What we know about CA election results so far

Election Day has come and gone, but the suspense is far from over.

Voting went relatively smoothly, as election officials across California reported they were confident about counting votes in the face of minor technical challenges. A new survey by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that only 14% of Californians planned to vote in person Tuesday, with more Republicans (22%) planning to do so.

To avoid the violent clashes that occurred in 2020 after former President Donald Trump disputed the election results, security at polling places was beefed up, including the use of metal detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs.

Trump was declared the winner at 2:38 a.m. today, likely setting up another term of conflict with California’s Democratic leaders.

Let’s get to some California election results:

Proposition 36 passes: The measure to increase penalties for certain drug and theft crimes — and essentially roll back parts of Prop. 47 that voters approved in 2014 — passed by a comfortable margin. Proponents of the tough-on-crime measure say it will help curb the state’s drug crisis and reduce retail theft. “In supporting Proposition 36, (voters) said yes to treatment. They said yes to accountability. And they said yes to putting common sense before partisanship,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement.

Other ballot props: Voters also approved Prop. 3 to enshrine same-sex marriage in the state constitution; and Prop. 35 to lock in revenue from a tax on health care plans for low-income patients. But they rejected Prop. 33 to give cities more power to impose rent control.

Schiff wins U.S. Senate: Rep. Adam Schiff beat Steve Garvey and will serve in the Senate alongside fellow Democrat Alex Padilla. When Schiff is sworn in, it will mark the first time California has not had a female U.S. senator in three decades.

Schiff touted his role in leading the first impeachment trial of Trump, while Garvey failed to become the first Republican elected statewide since 2006. More than $85 million was poured into this race by the end of October, making it the ninth most expensive U.S. Senate race this general election. 

• Schiff, in his victory speech Tuesday night: “I am committed to standing up for every Californian. I am committed to taking on the big fights to protect our freedoms and to protect our democracy. California will continue to be in the forefront of progress, the bulwark of democracy, the champion of innovation and the protector of our rights and freedoms.”

But most races are still too close to call. (Save this page for the latest results on all of California’s key contests.)

They include toss-up congressional races that could help determine which party controls the U.S. House, plus the other statewide ballot measures.

Roughly 2 million undergrads are enrolled in California public colleges and universities, and many of them took part in the election. Besides the presidential race, a handful of statewide propositions and issues such as the Gaza war and climate change stand out for these students.

For a snapshot, CalMatters’ College Journalism Network spoke to seven about the election, their top concerns and why they voted.

• Aadi Mehta of Cal Poly Pomona, on voting for Trump: “We need someone who has the experience of being tough, someone who has already proven on these critical issues that he’s done a good job.”

• Yasmine Dmeiri of UC Davis, on voting for Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein: “I’m pretty frustrated since both main party candidates are supporting genocide of my people. … My vote almost always relies on California voting blue. I feel like if I lived in a swing state, it would have been a different story.”

• Yana Ross of Santa Rosa Junior College, on supporting the $10 billion climate bond: “Prop. 4 supports working with tribes and Cal Fire, it works to save drinking water, to do good land management practices and stewardship, to address sea level change, to help some wetlands, which help with the sea level rise.” 

Read more about what other California college students had to say about the election. And watch our videos on voting featuring college students and high school students.

California’s wildfire season exploded in July — especially with the Park Fire near Chico that burned nearly 430,000 acres — but had gone relatively dormant recently. 

That could all change this week: Forecasters are issuing a rare extreme warning (“particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning) in Southern California through Friday. Blame those Santa Ana winds, which starting today could reach 80 mph in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and 100 mph in higher elevations. 

(The fire risk led to power shut-offs that closed a few polling places.)

Already this year, nearly 7,300 blazes have burned more than 1 million acres, with more than 1,700 structures destroyed or damaged, though miraculously, there has been only one fatality, according to Cal Fire.

Check out CalMatters’ wildfire tracker for live updates on active fires, a FAQ and other information. And find out more on wildfires in our updated explainer.