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PolitiFact California is a partnership of Capital Public Radio and PolitiFact to help you find the truth in politics. Every day, reporters and researchers from Capital Public Radio examine statements by California elected officials and candidates and anyone else who speaks up on matters of public importance. We research their statements and then rate their accuracy on our Truth-O-Meter.

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Mostly True

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Pants on Fire

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All Fact-checks for California

stated on June 1, 2020 in a Facebook post

BLM Fresno riots will begin at 4 p.m. in River Park on 06/02/20

true

false

stated on May 26, 2020 in a tweet

California Gov. Gavin Newsom “is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one" and the election is "Rigged."

true

pants-fire

stated on May 18, 2020 in a Facebook post

Texas and Florida have a “balanced budget” while California is “in debt $54 billion and New York is “in debt $6.1 billion.”

true

false

stated on May 18, 2020 in a Facebook post

“While California is dying … Gavin (Newsom) is vacationing in Stevensville, MT!”

true

false

stated on May 19, 2020 in a CNN interview

Says President Donald Trump is “morbidly obese.”

true

false

stated on May 14, 2020 in a Facebook post

If masks prevent coronavirus, governors would have given them to prison inmates instead of releasing them.

true

false

stated on April 28, 2020 in a Facebook post

“So 2 doctors from Bakersfield discover that coronavirus mortality rate is 0.03%. 13x less deadly than what was previously thought! Their analysis has since been banned from YouTube.”

true

barely-true

stated on April 29, 2020 in an interview on CapRadio's Insight program.

“The flu killed 80,000 Americans last year according to the CDC.”

true

barely-true

stated on April 22, 2020 in a Facebook post

“Pelosi was in (Wuhan) China 6 days after the impeachment HOAX failed.”

true

pants-fire

stated on April 22, 2020 in a Facebook post

During the 1918 flu pandemic, San Francisco residents formed the “Anti-Mask League.” San Francisco “was ultimately one of the cities that suffered the most with a high death rate.”

true

mostly-true

stated on April 10, 2020 in a Facebook post

Herd immunity is probably why California has far fewer COVID-19 deaths than New York.

true

false

DeAnna Lorraine

stated on April 12, 2020 in a tweet that was retweeted by President Donald Trump

Says of COVID-19 that Dr. Anthony Fauci "was telling people on February 29th that there was nothing to worry about and it posed no threat to the US public at large."

true

barely-true

stated on April 8, 2020 in a Facebook post

Says a California surfer was “alone, in the ocean,” when he was arrested for violating the state’s stay-at-home order.

true

mostly-true

stated on March 30, 2020 in a Facebook post

Says certain states are banning the sale of alcohol.

true

false

stated on March 13, 2020 in a blog post

“ICE arrests LA mayor for harboring fugitives through sanctuary city.”

true

pants-fire

stated on March 4, 2020 in a news conference

"If you look at California, if you look at people of color in general, African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, we won that big time. Big time. Not even close.”

true

half-true

stated on February 19, 2020 in a State of the State Address

"Back in 2005, when we did that first point-in-time count, there were over 188,000 thousand people that were deemed homeless in the state of California. … That’s 35,000 more than we have today.”

true

half-true

stated on December 31, 2019 in social media posts

"California's Attorney General, Xavier Becerra is putting together plans to raise property tax revenue by eliminating the only thing keeping some people's property tax from sky rocketing, Prop 13."

true

false

stated on December 20, 2019 in an interview with MSNBC

Says the California congressional district he represents "has a higher GDP than Russia."

true

false

stated on December 12, 2019 in a campaign ad

California firefighters decided "to speak out" against President Trump because his tweet about the state’s wildfires "contained so much misinformation."

true

true

Answering Questions About Vote-By-Mail In California Amid COVID-19, Attacks By Trump

Answering Questions About Vote-By-Mail In California Amid COVID-19, Attacks By Trump

