Bill Gates, Condoleezza Rice, Jerry Brown. CEOs, politicians, representatives and scientists. World leaders convened Thursday and Friday at the Hoover Institution for the inaugural Global Energy Forum to discuss the future of energy worldwide as the field continues to undergo major changes.

In what already has been a strange election year in terms of changing narratives and fluctuating polls, here’s another oddity: California, historically an overrated commodity as far as national political influence is concerned, is now quite relevant.

America’s nation-state goes to the polls tomorrow, where candidates receive the high honor of holding public office and ideas pass or fail.

America’s health care is at or near the top of the list of issues that voters prioritize in most surveys. California voters are no exception, and with good reason. Following the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) and its new regulations and taxes, Americans saw massive increases in insurance premiums and a disappearance of insurance options across the country. In its first four years, ACA insurance premiums for individuals doubled and for families increased by 140 percent. This occurred even though insurance deductibles increased by over 30 percent for individuals and by over 97 percent for families, according to eHealth.