Politcs and education reporter

Charlie Borla

Charlie Borla is a politics and education reporter with the Orange County Register. He previously served as the local government reporter for the Arizona Daily Star, where he covered Tucson and Pima County governments. He studied journalism at the University of Arizona and is an avid San Francisco Giants fan.

California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton shows off his flip phone during a protest in front of a Verizon store on Jamboree Road in Irvine, CA, on Monday, August 31, 2026. Hilton announced a policy to delay smartphones for children until 8th grade. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Steve Hilton, running for California governor, unveils plan to get phones out of kids’ hands, in and out of classrooms

August 31, 2026 at 3:20 p.m.

The Republican says he will require schools and other organizations that work with kids to promote an effort to discourage smartphone use until high school.

Reps. Ken Calvert, R-Corona and Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills WILL face each other in the November general election for California’s 40th Congressional District. (Calvert file photo by Tom Williams, Getty Images; Kim file photo by J. Scott Applewhite, The Associated Press)

Republican-on-Republican battle for California’s 40th Congressional District may hinge on message

August 30, 2026 at 6:28 a.m.

The two campaigns have a choice: Promote their candidate's bipartisan bona fides or stick to a strict MAGA message.

Greg McWilliams gives his closing remarks on Proposition 45 during an Orange County Business Council meeting on the legislation held at Orange County Realtors in Laguna Hills on August 27, 2026. (Photo by Erin Burk, Contributing Photographer)

California’s Proposition 45 puts a ‘shot clock’ on lengthy environmental reviews, developers say

August 28, 2026 at 3:56 p.m.

Developers and business advocates say the measure will help them grow California's housing supply. But opponents worry it will undermine public health and environmental protections.

Workers extract mail in ballots at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center in the City of Industry on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

What the Supreme Court’s mail voting decision means for California’s midterm elections

August 26, 2026 at 8:31 p.m.

What the Supreme Court did is 'procedural just for this business day, but in substance, it did not clear up the confusion that we can see on the horizon,' one...

Second-grade student Emma Cano gets her breakfast from teacher Sarai Lucero at Pacific Drive Elementary School in Fullerton on Friday, August 21, 2026. All students receive a free breakfast through the “Breakfast in the Classroom” initiative. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Fullerton School District expands free breakfast program to another campus

August 24, 2026 at 8:55 a.m.

While attendance is taken, students can enjoy baked goods or bacon, egg and cheese breakfast pockets — served with a side of fruit.

Republican Denis Bilodeau, left, cannot call himself a ‘tax association president’ on the November ballot when he faces State Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, for a seat on the state’s tax commission board, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge ruled. (Courtesy photos)

Tax board candidate cannot call himself ‘tax association president’ on the ballot, judge rules

August 22, 2026 at 7:00 a.m.

Denis Bilodeau, a California Board of Equalization candidate, had his ballot designation challenged by a former Orange County Democratic Party chair

Chaired by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, the Select Committee on Developing Pathways to Purpose for Young Men holds its inaugural hearing Wednesday at 10 a.m. The session will address technology’s harmful effects on teenage boys, evaluating current laws and identifying gaps for future legislation. (Photo by iStockphoto via Getty Images)

California lawmakers consider meaningful alternatives to online-centric childhoods

August 19, 2026 at 6:06 a.m.

Assemblymember Avelino Valencia leads a discussion on how Sacramento can address the mental health crisis young men and boys are grappling with.

San Diego, CA – Current San Diego Unified School Board president and candidate for California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Richard Barrera, sits in an empty classroom before the first day of school at Patrick Henry High School on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in San Diego, CA. (Luke Johnson / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Richard Barrera wants to build more coalitions to improve California’s schools

August 17, 2026 at 11:23 a.m.

The San Diego Unified board president wants to continue Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond's work in Sacramento if elected to the nonpartisan seat.

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te, right, holds talks with U.S. House Representative Young Kim in Taipei, Taiwan on Friday, July 31, 2026. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)

Rep. Young Kim leads U.S. delegation to Asia that focuses on economic, military partnerships

August 12, 2026 at 4:37 p.m.

The delegation set out to strengthen U.S. relationships with South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, as tensions with China ratchet up.

159 seats across 59 school and special districts are up for election this November, in addition to a plethora of local, county, state and federal offices on the ballot, the Orange County Registrar of Voters Office says. Above, the 2026 primary election voter guide. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

Candidate filing period extended for these local Orange County races

August 11, 2026 at 6:23 a.m.

The candidate filing deadline was extended for certain offices because the incumbent didn't file for reelection.

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