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California Policy and Politics Friday

Tax the rich? California voters are divided, according to new poll -- California voters narrowly support a proposed one-time tax on billionaires’ assets, while showing stronger support for extending a tax on high-income earners that funds schools and healthcare, a poll shows. Proposition 40 has lost support as opponents spend heavily on advertising, leaving 45% of likely voters in favor, 42% opposed and 13% undecided. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/26

Riverside sheriff had no right to seize 650K ballots, California Supreme Court rules -- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco had no legal right to seize 650,000 ballots for his investigation into alleged fraud in last November’s election and must obey the orders of Attorney General Rob Bonta, California’s top law officer, to return them to the registrar, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jeremy B. White Politico Jeff Horseman in the Orange County Register$ Ben Christopher and Nigel Duara Calmatters -- 9/25/26

Arellano: Heads up, Latino men: The future of democracy hangs on your vote -- Man, we Latino men have it rough. Americans have demonized us as criminals, buffoons, lechers, invaders, criminals and job stealers since the fall of the Alamo. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/26

Walters: Tilting California voters toward raising local taxes often involves tricks, manipulation -- California’s Nov. 3 ballot contains 14 statewide ballot measures and five of them pertain to taxes, including the much-debated Proposition 40, which would tax the wealth of the state’s billionaires. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/25/26

Lopez: All those undecided L.A. voters may actually know what they want — someone to win them over -- Political polls are like weather forecasts. They’re worth passing consideration, maybe, but you’d have to be a fool to bet your house on their accuracy. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/26

 

Hurricane Polo is coming. Here’s what it means for Southern California -- The hurricanes, Polo and Odalys, are not expected to make landfall in California. But forecasters said they could stir up rough seas and send swells toward the California coast, which already has been battered by big waves this summer. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ Laylan Connelly in the Orange County Register$ -- 9/25/26

Wildfire

He knows his community is going to burn again. Now he’s making sure they’re ready -- As the Lucas Fire tore through Mendocino and Lake Counties, two portable fire hydrants sprouted from Lake County’s Keeling Park, pumping water directly from Clear Lake. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 9/25/26

Environment

California rules on air pollution from ships under challenge -- The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly voted to take away the ability of California to force large ships to run on electricity when they’re in port, instead of running on their giant diesel engines. A second vote also sought to end requirements for cleaner engines on some commercial boats. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/26

How Airbnb is fighting for its place on California’s coast -- Residents of cities like Pacifica want to limit the presence of visitors and corporations. Companies like Airbnb want to keep their lucrative coastal listings. That tension has led to increased attempts to influence a small but powerful committee. Kathryn Wheeler Calmatters -- 9/25/26

Marketplace

Judge holds off on ruling in states’ antitrust settlement with Paramount -- A federal judge declined Thursday to rule immediately on a proposed settlement between Paramount Skydance and 12 state attorneys general, leaving the last major legal hurdle to the studio’s $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery unresolved for now. Samantha Masunaga and Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/26

Lawmakers unveil Hollywood tax incentive proposal -- Lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday to create a federal tax incentive for film and television production, putting Donald Trump’s push to prop up Hollywood in front of Congress. Daniel Miller Politico Samantha Masunaga and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/26

‘It’s a new world now’: Why more California winery bankruptcies and foreclosures are coming -- This past week, we saw two of the biggest stories yet in the wine industry’s ongoing crisis: Napa’s Signorello is facing foreclosure, something that rarely happens to wineries, and Gundlach Bundschu, one of California’s oldest wineries, has filed for bankruptcy. Jess Lander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/26

Housing

Mortgage Rates Hit 7% as Iran War Fallout Crushes a Weak Housing Market -- Mortgage rates jumped to 7 percent this week for the first time since January 2025, squeezing housing affordability when many Americans are grappling with higher energy costs and economic uncertainty brought on by the war with Iran. Gregory Schmidt in the New York Times -- 9/25/26

