3 Signs of Hope and 3 Questions After California’s Election

While most news sites only focus on the presidential race, we’re not other outlets. Here at the California Future Society, we care one thing and one thing only: our beloved Golden State.

It’s been 9 days since the election. California (somehow) still has nearly 2 million uncounted ballots as of my writing, but we have enough results to take a step back and talk about what this election means for California.

Friends, it’s promising.

I’ll put it in terms my Inland Empire readers will understand. For years, Californians have been sweating through an August heat wave of ‘politics as usual’. The state has been mismanaged, Californians are getting squeezed, and while people are frustrated, politicians haven’t had to pay the price.

This election was like the first cool evening breeze - a moment of relief showing change is possible. It’s only a small shift; California’s political foundations remain intact and, but this election shows that people are ready and willing to push for change.

We now get to see whether these changes are a short-term shift or sign of more change to come.

With that in mind, here are 3 election results that get me excited for California’s future and 3 questions I have for the coming year.

3 Reasons I’m Excited

1. San Francisco Sanity

   The biggest CA story is the fact the San Francisco(!) ousted its most radical leaders in favor of more moderate candidates backed by groups like GrowSF. Voters replaced radical anti-growthers like Dean Preston and Aaron Peskin with forward-thinking optimists like Daniel Lurie and Bilal Mahmood, which shows other city politicians you can win on a common-sense platform.

   Why is this my top takeaway? It shows that there’s an appetite for optimistic, sensible politicians focused on making cities work. San Francisco has been the poster child of dysfunctional California governance, the punching bag for our state’s national critics. If you can run on reform in SF, you can do it anywhere. Californians desperately need pro-growth leadership, and San Francisco could be the ‘canary in the coal mine’ of things to come.

2. Los Angeles Embraces Reform

   While San Francisco grabs all the headlines, things haven’t been better down south. Four LA councilmembers have faced criminal charges in the last four years, and our council president had to resign over racist statements caught on tape.

   This was the year of reform. LA voters approved five unique ballot measures to pass a host of good governance reform: strengthen oversight, permanently fund a city ethics commission for the city and county, require independent redistricting of city council and school board districts, and require more financial disclosures of public officials. The County Board of Supervisors will now get nine supervisors instead of five, something voters have been trying to change for decades. Together, these measures should increase transparency and accountability

   It’s hard to get voters excited about governance reform, but this shows Angelenos want change and are willing to support measures to hold officials accountable.

3. Pro-Housing Progress

   Have I mentioned I love housing? Our voter guide made blocking Prop 33 our top priority, and the people delivered. The measure was deleted by almost 3 million votes. Prop 34, the confusing prop to stop the group behind measures like Prop 33 (more here) also lost.

   There were also YIMBY successes locally. Santa Monica, where I work, elected an unprecedented pro-housing majority of to the city council. This should make it easier to build housing in one of LA’s main job centers that historically has been a difficult place to build.

3 Questions I Have for the Next Year

1. Can Newsom Go National?

   Newsom is already calling a special session to “protect Californian values” from the Trump administration, showing Sacramento will once again embrace the role of resistance HQ. This means CA will be suing the Trump admin and passing progressive laws in protest.

   But at the same time, Newsom knows 2028 is his best shot to be president with Harris losing. He’ll spend the next two years as a counterpoint to Trump, but he’ll need to avoid appearing too 'California-crazy' if he wants to appeal to a national audience in the next primary. I don’t know how he’ll balance that, but he'll have an eye on national dem voters as he makes decisions.

2. How Will Sacramento Treat Tech?

   The relationship between Sacramento and Silicon Valley has become strained after fights over the gig economy and AI policy. Now, Trump’s White House includes JD Vance, a Peter Thiel-backed former VC, and has Elon leading government reform. Trump’s White House offers tech leaders unprecedented access to the halls of power. How will Sacramento respond?

   Newsom has tried to be a moderating force in recent years by vetoing bills that would hurt the state’s autonomous trucking industry and AI development. It could be harder to play that role when major players in tech are openly aligned with the Trump White house.

   Tech is a large and diverse industry, and Elon and Peter Thiel are not the only players who engage in politics. However, I think we will look back on this election as the moment an enduring GOP-Silicon Valley coalition emerged. Knowing California’s leaders, this could mean they become even more antagonistic in their approach.

3. Is Progressive Policing Done?

   The tide of progressive justice reform appears to be receding. Prop 36, which increased the penalties for theft, won by over 40 points, and George Gascón, the “godfather of progressive prosecutors” lost reelection for LA District Attorney in spectacular fashion.

   A decade ago, California needed progressive reforms after decades of mass incarceration and harsh mandatory minimums. But the pendulum had swung too far. You can’t govern when people can rob retail stores without consequence. These measures will hopefully give city leaders the tools they need to push back against organized criminal activity.

   The question is how far will the shift go? Most state leaders have advocated for justice reform, but voters are clear they want to see order.

That’s all I have, thanks for reading! Be sure to subscribe, and send me any questions you want to see answered in future editions.