Why should taxpayers foot the bill for closed primaries? Thomas Elias

California's June presidential primary election is now just a memory, long ago subsumed in the news by vice presidential derbies, political conventions, politicians' gaffes and violence at home and abroad. But one question lingers on: Why did taxpayers have to cover the primary election costs for those political parties that did not let any voter who liked cast a ballot in their contests? In June, Democrats and Greens allowed anyone registered as either a Democrat or without party preference to vote in their primaries, although there were a few hoops for non-Democrats to jump through.

Beware the energy shell game

Scorching July weather may have many in the Ohio Valley deciding between cranking up the air conditioning and keeping electricity bills within reason, but it turns out consumers in West Virginia and Ohio are running at about the middle of the pack, in terms of nationwide energy costs. Financial research firm WalletHub analyzed monthly energy bills in all 50 states, and Washington, D.C., using a formula that considered electricity, natural gas, motor fuel and home heating oil.

California Millennials could cast decisive votes

As they come of age and register to vote, Millennials - that enormous generation born since 1981-are surging so fast they're on the verge of overtaking the Baby Boomer behemoth as a share of the California electorate. And new evidence confirms that, so far at least, the GOP is losing them.

4 killed after small medical plane crashes in California

The public will get its first glimpse of the Connecticut school built to replace the one where 20 first-graders and six educators were massacred. The new Sandy Hook Elementary School, built to replace the one demolished after a massacre that took the lives of 20 children and six educators, features three courtyards, study spaces designed to look like treehouses and... Hillary Clinton capped off a four-day convention celebration with a plea for national unity and tolerance.

Court Decision Leaves Undocumented Immigrants’ Health Care Options In Limbo

Erica Torres is one of the estimated 1.4 million Californians who live without health insurance largely because they are undocumented. She was hopeful when President Barack Obama expanded deportation-relief programs for undocumented immigrants - a controversial move that would have put government-subsidized health care within her reach.

Postcard from the Democratic National Convention

As the old saw goes, all politics is local -- and that's true even when it comes to this week's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Joining Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, First Lady Michelle Obama and about 4,700 convention delegates was one of Mountain View's own politicians, City Councilman Lenny Siegel, who said he considered himself lucky to land a spot at the event.

Democratic National Convention – Day 4

Gallery: California delegates hold up signs as they cheer for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Thursday, July 28, 2016. Gallery: The Democratic women of the US Senate waves to delegates during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Thursday, July 28, 2016.

Protesters hit the streets for hot day of marches before DNC

As California fires continue to rage north of Los Angeles, authorities are releasing more details on the discovery of a burned body of a man found outside a home in Santa Clarita. Two massive wildfires raged in tinder-dry California hills and canyons Sunday, leaving thousands of homes evacuated and authorities to investigate a burned body found in a neighborhood swept by flames.

There are 6 zones of the San Gabriel Basin Superfund site, but only this 1 is not being treated

Dan Colby, project resource manager for the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, says on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 that the VOC treatment at the well site in La Puente, owned by San Gabriel Valley Water Company, will be shut down after a new comprehensive water treatment plant is built by Northrop Grumman on a former redevelopment site in Industry. Northrop Grumman is building a comprehensive water treatment plant at this former redevelopment site in Industry.

Indian-Americans find appeal in GOP

CLEVELAND >> California Trump Delegate Arun Bhumitra believes Indian Americans' strong preference for the Democratic Party boils down to two issues. “Indians are passive, non-violent people from the land of Ghandi -- they don't carry guns and they believe in a woman's right to choose,” said Bhumitra, a member of Indian American Republicans of California who favors abortion rights himself.

GOP Convention: California delegates – so far, yet so near

Californians are usually seated well back in the arena for GOP conventions, with swing states usually getting prime seats and reliably Republican states also having an edge over deep blue states. But the prolonged primary meant many states had delegates divided between candidates, and even Donald Trump delegates in some other states weren't selected by the Trump campaign.

GOP and California Republicans dislike each so much, they have 60…

When the California Republican delegation lands in Cleveland this week ahead of the party's nominating convention, they'll head more than an hour west to the Kalahari Water Park Resort in Sandusky, where they were assigned lodging by the Republican National Committee. After that, most delegates will get on a bus and take another hour-long ride back into Cleveland to do party work on the convention floor.

Californiaa s drought may be easing, but fight over water persists

California Republicans are spreading out their bets in their annual effort to steer more water to the state's farmers. Framed by a hearing Tuesday, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives will vote this week on whether to retain farmer-friendly California water provisions in an Interior Department funding bill for the fiscal year that begins in October.

8 things to know about Senate candidate Kamala Harris’ career gold stars and demerits

The bedrock of Kamala Harris's U.S. Senate campaign has been her record as California attorney general and as San Francisco district attorney. She has said her experience in those posts provides ample proof that she is the best and most qualified candidate to represent California in Washington.

California governor signs stringent gun bills, vetoes others

Gov. Jerry Brown signed six stringent gun-control measures Friday that will require people to turn in high-capacity magazines and mandate background checks for ammunition sales, as California Democrats seek to strengthen gun laws that are already among the strictest in the nation. Brown vetoed five other bills, including a requirement to report lost or stolen weapons to authorities and a limit of one gun purchase per person per month.