Kamala Harris takes center stage. Can she save the Democrats?
Good morning. It’s Monday, July 22. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- With Biden out, Kamala Harris steps into the presidential spotlight.
- Trump holds a rally, his first after the assassination attempt against him.
- Here are 11 beachside dining destinations from the 101 Best Restaurants guide.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
What does Biden’s decision mean for Kamala Harris?
After weeks of speculation and calls from fellow Democrats to leave the presidential race, President Biden officially dropped out of the 2024 election yesterday. Before a single “Beauty School Dropout” song parody or “College Dropout” meme could hit the internet, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination. So, now what?
While questions swirl about what the process to replace Biden on the ticket will look like, voters and opposition will dig into Harris’ life and background, again, like they did in the lead-up to the 2020 election.
Harris’ journey from California attorney general to the first woman and person of color to become vice president was historic in itself, but now many on the left will look to her to take another historic step amid political rhetoric that has become more aggressive and divisive since she last ran for president.
If she becomes the Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee, it would make history on several levels (the last native Californian to lead a major party presidential ticket was Richard Nixon). This is Harris’ moment, one built over the course of three decades, from local politics in San Francisco to a series of firsts that included a U.S. Senate seat and taking on the role of vice president.
What’s next?
In a statement released yesterday, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said, “[I]n the coming days, the Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November. This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the Party. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.”
Before Biden’s announcement that he would leave the race, many speculated on who might replace him on the ticket, but as of Sunday, no other candidate had thrown their hat in the ring.
“Several recent polls show Harris is now in close striking distance, within 1 or 2 percentage points, in a head-to-head matchup against former President Trump,” my colleague Noah Bierman reported.
Noah also reported that Harris “has ground to make up against Trump, and her national approval rating, although improved, remains at about 39%, compared with 50% of voters who don’t approve of her, according to the latest 538 polling average. She also has ground to make up in swing states, according to polls.”
It has been more than 50 years since a major party nominee was selected outside of the democratic process of primaries and caucuses. Next month, at the Democratic National Convention, delegates will formally select a new nominee for their party.
In an op-ed for The Times, government professor Philip Klinkner wrote, “Some Democrats are worried that a new nominee, selected by the convention, will ... lack legitimacy because she or he will have secured the nomination without direct input from Democratic voters around the country.”
But that minus may be balanced by an unusual plus — a shared desire to avoid chaos — as Noah reports.
“Another advantage for Harris,” he writes, “is that many delegates have said they are eager for a smooth process, given the chaotic preceding weeks.”
In the coming days, we will find out more about the party’s plans to replace Biden on the ticket and what the process will look like.
Who is Kamala Harris?
Harris is a product of the Golden State. She made a name for herself in California as the state’s attorney general, then senator.
The Times staff compiled a list of everything you need to know about Harris. Here are some of the highlights:
California roots
- Harris was born in Oakland to parents who had come to California to study at UC Berkeley. Harris spent several years as a child in Oakland and Berkeley, but after her parents divorced, she and her mother moved to Canada.
- After graduating from the UC Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, Harris worked her way up in the Alameda County and San Francisco County district attorney’s offices. Harris was San Francisco district attorney from 2004 to 2010.
- Harris started dating entertainment attorney Doug Emhoff and permanently relocated to Brentwood by the time they married in 2014.
- In 2016, Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate, leaving her California job to take office early in 2017.
Political beginnings and the national stage
- As attorney general, she started implicit-bias training for law enforcement, and as district attorney she launched a program that enabled first-time nonviolent offenders to have their charges dismissed if they finished job training. Critics have faulted her, though, for working in court to uphold California’s death penalty, despite her personal opposition, and for her threats to jail parents of chronically truant schoolchildren.
- In 2019, she began her campaign for U.S. president. She raised $1.5 million in just 24 hours. But her campaign slowly sputtered. As The Times reported in March 2019, the fall “stems in part from Harris’ failure to present a compelling case for her candidacy beyond her background as a prosecutor, her buoyant personality and a deep contempt — shared by others in the contest — for President Trump.” In December, she suspended her campaign.
- Harris has endured unprecedented levels of hate on social media. “Research shows that Harris may be the most targeted American politician on the internet, one who checks every box for the haters of the fever swamps: She’s a woman, she’s a person of color and she holds power,” The Times found.
More on Harris and Biden’s decision to drop out:
- Who could replace Harris as the next vice presidential candidate? Meet her potential choices.
- Gov. Newsom endorsed Harris, in show of California unity.
- Harris has been working the phones to unify the party around her
- LZ Granderson: Biden’s decision to drop out is one of the most patriotic moments in a long life of service.
- Mark Z. Barabak: Democratic hopes now rest on Kamala Harris. Is the vice president up to the job?
- Editorial board: Biden’s decision not to seek nomination was courageous.
- Doyle McManus: The tragedy of Joe Biden
Today’s top stories
Meanwhile on the Republican ticket ...
- From Never Trumper to MAGA town crier, Vance evolves, and ascends as Trump’s vice presidential pick.
- Why Ukraine — and much of Europe — is alarmed over Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate.
- The Secret Service acknowledged denying some past requests by Trump’s campaign for tighter security.
Coronavirus in California
- Coronavirus wastewater levels are worse than last summer in California.
- The rising cases are clashing with everyone’s desire for a carefree California summer
Wildfires & excessive heat
- Hawarden and Eagle fires char 1,000 acres in Riverside County; structures burn, residents flee
- Millions of Californians live near oil and gas wells that are in the path of wildfires.
- Excessive heat warnings are in effect for desert and mountain communities in Southern California.
- For these Death Valley residents, extreme heat is a way of life.
Sheriff’s department
- A Times reporter was leaked a list of problem deputies. The Sheriff’s Department investigated her.
- Inside more of the Sheriff’s Department’s secretive investigation into Villanueva’s critics
Disneyland workers
- Disneyland workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.
- Workers continue to bargain with Disney for higher wages and improved working conditions.
More big stories
- A 3.5 earthquake rattled the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
- A Monterey Park teen set off on her bike to visit a relative. She never arrived.
- Further repairs along Big Sur’s Highway 1 are set to cause nightly road closures.
- The beloved historic movie theaters Westwood Village and the Bruin to close this week.
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Commentary and opinions
- Robin Abcarian: This is among the most consequential lies Trump and Republicans are telling women voters.
- Bill Plaschke: Trade deadline feels like panic time for Dodgers.
- Frank Shyong: Fences in Los Angeles have gotten taller, gone horizontal, redefining neighborhood life.
- Opinion: The Supreme Court is power hungry. There is one sure way to rein it in.
- Opinion: California’s bears are thriving. Here’s the case for letting hunters kill more of them.
Today’s great reads
Kidnapping, extortion and OnlyFans: How a mother escaped a gangster’s plot. A case against an imprisoned member of the Westside Riva gang suggests that some criminal groups have tried to add pornography and illegal gambling to their revenue streams.
Other great reads
- Nearly a year later, El Segundo’s Little League World Series run is still making an impact.
- Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade is a retail relic. Can it be saved?
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Going out
- 🏖️Check out these 11 beachside dining destinations from the 101 Best Restaurants guide.
- 🎥 The movie theater scene in “Twisters” is the action sequence of the summer.
- ☄️ Here’s how to catch the best meteor light show of the year.
Staying in
- 🔎 5 mysteries to read this summer.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for okra gumbo.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
And finally ... a great photo
Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.
Today’s great photo is from staff photographer Genaro Molina. Molina captured this shot in the Balance Challenge Class at the Culver City Senior Center.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Shelby Grad, deputy managing editor for news
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break
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