Updating . . .

California Policy and Politics Tuesday

S.F.’s housing market is so hot buyers are offering $1 million over asking -- From January through June, more than 140 San Francisco homes sold for at least $1 million above their asking price, according to data from real estate brokerage Compass. That included 44 sales in the month of June alone. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/7/26

As L.A. struggles, these surprising communities are booming. What are they doing right? -- When residents and business owners began talking about creating a city in the Santa Clarita Valley nearly three decades ago, few could have imagined the demographic juggernaut the region would become. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/7/26

California sees historic drop in crime as homicides hit record low -- The California Department of Justice’s annual Crime in California report, which collects data from public safety agencies in each California city, found that violent crime in the state decreased by 9% between 2024 and 2025, bringing it to the lowest number since 2015. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/7/26

DMV could revoke thousands of California licenses due to mysterious testing ‘anomalies’ -- The letters have left many Californians scratching their heads as to what went wrong and scrambling to reschedule their tests to ensure they don’t lose the ability to drive. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/7/26

 

The cost of Khanna’s Platner alliance -- Khanna, arguably more than any other national Democrat, provided political cover for the Maine Senate candidate before calling for him to drop out. Melanie Mason Politico -- 7/7/26

Jennifer Siebel Newsom sought to redefine the role of first spouse. Now, she faces her biggest test -- Siebel Newsom faces a predicament as her husband positions himself as Trump’s chief antagonist and prepares for a possible 2028 White House run. Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/7/26

Private prison company sells two of California’s immigrant detention centers to the feds -- Private prison company CoreCivic will continue operating two large ICE detention centers in California after selling the properties to the Department of Homeland Security. Wendy Fry and Nigel Duara Calmatters -- 7/7/26

A $10B Medi-Cal question looms over California’s race for governor -- For decades, Californians have generally said that immigrants, who make up more than a quarter of the state’s population and a third of its labor force, are beneficial to the state and its economy. Christine Mai-Duc, KFF Health News in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/7/26

The California Democrat who says he ‘won’t cheer FIFA’s capitulation to power’ -- A Congressional World Cup Caucus co-chair bemoaned what he calls a “corruption summit” between Donald Trump and soccer’s governing body. Blake Jones Politico -- 7/7/26

Workplace

AI actor Tilly Norwood to star in first movie -- The AI film portrays Norwood as an artificial intelligence being with “no real body” and no lived experience but with access to everyone else’s, according to Particle 6, the London-based company behind Norwood. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/7/26

Humans, machines or nothing: Case will decide future of California court transcripts -- A pending ruling from the California Supreme Court will determine whether electronic recordings are allowed in some civil court proceedings. Proponents argue recordings would solve a long-standing crisis that leaves many proceedings with no verbatim record. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/7/26

Microsoft cuts another 4,800 jobs as S.F. game studio Double Fine goes independent -- Microsoft is laying off another 4,800 employees, mostly in its Xbox division, and spinning off San Francisco studio Double Fine, along with three others. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/7/26

Housing

Prefab housing builders seek to show their stuff in L.A. fire recovery -- In the massive rebuilding effort after the Eaton and Palisades fires, prefab builders are racing to prove factory-made homes can deliver faster, cheaper reconstruction across fire-scarred L.A. neighborhoods. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/7/26

Street

One-third of people going into Sacramento County’s jail system are homeless -- The newly released data from 2025 and 2026 show that there were more bookings of homeless people than there were homeless individuals each month, meaning that some were booked into jail, released, and then jailed again within the same month. Ariane Lange in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/7/26

Also

California’s ‘wind phones’ give comfort to those grieving -- The first wind phone was created by a Japanese man who lost a cousin to cancer decades ago. There are no wires, no electronic connections. The thoughts and prayers expressed on the phones are, in a sense, carried by the wind. Gina Ferazzi in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/7/26

Gustavo Dudamel’s final Hollywood Bowl concert will benefit Venezuela after earthquakes -- Gustavo Dudamel’s final Hollywood Bowl appearance as L.A. Phil music director will double as “A Concert for Venezuela,” raising funds for communities devastated by June’s twin earthquakes. Dudamel and the orchestra’s musicians will donate their services, while the L.A. Phil pledges $50,000 to an earthquake recovery fund. Eloise Rollins-Fife in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/7/26

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A Presidential Phone Call, a Lifted Red Card, and an Embattled World Cup -- There was nothing unusual about a call from President Trump or the reversal of Folarin Balogun’s suspension, said the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino. Tariq Panja in the New York Times$ -- 7/7/26

Walmart Announced Price Cuts. Trump Tried to Take Credit -- Walmart announced Monday it was cutting prices of beef and other products, which President Trump tried to take credit for shortly after the company announced the cuts. Walmart did not mention him or his administration in its press release. Kim Bhasin in the New York Times$ -- 7/7/26

Inside Trump’s Ideological Fight With the Smithsonian -- Publicly and behind the scenes, the president continues to try to impose his own views of American history and culture, presenting an ongoing challenge to Lonnie Bunch, the institution’s leader. Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times$ -- 7/7/26

A year in, here’s how Trump’s tax law is affecting your budget -- Americans got bigger tax refunds following passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but deficits rose, and the social safety net weakened. Riley Beggin and Rachel Lerman in the Washington Post$ -- 7/7/26

 

California Policy and Politics Monday

Inside the secret AI war between Silicon Valley and China -- In March, artificial intelligence company Anthropic quietly deployed software to spy on China-based customers of its popular coding chatbot Claude Code. The apparent goal: unmasking the Chinese rivals the company suspected of hijacking its technology to make their own AI tools smarter. Cate Cadell, Gerrit De Vynck and Nitasha Tiku in the Washington Post$ -- 7/6/26