The Inland Empire was once a bargain. Now, rising home prices, coastal invasion bring anxiety -- Pandemic-era migration from coastal counties has helped push up prices in communities once considered affordable, leaving longtime residents with fewer options beyond absorbing higher costs. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/26

Homeless

Appeals court orders Trump administration to distribute homeless funds -- A federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration’s effort to revamp how homeless service organizations in Los Angeles apply for federal housing funds. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/26

Transit

Waymo offers new incentives for commuters on public transit -- Waymo customers in San Francisco will soon be able to earn credit toward future rides when they use one of the robotaxis to connect to public transit. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/26

AI

OpenAI’s agents breached Australian government data. Its human response may do more damage -- What happens in the aftermath of its agents breaching Australian government data will set the tone — and potentially provide a legal framework — for jurisdictions around the world as they determine what human guardrails are needed for increasingly powerful and autonomous AI. Ryan Heath Politico -- 9/25/26

Also

The California District Attorney Cracking Down on the Scourge of E-Bikes -- Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer organized what is believed to be the first e-bike buyback event, which drew over 1,000 surrendered bikes. Spitzer has filed child endangerment charges against at least three parents and is investigating 47 more. Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/25/26

Northern California couple badly injured in bear attack, dog dies trying to protect them -- A Northern California couple was seriously injured in a bear attack outside their home in rural Trinity County early Saturday, according to friends, and their French bulldog died after attempting to intervene. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/26

‘Be your own mayor’: For $4.75 million, you could buy a California town -- After nearly four decades, the 87-year-old owner of this tiny enclave along the Pacific Crest Trail is ready to hand over the keys. Hannah Knowles in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/26

POTUS 47

US government foots bill for television advertisement featuring Trump’s midterm messaging -- At first glance, it looks like a typical Republican campaign advertisement. As images of President Donald Trump flash across the screen, the 30-second spot says “America will never be a communist country” and boasts about the “largest tax cuts in history.” But there’s something different near the end — a bit of text at the bottom that says “paid for by the U.S. government.” Mike Catalini Associated Press -- 9/25/26

Five Takeaways From Trump’s Washington Summit With Xi -- President Trump hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a summit heavy on ceremony and light on outcomes, concealing major disagreements between the two superpower nations on trade, technology and Beijing’s support for Iran. Alex Leary, Alexander Ward and Lingling Wei in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/25/26

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow Deportations to Third Countries -- Administration lawyers filed an emergency application to the justices after a lower federal court on Wednesday upheld a block on the government’s program, finding that people could not be deported without being given a chance to contest their cases. Abbie VanSickle in the New York Times$ -- 9/25/26

Unused Tents and Uneaten Food: Watchdog Finds ‘Waste’ in Immigration Crackdown -- In a report Thursday, the Government Accountability Office said the Trump administration squandered millions of dollars to expand detention. Eileen Sullivan in the New York Times$ -- 9/25/26

Federal Council Terminates Review of Arch’s Effects on Historic Sites -- Trump’s allies end a legally required step, one of the final hurdles for the project to advance. Emily Badger in the New York Times$ -- 9/25/26

Trump ad airing with government funding despite law against ‘propaganda’ -- A television ad promoting President Donald Trump began airing on cable Wednesday saying it was paid for by the U.S. government, despite a federal prohibition on using taxpayer dollars for “publicity or propaganda.” Isaac Arnsdorf in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/26

 

California Policy and Politics Thursday

Riverside sheriff had no right to seize 650K ballots, California Supreme Court rules -- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco had no legal right to seize 650,000 ballots for his investigation into alleged fraud in last November’s election and must obey the orders of Attorney General Rob Bonta, California’s top law officer, to return them to the registrar, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/26

 

High cost of living tops voter concerns, Becerra remains front-runner in governor’s race, new poll shows -- As Californians prepare to elect a new governor in November, the concern they want to be his top priority is reducing the state’s entrenched high cost of living, according to a poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/26

