At last, the Trump administration’s long-simmering October surprise has landed: Heavily armed federal agents started pounding on doors at dawn on Monday in California and nabbed 11 people accused of illegally registering to vote. |
At a Monday morning news conference celebrating their victory, federal officials said 17 others accused of similar crimes would be in custody very soon, for a grand total of 28, according to my colleagues Kevin Rector and Brittny Mejia. |
Obviously it’s illegal for noncitizens to vote in U.S. elections, and those who do should be held accountable. |
But more than 23 million people are registered to vote in California. Even if all 28 of the accused are guilty, they constitute roughly one ten-thousandth of one percent of the people on the state’s voter rolls. |
Is it possible they broke the rules? Sure. Is it possible they broke the system? Give me a break. |
The setup to the October surprise |
But the timing of all of this is no surprise to anyone who has lived through a few U.S. elections — or has paid close attention to this one. |
I knew in August that something was brewing, when the Trump administration was in court demanding copies of the state’s electronic voter rolls to scrutinize them for possible noncitizens. |
More than two dozen mostly Democrat-led states, including California, refused to comply, claiming the rolls contained confidential information and would be used to reject ballots from people who had every right to participate in free and fair elections. |
The whole thing felt like kabuki theater, because voter rolls are not exactly top secret. |
They’re produced with tax dollars, so like most other government records, they are open to the public by law. Even the states that restrict access somewhat, like California, make them available to reporters, political candidates and pretty much anyone else who can claim a scholarly, journalistic or government purpose. |
As someone who worked for decades on newspaper investigative teams, and has used voter rolls from states from coast to coast for reporting, I was sure the Trump administration already had access to the rolls and already knew what was on them. |
The whole thing felt like a setup, and it seemed California Democrats fell into the trap. |
Last week, the Trump administration sent the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office a thumb drive with the names of some 20,000 potential noncitizen voters for investigation. But Dean Logan, head of the office, refused to even open the file, claiming the drive was not a “secure medium.” |
Will the latest October surprise make a difference? |
Sure enough, Acting Deputy Atty. Gen. Trent McCotter — second in command at Trump’s Department of Justice — made the trip to Los Angeles for Monday’s news conference to attack Logan for refusing to even look at the evidence of potential voter fraud. |
“It is a little bit ironic when a county has more concern about the integrity of their IT system than the integrity of their voter roll,” McCotter said. |
Whether any of this will make much difference in the upcoming midterms remains to be seen. Other famous October surprises generated lots of headlines but didn’t sway the election. |
Remember the Access Hollywood recording of then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump bragging he could grab women by the pussy? That news broke on Oct. 7, a few weeks before election day, and Trump still won. |
Or in 2000, when news of George W. Bush’s 1976 drunk-driving arrest surfaced just days before the election? That, too, generated many headlines and forced Bush to hold a hastily arranged news conference to apologize. He still won the closest presidential election in modern U.S. history. |
Here’s more of our coverage on alleged California voter fraud: |
California residents accused by feds of voter fraud react with shock, confusion and anger |
Column: Why Trump’s attack on California voting is false — and even a bit funny |
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A surfer walks near train tracks north of the San Clemente Pier. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) |
The California coastal town under siege from fires, high surf, El NiƱo |
- Few cities in California last week felt the full brunt of the climate crisis more than the small coastal town of San Clemente.
- Its challenges demonstrate what more of California will probably face as the twin dangers of fire and coastal erosion converge this winter.
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California fast-tracks college student housing |
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California’s first tribal-led marine protected areas |
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California’s 307-mile Great Redwood Trail promises economic renewal and scenic wonder — but some Native Americans fear the project will erase sacred history. |
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Brockman Gallery co-founders Dale Brockman Davis and Alonzo Davis, alongside artist David Hammons. (Museum Associates / LACMA) |
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Today’s recipe |
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A pear and Gruyere cheese salad, with butter lettuce, buttermilk dressing, sprouts and walnuts. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) |
For this chopped pear salad, firmer-when-ripe, less mealy pears work best. Their texture and aroma stand up to the cheese, walnuts and creamy buttermilk dressing. Try the dressing without garlic first and then add it if you think you want it. It gives the dressing a Caesar-y feeling that can compete with the other flavors of the salad. |
Question for you |
You’ve told us your favorite Halloween candy. Now we want to know — how much have you spent on Halloween candy this year? |
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
Photo of the day |
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Several years after converting her Studio City garage into an ADU, “America’s Got Talent” showrunner Sam Donnelly gave it a new look with a simple upgrade. (Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times) |
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Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo MartĆn, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
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