Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation declaring a special election for the 79th Assembly District on June 8.

The seat was vacated by Shirley Weber who was appointed California Secretary of State.

The special primary election will be held on April 6.

Gov. Gavin Newsom set a special election in Los Angeles County to replace state Sen. Holly Mitchell, who left in mid-term for the county board of supervisors.

The special primary election will be held on March 2.

If no candidate wins more than half the vote, a special runoff election will be held on May 4.

Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced a lobbying ban for his paid political advisers.

This ban comes after weeks of criticism over his close ties to consultants who also work for corporate clients and other influential interests at the state Capitol.

In a memo shared by the governor’s office, Newsom’s chief of staff, Ann O’Leary, announced a new ethics policy.

The policy bars any of his paid campaign or political consultants from directly lobbying the governor, his staff or state agencies under his control.

Gov. Newsom also committed to not hiring any registered lobbyists as paid consultants.

The ban is effective immediately.

Furthermore, the governor has directed his legal affairs secretary to appoint a chief ethics advisor to advise him and his team on all ethics matters.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill moving non-presidential year primaries back to June.

Senate Bill 970 will return California to the traditional midterm primary date.

The bill becomes effective January 1, 2021.

The Legislature presented a bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom relating to online filing and disclosure of specific statements, reports, and other documents.

Assembly Bill 2151 requires a local government agency to post on its internet website, within 72 hours of the applicable filing deadline, a copy of any specified statement, report, or other document required by Chapter 4 of the Political Reform Act of 1974 filed with the agency in paper format.

In addition, the statement, report, or other document must be made available for four years from the date of the election associated with the filing.

Finally, if signed by the governor, the bill becomes effective January 1, 2021.

Lawmakers ended the 2020 legislative session beleaguered by COVID-19, wildfires, a tanked economy, and a looming eviction crisis.

Each chamber worked through roughly 100 bills on their final day, before adjourning after midnight.

The Senate kept passing bills until shortly after 1 a.m.

Some of the bills lawmakers sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom include eviction relief, police reform, COVID-19 response, and a flavored tobacco ban.

The governor has until September 30 to sign or veto any of the bills.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requiring election officials to send mail-in ballots to every registered voter ahead of the November general election.

Newsom acknowledged attempting traditional voting on a mass scale would likely still be too dangerous even in November due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In-person voting is still expected to occur, but the number of people voting at polling places is expected to decline.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order extending vote-by-mail for three upcoming elections.

The order comes as part of government efforts to protect public health and combat the spread of coronavirus.

Under the executive order, county election officials are to distribute vote-by-mail to all voters eligible to participate in the special elections.

The elections include the special election for the 28th Senate District, a runoff election for the 25th Congressional District, and a special recall election held in the city of Westminster.

In addition to calling for changes to the way the upcoming special elections are conducted, the governor’s order also extends the deadlines for the ballot counting, tabulation and other responsibilities related to California’s presidential primary election for 21 days.

This will allow for the implementation of appropriate social distancing measures.