When California lawmakers passed a set of bills back in September to put on the ballot Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to boost funding for mental health treatment, my colleague Taryn Luna and I had a conversation about the unusual debate we had just witnessed on the Senate floor. I shouldn’t even call it a debate — what we saw from lawmakers who are usually divided along party lines was a chorus of agreement, one of the biggest bipartisan kumbaya moments we’d seen in a while.
Vice President Kamala Harris brought her abortion rights tour to California this week, elevating the issue in a left-leaning state as Democrats nationwide warn that Republicans could enact a federal ban on the procedure if they win Congress and the White House in this year’s elections. Times reporter Mackenzie Mays was on the ground for Harris’ event in San Jose that also included California Sens.