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California Policy and Politics Friday

Coded messages, ‘red boxing’ and other allegations in California’s testy race for governor -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra’s campaign posted criticism of billionaire rival Tom Steyer on its website, a potential signal to independent expenditure committees that highlights messaging to use in their communications with voters. The practice, called “red boxing,” is a tactic to skirt a campaign finance prohibition on communication between campaign committees and outside groups. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/26

They tracked California hate groups. Now, Trump’s DOJ charges donors were defrauded -- The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit that tracks far-right extremism, faces federal fraud and money laundering charges. The SPLC is among the few organizations that has tracked the activities of hate groups in California. Some legal experts have questioned the merits of the Trump administration’s case, calling the charges “absurd” and “irresponsible.” Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/26

Trump administration investigates Stanford University for racial discrimination -- The investigation will determine whether Stanford violated racial discrimination laws under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s Equal Protection Clause. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/1/26

Gavin Newsom fires back at Joe Rogan after ‘cardboard cutout’ jab -- Gov. Gavin Newsom escalated his long-running feud with Joe Rogan, firing back after the podcaster described him as a “cardboard cutout of a person” and questioned whether voters see him as authentic. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/26

Who’s running for Congress in California? These races could determine the majority -- The fight for control of the U.S. House runs through California’s 52 congressional districts, many of which were dramatically restructured by Proposition 50 last year. Democrats especially are jockeying for position in several races pitting them against each other. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 5/1/26

Behind the Trump administration’s detentions of L.A. Iranians -- The U.S. State Department has detained five L.A. area-based Iranian nationals, all of whom are green card holders, and moved to strip them of their residency. In L.A., a vocal segment has joined forces with Trump-aligned far-right conservatives, including Laura Loomer, to wage campaigns against other Iranians. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/26

A lack of trusted information might keep Californians from the polls in June -- Registered voters who say they might not make it to the polls this June mostly point to a lack of information about candidates and a feeling that special interests are calling the shots anyway. That’s according to a new survey from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies. Kate Wolffe in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/1/26

Candidate interview: Katie Porter admits she’s ‘tough.’ Here’s why she says that’s necessary -- The former member of Congress answers the questions that matter most to Bay Area voters. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/26

Arellano: The future of Latino politics just played out in Whittier -- Whittier elected a Latino-majority council for the first time in the city’s history. But for the three winning Latino candidates, their ethnicity was an afterthought. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/26

Legal battle to halt Nexstar-Tegna TV station merger expands with five new states -- With the addition of the five new states, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s battle to block the merger is now bipartisan. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/26

Workplace

Should a California union dictate how clinics spend money? Employers sue to block ballot measure -- The California Primary Care Association, which represents more than 2,300 community health clinics, and Open Door Community Health Centers filed a lawsuit Thursday to stop Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West from placing an initiative on the November ballot that would dictate how clinics spend money. Kristen Hwang Calmatters -- 5/1/26

AI is coming for jobs, and ‘We’re not ready,’ labor expert says -- William Gould, one of the nation’s leading experts on employment, sees artificial intelligence as a “locomotive coming down the tracks” with countless jobs in its path. He offers one major takeaway: “We’re not ready.” Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/1/26

Marketplace

This Rivian spinoff is reinventing e-bikes in California with screens, software and swappable seats -- Rivian’s e-bike spinoff Also is making $3,500 customizable bikes with touchscreens and software updates that mimic the tech experience of electric cars. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/26

Water

For the first time, California growers have to say how much groundwater they’re taking -- Some California farmers must start reporting to the state how much groundwater they pump. The state water board is requiring growers in the Tule and Tulare Lake areas to submit water usage data. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/26

Will California ever build the Delta tunnel? Major battles ahead as Newsom era nears end -- California's Delta tunnel largely cleared a key hurdle last week — but far bigger obstacles still stand in the way. Among the next battlegrounds: the state’s largest agricultural recycled water project and a cattleman’s pasture. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 5/1/26

Education

Cal State struck a deal with OpenAI. Some students and faculty refuse to use it -- Some students and faculty say equal access to AI is important for preparing students for the workforce. Others say the implementation of AI tools has been confusing and opens the door to cheating. Some faculty have banned AI from their classes altogether and even started a petition to end the contract deal. Angel Corzo Calmatters -- 5/1/26

