California Policy and Politics Thursday

Top candidates for California governor spar over wealth, experience and race in fiery debate -- With the California governor’s race quickly approaching, six candidates fiercely sparred over wealth, experience and race Wednesday evening in the first debate since former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race amid sexual assault and misconduct allegations. Seema Mehta and Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ Jennifer Medina in the New York Times$ -- 4/23/26

Walters: First TV debate in race for governor mostly bypassed California’s serious issues -- There will be 61 names of would-be governors on the June 2 primary election ballot, but the top two finishers will — as certainly as anything can be in politics — come from the six who participated Wednesday evening in the first statewide televised debate. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 4/23/26

California woman registered her dog to vote, cast ballots in the pooch’s name, prosecutors say -- Costa Mesa resident Laura Lee Yourex, 63, who bragged on social media about registering her dog to vote and subsequently cast ballots in the animal’s name, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. She is set to be sentenced Oct. 16. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

Complicated Dem plan to fill Swalwell’s seat in special election risks confusing voters, expert warns -- Former state Sen. Bob Wieckowski, under direction from other Dems, could run as temporary 'caretaker' of Swalwell seat. Kyle Martin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/23/26

 

9th Circuit blocks California limits on anonymous immigration agents -- The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Trump administration in striking down a California requirement that immigration agents show visible identification while on duty. Nigel Duara Calmatters Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Lindsey Holden Politico -- 4/23/26

California has a new way of getting gasoline, for the first time in modern memory -- Now, after the war in Iran sent gas prices soaring, the Trump administration has set the law aside — and the shift is opening new pathways for fuel to reach the Bay Area and elsewhere in California, including shipments from Gulf Coast refineries. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/22/26

New bill would stop DMV from making millions off auctioned cars without telling the owners -- The bill from Murrieta Republican Senator Kelly Seyarto directly follows CalMatters’ reporting, which revealed that the DMV collected more than $8 million from nearly 5,300 cars sold at auction from 2016 to late 2024, without having to notify the owners that their towed cars had been sold for a surplus. Byrhonda Lyons Calmatters -- 4/23/26

Workplace

Warner Bros shareholders approve Paramount’s $81 billion takeover of the Hollywood giant -- An $81 billion Warner-Paramount mega merger has received shareholders’ stamp of approval, propelling a deal that could vastly reshape Hollywood and the wider media landscape closer to the finish line. Wyatte Grantham-Philips Associated Press Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

 

LAFD’s culture of obedience runs deep. Firefighters say they fear retaliation from bosses -- In the LAFD, firefighters rarely question orders because doing so could invite retribution from bosses. That culture was evident in firefighters’ testimony about the Lachman fire, which reignited into the Palisades fire days later. Retaliation can include being assigned to a station far from home, passed up for promotions or labeled a troublemaker. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

Jury awards $2.25 million to Riverside County sergeant forced to resign after reporting harassment -- Sgt. Frank Lodes was forced to leave the job he loved in 2022 — penning a resignation letter in a Del Taco parking lot — while a high-ranking department official threatened him with mounting investigations, according to the complaint. Clara Harter and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

Telework remains energizing force for CA state workers as July deadline looms -- Two years and two weeks have passed since Gov. Gavin Newsom issued his first return-to-office order, which directed state employees to begin working from government offices two days a week. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/23/26

Wildfire

California could make homes in fire-risk areas pay up to $150 under bill advancing through Legislature -- A handful of California lawmakers are pushing to reinstate a controversial fee paid by rural residents for fire prevention, arguing that those who most need firefighting services should pay their share. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/26

Angry Altadena residents ask officials to halt Edison’s undergrounding work -- The residents cited the unexpected financial cost of the work to homeowners and possible harm to the town’s remaining trees. They also pointed out how the work will leave telecommunication wires above ground on poles. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

Housing

Congress is finally tackling the housing crisis. What will it mean for California? -- Housing experts are excited to see the federal government finally get involved in an issue it has long ignored, though they caution that the proposed solutions are not an instant fix, especially for a state like California that has long built far fewer homes than it needs. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/26

L.A. voters doubt government can improve housing affordability, poll finds -- L.A. voters overwhelmingly recognize housing affordability and homelessness as serious problems, with 87% and 95% respectively viewing them as serious or very serious problems. Yet 66% lack confidence that state government can improve housing affordability, and they express even deeper skepticism toward local government. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

