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California Policy and Politics Monday

Nithya Raman surges past Spencer Pratt in L.A. mayor’s race, closing in on runoff with Karen Bass -- Nithya Raman is now in second place in the mayor’s race, with 27.1% of the votes counted so far compared to 26.7% for Spencer Pratt. Mail-in ballots will continue to be accepted through Tuesday, but analysts say the trend favors Raman moving into a Nov. 3 runoff with incumbent Karen Bass. David Zahniser and Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 6/8/26

Trump, after baselessly alleging fraud in California vote again, storms out of NBC interview -- During a lengthy interview in Wisconsin that aired on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Trump echoed claims he made in recent days — without providing evidence — that officials in California were “cheating,” because after four days, they “aren’t even close” to finishing the ballot counting. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ Cheyanne M. Daniels Politico -- 6/8/26

Military-like training in California cities part of FIFA World Cup preparation, FBI says -- Recent training scenarios that rattled communities in Los Angeles and Orange counties with unexpected low-flying helicopters and sounds of explosions and simulated weapon fire could likely be observed over the next two years in Southern California, an FBI official said. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register$ -- 6/8/26

ICE

Deaths in ICE custody have surged. The Chronicle is tracking them here -- Deaths in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention have surged since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 and launched an aggressive deportation effort. The 33 people who died in ICE custody last year represented a record high since the agency’s creation in 2003, federal records show. Ko Lyn Cheang and St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

 

California immigration advocates amp up lobbying ahead of budget deadline -- Advocates are holding town hall meetings, driving buses around the state and organizing thousands of phone calls to leaders in the California Legislature to convince them to reject changes to immigrant healthcare coverage proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom ahead of looming deadlines. Stephen Hobbs and Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/8/26

Housing

Can you buy a home with Anthropic stock — and see tax benefits? Here’s the reality -- In a sign that artificial intelligence hysteria may be nearing a peak, some people who are desperate for stock in OpenAI and Anthropic before they go public are offering to sell their Bay Area homes for privately held shares in those San Francisco companies. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

Investors appear to be buying up a record share of S.F. homes. The truth is more complicated -- These entities have especially expanded their market share in the condominium market. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

Homeless

This affluent Bay Area region is booming. So is its homelessness crisis -- The rise in homelessness in one Tri-Valley city and other neighboring areas comes as the region grapples with a population boom. Maggie Angst, Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

Workplace

California wants to cap business tax credits, alarming life sciences and tech industries -- California’s life sciences industry is sounding the alarm over a proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom that would permanently cap corporate tax credits. Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 6/8/26

California wine giant Gallo announces another facility closure, layoffs -- Modesto-based alcohol producer and distributor Gallo announced it will close one of its facilities and lay off 20 workers, industry publication Wine Business reported, the latest in a string of shutdowns the company has enacted during a troubling period for the wine industry. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

It’s a high-demand job with lots of openings. How LAUSD trains adults for a role in child care -- An experiment involving preschool children is unfolding in South Los Angeles, one that aims to solve a persistent problem in the region’s stressed day-care industry: the lack of workers. Kate Sequeira in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/26

Driverless Trucks Are Here—and They’re Delivering Bags of Doritos -- A 26,000-pound box truck loaded with Doritos and Frito-Lay chips rolls out of a distribution center, bound for a Walmart store about 4 miles away. It looks like any other truck, but there is no one at the wheel. Esther Fung, Johnny Kompar in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/8/26

Education

‘They’re going to try to get her’: What awaits S.F. schools chief Maria Su when she faces Congress -- When San Francisco’s Superintendent Maria Su sits in front of congressional committee in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday she is expected to face an onslaught of baiting questions about parental rights, inappropriate classroom content and the indoctrination of children. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

Wildfire

Few roads out, higher wildfire risk: New study maps Bay Area evacuation danger -- In scenic Alhambra Valley south of Martinez, where forest and grasslands surround large homes, wildfire risk is high, and for retired technology executive Kevin Lewis and his wife, there’s only one road out. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/8/26

