Rough & Tumble

California Policy and Politics Sunday

‘Complete 180’: How the DOJ has redefined its civil rights mission and targeted California -- It had for decades investigated police departments for using excessive force. Now it investigates police departments with excessive delays in approving gun permits. California has served as the division’s laboratory for all of these changes, or, as one former civil rights staffer put it, its “punching bag.” Ben Wieder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/26

He Ran a Strip Club. Now He Wants to Build California’s Biggest Data Center -- Christopher Scurries was alarmed to learn last fall that California’s largest data center was being planned behind his home in this hot desert town. But when the high-school band director googled the man behind the $10 billion proposal—a land-use lawyer named Sebastian Rucci—he was perplexed. Zusha Elinson, John Francis Peters in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/19/26

She’s pushed to build more housing across California. Now there’s a NIMBY fight in her backyard -- Oakland Assembly Member Buffy Wicks has fought to build more housing across California for nearly a decade. Now there’s a NIMBY — “not in my backyard” — showdown in her own backyard. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/26

‘Complete 180’: How the DOJ has redefined its civil rights mission and targeted California -- Led by California lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, the civil rights division has aggressively pursued California universities, prisons and law enforcement. Critics decry what they see as an ideological agenda, and the exodus of veteran attorneys. Ben Wieder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/26

Three Bay Area colleges are now under a serious warning -- In the latest sign that colleges are struggling mightily to enroll students and stay afloat, three Bay Area colleges have been placed on “warning” by an accreditor this year — including Dominican University of California in San Rafael and St. Mary’s College in Moraga, which received the bad news this month. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/26

Lopez: The doctor who helped save her is in another state, and telemedicine follow-up is prohibited -- California is one of about 30 states with tight restrictions on interstate telemedicine. Patients with cancer and various chronic diseases are affected. But so are students who attend college out of state and can’t check in with their doctors back home. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/26

Protests and lawsuits: Activists climb pine amid showdown over Pasadena school district’s tree removals -- Two teenagers, aided by an arborist, climbed a 100-foot pine tree outside a Pasadena high school Saturday to dramatize a campaign to stop a soil remediation project calling for the removal of nearly 200 trees at several school campuses. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/26

Workplace

The biggest winners of the American economy fear they’re sinking fast -- Silicon Valley's shift to focus on AI is leading to layoffs and a challenging job market. The tech industry's AI race has created professional unease, and workers fear job automation. Experts suggest this trend may spread to other sectors and echo past industrial transformations. Tech stock shows growth, but many workers feel left behind. Elizabeth Dwoskin and Shira Ovide in the Washington Post$ -- 7/19/26

Widow of L.A. County sheriff’s deputy killed in grenade blast files wrongful death lawsuit -- The widow of an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy killed in a grenade blast last year sued the department this week, alleging a lack of proper training and ignored safety protocols led to the incident, which also caused the deaths of two other deputies. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/26

Guns

California’s push to ban technology used for ‘ghost guns’ finds unlikely foe in Hollywood -- A proposed California bill would require 3-D printers to block the making of firearm parts, part of an effort by lawmakers to crack down on ghost guns. Movie special effects studios are among the groups opposing the legislation over concerns that overly broad restrictions would impede their work. Gavin J. Quinton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/26

Also

Barabak: Voodoo, exorcism and a killer at age 7. Meet Colorado’s Republican nominee for governor -- When Victor Marx was 3 years old, he was forced into a voodoo ritual involving a beheaded cat. At age 7, he killed a man. Or so Marx says. But he was not just a precocious child. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/26

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The New Washington Temptation: Inside Information and a Prediction Market Account -- Alarm bells went off inside the White House Counsel’s Office earlier this year when anonymous Polymarket accounts first bet five-figure sums that President Trump and Iran would agree to an initial ceasefire by the end of April. Brian Schwartz and Philip Wegmann in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/19/26

See How Trump’s Truth Social Posts Move Stocks -- Milliseconds matter on Wall Street, and Truth Social wants to charge traders to get faster access to the president’s posts. Shradha Dinesh and James Benedict in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/19/26

