California Policy and Politics Friday

California Lettuce Growers Skip Harvest, Plow Their Crops Back Into the Ground -- In the verdant fields of California’s Salinas Valley, Larry Cox is watching his lettuce wilt. Cox and his two sons run Coastline Family Farms, which supplies leafy greens to some of the country’s biggest restaurant chains and grocery stores. Amira McKee in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/31/26

 

California produced over half its May electricity from solar, a world record -- California hit a major milestone in May, generating more than half its electricity from the sun in what is believed to be a global first, according to a new analysis from the U.K.-based energy think tank Ember. Blanca Begert in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/26

Newsom reveals tax returns in run-up to 2028 -- Gov. Gavin Newsom disclosed four years of tax returns this week, revealing several steady streams of income for him and his wife that brought in well over $1 million each year and peaked at $3.5 million in 2021, when the couple sold a Marin County mansion. Blake Jones Politico -- 7/31/26

Trump hands Xavier Becerra a climate dilemma -- The likely next governor has doubts about California’s ambitious climate policies, but federal attacks could force him to be their defender. Alex Nieves Politico -- 7/31/26

 

Silicon Valley donors poured $194 million into California politics. Now comes the wealth tax fight -- Their candidates produced mixed results in June, but November’s billionaire-tax fight could reveal how much influence their money can buy. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/31/26

David Valadao lost in the last anti-Trump blue wave. Will farmers help him win this time? -- As a dairyman, David Valadao has endeared himself to the agricultural communities, even building cross-party support among Democrats. But with costs soaring and Trump so unpopular, voters might not be as willing to look beyond the “R” beside his name. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 7/31/26

This embattled consumer agency went 2 years without a director. Newsom finally appointed one -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed a new chief to lead the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau, two years after the position opened and months after a CalMatters investigation exposed how the agency has failed to curb abuse in the industry. Byrhonda Lyons Calmatters -- 7/31/26

Wildfire

Woodside Fire smoke hovers over swath of Bay Area, hazardous in places -- Thick smoke from the Woodside Fire that broke out Thursday night drove air quality well into the hazardous zone for a significant swath of Sonoma County. Kate Galbraith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/26

'We can have seven homes or we can have 70.' In wake of Los Angeles wildfires, homeowners and developers clash -- Many LA wildfire survivors are united against 'predatory developers,' who they say are exploiting vulnerable residents and changing their communities. Lawmakers are trying to balance the need to build with protections for homeowners. Liam Dillon Politico -- 7/31/26

Two cities burned in LA fires settle YIMBY lawsuit -- Malibu and Pasadena ultimately agreed to allow state-decreed multiplex development in single-family neighborhoods after a pro-development legal nonprofit sued. The state, the city of Los Angeles and L.A. County aren’t backing down. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 7/31/26

Prop 38

Is this proposition a $4 billion giveaway to a billionaire-backed LA research center? -- Proposition 38 is written in a way that very likely excludes all but one institute in the entire state: the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, whose prominent donor and co-founder is the chief backer of the proposition. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 7/31/26

ICE

At least 11 Bay Area residents have been detained in ICE airport crackdown -- A newlywed on her way home after celebrating her marriage to her American husband with friends. A professional athlete who’d previously been granted a visa for sportsmen with extraordinary abilities. A student about to start a master’s degree. Three friends who planned a short trip to Southern California are now sitting in detention centers. Sara DiNatale, Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/26

A California university is cutting ties with the Border Patrol after student outcry -- Following a CalMatters investigation, students and faculty at UC San Diego protested against campus police for collaborating with Border Patrol through a federal grant program. The university will stop participating in the program and aiding patrols, sources and internal documents confirm. Phoebe Huss Calmatters -- 7/31/26

They hoped to fix their immigration status. They got scammed instead -- Immigration law scams surged in the past year and a half, since the Trump administration’s crackdown resulted in thousands of new cases flooding the court system, attorneys and immigrant aid groups say. Itzel Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/26

Court: Trump’s immigrant mass detention policy contradicts 30 years of precedent -- The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Trump administration’s policy of refusing bond hearings to most unauthorized immigrants who are detained in the interior of the United States. Adam Ashton Calmatters -- 7/31/26

How one of the Bay Area’s most heavily Latino cities is fighting back against an ICE facility -- Gilroy’s close-knit community has balanced fear and hope as it resists the proposed ICE facility outside its borders. Luis Melecio-Zambrano in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/31/26

Arellano: The banality of evil in the Border Patrol’s secret anti-immigrant slur -- Javier Ramirez was handcuffed in the back of an unmarked car, bruised and confused, when immigration agents used a word he had never heard before. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/26

Smolens: It’s a no-brainer — DACA is good for San Diego, America -- San Diego leaders across the spectrum lay out economic and social benefits of program providing temporary legal status for young immigrant "Dreamers" Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 7/31/26