Raman’s polling lead puts pressure on Bass to win undecided voters – and go negative -- The poll showed Raman leading Bass by 11 percentage points, a wide margin that could affect both the tenor and tactics of the campaign. Bass said Raman is “absolutely not” the front-runner, saying she has seen multiple polls indicating the race remains tight. Noah Goldberg and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/26

The billionaire tax could be defeated by two other tax measures. Here’s how -- California voters will soon decide whether to tax billionaires — but even if a majority says yes, the measure could still lose to either of two billionaire-funded measures designed to cancel it out. Kristen Hwang Calmatters -- 9/24/26

AI

Bay Area cities shut the door to new data centers -- Up and down the state, city councils and boards of supervisors have used emergency moratoriums to temporarily ban new data centers from being built in their communities, with even more eager to follow suit. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/26

California voters oppose new data centers, poll finds -- The findings come as data centers have become a flashpoint in the war over AI — no more so than in California, the hub of the global tech industry. Chase DiFeliciantonio Politico -- 9/24/26

The AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. History -- Data-center spending is greater than that for the canals, railroads and grid combined—creating jobs and wealth but also boosting inflation. Konrad Putzier and Justin Lahart in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/24/26

OpenAI Agents Tried to Hack Four More Websites While Seeking Data -- AI agents sent to gather basic online data tried to hack into government and university sites when they hit roadblocks, joining a growing list of rogue incidents Sam Schechner in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/24/26

OpenAI Agent Hacked Australian Government Website -- Attack appeared to be first publicly disclosed incident of an AI agent gaining unauthorized access to government files. Maxwell Zeff and Robert McMillan in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/24/26

Is 3-D Printing the Answer to AI’s Gas Turbine Crunch? -- A tiny California startup founded earlier this year is taking the “Bring Your Own Power” trend that is dominating the AI race to a whole new level—it is relying on 3-D printing technology to help make backlogged power equipment. Jennifer Hiller in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/24/26

Google Takes the A.I. Data Center Race to Outer Space -- Next Thursday, Google is sending an experimental satellite into orbit that will have enough computing power to answer simple A.I. queries from space. Kate Conger and Cade Metz in the New York Times$ -- 9/24/26

 

Newsom calls Trump ‘invasive species’ in major U.N. speech -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom called President Donald Trump an “invasive species” that is threatening progress around the globe and said he needs to be removed from office during a high-profile address Wednesday at a United Nations session on climate change. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/26

In rare challenge to Trump, Mayor Lurie asks feds to release S.F. Assembly staffer -- Mayor Daniel Lurie appealed to the federal government Wednesday for ICE to release Ho Yin Mo, a prominent San Francisco Chinese community organizer and Democratic staffer in the California Legislature. The White House, meanwhile, doubled down in defense of his arrest, calling Mo an “illegal alien.” Sara DiNatale, Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/26

San Francisco sues Trump Media over subscriber-only access to Trump’s posts -- The city of San Francisco is suing President Donald Trump’s media company, challenging a pricey subscriber-only tool on his Truth Social media platform that allows Wall Street investors early access to the president’s posts. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/26

 

Record diesel prices are squeezing Bay Area ferries. Riders could soon pay more -- Record-high fuel prices are putting strain on the Bay Area’s popular ferry system, prompting one of the biggest operators to cut a mid-day route and consider a surcharge for passengers. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/26

How a ban of diesel exports could lead to higher prices — even in the U.S. -- The United States is the largest exporter of diesel in the world, sending on average 1.4 million barrels of distillate fuel a day to trading partners mainly in Latin America and Europe. Experts say that a blanket ban on shipments would imperil those economic allies and push domestic refineries to cut production. That, in turn, would almost certainly lead to higher gasoline prices. Rachel Lerman and Federica Cocco in the Washington Post$ -- 9/24/26

Workplace

L.A. Comes to Grips With a Studio Merger Many Didn’t Want -- Hollywood’s battered entertainment economy avoided a potential catastrophe this week when Paramount said it would remain in Los Angeles after merging with Warner Bros. Discovery. That doesn’t mean Los Angeles is celebrating. Paul Kiernan and Ben Fritz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/24/26

