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Democrats favored in California’s competitive races, new poll finds

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Democrats favored in California’s competitive races, new poll finds


Plus, how California adults and likely voters are feeling about the direction of the country leading up to the November election.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A majority of California voters, including those in competitive districts currently held by a Republican, said they plan to vote for Democratic candidates in a number of federal races this November, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll.

Five months out from the general election, the poll sought to offer a snapshot of how voters are feeling about candidates, a handful of propositions set to be on the ballot, and the direction the Golden State and country is heading towards.

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According to PPIC, over 1,600 Californians were surveyed between May 23 to June 2 for the poll.

How respondents felt about candidates

Democratic candidates for congressional seats maintained a healthy lead in the poll, notably in 10 U.S. House of Representatives districts considered to be competitive this year and in the race to succeed the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

When asked how they would vote if the election for the U.S. House was held today, 62% of likely voters in California indicated they would cast their ballot for a Democrat while 36% said they would support a Republican, according to the poll.

In the state’s most competitive districts, which include several currently held by Republicans, 59% of overall likely voters favored the Democratic candidate and 39% leaned towards the Republican. About 2% of likely voters said they were undecided.

These in-play seats include the 3rd, 9th, 13th, 22nd, 27th, 40th, 41st, 45th, 47th and 49th U.S. House districts in California, according to the Cook Political Report.

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“Democratic candidates lead Republican candidates in local House district races by a 26-point margin and by a 20-point margin across the competitive districts,” said Mark Baldassare, PPIC Statewide Survey director and Miller Chair in Public Policy.

A similar margin exists for top-ticket races, according to the poll. Joe Biden leads Donald Trump as Californians’ presidential pick by a 24-point margin. However, 13% of voters said they would be opting for a third-party candidate.

In the race for U.S. Senate, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff leads former baseball player and Republican Steve Garvey by 25 points (62% to 37%) — an advantage that remains “virtually unchanged” from the April poll, according to PPIC researchers.

Bond, tax-related ballot measures both draw disapproval

Likely voters in this latest PPIC poll seemed inclined to shoot down a couple key statewide ballot measures tied to bonds and taxes.

According to the poll, about 64% of likely voters in the state generally expressed skepticism about whether now is a good time to issue bonds for state programs and infrastructure projects. However, no specific bond proposals have made it onto the ballot yet.

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Meanwhile, majorities of likely voters said they would vote “no” on competing proposals to reform how local taxes and bonds can be passed.

About 63% of likely voters told pollsters they would oppose a citizens initiative to raise the threshold for voters to approve local tax increases to a two-thirds majority, as well as require statewide tax increases to get a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber and get approval from a simple majority of voters.

As for a clashing proposal to replace the two-thirds vote requirement to a 55% majority approval for local tax and bond measures on public infrastructure and affordable housing, the poll said a simple majority (53%) are planning to vote “no.”

However, a majority of voters seemed inclined to approve another quasi-tax-related ballot measure that would require constitutional amendments to pass by a supermajority if they are seeking to increase the number of votes needed to approve a measure to the same threshold.

According to the poll, 58% of likely voters said they would support the proposal to make a supermajority, or two-thirds vote, required for a constitutional amendment proposing a two-thirds vote change for local and state measures.

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How voters feel about the state of California and U.S.

The poll found that a majority of adults and likely voters — 62% and 59%, respectively — said they believed things in California are generally going in the wrong direction, with Republicans and Independent respondents more likely to agree.

Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of both groups expressed pessimism about the country at large, with 75% of adults and 74% of likely voters saying they think it’s headed in the wrong direction. The statement also garnered substantial majorities across political affiliation, the poll found.

Respondents also exhibited a negative outlook on the economy, with a solid majority of both groups saying they believed the state (68% all adults, 64% of likely voters) and country (68% all adults, 64% of likely voters) will endure “bad economic times” in the next year.

One of the major focal points of the economic health of the state touched on by the poll is California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May revision to the state’s budget. After being read a brief description of what it entailed, the poll found varied views on it, but overall respondents appeared to have been supportive.

Overall, a simple majority of both adults and likely voters said they favored the governor’s approach to close a $45 billion-dollar deficit, although registered Democrats were significantly more likely to say they approved than Republicans.

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Responses are also more mixed when it comes to specific provisions of the May revision, the poll found. For instance, 51% of adults and 49% of likely voters said use of $4.2 billion from the state’s reserves to help address the budget shortfall was a “bad idea.”

“Majorities favor the governor’s revised state budget plan, while specific proposals for spending cuts and the use of rainy day funds receive more mixed reviews,” Baldassare said.



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Republican governor candidate Chad Bianco says he’s the ‘antithesis to California state government’

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Republican governor candidate Chad Bianco says he’s the ‘antithesis to California state government’


We are counting down to the California governor’s race. Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, is one of the two biggest names running on the Republican ticket.

In a one-on-one interview with Eyewitness News political reporter Josh Haskell, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, “I am the antithesis to California state government because I am going to take a nuclear bomb into that building and absolutely destroy everything that they do to us behind closed doors.”

Although he’s been elected by the voters twice, Bianco says he’s not a politician — which is why he believes his campaign for California governor is resonating, as reflected in the polls.