Breathe

44% of Americans breathe dangerously polluted air. In California, it’s 82% -- According to the 2026 State of the Air report, Los Angeles remains the most ozone-polluted metro area nationally for the 26th time in 27 years. Across California, 82% of residents live in counties affected by unhealthy air. Meg Tanaka in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

Kratom

This widely sold herbal product is now banned in San Mateo County -- San Mateo County on Tuesday banned the sale of kratom, citing concerns that the herbal substance marketed for its energy-boosting and pain relief properties can cause addiction, overdoses and other health harms. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/26

Education

UC Berkeley strips all political art from trailblazing multicultural center -- Even a poster of Martin Luther King Jr. has been yanked. Cal has also banned student organizations from hosting events at the center after complaints about pro-Palestinian signs. Felicia Mello Berkeleyside -- 04/23/26

California is leading national preschool expansion, but quality lags, report says -- California’s preschool expansion has lead to surging enrollment and ranks high nationally in the amount of money spent on its youngest students, but needs to focus on improving the quality of its early education programs, researchers said. Moriah Balingit and Kate Sequeira in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

World Cup

Levi’s Stadium is 2nd cheapest World Cup ticket on average. It’s still $2,300 -- World Cup tickets prices are exorbitant. According to a study commissioned by LiveFootballTickets, which collected information during March-April from secondary ticket marketplaces for all 104 matches, the average ticket price to attend a match at Levi’s Stadium costs $2,364.76. Noah Furtado in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/26

Street

How did thousands of sensitive LAPD files get leaked? City officials seek explanation -- Officials are demanding answers from the L.A. city attorney’s office about how a massive cache of confidential LAPD files got dumped online. The Times has found the compromised material includes raw body cam footage, medical records and other sensitive police records. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

Also

Michael Tilson Thomas, transformative music director of S.F. Symphony, dies at 81 -- For a quarter of a century and more, Michael Tilson Thomas and San Francisco were practically synonymous in the world of classical music. Joshua Kosman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Nardine Saad in the Los Angeles Times$ Tim Page in the Washington Post$ -- 4/23/26

California adds three new state parks, expands others -- Three new properties, including two along major rivers in the Central Valley and the former migrant farmworker camp near Bakersfield that was the inspiration for John Steinbeck’s classic novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” will become new California state parks, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/26

POTUS 47

Air War in Iran Gives Way to Crippling Stalemate in Hormuz -- The conflict with Iran has entered a damaging new phase—a crippling limbo between war and peace that leaves the Strait of Hormuz closed and the prospect of escalation looming. Georgi Kantchev, Jared Malsin and Summer Said in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/23/26

UK divers prepare for mine-clearing operations in Strait of Hormuz -- British military divers are preparing to conduct mine-clearing operations in case they are needed in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Ministry of Defence. The Royal Navy experts, trained in mine neutralization and clearance, are being readied to provide additional options alongside uncrewed systems. Esther Webber Politico -- 4/23/26

Clearing Strait of Hormuz of mines could take 6 months, Pentagon tells Congress -- The Pentagon assessment, shared in a classified briefing for lawmakers, suggests gasoline and oil prices could remain elevated through the midterm elections. Dan Lamothe, Noah Robertson and Ellen Nakashima in the Washington Post$ -- 4/23/26

Trump orders US military to ‘shoot and kill’ Iranian small boats choking Strait of Hormuz -- U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” Iranian small boats choking the Strait of Hormuz. In a social media post Thursday morning, he said the military is intensifying its mine-clearing efforts in the critical waterway. The move intensified the U.S.-Iran standoff in the Persian Gulf. Lorian Belanger, Brian P. D. Hannon, Laurie Kellman, Bernard Mcghee, Luena Rodriguez-Feo Vileira Associated Press -- 4/23/26

Trump team backs away from gasoline price promises -- That much was clear Wednesday when administration officials facing lawmakers declined to put a timetable when the war in Iran would end and the ensuing rise in energy prices would ease, instead offering vague assurances of their track record in lowering prices. James Bikales, Kelsey Tamborrino and Aiden Reiter Politico -- 4/23/26