Top Ten Winners & Losers In California Politics For The Week Ending 11/21/25 - Newsom, Bonta, Sherman, SacBee, Lurie, CSU Trusteers & More...

Below is our Top Ten List of Winners and Losers for the Week. Well, this week it’s just Losers! This feature is available to all of our subscribers, free and paid.

⏱️ 4 minute read

This is where we examine state and local politics (or national issues with a California angle), and highlight individuals (or groups) who have achieved notable successes or have had a particularly challenging week. I strive to call balls and strikes fairly objectively, which sometimes makes assembling this list a difficult task.

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Top Ten Winners & Losers This Week in California Politics

⬇️ LOSER: ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB BONTA

A nearly half-million-dollar tab for private legal fees raises serious questions about judgment and accountability from the state’s top law-enforcement officer. The $468,000 drawn from campaign funds for representation in a federal probe—essentially treating his campaign as his personal law firm—undercuts any claim of public-service ethos. Instead of transparent oversight, what we got was pay-to-play optics. When the person charged with upholding the law appears to be billing it, the institution itself takes a hit.

⬇️ **VIDEO LOSERS OF THE WEEK** — SACRAMENTO BEE & REPORTER KATIE WOLFF

Every week, one of our “honorees” gets the coveted Video Winner or Loser award. Not only do they get their place in this column, but I also record a video to go with it.

When the legislative process becomes a one-sided forum to attack a bill backed by the opposition, the media has a duty to frame that dynamic responsibly. Instead, the headline presented the One Big Beautiful Bill as causing “damage,” uncritically echoing the majority party’s narrative while ignoring competing arguments. It’s a textbook example of agenda-driven coverage: selective framing, partisan assumptions, and a failure to provide the balance readers deserve. We expect better of the “newspaper of record” for the State Capitol.

⬇️ LOSER: CONGRESSMAN BRAD SHERMAN

When an elected official gratifies himself in a confined, public space like an airplane, it isn’t just a personal lapse—it’s a breach of basic professional decorum. The optics of allegedly watching adult content mid-flight undermine the trust voters place in someone meant to represent their interests. Explaining it away won’t cut it when media headlines and public scrutiny amplify the moment. Leadership demands integrity; this incident suggests a failure to respect both the office and the public it serves. The popularity ratings of Congress are in the dumps, and Sherman piled on.

⬇️ LOSER: BILLIONAIRE TOM STEYER

A chronic spend-and-fail pattern now meets elite rebranding. After dropping nearly $200 million on his unsuccessful 2020 presidential bid, the former hedge-fund titan returns to the political fray—this time for the California governor’s seat. Yet he built his fortune on oil and fossil-fuel investments before pivoting to climate activism, raising legitimate concerns about sincerity and consistency. The masquerade of “environmental hero” from someone who profited from energy extraction smacks of opportunism. Intentions matter—especially when taxpayers and voters are the ones left holding the tab.

⬇️ LOSERS: CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Amid systemwide budget constraints and tuition pressures, the decision to green-light substantial executive raises signals shocking tone-deafness. While students and staff grapple with cuts and belt-tightening, those at the top receive salary uplifts and relaxation of pay caps. It’s a textbook example of elite insulation: the people tasked with stewarding resources calmly reward themselves even as the institution claims austerity. Trust erodes when leadership privileges persist while the broader community pays the price.

⬇️ LOSER: GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM

Turning California’s affordability crisis into a global spectacle, the governor jetted off to a United Nations climate meeting and preached new taxes, fees, and regulations—while homegrown Californians are already pinched from skyrocketing housing, energy, and living costs. All while saying these costly policies can be packaged as bringing affordability. His climb-on-a world-stage strategy ignores that imposing further burdens on families and small businesses serves ideological liturgy, not economic relief. When climate zeal trumps fiscal empathy, voters paying the bills become the real collateral.

⬇️ LOSER: SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR DANIEL LURIE

A major unforced error hit City Hall when the mayor’s hand-picked supervisor for the Sunset District resigned after just one week, following reports of business mismanagement and unpaid wages. The rushed appointment exposed a glaring failure in basic vetting and left an entire district without representation. At a time when San Francisco desperately needs competent leadership, this fiasco only deepens doubts about his judgment and readiness to govern.

⬇️ LOSERS: LOWER-INCOME FORMER MCDONALD’S CUSTOMERS

As fast-food prices soar, the very people who relied on value meals the most are being squeezed out. With menu hikes of roughly 40% from 2019 to 2024, visits from low-income households to McDonald’s have dropped sharply. Meanwhile, rising minimum-wage mandates and labor costs have forced chains to raise prices while cutting staff, wiping out affordability. The drive-thru is becoming gentrified — and the low-income Americans who once depended on it are the ones paying the highest price.

⬇️ LOSER: ASHLEY ANDERSON, NEWPORT-MESA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEE

A school trustee should model integrity, yet she concealed a 2022 hit-and-run crash that ultimately led to a 2024 guilty plea — only revealed once reporting exposed it. Making matters worse, this wasn’t her first serious lapse behind the wheel; she has previously acknowledged a DUI conviction from earlier in her life. Parents deserve leaders who demonstrate responsibility, not a pattern of poor judgment and secrecy. For the good of the district, stepping down would be the right move. Read the details here and here.

⬇️ LOSER: THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION

CIt’s painful to put a major conservative institution in the loser column, but this one is unavoidable. When its president publicly defended Tucker Carlson for platforming a misogynistic, antisemitic racist, the organization crossed a moral line. Then came a half-hearted, not-really apology that dodged accountability rather than confronting the damage done. For a group that prides itself on principle, the episode exposed a stunning lapse in judgment — and a betrayal of the values it claims to advance.

Now that you see what this column is all about, keep your eyes peeled. If you have someone you'd like to suggest for featuring in this column next week, please drop me a note. I will keep the names of those who make suggestions confidential. I do typically have a split with winners, too. This week didn’t end up that way!

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