Latest line: A good week for Gascon, bad one for Newsom

George Gascon

Former San Francisco district attorney moves back to L.A. and wins narrow race for L.A. district attorney, promising leftward reforms including not seeking the death penalty or trying juveniles as adults.

Gavin Newsom

Talk about bad optics. Photos of California governor without a mask at the French Laundry, a Napa Valley restaurant where diners regularly pay $300+ a meal, cavorting lobbyists during the pandemic, draws national criticism.

Mary Nichols

Longtime chief of California’s powerful Air Resources Board is reportedly near the top of Joe Biden’s list to run the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But can she win confirmation in the U.S. Senate?