April 2026

Mike Bonin – QuizMeister

1. Eight gubernatorial candidates participated in a debate at Pomona College on April 28. One line from the debate got widely quoted. Who said it and what was it?

Xavier Becerra said his opponents were “all running for the wrong office”

Katie Porter said the debate was “worse than my teenagers at dinner”

Steve Hilton told the audience California had become “the least affordable state in human history”

Chad Bianco called on all Democrats to drop out “and save themselves the embarrassment”

2. In April, incumbent City Controller Kenneth Mejia reported that about $2.5 million had been contributed to an independent expenditure committee supporting his challenger, Zach Sokoloff. What was the source of those funds?

A real estate industry PAC funded by major LA developers

The California Democratic Party’s independent expenditure arm

Sokoloff’s mother, who lives in Big Sky, Montana

The Los Angeles Police Protective League

3. In mid-April, three unions representing about 70,000 LAUSD employees reached last-minute contract deals, averting what would have been the first joint strike by all three unions in the district’s history. Which of the following best describes what was at stake for students?

Nearly 400,000 students would have lost access to school, meals, and childcare.

Only high schools would have closed; elementary schools had a separate agreement.

Seniors would have had their graduations delayed by a semester.

Schools would have stayed open with substitute teachers and administrators.

4. Voters in LA County and the City of LA will face several ballot measures on June 2. Proposition ER is a county measure. In plain terms, what does it do, and why is it on the ballot now?

It increases the county’s hotel tax to fund tourism promotion around the 2028 Olympics.

It creates a new county department dedicated to wildfire recovery and rebuilding.

It extends the county’s existing homelessness sales tax for another ten years.

It raises the county sales tax by a half-cent to help fund health and other services that are threatened by federal Medi-Cal cuts.

5. As LA prepares for the 2028 Olympics, Congress approved significant transit funding for LA Metro. Separately, one major transit project near LAX has been years in the making and has faced repeated delays. What is it?

The Purple Line extension to UCLA.

The LAX Automated People Mover, which will connect the airport terminals to the regional rail network.

The Inglewood people mover connecting SoFi Stadium to the Crenshaw Line.

A new light rail line from Downtown LA directly to LAX.

6. Mayor Bass’s proposed city budget for the coming fiscal year was notably different from the prior year’s in one major way. What was it?

It proposed eliminating several city departments entirely.

For the first time, homelessness spending exceeded police spending.

It proposed the largest tax increase in the city’s history.

It closed a roughly $1 billion deficit. This year the gap narrowed dramatically to around $25 million.

7. New information came to light in April about Bill Essayli, the interim U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, who has made fraud prosecution a signature theme of his tenure. What irony did the press uncover about his personal legal history?

He had worked with the ACLU to fight federal fraud charges brought by the same office he now leads; charges that targeted his own family.

He was investigated for fraud during his time as a state assemblymember.

He had been disbarred briefly in the early 2000s before being reinstated.

He had represented a major real estate developer who was later convicted of federal fraud.

8. Katie Porter entered the governor’s race as one of the most recognizable progressive names in the field. By early May, her campaign was struggling and released an ad addressing an incident many believe stalled her momentum. What single moment is most widely cited as having halted momentum?

Her decision to skip the first televised debate, which voters saw as arrogant.

A widely circulated video of her yelling profanities at a staffer during a Zoom interview, raising questions about her temperament.

Her endorsement of a San Francisco tax measure that alienated key donors and labor allies simultaneously.

A poor performance at the CNN debate, where she was unable to name her top budget priority.

9. On April 25, a shooting occurred outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., the first President Trump had attended as a sitting president. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was quickly connected to the Los Angeles area. What was his hometown, and what was his local connection?

He was from Pasadena and had recently graduated from Caltech.

He was from Santa Monica and graduated from Santa Monica High School two years behind Steven Miller.

He was from Torrance, where he worked as a tutor and had purchased his firearms legally at local gun stores.

He was from Long Beach and had been employed by a defense contractor in the South Bay.

10. With 61 candidates on the June primary ballot for governor, some names jump off the page. Three of the following four names ARE actually on the official certified ballot. Which one is NOT?

Barack D. Obama Shaw, listed as a Democrat and “Business Owner”

LivingForGod AndCountry DeMott, listed as “Logistical Professional/Chaplain”

Thunder Parley, listed as a Democrat and “Market Analyst”

Gary “The Truth” Johansen, listed as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter

April 2026

Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs

Manatt