Street

San Diegans voted for far more police oversight. Little has materialized, a new report finds -- The Commission on Police Practices still lacks many of the powers voters approved nearly six years ago. Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 6/8/26

Also

‘It’s a hurricane warning’: Guardrails around powerful AI models may be too late -- The U.S. is scrambling to strengthen guardrails around increasingly powerful artificial intelligence models before China can catch up. It may already be running out of time. Dana Nickel and Maggie Miller Politico -- 6/8/26

Authorities draw down massive search for missing Tahoe hiker presumed dead -- Authorities vowed to continue the search for a hiker who went missing near Lake Tahoe on Memorial Day, despite sending nearly all rescue crews home last Monday amid fears the man had died. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/26

Grisly affair: SoCal man survives grizzly bear attack in Glacier National Park -- A San Diego man said he felt lucky to be alive and recovering at home this week after surviving a grizzly bear attack at Glacier National Park on May 28. “I’m honestly grateful I still have an arm,” said Daniel Crago, 32, in an interview Sunday with The Times. “It’s pretty painful, but I’m making progress day by day.” Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/26

POTUS 47

Iran and Israel Move to De-Escalate After Cease-Fire Breaks Down -- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps signaled that it had concluded its latest military operation against Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled back from preparations for another attack after pushback from President Trump, two Israeli military officials said. Aaron Boxerman, Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman in the New York Times$ -- 6/8/26

Lawsuit seeks to stop the UFC fight on the White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday -- The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction. Melissa Goldin Associated Press -- 6/8/26

Trump continues defense of 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' -- President Donald Trump on Sunday defended his $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and urged Congressional leaders to approve the controversial settlement between him and the IRS. Cheyanne M. Daniels Politico -- 6/8/26

Trump Says He Never Promised No New Wars, and Defends Compensation Fund -- President Trump, who campaigned on a central promise to keep the United States out of overseas wars, denied in an interview aired on Sunday that he’d ever made the pledge. Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 6/8/26

 

California Policy and Politics Sunday

Mainstream California Democrats survived election night, but their brand remains challenged -- When Nithya Raman stepped up to a podium on the night of L.A.’s mayoral primary election, she thanked her supporters for standing up to the “powerful interests” who spent millions of dollars trying to “preserve this city’s broken and unjust status quo.” Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/7/26

Barabak, Chabria: From here to November: Our columnists size up the California governor’s race -- California’s top-two primary all but sets up a November showdown between Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton. Hilton is already diving into MAGA rhetoric and baseless voter-fraud claims, threatening to turn a long-shot campaign into a megaphone undermining California’s election system and democracy nationwide. Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/7/26

Raman closes in on Pratt as more votes in L.A. mayor’s race are tallied -- Spencer Pratt has been in second place since Tuesday, but Nithya Raman has gradually eroded his lead as mail-in ballots were counted. Raman now trails Pratt by 7,494 votes. ‘I think it’s over,’ said one political consultant. The second-place finisher will face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, the top vote-getter in Tuesday’s primary, in a Nov. 3 runoff. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/7/26

Deluged With Mail Ballots, California Takes Its Time Counting Votes Again -- Experts say speeding up the count in California would take more resources, but also scaling back rules that expand voting access. Laurel Rosenhall, Jill Cowan and Livia Albeck-Ripka in the New York Times$ -- 6/7/26

Silicon Valley bet big on Matt Mahan for governor. It didn’t pay off -- San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan entered the California governor’s race in late January as Silicon Valley’s disruptive bet: a young centrist Democrat, backed by influential tech leaders, promising to bring accountability and measurable results to Sacramento. Four months later, that experiment collapsed. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/7/26

A year after L.A. worksite immigration raid at fashion company, former workers still struggling -- A year after federal agents raided L.A. fashion company Ambiance Apparel, detained workers and their families are still living with deportations, stalled cases, lost wages and lingering psychological trauma. Brittny Mejia and Jazmin Alvarado in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/7/26