SFUSD sets new plan: School closures by 2030, fix loathed lottery system next year -- San Francisco schools will revamp its loathed student assignment lottery system and consider closures by fall 2030 under a new plan to address two of the district’s most contentious issues. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/26

L.A. Unified payouts reach $200 million in Mark Berndt student abuse claims after latest settlement -- LA Unified to pay $30 million to victims of teacher Mark Berndt, a convicted serial child molester, bringing payouts to $200 million. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/26

Report: Quality trailing expansion of early education in California -- California’s expansion of transitional kindergarten is helping slow enrollment declines, but a new national report raises concerns about the quality of the state’s early education programs. Betty Márquez Rosales, Mallika Seshadri EdSource -- 5/1/26

Street

Mayor Lurie’s drug crackdown sends S.F. arrests soaring. Dealer cases aren’t driving the surge -- Mayor Daniel Lurie’s crackdown on San Francisco’s open-air drug markets has delivered one clear result so far: a sharp rise in arrests and citations for low-level drug crimes. What remains far less clear is whether the enforcement is disrupting drug dealing and leading more people off the streets and into treatment. David Hernandez, Maggie Angst, Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/26

Bail must be ‘reasonably attainable’ for nonviolent offenders, California Supreme Court rules -- People charged with crimes in California must be granted bail in amounts they can afford unless they are accused of capital offenses, or face serious charges and pose a threat of violence if released, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday. Lawyers said the decision could affect thousands of cases. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/26

Were the Zodiac killer and the Black Dahlia the same person? The devil is in the details -- The woman known as the Black Dahlia had not been dead long before the smears began. Two months after her mutilated, bisected body was found in a South Los Angeles lot on Jan. 15, 1947, a newspaper headline asked: “‘Dahlia’ to Blame?” Christopher Goffard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/26

Also

Robot passenger delays flight from Oakland to San Diego -- A flight leaving Oakland was delayed an hour Thursday afternoon as flight crews discussed how to accommodate a high-maintenance traveler: “Bebop,” a 4-foot tall humanoid robot. Lucy Hodgman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/26

POTUS 47

Americans remain deeply skeptical of war in Iran, poll shows -- Sixty-one percent of U.S. adults said it was a mistake for the U.S. to use military force against Iran in a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Friday. Gregory Svirnovskiy Politico -- 5/1/26

Iran Is Grasping for a Solution to an American Blockade It Can’t Break -- For almost five decades, Iran’s Islamic government has survived financial pressure from the U.S. by selling oil to China. It confronted American military might with guerrilla tactics. But with the U.S. Navy’s blockade, that strategy might have met its match, analysts said. Benoit Faucon in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/1/26

Iran’s supreme leader vows to protect nuclear and missile capabilities -- Iran’s supreme leader defiantly vowed Thursday to protect the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile capabilities, which U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to curtail through airstrikes and as part of a wider deal to cement the war’s shaky ceasefire. Jon Gambrell, Aamer Madhani Associated Press -- 5/1/26

Trump administration says its war in Iran has been ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline -- The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval. Seung Min Kim Associated Press -- 5/1/26

Iran Is Grasping for a Solution to an American Blockade It Can’t Break -- For almost five decades, Iran’s Islamic government has survived financial pressure from the U.S. by selling oil to China. It confronted American military might with guerrilla tactics. But with the U.S. Navy’s blockade, that strategy might have met its match, analysts said. Benoit Faucon in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/1/26

Trump bets on quick Iran oil crunch. Experts see prolonged pain and rising costs -- Administration officials say Tehran is days from crisis, but analysts see a slower squeeze with global price shocks already hitting U.S. consumers and reshaping the political fight. Scott Waldman Politico -- 5/1/26

Why U.S. Oil Companies Are Not Plugging the World’s Energy Gap --American producers are under pressure from investors to keep spending in check, and they are wary of drilling more wells because they are not sure oil prices will stay high. Rebecca F. Elliott in the New York Times$ -- 5/1/26

Jeffrey Epstein’s Possible Suicide Note Hidden From Public View -- An inmate said he discovered the note after Mr. Epstein was found injured in his jail cell, weeks before his death. It’s now locked in a courthouse. Benjamin Weiser, Steve Eder and Jan Ransom in the New York Times$ -- 5/1/26