 

Boyle Heights warehouse fire recovery is nearing halfway point, officials say -- Emergency Management officials said Thursday that the cleanup efforts stemming from the Lineage cold-storage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights are approaching a midpoint. The city is now focused on spoiled food waste cleanup, interim housing for affected residents, and fining Lineage Logistics over ongoing air quality issues. Gavin J. Quinton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/26

Workplace

Tech layoffs have already surpassed all of 2025. California is at the epicenter -- Global tech layoffs in 2026 have affected over 124,000 people in just seven months, already surpassing the roughly 122,00 layoffs that occurred over the entirety of 2025, according to data compiled by layoffs.fyi. Roland Li, Sriharsha Devulapalli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/26

CEO apologizes for offering interviews to people who got tattoos of his AI company logo -- Jordan Zietz, co-founder of an early stage AI startup called LemonLime, had recently posted on LinkedIn about hosting a YC Startup School afterparty at the company’s office to “meet exceptional people, and find out which of them are just as crazy as we are.” Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/26

An unwritten federal policy is blocking workers’ discrimination claims -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has told administrative judges to pause federal workers’ class discrimination cases as the agency prepares to overhaul civil rights enforcement in the government. Meryl Kornfield in the Washington Post$ -- 7/31/26

Marketplace

Sales Are So Low, California Wineries Are Burning Their Vineyards -- In California, a place famous around the world for its viticulture, winemakers produced less wine last year than at any point in the last quarter century. It’s often cheaper to let grapes rot on the vine than to harvest them because so many unsold bottles clog the shelves of storerooms and wine shops. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 7/31/26

Environment

Proposed ban of forever chemicals for California farms nixed by state lawmakers -- California lawmakers rejected legislation that would have banned pesticides with so-called “forever” chemicals from use on California’s farms, a restriction strongly opposed by the state’s billion-dollar agriculture community. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/26

Water

U.S. Raises Threat of Steep Water Cuts in Lower Colorado River Basin -- A federal plan would impose drastic water cuts on Arizona, California and Nevada in dry years over the next decade. A legal battle could follow. Scott Dance in the New York Times$ Sarah Kaplan in the Washington Post$ Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/26

Researchers find permanent damage to Sacramento Valley groundwater storage -- The damage occurred during the last major drought from 2020-22, when landowners in the region had to rely on pumping groundwater to meet their needs. In some parts of the Sacramento Valley, subsidence, or land sinking, reached levels similar to parts of the heavily sunken San Joaquin Valley. Daniel Hennessy KVIE Abridged -- 07/31/26

California’s push to limit groundwater pumping could leave small farmers in the dust -- California’s tightening regulations limiting groundwater pumping are proving difficult and costly for many small-scale farmers. Researchers say small growers need help to adapt. One farming family in Merced County is leaving half their land dry, fearing new pumping fees could cost them thousands of dollars. Ian James, Tomas Ovalle in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/26

AI

Anthropic AI Models Hacked Three Companies During Tests -- Anthropic said Thursday that software it was testing got onto the internet and hacked unsuspecting companies without the AI-maker’s knowledge in three separate incidents dating back to April. Robert McMillan in the Wall Street Journal$ Allison Pohle and Chip Cutter in the Wall Street Journal$ Mike Isaac and Kate Conger in the New York Times$ Gerrit De Vynck in the Washington Post$ -- 7/31/26

In Silicon Valley, Some Say an A.I. Bubble Would Be Just Fine -- As fears spread over a possible artificial intelligence bubble, some tech investors say: Bring it on. Erin Griffith in the New York Times$ -- 7/31/26

POTUS 47

‘The Boss Wants This Money’: Inside Trump’s Unprecedented Fundraising Operation --President Trump has raised over $800 million since returning to office, accepting large donations from companies for his projects. Fundraiser Meredith O’Rourke carries out Trump’s requests, asking companies for donations of up to $50 million. Several corporate executives said they believe there is a link between their financial contributions and their access to Trump. Josh Dawsey, Dana Mattioli, Annie Linskey and Emily Glazer in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/31/26

Faced with Blanche dilemma, Trump chooses revenge -- President Donald Trump has a choice: allow changes to a controversial court settlement and secure the confirmation of his former personal lawyer as attorney general, or thumb his nose at a pair of his few remaining Republican critics in Congress. True to form, he is giving no ground. Chris Marquette and Jordain Carney Politico -- 7/31/26

Trump running out of options to fix inflation, economic woes before election, experts say -- Recent polling has shown that many Americans are unhappy with the economy and believe Trump administration policies have made things worse. Economic experts say the administration has few levers to pull to quickly turn the tide and shown little interest in using those it does have, so they expect woes to persist. Kevin Rector, Justine McDaniel and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/26