MyPillow Founder Not Registered to Vote in State He Wants to Lead -- Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow and a leader of the election denial movement who was endorsed by President Trump for Minnesota governor this week, acknowledged that he is not registered to vote in the state he seeks to lead. Pooja Salhotra in the New York Times$ -- 7/19/26

Nearly half of Americans in poll say Supreme Court bases rulings on politics -- A majority of Americans disapprove of the job the court is doing, a Washington Post-Ipsos survey finds. Still, it fares better than the president or Congress. Julian Mark and Scott Clement in the Washington Post$ -- 7/19/26

Energized voters could be key to Democratic victories in midterms, poll finds -- A Washington Post-Ipsos poll finds voters favoring Democrats by three points among registered voters overall, but the margin grows among those who are most motivated to vote. Gregory S. Schneider and Scott Clement in the Washington Post$ -- 7/19/26

California Policy and Politics Saturday

Billionaires Prepare $87 Million Ad Campaign to Block California Wealth Tax -- A coalition backed by the Google co-founder Sergey Brin and wealthy tech investors is trying to neutralize a proposed one-time tax on the state’s richest residents. Theodore Schleifer and Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/26

Newsom continues crackdown on cities over housing plan requirements. ‘No city gets a pass,’ governor says -- The Newsom administration is suing five more California cities — Calexico, Costa Mesa, Half Moon Bay, Ridgecrest and Turlock — for failing to complete state-mandated housing plans, known as the “housing element.” Huntington Beach was the first city to face such a legal action, and it recently finalized its housing element plans following a court-order and massive fines. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

He grew up in San Francisco. Now he can’t afford to raise his daughter here -- Among the usual posters for art openings and yoga workshops stapled to a coffee shop bulletin board in Bernal Heights, a plaintive housing flyer stands out. “Looking for our dream home in San Francisco!” it reads, over pictures of a smiling young couple with their daughter in a baby sling and a spotted dog at their heels. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/26

Trump escalates election attacks, threatens California over voter data -- The Trump administration threatened to punish California and other Democratic states that refuse its demands for voter data. ‘Try us,’ California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in response to the threat. Ana Ceballos, Justine McDaniel and Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

Arellano: Trump’s noncitizen voting fraud claims will backfire. Just look at history -- Thirty years ago this fall, a Republican politician cried electoral fraud after losing a close race. Orange County Rep. Bob Dornan couldn’t accept the most logical explanations for why Loretta Sanchez beat him in a historic upset: that voters had tired of his polarizing politics. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

Paramount offers to briefly delay Warner Bros. merger as court battle heats up -- Paramount Skydance’s top antitrust attorney told a judge Friday that David Ellison’s company would voluntarily delay its proposed $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery at least until mid-August amid a legal challenge brought by 12 state attorneys general. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

This is how Tennessee tries to woo Paramount and other companies away from California -- As California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta gathered a coalition of 12 state attorneys general to try to block Paramount’s $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Tennessee slid into Paramount’s DMs, suggesting it would be better treated in the southern state. Lily Wright in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

Paul Pelosi charged with hit-and-run in California -- Pelosi, 86, of St. Helena, was charged with a misdemeanor hit-and-run. The Napa County Sheriff’s Office alleged that Pelosi crashed his brown Maserati GranCabrio into an unoccupied parked vehicle and left the scene of the crash without providing information as required by law. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/26

Orange County demands $4 million from company at center of Garden Grove chemical crisis -- The multimillion-dollar bill is meant to reimburse the county for costs incurred while dealing with the incident, which forced about 50,000 residents to flee as firefighters warned that a 7,000-gallon volatile chemical tank was at risk of exploding or causing a major spill. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

‘You can’t even breathe’: Regulators cite Lineage over putrid odor of rotting meat spreading in Boyle Heights -- Air regulators have slapped Lineage Logistics with multiple violations related to the putrid odor at its Boyle Heights facility after receiving more than 900 complaints from residents since Sunday. Clara Harter and Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