More airlines suspend LAX routes due to high fuel costs -- American Airlines is joining the list of airlines suspending flights to and from Los Angeles International Airport this summer. It announced a temporary suspension of nonstop flight routes out of LAX to Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Washington Dulles airports. The suspension is set to last through August and September due to rising fuel prices resulting from the conflict in Iran. Lily Wright in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/7/26

What life is like with a $300K income in S.F. — and how that compares to other cities -- It’s no secret that bringing home $300,000 a year doesn’t go all that far in San Francisco. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/7/26

SoFi stadium workers in L.A. authorize strike ahead of World Cup -- A union representing 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles that has demanded protection from possible immigration enforcement during the World Cup voted Friday to authorize a possible labor stoppage just a week before the U.S. team’s opening match. David Nakamura in the Washington Post$ -- 6/7/26

World Cup rental demand rises in Bay Area, but trails other U.S. host cities Prices spike for rentals all across the region -- World Cup visitors are already pushing up short-term rental demand and nightly rates across parts of the Bay Area, but early data suggests the surge may be uneven and softer than some local boosters expected. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/7/26

Workplace

Can free tuition solve California’s caregiver shortage? -- One of California’s largest senior living facilities has a new solution to the growing shortage of certified nursing assistants, who provide basic care to older patients. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/7/26

Health

S.F. General Hospital hit with record fine after fatal stabbing exposed safety lapses -- San Francisco General Hospital was utterly unprepared to deal with workplace violence when a social worker was fatally stabbed there in December, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health said in issuing a record fine against the facility. St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/7/26

Education

University of California pushes for $12B scientific research bond to counter federal cuts -- The Trump administration has awarded fewer grants toward scientific research or eliminated them altogether, impacting researchers at several California universities. In response, the University of California is pushing to get a $12 billion state bond on the November ballot to fund scientific research at California universities, research institutes and private companies. Michael Burke EdSource -- 6/7/26

Also

California’s forbidden waterfall may finally get a legal trail -- The couple from Chico had driven their station wagon up to Dunsmuir in search of one of California’s most spectacular waterfalls — knowing they’d have to trespass to get to it. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/7/26

Earwormy Kars4Kids jingle is back as charity appeals in California court -- The Kars4Kids jingle is back on the air in California after being ordered off the airwaves last month. The catchy jingle that has been getting stuck in heads for nearly three decades was pulled from the air after a California man took Kars4Kids to court for false advertising. Lily Wright in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/7/26

POTUS 47

Trump says he never promised not to start new wars -- President Trump, who campaigned on a central promise to keep the United States out of overseas wars, denied in an interview aired on Sunday that he’d ever made the pledge. Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 6/7/26

Trump Says Iran Has Made a ‘Big’ Nuclear Promise. It Isn’t New -- President Trump’s boasts of securing a commitment from Iranian leaders not to develop a nuclear weapon have puzzled nuclear experts who note that Tehran has made that pledge for more than 50 years. Michael Crowley in the New York Times$ -- 6/7/26

Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions ‘if they behave’ -- The president, appearing on “Meet the Press,” said the U.S. will help Iran eliminate its enriched uranium if a peace deal is reached — and warned of harsh military action if talks fail. Sammy Westfall in the Washington Post$ -- 6/7/26

Trump acknowledges price pain for farmers as supporters cheer for ending war -- Besides higher fertilizer and fuel prices, the president also talked at length about D.C.’s fountains and his border policies. Isaac Arnsdorf and Cat Zakrzewski in the Washington Post$ -- 6/7/26

Kennedy Center Loses Case Against Musician Who Canceled After Trump Renaming -- A judge sided with jazz performer Chuck Redd, who canceled a 2025 holiday concert after President Trump’s name was added to the building. Mark Walker in the New York Times$ -- 6/7/26