California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Becerra, Hilton to debate in governor’s race days before voters receive mail-in ballots -- Voters will see sharply contrasting views on taxes, spending and California’s clashes with the Trump administration as the state prepares to choose a successor to termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. After weeks of Hilton accusing Becerra of ducking debates, the nationally televised, hour-long CNN event — without a studio audience — will give millions of Californians a side-by-side comparison. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

Becerra once pushed for the death penalty, but says he would extend a moratorium if elected governor -- Democrat Xavier Becerra defended the death penalty while serving as California’s attorney general, a punishment his office actively sought in the case of a gunman convicted of an Orange County mass shooting, but as the front-running candidate for governor he has vowed to block executions if elected in November. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

Both Becerra and Hilton say they support new guardrails on AI industry -- Both candidates running for California governor say they back new restrictions on artificial intelligence, a booming state industry that polls show has been greeted warily by voters. Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/8/26

Backlash over data centers hits California, and the midterms -- Data centers are becoming the political flash point of the midterms as candidates race to respond to tanking public opinion. A company’s pitch for small-scale data centers on fairgrounds has prompted outcry from some in Kings, Tulare and Ventura counties. Justine McDaniel, Gary Kazanjian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

As Republicans head to Texas convention, Newsom plays up his favorite rivalry -- Soon after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an effort last year to redraw California’s congressional maps in response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to do the same, he released an ad hyping the move. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/26

 

Richard Pan is running for Congress on a decade-old fight with RFK Jr. -- The pediatrician and former state senator has long battled with the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary over California’s vaccine laws. Hannah Wiley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/26

The insurgent Democrat taking on David Valadao -- The campaign camera was rolling as Randy Villegas changed the oil in his car at his family’s Bakersfield auto shop. Growing up, said Villegas, the young progressive backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “Anytime I wasn’t in school, I was here in the shop.” Blake Jones Politico -- 9/8/26

Workplace

Union workers at Labor Day rally sound alarm over automation, job losses, affordability -- Thousands of union members and families packed Wilmington’s Labor Day parade, blending marching bands, classic cars and solidarity with worries about automation. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

S.F. protesters invoke FDR in Labor Day rally against Trump -- A ragtag smattering of pro-democracy activists, U.S. military veterans and at least one federal worker unafraid of the Trump administration hunkered in front of the federal courthouse in San Francisco on Monday to call for an entirely different political reality. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/26

California’s largest state worker union to hold a strike authorization vote -- California’s largest state worker union announced Monday that it’s holding a strike authorization vote. SEIU Local 1000, which represents about 100,000 state workers across nine bargaining units, accuses the state of bargaining in bad faith. The union’s contract expired at the end of June. Corey Schmidt in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/8/26

L.A. fast-food workers could get more predictable schedules, labor rights training -- L.A. is weighing an ordinance to extend Fair Work Week scheduling rules to fast-food workers, adding predictable shifts and paid labor-rights training for tens of thousands. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

Marketplace

The 1.5-Million-Square-Foot Hole in the Center of San Francisco’s Comeback -- Not long ago, San Francisco Centre was a thriving retail destination, with a luxury day spa, nine-screen movie theater and department stores Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s drawing huge crowds. But the mall got sucked into a downward spiral during the pandemic. A surge in crime and homelessness followed. Kate King and Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/8/26

ICE

ICE dragged him from his doorstep in January. His elderly partner fears he’ll die in detention -- Rafael Vela Gonzalez was taken by ICE from his Silver Lake home in January. His health has rapidly declined in the eight months he’s spent in detention. Itzel Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

Wildfire

California water agencies may get a new defense in lawsuits over hydrants running dry in wildfires -- A bill that would help California water agencies avoid being sued when hydrants run dry in wildfires is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

Climate

El Niño could bring waves of starving sea lion pups to California beaches. It’s happened before -- As El Niño and a marine heatwave threaten mass strandings along California beaches, the release of one rescued seal pup offers a window into the possible crisis. Lila Seidman, Christina House in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