Haphazard pesticide enforcement puts farmworkers in California at risk -- In all, nearly 18,000 regulatory actions were taken by county pesticide safety inspectors across California from the start of 2020 through June 2025. Fewer than 30% resulted in fines, though, according to state enforcement records. Robert J. Lopez, Barbara Davidson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/26

Bay Bridge rush-hour delays could more than double if transit tax measures fail, study projects -- Study finds commutes through major transportation corridors would double if the Regional Transit Measure is rejected by voters this November. Chase Hunter in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/24/26

A Weary Hollywood Celebrates the Prospect of Federal Funding -- In response to an exodus of movie and TV production, a bill is being introduced in Congress that would use tax credits to subsidize filming in the United States. Matt Stevens and Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 9/24/26

Walters: Bonta’s cave on Paramount-Warner deal fits California’s history of corporate surrender -- It’s the latest episode of California officials confronting big corporate interests over some issue, loudly promising to make business executives change their ways and then caving in. The corporation often makes some minor concessions that allow the officials to save face. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/24/26

Housing

L.A. approves $466 million in affordable housing spending, the largest pool ever -- Los Angeles is set to go on an affordable housing spending spree. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/26

Homeless

Cities often squabble over homelessness. A new California law forces one community to try something different -- New legislation forces the city and county of Sacramento to collaborate on homelessness. Stakeholders say it could have repercussions California-wide. Marisa Kendall Calmatters -- 9/24/26

Climate

California and Washington to join forces on carbon markets, aiming to cut pollution and raise billions -- California is moving forward with plans to link its signature climate program, cap-and-invest, to that of Washington State, a major step officials say will cut more pollution and increase revenue for key state programs. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/26

In blow to tribes, Newsom vetoes bill that would have remade little-known state forests -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill aimed at deprioritizing commercial logging in a unique state forest system, arguing the measure would jeopardize the ability to test best management practices. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/26

Valley Fever

This deadly fungus isn’t just a rural threat anymore. New studies point to cities and oil wells -- New research in California’s San Joaquin Valley finds valley fever fungus thriving in urban areas in rodent burrows, revealing a wider, more insidious footprint. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/26

Education

How Trump’s plan to make Head Start English-only would hit L.A. classrooms -- The Trump administration is proposing an English-only overhaul of Head Start, which could affect nearly 290,000 dual-language learners nationwide, including thousands in Los Angeles County. Kate Sequeira and Ava Hu in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/26

Fensterwald: Steve Hilton’s campaign for governor revives divisive education issues among Democrats -- Steve Hilton’s education reforms are a trip back to the future. The Republican candidate for California governor has called for abolishing teacher tenure, reviving an issue that has been taboo for a decade in the state after bruising battles in court and the Legislature. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 9/24/26

Also

Rep. Kiley demands Sacramento TV station stop airing ‘Duck’ ad tying him to Trump -- Rep. Kevin Kiley’s campaign has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a Sacramento television station over a new political advertisement that compares the congressman to a duck and highlights his past endorsement from President Donald Trump. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/24/26

POTUS 47

Major TV networks declined to film the Chinese leader’s arrival -- Since Monday, the networks that operate the White House TV pool — ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC — have declined to film Mr. Trump’s public events as an act of solidarity with CNN, which, along with MS NOW and Politico, has been barred by the Trump administration. Michael M. Grynbaum in the New York Times$ -- 9/24/26

The world wants to secure AI. It may have to try without the US. -- Proposals for global AI protections and guardrails abound this week at the U.N. General Assembly, but they can’t do much without the U.S. on board. Maggie Miller Politico -- 9/24/26

MAGA Podcasters Are Tuning Out Trump. We Tracked What They Are Talking About Now -- The Wall Street Journal analyzed nearly 70,000 hours of podcasts, using a new AI tool, to find out why conservative creators appear to be losing interest in the president. Neil Mehta, Brian Whitton and Sabrina Rodriguez in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/24/26