“President Trump, in one year, from 2025 when he took over, until now, did absolutely nothing to harm California. What’s harming California is 30 years of Democrat one-party rule that have created an environment here that no one can live in anymore. They’ve only been successful here in California because we vote D no matter what. You vote D or die. I mean, that’s it. Charles Manson would be elected in California if he was the only Democrat on the ballot,” Bianco said.

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Bianco isn’t the only conservative Republican running for governor, and according to polling, he’s neck-and-neck with former Fox News host Steve Hilton.

SEE ALSO: CA governor candidate Steve Hilton says ‘everybody supports’ Trump’s immigration policies

Leading in some polls in the wide-open California Governor’s race as the June primary creeps closer is Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.

“Steve has no chance of winning in November. The Democrats know that I’m going to win in November, and so they have to do everything they can to keep me out of that,” Bianco said.

When asked about the affordability crisis in the state, Bianco said, “Almost the entire issue of affordability in California is because of regulation, excessive regulation imposed by government. Every single regulation can be signed away with the governor’s signature.”

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“It is a drug and alcohol addiction problem that, and a mental health problem,” he said about the homelessness crisis. “Every single bit of money that is going to these nonprofits that say ‘homeless,’ zero money. You’re getting absolutely nothing. I can’t tell you that we would end what we see in the homeless situation within a year, but I guarantee you we would never see it again after two years.”

When challenged on that prediction, pointing to how the state doesn’t have the facilities to treat the number of people living on our streets, Bianco responded, “We have been conditioned to believe that buildings take five years to build. It takes 90 days or less to build a house, but in California, it takes three to five years because the government won’t allow it. The regulations that are destroying this state are going to be removed with me as the governor.”

Bianco also said California jails shouldn’t have to play the role of treatment facilities.

Although he says he supports the Trump administration and wants the president’s endorsement, Bianco has been traveling the state — meeting not just with Republicans, but Democrats and independents as well. He says all of our state government officials have failed.

The primary election is June 2.

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No clear front-runner in race for California governor, new poll shows

A new poll shows there’s still no clear front-runner in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.



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PlayOn Sports fined $1.1 million by California watchdog over student data violations

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PlayOn Sports fined .1 million by California watchdog over student data violations


California’s privacy watchdog has ordered PlayOn Sports to pay a $1.10 million fine and change how it handles consumer data after finding the company’s practices violated state law in ways that affected students and schools in the state.

The California Privacy Protection Agency Board issued the decision following a settlement reached by CalPrivacy’s Enforcement Division.

The decision is the first by the board to address privacy violations involving students and California schools.

Schools across the country use PlayOn Sports’ GoFan platform to sell digital tickets to high school sporting events, theater performances, and homecoming and prom dances, with attendees presenting tickets at the door on their mobile phones.

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Schools also use PlayOn Sports’ platforms for other sports-related activities, including attending games, streaming them online, and looking up statistics about teams and players.

In California, about 1,400 schools contract with PlayOn Sports for these services.

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GoFan is also the official ticketing platform for the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports.

According to the board’s decision, PlayOn Sports used tracking technologies to collect personal information and deliver targeted advertisements to ticketholders and others using its services.

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The company allegedly required Californians to click “agree” to tracking technologies before they could use their tickets or view PlayOn Sports websites, without providing a sufficient opt-out option.

“Students trying to go to prom or a high school football game shouldn’t have to leave their privacy rights at the door,” said Michael Macko, CalPrivacy’s head of enforcement. “You couldn’t attend these events without showing your ticket, and you couldn’t show your ticket without being tracked for advertising. California’s privacy law does not work that way. Businesses must ensure they offer lawful ways for Californians to opt-out, particularly with captive audiences.”

The decision also describes students as a uniquely vulnerable population and warns that targeted advertising systems can subject students to profiling that can follow them for years, expose them to manipulative or harmful content, and develop sensitive inferences about their lives.

Instead of providing its own opt-out method, PlayOn Sports directed students and other users to opt out through the Network Advertising Initiative and the Digital Advertising Alliance, which the decision said violated the company’s responsibility to provide its own way for consumers to opt out. The company also allegedly failed to recognize opt-out preference signals and did not provide Californians with sufficient notice of its privacy practices.

“We are committed to making it as easy as possible for all Californians — from high school students to older adults, and everyone in between — to make the choice of whether they want to be tracked or not,” said Tom Kemp, CalPrivacy’s executive director. “Californians can opt-out with covered businesses, and they can sign up for the newly launched DROP system to request that data brokers delete their personal information.”

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Beyond the $1.10 million fine, the board’s order requires PlayOn Sports to conduct risk assessments, provide disclosures that are easy to read and understand, and implement proper opt-out methods.

The order also requires the company to comply with California’s privacy law prohibiting the selling or sharing of personal information of consumers between 13 and 16 without their affirmative opt-in consent.



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California bill to bar police from taking second job with ICE advances in state Assembly

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California bill to bar police from taking second job with ICE advances in state Assembly


Wednesday, March 4, 2026 4:43AM

CA bill to keep police from moonlighting with ICE advances

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) — A bill that would prevent police officers from moonlighting with federal immigration enforcement agencies, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is advancing through the California State Assembly.

AB 1537 passed the State Assembly’s committee on public safety on Tuesday.

The bill also requires that officers report any offers for secondary employment related to immigration enforcement to their place of work.

Those failing to comply could face decertification as a peace officer in California.

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The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, whose district includes Mar Vista, Ladera Heights, Mid-Wilshire and parts of South Los Angeles.

Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.



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