
Whereas the report finally cleared Lee, it included language that has stored the controversy alive. Investigators famous that moral expectations for elected officers can lengthen past what the regulation strictly requires, even when a private curiosity seems aligned with the general public good.
“At most, the info mirror a doable lack of information of the necessity to think about moral requirements even when one’s private pursuits are aligned with official duties,” the report acknowledged.
Lee responded, arguing that he had tried to stop taxpayers from spending $50,000 on what he described as an pointless investigation.
Fugazi, nevertheless, has emphasised the report’s moral warning, sustaining that Stockton residents deserve management that exceeds minimal authorized requirements.
The Metropolis Council is scheduled to formally assessment the findings at its Jan. 12 assembly. Though the investigation closed the door on allegations of wrongdoing, it has left open a bigger query for Stockton politics: whether or not public belief is measured solely by authorized compliance, or by the next bar formed by notion, transparency, and accountability.
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