Through our Tracking The Truth project, PolitiFact California has published more than 40 fact checks and articles investigating the accuracy of claims by those seeking the state’s highest office.
A recent campaign mailer and TV ad feature former President Barack Obama warmly embracing California candidate for governor Antonio Villaraigosa, conveying the possible impression that Obama has endorsed the former mayor of Los Angeles. But that’s simply not the case.
Ahead of Tuesday’s gubernatorial debate, PolitiFact California reviews how candidates have fared with the truth, including a look at candidates’ claims about past accomplishments and assertions made in TV campaign ads.
A TV ad claims Sacramento County District Attorney is a "groundbreaking DNA expert" and led the case that "solved" the Golden State Killer case. PolitiFact California examined those campaign statements.
The Gavin Newsom for Governor campaign says it has not pulled its "First" TV ad that includes a claim PolitiFact California rated False. A spokesman told us the campaign is running a similar but separate TV ad that omits the claim in question but was produced back in February, and not in response to any factual concerns.
TV ads for the top two Democrats in the race for California governor hit the airwaves this week. PolitiFact California examined the accuracy of the claims in each one.
PolitiFact California has fact-checked numerous claims on the Golden State's extreme wealth and poverty. This article is a compilation of those fact checks, with a focus on assertions by candidates in the 2018 California governor's race.
Following the shooting death of Stephon Clark by Sacramento police, PolitiFact California examined the facts on how many people, including unarmed black men, are shot each year in America by police.
President Trump's statements about what a border wall can do and how many people have been arrested at the border have often stretched the truth. PolitiFact California outlines Trump's recent border claims.
There’s no legal definition or consensus for how best to define a school shooting. PolitiFact California examined how different advocacy groups define these tragic crimes to see where they fit in this unsettled debate.
Since PolitiFact California launched in late 2015, we have produced more than a dozen fact checks and articles on guns and mass shootings. We rated each claim based on information known at the time. Much of the work remains relevant as assertions over guns and gun violence continue to spill into the public square, some vetted and others devoid of fact.
California law does not require pot dispensaries to collect much customer data, but the stores appear to gather more information than consumers realize. PolitiFact California explored what’s collected and whether customers should be concerned.
President Trump’s re-election campaign released a provocative video featuring an undocumented immigrant accused of killing two Northern California sheriff’s deputies. The spot accurately captures the outbursts of the accused killer, but also fuels the stereotype that undocumented immigrants are largely violent.
California's recreational marijuana law marks a milestone for the cannabis industry. But it doesn't offer the complete freedom to smoke, buy and transport pot anywhere you please. PolitiFact California examined many of the restrictions consumers still face.
