Harris and Trump debate lots of issues — but not California
People watch the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Hamala Harris at the KQED headquarters in San Francisco on Sept. 10, 2024. Photo by Florence Middleton, CalMatters
From CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu:
In the first — and perhaps only — presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump Tuesday night in Philadelphia, the duo tussled over abortion rights, health care, border security, international relations and more for 90 minutes.
They managed to not mention California even once.
The Golden State — and all that conservatives have been blaming the state for — were notably absent, which surprised some political experts.
“Trump’s message has been to attack Harris for being a liberal Californian,” said Christian Grose, political science professor at the University of Southern California. “Trump missed an opportunity to tag Harris as someone from California out of step with the independent voters of swing states.”
Republicans — who have railed against deep-blue California for decades — have been attacking Harris’ Oakland roots and political career in the state, trying to define her as too radical for America. That brand, some political experts say, is partly why no California Democrat has ever become president.
But Harris came the closest to mentioning her own California record. “I am the only person on this stage who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations for the trafficking of guns, drugs and human beings,” she said, referring to her time as California attorney general.
Throughout the debate, Trump instead repeated unsubstantiated claims on undocumented immigrants and exaggerated statistics on inflation and the death toll during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He insisted he had won the 2020 election, even though there is no evidence of fraud to support his claim. He repeatedly attacked Harris as “the worst vice president” in American history, and doubled down on his July comment that Harris had “turned Black.”
Harris spent the night drawing the contrast between her and Trump, urging Americans to move beyond bickering and “name-calling” and discuss tangible policies.
“We see in each other a friend. We see in each other a neighbor,” she said. “We don’t want a leader who’s constantly trying to have Americans point their fingers at each other.”
Grose: “She wanted to appear presidential to a national audience — and the lack of discussion of California and her older positions here helped her.”
More on Harris: CalMatters has several pieces on Harris’ record, including her career as a prosecutor, her fundraising ties to the state, her stance on abortion and the ways California has shaped her political career. We also took a deep dive comparing Harris and Trump on health care for Californians.
Newsom back on the trail: Gov. Gavin Newsom returned to the presidential campaign fray, appearing on cable news just before the debate and showing up in the post-debate spin room. Earlier Tuesday, he visited Harris-Walz headquarters in Philadelphia and contrasted Harris and Trump on CBS. Newsom was among President Joe Biden’s most enthusiastic supporters earlier this summer, but pulled back from the trail after Biden withdrew in late July. Newsom only made brief remarks on Harris’ behalf at the Democratic convention last month.
Bad math: An item in Tuesday’s WhatMatters cited the wrong year’s homeless count. California’s tally was 172,000 in 2022 and 181,000 in 2023.
Voter education: CalMatters is hosting a series of public events to inform voters. The first one is Thursday in Eureka, co-hosted by Lost Coast Outpost. There’s more information here.
CalMatters events: The next one is at noon Thursday, moderated by CalMatters’ Rachel Becker on the battle over California’s groundwater. Register here to attend virtually.
Other Stories You Should Know
Garvey goes all in on Latino voters
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Garvey walks on stage during his election night party in Palm Desert on March 5, 2024. Photo by Gregory Bull, AP Photo
On the same day that the state’s largest newspaper again endorsed Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff for U.S. Senate, Republican Steve Garvey declared Tuesday that he’s focusing on Latino voters to try to pull off a long-shot victory in November.
What his campaign calls an unprecedented “all-in Latino community strategy” kicked off with digital and radio ads on 40 Spanish-language stations. The radio ad focuses on the cost of living, crime and taxes. TV ads will start later this month, along with 8 million pieces of mail, and the effort will total at least $5 million, his campaign says.
Campaign spokesperson Matt Shupe, in a statement: “Steve Garvey has spent over 50 years building a relationship with California’s Latino community, from his days playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres to today. … Representing the Latino community in the U.S. Senate is his priority.”
Garvey is trying to capitalize on a largely untapped voting bloc in California. Latinos are the least likely to vote, though they represent the single largest racial and ethnic group statewide.