By Chris Nichols • June 2, 2020

Does voting by mail lead to higher turnout in red, blue and purple states? It’s not that simple

Does voting by mail lead to higher turnout in red, blue and purple states? It’s not that simple

By Chris Nichols • May 18, 2020

Fact-checking a California reopen protest video

Fact-checking a California reopen protest video

By Daniel Funke • May 14, 2020

Explaining National Guard’s Role In California During Coronavirus (It’s Not Enforcing Martial Law)

Explaining National Guard’s Role In California During Coronavirus (It’s Not Enforcing Martial Law)

By Chris Nichols • March 26, 2020

Gov. Newsom Leaves Out Key Context In Claim 56% Of Californians Will Get Infected With Coronavirus

Gov. Newsom Leaves Out Key Context In Claim 56% Of Californians Will Get Infected With Coronavirus

By Chris Nichols • March 20, 2020

The Controversy Over GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy’s ‘Chinese Coronavirus’ Tweet, Explained

The Controversy Over GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy’s ‘Chinese Coronavirus’ Tweet, Explained

By Chris Nichols • March 12, 2020

Fact or Fiction? A Look At Claims About SB 50, One Of California’s Most Controversial Housing Bills

Fact or Fiction? A Look At Claims About SB 50, One Of California’s Most Controversial Housing Bills

By Chris Nichols • January 21, 2020

One year in, Gov. Gavin Newsom shows bold action, but California’s homelessness crisis deepens

One year in, Gov. Gavin Newsom shows bold action, but California’s homelessness crisis deepens

By Chris Nichols • January 13, 2020

What Do You Want To Know About California Politics? Ask PolitiFact California!

What Do You Want To Know About California Politics? Ask PolitiFact California!

By Chris Nichols • December 10, 2019

‘The California price’: Why it costs so much to build a home in the Golden State

‘The California price’: Why it costs so much to build a home in the Golden State

By Chris Nichols • November 19, 2019

Candidate for California governor employs fake ads to protest Facebook policy

Candidate for California governor employs fake ads to protest Facebook policy

By Chris Nichols • November 5, 2019

Boosters say Sacramento’s MLS stadium will be an economic game-changer. Economists aren’t so sure.

Boosters say Sacramento’s MLS stadium will be an economic game-changer. Economists aren’t so sure.

By Chris Nichols • October 23, 2019

Is Stockton really home to ‘second highest rent increases’ in the nation? There’s no simple answer.

Is Stockton really home to ‘second highest rent increases’ in the nation? There’s no simple answer.

By Chris Nichols • October 10, 2019

Gavin Newsom promised to expand homeless services. What has he done?

Gavin Newsom promised to expand homeless services. What has he done?

By Chris Nichols • October 4, 2019

Kamala Harris claims she ‘took on Big Oil’ as California AG. How far did she go?

Kamala Harris claims she ‘took on Big Oil’ as California AG. How far did she go?

By Chris Nichols • September 11, 2019

Were Tulsi Gabbard’s attacks on Kamala Harris’ record as a California prosecutor on target?

Were Tulsi Gabbard’s attacks on Kamala Harris’ record as a California prosecutor on target?

By Chris Nichols • August 1, 2019

Fact-checking claims on California’s unsheltered homeless population

Fact-checking claims on California’s unsheltered homeless population

By Chris Nichols • July 25, 2019

Who is Tom Steyer? A bio of the Democratic presidential candidate

Who is Tom Steyer? A bio of the Democratic presidential candidate

By Chris Nichols • July 9, 2019

Kamala Harris made forceful claims on civil rights and immigration. Did she get them right?

Kamala Harris made forceful claims on civil rights and immigration. Did she get them right?

By Chris Nichols • June 27, 2019

Harris, Swalwell, Williamson: A quick look at the Californians on tonight’s debate stage

Harris, Swalwell, Williamson: A quick look at the Californians on tonight’s debate stage

By Chris Nichols • June 27, 2019