Countering California鈥檚 Rightward Shift

Nov 15, 2024

Reflecting the national mood that resulted in Donald Trump鈥檚 presidential victory, voters in the nation鈥檚 most populous state also seemingly succumbed to the politics of fear. , which passed by a wide margin, increases penalties for petty crimes鈥攁 police- and corporate-backed measure that undoes a decade of progress on decarceration.

Californians also voted down, a simple initiative that would have ended forced prison labor, a form of modern slavery. They in spite of anxiety over the rising cost of housing, and in spite of anger over the economy.聽聽

In Southern California, incumbent District Attorney , considered one of the most progressive DAs in the nation, lost his reelection bid by a wide margin to a pro-cop former Republican.聽

And voters in East Bay successfully 鈥擜lameda County District Attorney Pamela Price and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao鈥攚ho were painted as 鈥渟oft on crime.鈥�

James Woodson, co-founder and executive director of the , spoke with 大象传媒 Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on 大象传媒 Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about the newly formed coalition, its plans to counter California鈥檚 rightward tilt, and Trump鈥檚 second term.

Sonali Kolhatkar joined 大象传媒 in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of聽大象传媒 Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also Senior Correspondent with the Independent Media Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of聽Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice聽(2023) and聽Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence聽(2005). Her forthcoming book is called聽Talking About Abolition聽(Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014聽聽of the same name.