California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Xavier Becerra’s rivals in the California governor’s race have seized on these 3 incidents -- In some cases, the claims his rivals have made about him are accurate, but in other cases they are exaggerated or taken out of context. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/26

How Eric Swalwell’s implosion has scrambled the race to replace him in Congress -- The candidates are suddenly grappling with what kind of leader can restore their community’s shattered confidence. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/26

Panicked California Democrats are pushing a risky strategy: Wait ’til the last minute to vote -- Recent polling suggests it’s unlikely that two Republicans would lock Democrats out of the November gubernatorial election. But some liberal activists are still panicking about the possibility of a MAGA governor. Their solution could delay California’s already slow ballot-counting. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 5/12/26

California’s Democratic incumbents face primary challenges from political newcomers -- California is home to three of the 13 members of Congress age 80 or older who are seeking reelection in 2026 Not a single California Democrat age 80 or older is running unopposed. Justine McDaniel and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/26

Governor YIMBY: In California’s unsettled race, most candidates see eye-to-eye on housing -- On zoning, permitting, fees and NIMBY obstruction, the top candidates vying to become California’s next governor all say the state needs to make it easier to build more homes. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 5/12/26

FCC commissioner joins Disney’s free-speech fight -- FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the panel‘s lone Democrat, is backing Disney against her own agency, accusing the Federal Communications Commission of orchestrating a “coordinated campaign of censorship” against ABC. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/26

Santa Clara County sues Meta, alleging it made billions from scam ads as Californians lost billions -- Santa Clara County’s counsel sued Meta on Monday, accusing the tech giant of turning scam advertisements on Facebook and Instagram into a multibillion-dollar revenue stream while Californians lost billions to online fraud. Caelyn Pender in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/12/26

Is Mayor Lurie still popular? Our new poll checks in on state of S.F. -- More than a year into his tenure as mayor, San Franciscans still overwhelmingly approve of the job Daniel Lurie is doing, a new Chronicle poll found. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/26

Hantavirus fears heighten with 4 Californians exposed to the disease. Is the alarm warranted? -- While officials and infectious disease experts have been quick to note the seriousness of the rodent-borne disease, they have also stressed key differences between hantavirus and COVID-19. Namely, that this virus is far less transmissible. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/26

Walters: Democratic legislators weigh new taxes and blame Trump for California’s deficit -- The state Assembly’s Democratic leadership published a remarkable bit of political fiction last week, a “budget road map” that essentially blames President Donald Trump for California’s multibillion-dollar deficits. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 5/12/26

Insurance

California’s second-largest home insurer to raise rates this fall -- Farmers Insurance Group, the second largest home insurer in California, is set to raise overall policy rates for homeowners by 1.5% this fall. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/26

Workplace

Forget Tech and Hollywood. California Is Powered by Healthcare Jobs -- A state known for billionaires and high-tech jobs depends on lower-paying health work to boost its labor market. Harriet Torry and Josh Ulick in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/12/26

Google opens newest Bay Area campus, a tech hub where thousands could work -- The San Jose innovation hub that Google has opened consists of 10 buildings, including six office buildings, a lab site and three industrial buildings. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/12/26

LA Logistics

L.A. port traffic rises in April despite trade disruption, higher fuel costs -- The Port of Los Angeles recorded its second busiest April on record, despite the war in Iran, a related rise in shipping fuel costs and continued trade uncertainty. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/26

Education

Inside LAUSD’s alleged $22-million money-laundering scheme, ‘the largest’ in district history -- Over four-years, a Los Angeles school district manager enriched herself with $3 million in kickbacks by working with a tech company executive to deliver $22 million in work, according to allegations in a lawsuit filed by the school district. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/26

A Nobel laureate thinks this hit UC Berkeley class could help change the world -- “Sense and Sensibility and Science” was started 13 years ago by a team of UC Berkeley professors, including a Nobel laureate, who wanted to give students the tools to combat misinformation and improve their communication skills in an increasingly confusing world. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/26

Trump administration again suspends UC Berkeley research grants -- The National Science Foundation suspended at least 18 research grants to UC Berkeley last month despite a court injunction restricting such suspensions, according to an attorney representing university scientists in a class-action lawsuit. Felicia Mello in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/26

California voters are about to elect a new state superintendent. It’s barely on the radar -- Nearly a third of California voters are undecided in the race for state superintendent of public instruction. Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 5/12/26

Street

Feds indict three men in violent San Francisco crypto home invasion -- Three Tennessee men have been indicted on federal charges connected to a violent spree targeting cryptocurrency millionaires across San Francisco, the South Bay and Los Angeles, federal prosecutors announced Monday. Megan Cassidy, Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/26

What happens after a homeless encampment sweep? Data shows the limits of what San Diego’s strategy accomplishes -- Encampments often reappear days — sometimes hours — after they’re cleared. The sweeps cost taxpayers more than $7 million each year. Kelly Davis, Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/12/26

Authorities arrest 42 in sweeping Inland Empire child sex exploitation operation -- A person wanted for child sexual assault, two corporate vice presidents and a child psychologist were among 42 people arrested in a sweeping child sexual exploitation bust in the Inland Empire, authorities announced Monday. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/26

Also

New California $1 coin honors Steve Jobs and his Pixar legacy -- Gov. Gavin Newsom chose Jobs to represent California in the U.S. Mint’s American Innovation $1 Coin Program, a federal series honoring innovators and innovations from every state. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Nicole Buss in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/12/26

Arcadia mayor, accused of being Chinese foreign agent, strikes deal with feds and resigns -- Eileen Wang, an Arcadia city leader facing charges of acting as an illegal foreign agent of China, resigned Monday after reaching an agreement to resolve the federal case. Brittny Mejia and Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/26

POTUS 47

'Out of control': Inflation surges to highest point in 3 years, driven by energy -- The Labor Department on Tuesday reported that the consumer price index increased at an annual rate of 3.8 percent — the highest since May 2023 — with rising energy costs accounting for more than 40 percent of the spike. Sam Sutton Politico Chao Deng in the Wall Street Journal$ Lydia DePillis in the New York Times$ Andrew Ackerman and Federica Cocco in the Washington Post$ -- 5/12/26

Trump administration ends Biden-era policy protecting public lands -- The Trump administration has dumped a Biden-era conservation policy that made it easier to protect and preserve hundreds of millions of acres of public lands across California and the West. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/12/26

Trump’s Redistricting Push Could Cost Republicans More Than It Gains -- Not only may Republicans unwittingly create more competitive races for their own members, they will energize Democrats and set back their party in ways that will linger beyond this president. Jonathan Martin Politico -- 5/12/26

Justice Dept. Subpoenas Wall Street Journal in Leak Investigation -- Critics raised concerns over press freedom after The Journal disclosed receiving subpoenas related to an article on deliberations on the risks of military action in Iran. Devlin Barrett in the New York Times$ -- 5/12/26