But he still faces an uphill climb: He’s 20 percentage points down to Schiff among likely voters in the latest polling, and no Republican has won statewide in California since 2006.
Special session: The pushback to Gov. Newsom’s bill to stop gas price spikes is coming from out of state and a fellow Democrat, as well as from Republicans and the oil industry in California. On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs of Arizona and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo of Nevada sent Newsom a joint letter expressing concern that the proposed requirements on oil refineries to keep reserves would raise gas prices for their residents and calling for “bipartisan, regional communication on this legislation before proceeding.”
Newsom’s office responded by saying that its proposal will save consumers in Arizona and Nevada, as well as California, hundreds of millions of dollars.
Also Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas announced his chamber’s schedule to consider the legislation: informational hearings on Sept. 18 and 19, a bill hearing on Sept. 26 and a floor session on Oct. 1.
CA ballot props: CalMatters politics intern Jenna Peterson and engagement manager Anna Almendrala produced a TikTok and an Instagram reel on Proposition 33 on local rent control. We also have a TikTok and an Instagram reel on Prop. 3 on same-sex marriage; a TikTok and Insta post on Prop. 32, which would increase the state minimum wage; and a TikTok and an Insta reel on Prop. 6, which would prohibit forced labor in prisons.
Are online classes making the grade?
Illustration by Gabriel Hongsdusit, CalMatters
Since the early 2000s, California community colleges have offered internet-based courses, which have grown in popularity. But as the number of students taking online classes rises, the federal government wants more oversight into the quality and effectiveness of these courses.
As CalMatters community college reporter Adam Echelman and Briana Mendez-Padilla of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network explain, online classes offer more flexibility to students — particularly older ones who may have family or work commitments. Roughly half of California community college students are taking classes online — a notable increase from before the pandemic, when about 1 in 3 students were taking them.
But community college data shows that students perform worse with online instruction compared to in-person. And students who don’t meet with professors or students in real-time performed worse than those in synchronous classes.
The U.S. Education Department in July proposed new rules calling for colleges to collect more data about online courses. In response, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office said the rules will mean “incurring new costs,” and it hopes the feds will consider these costs as colleges “adapt to the new regulations.”
In the meantime, many college officials defend the shift to online learning. And Rebecca Ruan-O’Shaughnessy, who leads educational services and support for the chancellor’s office, says she and other community college leaders are pushing for more support systems for students, including online counselors and tutors.
Learn more about online education in Adam and Briana’s story.
And lastly: Clean energy
The Kettleman City Power solar farm. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
California hit 100 days this year with 100% carbon-free electricity for at least a part of each day — a big clean energy milestone. CalMatters climate reporter Alejandro Lazo and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on Alejandro’s story on the state’s renewable energy efforts as part of partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.
SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Despite Democrats enacting multiple programs to reduce economic inequality, California still has the nation’s highest poverty rate.
First-time voters: California Voices intern Kate McQuarrie introduces a special CalMatters commentary series about first-time voters. Hear from a variety of Californians on why they’re voting for the first time this year:
Richard Richardson, a former inmate and current nonprofit executive;
Sunshine Thao, a 17-year-old Hmong American activist;
Itzel Maganda Chavez, a “Dreamer” who became a U.S. citizen this year;
Bella Tarlton, a Cal Poly Humboldt student concerned about climate change;
Namrata Venkatesan, a UCLA student whose parents are immigrants.
Other things worth your time:
Some stories may require a subscription to read.
UC Berkeley launches Palestinian-Arab studies programs amid demand // Los Angeles Times
Budget cuts begin to surface at California State University // EdSource
CA eyes electric heat pumps instead of gas-powered heaters // KQED
Elk Grove woman indicted for soliciting assassinations // The Sacramento Bee
Feds say RealPage helps keep rents high. Has it impacted the Bay Area? // San Francisco Chronicle
Rare local case of mosquito-borne dengue virus in Baldwin Park // Los Angeles Times
Fans call her SF’s coyote whisperer. Why is the city at war with her? // San Francisco Chronicle
LA renters are buying state-owned homes after freeway’s demise // Los Angeles Times
Kaiser Permanente to close its last nursing home in CA // San Francisco Chronicle
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings