It was their last chance to critique each other on live television, but some of California’s four top U.S. Senate candidates took more advantage than others Tuesday night. 

Rep. Katie Porter — who recent polls indicate may not get into the top two in the March 5 primary — noticeably went after frontrunner and fellow Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff on taking money from oil companies and defense contractors. In her closing statement, she even took a line from Republican Steve Garvey and called Schiff a “career politician.”

Schiff replied that Porter hasn’t met her own “purity test.” He said while he believes senators should “bring back resources for their state,” Porter “prefers a political talking point.”

The third leading Democrat, Rep. Barbara Lee, stayed out of the line of fire. She reiterated how her personal experiences — living near a toxic smelter in the border town of El Paso, Texas — informed her of climate justice and immigration issues. And during a “yes/no” lightning round, Lee differed from her Democratic contenders by answering “yes” to an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza war and “no” to deploying U.S. troops to protect Taiwan against a Chinese attack (Garvey also opposed troops “on the ground”).

As CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu explains, this hour-long debate, hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo 52 in Los Angeles, was simulcast in Spanish, was partly aimed at Latino voters and featured some more discussion of immigration than the prior two televised debates.

On Latino voters’ frustration with the lack of major immigration legislation, Garvey said he prioritizes hard-working Californians who “come here the right way.” Schiff and Porter, meanwhile, acknowledged that Democrats have fallen short. But while Schiff argued that Republicans will “never” help to find a solution because they see the issue as the “political gift that will never stop giving,” Porter focused on corporations that “take advantage of undocumented labor to pad their bottom line.” And Lee said one of the first things she would do in the Senate would ensure a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and farm workers. 

Read more on the debate in Stella’s story.

The other headliner on the March ballot: Voters will also decide whether to green light Proposition 1 — a two-pronged ballot measure championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that would allow the state to borrow $6.4 billion to pay for creating housing and treatment facilities. It would also reallocate money from a “millionaire’s tax” to build behavioral health housing.

As CalMatters’ health reporter Jocelyn Wiener and data reporter Erica Yee explain, California took a long and troubled road to arrive at this contentious measure. Starting from the 1950s when it was relatively easy to force people into state mental hospitals; through the 1990s when the responsibility of mental health services shifted from the state to counties; and now in the era of CARE Courts, find out how the state has struggled to address mental health.

In other election news: A ballot measure to repeal the “death tax” is dead. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association announced Tuesday that it collected nearly 560,000 signatures by the deadline — far short of the nearly 875,000 needed to get the initiative on the November ballot. The measure targeted Prop. 19, approved by voters in 2020, that changed state law to require that property must be reassessed to market value when it is transferred between parents and children.

The association is also sponsoring a measure that would require voter approval for any state or local tax increases. But Newsom, Democratic legislators and unions are in court trying to knock it off the November ballot.

From CalMatters Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal: 

The biggest challenge facing lawmakers and Gov. Newsom is the state budget deficit — and it just got bigger.

On Tuesday, the Legislative Analyst’s Office projected the shortfall as $15 billion higher, or $73 billion.

The analyst’s office had pegged the 2024-25 deficit at $58 billion in January, using Newsom’s revenue estimates when he presented his initial budget proposal. 

On Friday, Newsom’s Department of Finance reported that preliminary General Fund cash receipts in January were $5 billion below (or nearly 20%) the governor’s budget forecast. Unless state tax revenues pick up significantly, the bigger number will make it more difficult to balance the state budget just through dipping into reserves and targeted spending cuts. 

But exactly how the state can dig its way out — at least in the Assembly — remains to be seen. Speaker Robert Rivas told reporters Tuesday that the budget has been at the forefront of conversations among Assembly Democrats and that he is very concerned with the growing deficit.

He praised the governor’s commitment to preserving classroom funding, and said he didn’t see a way to avoid dipping into the state’s reserves, as the governor’s January budget plan proposed — though the speaker urged a prudent approach to using rainy day savings in case the budget picture worsens in future years. 

• Rivas: “We are very concerned about short-term fixes for long-term problems. Clearly, we need to prioritize oversight and curb spending and our investments.” 

In the coming weeks, Rivas’ plan calls for an oversight budget subcommittee he formed in December to review the state’s spending on housing, he said. 

And while the governor has shot down any attempt to raise taxes or create new ones to increase state revenues, Rivas did not take a position. 

But he may have to make some tough calls soon. Later on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Newsom’s Department of Finance issued a statement calling on the Legislature to take early action on $8 billion in savings to address the looming deficit. 

Newsom will propose an updated budget in May before negotiations with legislative leaders and a final spending blueprint in June.

Tuesday’s updated deficit projection also prompted concern and criticism of Democrats from the Senate’s Republican caucus. 

• Sen. Roger Niello, vice-chairperson of the Senate budget committee, in a statement: “It's time for a course correction and a renewed commitment to responsible budgeting that puts the needs of our residents first."

For more on the budget deficit, read the full story.

On other topics, Rivas said: 

• His top priorities this session are public safety, farmworker housing and artificial intelligence;
• On amending Prop. 47, “everything is on the table,” though he prefers to address public safety issues through the bill package making its way through the Assembly; 
• On state bonds, there are “diverse” views in the Democratic caucus about which borrowing measures to send to the November ballot, with climate, education and housing bonds in play.

In 2014, California made undocumented immigrants eligible for the LifeLine program, which offers low-cost internet and cell service. Despite the state’s Public Utilities Commission saying it does not use Social Security numbers to verify applicants’ identities, advocates say hundreds of thousands are still excluded because they don’t have the numbers, reports Alejandra Reyes-Velarde of the CalMatters California Divide team. 

LifeLine serves those who earn less than 150% of the federal poverty line — about $45,900 a year for a four-person household — and reimburses service providers. Though the public utilities commission directed staff nine years ago to expand LifeLine to consumers who didn’t have Social Security numbers, advocates argue that merely including the option to enter a Social Security number on applications is enough to discourage people from applying.

By removing the reference and making the program more accessible, they estimate that at least 700,000 undocumented Californians could benefit, allowing them to keep in touch with social programs, as well as legal and health care services.

Natchelly Ruvalcava from Los Angeles, for example, is an undocumented immigrant and 51-year-old mother. When she got out of an abusive relationship and lost her livelihood, she found herself stuck with a $1,000 bill of unpaid phone charges.

Since switching to a $25 monthly phone plan, Ruvalcava has been able to connect with her son, church and attorney. But she also told Alejandra that being eligible for LifeLine instead would be “really helpful.”

For more about LifeLine, read Alejandra’s story. 

CalMatters Commentary

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Gov. Newsom proposed a budget that would close a $38 billion deficit, but his elaborate financial maneuvers might not be enough.

Gov. Newsom’s proposal to cut at least $25.5 million in rent support for former foster youth would put them at risk, writes Daniel Heimpel, managing director of Good River Partners.

Attention young journalists: The CalMatters Youth Journalism Initiative is holding its second Earth Day commentary contest. You can make an impact on important issues, get advice from CalMatters reporters and, oh, you might win as much as $500. The deadline is March 25.