Dozens of homes evacuated in Long Beach due to storm damage, high surf -- Long Beach officials concerned about structural damage from usually high tides driven by Tropical Storm Marie evacuated some 20 homes along the Long Beach Peninsula Monday evening. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

Education

How an L.A. charter school has all but eliminated chronic absenteeism among homeless students -- Scholarship Prep South Bay has all but eliminated chronic absenteeism among homeless students. Through 50-plus community partnerships the school embeds counselors, mental healthcare and enrichment to keep students in class. Francesca Pinney, Ronaldo Bolaños in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

Their children couldn’t tell them what happened. Now some California parents want cameras in classrooms -- Central Valley parents signed petitions demanding cameras be placed in California’s special education classrooms, as is allowed in states such as Texas and Louisiana. The petitions grew from cases of suspected teacher misconduct in classrooms where students have significant disabilities and cannot reliably report what happens. Emma Gallegos EdSource -- 9/8/26

911

Remembering Bay Area’s Flight 93 passengers who died on 9/11: ‘Think of the collective bravery’ -- Mark Bingham hardly was the only person with Bay Area connections aboard Flight 93. Tom Burnett, who joined Bingham in leading the counterattack, worked at a medical-device company in Pleasanton and lived in San Ramon with his wife and three young daughters. Todd Beamer, who famously said “Let’s roll!” as the revolt began, spent his senior year at Los Gatos High School. Ron Kroichick in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/26

Data Brokers

California’s new privacy system depends on data brokers with a poor record of following the law: Stanford research -- California’s new, first-of-its-kind “DROP” program enabling residents to have personal information deleted by data brokers depends on companies that have frequently failed to follow privacy law already on the books, new research from Stanford University suggests. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/8/26

AI

Think Your Anonymous Account Is Safe? AI Might Figure Out Who You Are -- By piecing together scattered public clues, large language models can unmask pseudonymous social-media profiles with surprising accuracy. Jackie Snow in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/8/26

A.I. Models Built a Computer Worm That Could Rapidly Hack WeChat Accounts -- Calif said the attack, which it named WeWorm, was the first known computer worm — a type of malicious software that can leap from machine to machine on its own absent human help — that could spread across Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems without needing a victim to click or tap on anything. So-called zero-click attacks are different, and far more lethal, than standard phishing emails and texts. Dustin Volz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/8/26

Also

CBS named its new legal drama ‘Cupertino.’ Some locals barely recognize their city -- Noticeably absent from the trailer are Asian lead characters and shots of familiar neighborhoods, leading residents to wonder how the city will be portrayed when the show premieres Oct. 8 Stephanie Lam in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/8/26

POTUS 47

Trump’s economic record is working against him in the midterms -- Trump’s trade wars, tax cuts and immigration crackdown have driven up prices on everyday goods and gas. With inflation elevated and gas prices surging amid the war with Iran, voters give Trump dismal marks on the economy as Republicans brace for midterm losses. Michael Wilner and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26

Canada Imposes New Tariffs on U.S. Goods, as Trade War Intensifies -- The duties apply to a variety of U.S. goods, including clothing, cheese, metal parts and wood products. The approach is meant to mimic the taxes that President Trump imposed on Canada after trade talks between the two neighbors collapsed in acrimony last month. Tony Romm in the New York Times$ -- 9/8/26

As Canada’s countertariffs kick in, Trump’s escalating threats draw political rebuke -- President Donald Trump threatened to ban the sale of Canadian Bombardier jets unless they are built in the United States, prompting pushback from at least one Republican senator. Riley Beggin and Aoife Walsh in the Washington Post$ -- 9/8/26

As War Grinds On, Trump Relishes Renovation Projects -- Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s billionaire commerce secretary, was holding court before reporters outside a Washington courthouse recently when he acknowledged what had become readily apparent inside the White House. Luke Broadwater and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 9/8/26

Iran war drives $100 billion in extra energy costs for U.S. consumers -- The war in Iran has now cost U.S. consumers $100 billion in higher energy prices, and the bill is rising another $1 million about every two minutes, per a real-time estimate from Brown University as of Monday morning. Ben Berkowitz Axios -- 9/8/26