California-based Taylor Farms pulls iceberg lettuce from U.S. amid cyclosporiasis outbreak -- Taylor Farms, the California company that is being investigated for the cyclosporiasis outbreak, according to multiple news outlets, has responded to concerns about the safety of its lettuce and announced it is taking the produce in question off the market. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ Ethan Baron, Chris Hamilton in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/18/26

El Niño is here: Five major myths about what it is and what it could mean for California’s weather -- Every day, there are fresh news stories, breathless claims on social media and new questions and concerns from people wondering what it all might mean. That torrent of attention comes with lots of misinformation and misunderstandings, experts say. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/18/26

Environmental groups press to halt Imperial Valley lithium venture -- Controlled Thermal Resources wants to extract lithium from hot brine that will be used to power a geothermal electricity plant it plans to build. This type of lithium removal is different from traditional hardrock mining or evaporation ponds. The project also would need 6,500 acre-feet of fresh water annually for washing the mineral and cooling. Blanca Begert in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

Guns

Toddler accidently kills himself with firearm in San Bernardino County. Mom and boyfriend arrested -- Investigators determined the child found a gun between two seat cushions on a couch and shot himself, according to the release. The child’s mother, Jamaria Cobb, and her boyfriend, Armand Bright, were inside the home when the shooting happened. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ Sydney Barragan in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/18/26

Street

Forest Service workers taken hostage, held at gunpoint in remote NorCal trailer, feds say -- Two U.S. Forest Service employees working in a remote area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest were kidnapped, zip-tied and held inside a trailer for more than 17 hours before being rescued Friday morning, authorities said. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/26

Also

‘Help me, I can’t swim’: Fishermen recount frantic rescue of sinking S.F. boat -- People were clinging to the side of the overturned boat and to a kiteboarder that stopped to help. Inside the cabin, three people banged on the windows as the water rose past their knees. Megan Fan Munce, Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/26

SFPD boat locates wreck of the Volare that capsized near Alcatraz -- Police on Friday located the underwater wreckage of the Volare, a 49-foot cabin cruiser that sank in the San Francisco Bay on Tuesday, killing at least two people and leaving two others missing. San Francisco police said the agency’s marine unit had been using mounted sonar to locate the vessel since its sinking. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Clara Harter in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/26

They Were Charged With Assaulting ICE Agents. The Cases Are Crumbling -- Of the more than 400 cases resolved so far, nearly half have unraveled: Juries acquitted defendants, judges threw out charges, or prosecutors withdrew them. Mike McIntire, Danny Hakim, Alexandra Berzon, Jazmine Ulloa and Lauren McCarthy in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/26

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US military says 2 troops are dead and 1 is missing after Iran attacks a base in Jordan -- The U.S. military on Saturday announced the first U.S. troop deaths due to direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war, saying two were killed and another was missing in an attack on a base in Jordan. Jon Gambrell, Toqa Ezzidin Associated Press -- 7/18/26

Judge rules OMB can’t retroactively nix grants based on new rules -- U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, denied the Trump administration’s request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by 20 states, three governors and the District of Columbia challenging the cancellation of billions of dollars in federal grant awards since President Donald Trump was inaugurated last year. Jennifer Scholtes and Kyle Cheney Politico -- 7/18/26

Trump says 278,000 noncitizens are on voting rolls. Experts say that’s wrong -- “We can affirm that on its face, we refute these claims. These numbers are wildly speculative at best and the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t shared anything that backs it up,” Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said in a statement. Perry Stein, Isaac Arnsdorf, Patrick Marley and Lauren Kaori Gurley in the Washington Post$ Sam Levine in The Guardian -- 7/18/26

Trump’s Election Claims Land With a Whimper Among Republicans -- Most G.O.P. lawmakers had little to say about the president’s claims of election vulnerabilities, and he did not appear to move the needle on the voting restriction bill he championed. Michael Gold, Carl Hulse, Reid J. Epstein and Erik Wemple in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/26

Trump’s Week of Policy U-Turns and Election Allegations -- President’s recent moves have frustrated some Republicans, who worry he isn’t focused on the economy ahead of the midterms. Meridith McGraw, Brian Schwartz and Lindsay Wise in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/18/26