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🗳️ Happy Election Day. It’s Tuesday, Nov. 5.

  • What to watch as an anxious America heads to the polls.
  • Roadway’s fate is San Francisco’s most divisive fight.
  • And forecasters warn of fire danger as winds kick up.

Election 2024

1.

As of Monday, more than 8 million ballots had already been cast in California — or roughly 30% of the state’s eligible electorate. A flood of early ballots nationwide reflected a public eager to make their voices heard in an election which 56% of Americans believe could mark the end of U.S. democracy, according to a recent poll. “It felt as if the entire nation was girding for impact,” the New York Times wrote. “Of what, exactly, no one seemed quite sure.”

  • If you haven’t voted yet, polling centers open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Find yours.
  • Not registered? You still have time.
  • Consult last-minute voting guides. 👉 CalMatters | KQED
  • Track the swing states in the presidential race here, and follow California contest results here.
2.

In our overwhelmingly blue state, Kamala Harris and Adam Schiff were expected to dominate the presidential and U.S. Senate races. But you can expect drama in down-ballot contests that could tilt the balance of congressional power and rewrite California policy on crime, spending, and wages.

  • Battle for the House: Democrats need to pick up only four seats to reclaim the majority, while five House Republicans in California are in races considered “tossups,” according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Explore the tightest contests here, and track results here.
  • Ballot propositions: Polling in recent weeks has showed that of California’s 10 propositions, three or four could go either way. The nail-biters include a minimum wage hike and a $10 billion school bond. Read about the latest polling at the L.A. Times and CalMatters, and follow the votes here.
3.
Nearly 40% of election officials surveyed this year by the Brennan Center for Justice said they have been harassed, threatened, or abused because of their work. (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

Federal and state law enforcement officials across California said they have been preparing for months to respond to potential unrest on Election Day, whether at vote centers or in the streets. They said there would be beefed-up staffing, check-ins at polling places, and monitoring of online threats. “We have to be concerned,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. “Look at the rhetoric, the back and forth. We always tell people it’s okay to disagree, but you can’t go [to] fisticuffs, and you can’t act on your desires for violence.” L.A. Times | L.A. Daily News | S.F. Chronicle

4.
(David Yu/CC BY-NC 2.0)

The fate of a roadway has unexpectedly become the most divisive political fight on the San Francisco ballot. Proposition K asks whether to permanently close 2 miles of the Great Highway, which hugs the Pacific along the city’s westernmost edge, and turn it over to cyclists and pedestrians. Opponents say the plan would push more cars into surrounding neighborhoods, worsening congestion. “It feels like people on all sides are fighting for their lives,” said Marjan Philhour, a candidate for county supervisor. N.Y. Times | SF Standard

5.

Other election odds and ends:

  • “It’s, like, exhausting. It’s super demoralizing, kind of depressing to think about.” Meet the San Franciscans who won’t be voting and don’t really care who wins. SF Standard
  • Free day care, free transit, and free lunches. Even as Americans limp toward the end of a vitriolic campaign season, signs of civility and good will abounded in California. KRCR | SF Standard | KTLA
  • Updates on closely watched local races:
    • Polling showed Los Angeles County’s progressive district attorney trailed a challenger by a wide margin.
    • One of San Francisco’s leading mayoral candidates was hit with a large ethics fine.
    • The San Francisco Chronicle endorsed the recall of Oakland’s mayor.

Statewide

6.

A broad swath of California from Humboldt County to San Diego County was under a red flag warning Tuesday as forecasts called for powerful offshore winds to sweep across parched landscapes between Tuesday and Thursday. Meteorologists said the weather event, known as Santa Ana or Diablo winds, could produce some of the strongest offshore gusts in years, hitting speeds up to 80 mph. Utilities warned of planned outages for hundreds of thousands of customers to reduce the risk of downed power lines sparking fires. L.A. Times | S.F. Chronicle

  • Check scheduled outages: PG&E | Southern California Edison
7.
Amtrak’s Coast Starlight passes through San Luis Obispo County. (Nature and Science)

Mike MacEacheran, a Scottish travel journalist, rode Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, which runs from Los Angeles to Seattle, and declared it the most beautiful train ride in America:

“By the time we reach Santa Barbara, the California of the mind’s eye has arrived — albeit in fleeting glimpses. A heron takes flight over rippling Pacific waves. A lone surfer channels the spirit of surf rock bands of the 1960s on Arroyo Quemada Beach. Seaweed swirls in the shallows. Hundreds of pelicans pose. On a good day, a humpback whale might breach skywards.” National Geographic

Northern California

8.

A second boat capsized off of Bodega Bay Monday, leaving one man dead and another missing, just two days after a vessel carrying six people capsized in the same rough seas on Saturday, leaving one confirmed dead and four missing. An 11-year-old survived by clinging to an ice chest. People have been flocking to the bay since the crabbing season opened Saturday. Robert Dillion, a spokesperson for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, said ocean swells have reached up to 10 feet. “The ocean is angry right now,” he said. KGO | SFGATE

9.
Greg Sarris, chairman of the Graton Rancheria, says the Koi’s true ancestral lands were in Lake County. (Mike Kai Chen/Washington Post, via Getty Images)

Under new Biden administration rules, tribes can petition for land farther from their established ancestral regions — an attempt to redress past harms. But the change has pitted tribes against each other as claims of sovereignty collide with efforts to tap a $42 billion tribal gambling market. In Sonoma County, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria has accused Koi Nation of pursuing an “illegal land grab” to build a $600 million casino and resort. “They have no business in our area,” said Greg Sarris, chairman of the Graton Rancheria. Washington Post

Southern California

10.

California sued Norwalk on Monday over its homeless shelter moratorium, accusing the Los Angeles County city of violating half a dozen housing laws. In a statement, Gov. Gavin Newsom called Norwalk’s policy “inexcusable.” “No community should turn its back on its residents in need,” he said. Leaders of Norwalk, a blue-collar, Latino-majority city, say they’ve done far more than neighboring communities to address homelessness. “Why is always Norwalk the pinpoint for these programs?” said Councilmember Rick Ramirez. L.A. Times | A.P.

11.

In Los Angeles, judges have increasingly turned to GPS monitoring as an alternative to jail. But in August, some 40% of defendants wearing ankle monitors had either absconded or let the batteries in their monitors die, according to the latest Probation Department figures. Nhazel Warren, 19, has been arrested five times in five months since summer, committing a string of robberies while under GPS tracking, prosecutors said. Released each time, he remains out of jail and under court-ordered GPS monitoring. L.A. Times

12.
(Johnny Prehn)

A Los Angeles-based architect built four concrete-and-steel homes near Joshua Tree that rise from the desert like earth-toned Monopoly pieces. Part of a 200-acre wellness retreat, the monolithic structures include hot tubs, soaring ceilings, open-air terraces, and water and power systems that allow the homes to operate entirely off the grid. But the highlights are the retractable roofs for gazing up at the cosmos. Dezeen

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