Latest news with #CentralValley
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
As 2026 pool for CD-22 heats up, Democrat Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains touts endorsements
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The 2026 race for the California's 22nd Congressional District is heating up quickly. Last week, Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains (D-Delano) declared her candidacy to unseat incumbent Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford). The Bains for Congress campaign announced the congresswoman-hopeful has received dozens of notable endorsements, just days after throwing her hat in the ring. One credible name, Kern Democratic State Senator Melissa Hurtado — a fellow moderate Democrat and close political ally. SEIU California endorses Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains in congressional run for CD-22 The campaign also said numerous city leaders from Arvin, Shafter, Delano, McFarland and Wasco are backing Bains in her fight to unseat Valadao, following his vote for Republicans' 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' Bains, a family doctor, has pushed her agenda to focus on health care, arguing that by voting for the budget bill, the sitting congressman voted for cuts to federal assistance programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. At the state level, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, State Treasurer Fiona Ma and State Controller Malia Cohen are behind Bains. California congressmembers have also announced their endorsements. Especially noteworthy is the endorsement by Democratic Congressman Adam Gray, who beat incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte in the 2024 election by just 187 votes, flipping a purple district. Gray's 13th Congressional District is just as contentious and swing of a district as Valadao's 22nd Congressional District has been, without fail, in each election cycle. SEIU California – a group of local unions of those in health care and public service jobs – as well as IBEW Local 428, a labor union in Bakersfield have endorsed Bains as well. Support for Democratic candidates in pivotal CD-22 race takes shape Democratic infighting has presented itself, as candidates approach the June primary. Fellow Democrat Randy Villegas announced his candidacy for CD-22 in April. Villegas, a school board trustee in Visalia, is known as the more progressive candidate in the race, compared to Bains, who's made a name for herself as a more moderate Democrat in the California Legislature. On Monday, Villegas received the endorsement of a progressive Democratic organization Working Families Party (WFP), further differentiating his campaign and platform from that of Bains'. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Villegas stated he's collected over 4,000 individual donations amounting to over $250,000 of campaign cash. Bains stated she's has raised over $175,000 since her launch. 'This early show of grassroots support is a powerful affirmation of our message: families across the Central Valley want real leadership on health care affordability and a representative with the courage to act,' Bains stated in a press release. It still remains to be seen how Democrats will perform in June, and if any splitting of the blue vote between the two could allow for Valadao to advance to the November general election, taking him one step closer to another term on Capitol Hill. Click here for the full candidate profile of Jasmeet Bains. Click here for the full interview with Jasmeet Bains. Click here for the full candidate profile of Randy Villegas. Click here for the full interview with Randy Villegas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
California mother, 8-month-old daughter missing for over a week, last seen in Fresno
Authorities in the Central Valley are seeking information after a Sacramento County woman and her infant daughter went missing more than a week ago. According to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, 36-year-old Whisper Owen of Elk Grove was last seen with her daughter, 8-month-old Sandra McCarthy around 5 p.m. on July 15 in Fresno. Deputies said the pair were driving from Fresno to go back home and have not been seen since. Owen is described by deputies as 5'6" tall, weighing 145 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. McCarthy is about 22 inches tall, weighing 17 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. Deputies said she may have been wearing a pink onesie at the time she was last seen. The pair are believed to be traveling in a silver 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV with California license plate number 9LKH008. The California Highway Patrol has issued an Endangered Missing Advisory in the case. Anyone who may see Owen or McCarthy is asked to call 911.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Stockton, California mayor announces bid to unseat Josh Harder
Former Stockton, California Mayor Kevin Lincoln on Tuesday will launch another run for Democratic Rep. Josh Harder's seat in the state's Central Valley, as Republicans work to capitalize on the district's recent rightward shift. Lincoln, a Republican who unseated prominent Democrat Michael Tubbs in an upset in Stockton's 2021 mayoral race, lost to Harder in last year's House contest by less than 4 percentage points. The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting the seat, after President Donald Trump carried the district last year by nearly 2 percentage points. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee listed Harder's seat among the most vulnerable in 2026 — even with the Democrat's deep fundraising pockets. NRCC Spokesperson Christian Martinez said that the committee is 'very excited' about the GOP's gains in the district, describing the area's voters as 'pivotal' to Trump's 2024 presidential victory. Lincoln, a former Marine and pastor, joins businessperson Jim Shoemaker and John McBride, an athletic coach and 2024 primary candidate, among Republicans running for the seat.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Support for Democratic candidates in pivotal CD-22 race takes shape
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The 2026 race for the California's 22nd Congressional District is heating up quickly. Last week, Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains (D-Delano) declared her candidacy. Randy Villegas had already announced he was running for the seat held by Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), but on Monday, Villegas got the endorsement of a progressive Democratic organization. Villegas claims he's collected over 4,000 individual donations amounting to over $250,000 of campaign cash. The Working Families Party, or WFP, officially endorsed Villegas on Monday. They held a press conference outside David Valadao's Bakersfield office. 'I am the only candidate in this race that is corporate free that is not accountable to any corporate special interests,' Villegas said. 'And I think that matters, Democrat or Republican.' Villegas says the current representation for District 22 is inadequate for the needs of Central Valley residents. 'To say you are working on behalf of our farmworkers, our teachers, our police officers, our firefighters here in the district, and not billionaires in Washington, D.C,' he said. Villegas is facing Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains in next June's congressional primary. Bains is considered the front runner in the race. Neel Sannappa, an organizer for the Working Families Party, says Villegas is the candidate with the most grassroots values to compete with the incumbent Republican Congressman. 'We are a third party in the United States, but we are very strategic. A lot of the times, we will endorse Democrats or Independents, most of our endorsees here in California are Democrats. But, they are different. They are Democrats that don't take corporate money, that really advocate to bring politics back to the people, and that's why WFP endorsed Randy here today,' he said. For voters, Villegas says his platform will offer more progressive solutions to Central Valley's problems, such as housing and the cost of power. Voters like Johnny Olaguez say those issues and Villegas' lived experience in the Central Valley are what would make Villegas the best choice. 'What drew my attention was he said he was the son of a mechanic. My dad has a trucking company, right, so that's how I grew up as a mechanic as well. So, it's very personal to me,' Olaguez said. 'We need real people. People that represent our values, and the Valley as a whole, not interests of big corporations.' While the Democrats are shaping up their options, Republicans must weigh who, if anyone, they want to run against fellow GOP incumbent Rep. David Valadao. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
E&E News
7 days ago
- Politics
- E&E News
California sues to overturn revocation of federal high-speed rail grants
California sued the Trump administration on Thursday over its termination of $4 billion in federal grants for the state's high-speed rail project, calling the decision an illegal act of political retribution. What happened: Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, the day after President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the Federal Railroad Administration had revoked the Obama- and Biden-era grants and said the project would not receive a 'SINGLE penny' in federal funding ever again. That decision came after Trump threatened for months to claw back federal funding from the planned rail line connecting the Bay Area to Los Angeles, which has become a political punching bag for Republicans amid construction delays and cost overruns. Advertisement The filing argues that FRA's decision was 'arbitrary' and an 'abuse of discretion' that will cause economic damage to the state and the Central Valley, where the first leg of the route is being constructed from Bakersfield to Merced.
