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Seven Democratic presidential hopefuls will square off tonight in Los Angeles, marking the candidates' first formal debate in California, and likely the best opportunity to hear them discuss issues pertinent to voters in the nation's most populous state.

And in this presidential primary, the stakes here are actually high.

Two years ago, frustrated by always being in the shadow of Iowa and New Hampshire, California moved up the state’s presidential primary from June to March, with the goal of strengthening the influence of the state's 20 million registered voters.

"We are one in eight voters in the country," says Kim Alexander, founder and president of the California Voter Foundation. "So we do want California to have a say."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The race to the White House is getting more intense, with the presidential election now officially one year away.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows former Vice President Joe Biden leading President Trump 50 to 41 percent among registered voters. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts leads the president by 8 points -- 50 to 42 percent.

The poll was conducted Oct. 27 to Oct. 30, with 900 adults reached, half of them by cellphone. It presents a snapshot of voter sentiment now, but a lot can change over the next 12 months.

For President Trump, the impeachment controversy is heating up. Forty-nine percent of those polled stated they believe the president should be impeached and removed from office, while 46 percent say no.

Excerpt:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —

There is outrage this week from California voters and voter advocates after a controversial mailer showed up just days before a special election.

The mailers come from a group called the Northern California State Voter Project, but there’s no website and no phone number for the promoters, whose only known address is a post office box. 

The mailer threatens to reveal people's voting history to friends, family and neighbors.

“I was really upset," said Susan Strand, a voter in El Dorado County. “I felt violated."

Strand showed KCRA 3 the letter she received from Northern California State Voter Project.

Excerpt:

Skeptics might call them do-gooders. But in today’s world—when we could surely use as much good as possible—what’s wrong with that?

To highlight the 30th anniversary of SN&R, we want to recognize 30 people who embody our mission: To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

On purpose, the vast majority on this list are not high-profile politicians, the rich and powerful or other bold names. Many come from the nonprofit world, not well-known to the general public but working every day to help the less fortunate and to make public policy smarter and more humane. Some have been in the trenches for many years, while others are just emerging as leaders.

Like any list like this, it’s rather subjective. There are many others in the Sacramento region who are doing yeoman’s work and also deserving of praise.

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Kim Alexander

President of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, she’s a strong advocate for more informed voters having a bigger say, and for voters across the state having equal access to participate. Her group is particularly focused on making sure that technology helps—not harms—our democracy.

(full story)