14 propositions that could remake California taxes, housing, healthcare and elections -- California voters will decide 14 statewide propositions in the Nov. 3 election, measures placed on the ballot mostly by either powerful interest groups or lawmakers that will affect the lives of millions of Californians. Iris Kwok and Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/26

Judge rejects California tribes’ latest attempt to kill blackjack at cardrooms -- California’s tribal casinos found an ally in Attorney General Rob Bonta who sought to ban blackjack at private cardrooms, but a judge ruled Bonta overstepped his authority. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/6/26

Skelton: The Founding Fathers pledged their fortunes to the cause of liberty. Trump enriches himself -- Could the Declaration of Independence be signed today by this crop of political leaders, particularly the one who occupies and defaces the White House? Not just sign, but sincerely mean it. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/26

The Pacific Ocean is running a fever. Why that’s an ominous sign -- A marine heat wave covering an area eight times the size of the United States could soon fuel serious storms and extreme heat. Ben Noll in the Washington Post$ Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ Greg Porter in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/6/26

Workplace

Big Tech Has Suddenly Flipped on the AI Jobs Wipeout Scenario -- Business leaders have shifted their public stance on AI’s impact, now emphasizing job creation and productivity boosts over job elimination. Katherine Bindley in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/6/26

Wildfire

New FireSat satellites promise faster wildfire detection over California and beyond -- The launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base is the first phase in a constellation called FireSat that will eventually cover the globe with 50 satellites collecting high-resolution imagery of fires and conditions on the ground every 20 minutes. Eric Niiler in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/26

The troubling new trend that’s making California’s forest fires more dangerous -- Not only have the number and size of fires grown in recent decades, but fires are burning hotter and more intensely now, and causing more lasting damage to forests. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/6/26

Education

Short thousands of bilingual teachers, California schools turn to high school students -- California’s audacious goal of having half of all K-12 students enrolled in bilingual education programs by 2030 has encountered one big stumbling block — there aren’t enough qualified bilingual teachers. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 7/6/26

Housing

These Bay Area suburbs are the furthest behind on their housing goals -- Walnut Creek has reached just 4% of its state-mandated housing target for 2031, the lowest share of any Bay Area city with a goal of more than 5,000 homes. Some smaller cities in the region are even further behind their own targets. Olivia Borgula in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/6/26

For some families, the answer to the housing crisis is in the backyard -- California has led the charge on legalizing ADUs, passing a string of laws over the past decade. Several surveys in the state consistently show that about 3 in 10 ADU owners have a family member living in the unit, while about 4 in 10 rent them to strangers. Julie Z. Weil in the Washington Post$ -- 7/6/26

 

Did the milk expire? California bans 'sell by' food labels to cut food waste -- In Kimberley Kausen’s home, a passed “sell by” date on a jug of milk means different things to different family members. For her daughter, it means the jug belongs in the trash. For her husband, it means the milk is still good for a few more days. Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 7/6/26

Yosemite Offers Many Wonders. Crushing Crowds Are Now One of Them -- Visitors are enduring especially long waits at the popular national park after the Trump administration eliminated a summer reservation system. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 7/6/26

On the California Coast, a Picture-Perfect City Falls on Hard Times -- Santa Monica is in recovery mode after a string of problems, including financial woes and vacant storefronts. Paul Kiernan in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/6/26

New federal caps on graduate school loans send students and colleges scrambling -- New federal rules sharply cap how much graduate students can borrow, forcing an immediate sea change in how students evaluate attaining an advanced degree, with some scrambling to pay tuition — and for colleges, prompting concerns about future access to their programs. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/26

Also

Some beachgoers are creating living rooms with a view on the sand. Cities are cracking down -- Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and other Orange County towns are cracking down on elaborate shade coverings, citing safety issues. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/26

An outdoor paradise in California has a high suicide rate. Locals are determined to turn it around -- Since 2022, there have been nearly 40 confirmed suicide deaths in Truckee, South Lake Tahoe and four lakeside counties, an area with a combined population of about 73,000, according to an analysis by the Tahoe Daily Tribune. Nearly one-quarter of these involved firearms. Eli Victoria Ramos in The Guardian -- 7/6/26

Californians can protect their personal data with one click. Help us test if it works -- If you haven’t heard yet, the state is offering a new way for Californians to protect their data — and we want your help tracking its rollout and effectiveness. Colin Lecher and Mohamed Al Elew Calmatters -- 7/6/26

A tiny eye implant invented by a Stanford scientist is helping blind people read again -- A chip the size of a pencil point inserted into the eye has helped a few dozen blind adults in Europe regain some vision — they’ve been able to paint, to recognize faces and to read to their grandchildren again. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/6/26

Waymo vehicle catches fire during chaotic San Francisco Fourth of July -- An unoccupied Waymo vehicle caught fire in San Francisco after driving over a firework Saturday night, adding another complication to a chaotic Fourth of July marked by fog, gridlock, transit delays and illegal fireworks across the city. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/6/26

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Trump Confirms He Asked FIFA President to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension -- Decision to let striker Folarin Balogun play in World Cup match versus Belgium has caused an uproar among fans around the world. Marianne LeVine and Andrew Beaton in the Wall Street Journal$ Erica L. Green in the New York Times$ Rick Maese and Dan Diamond in the Washington Post$ -- 7/6/26

Inside the White House Campaign to Overturn a World Cup Red Card -- The decision by FIFA to rescind U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension followed a rapid response from the Trump administration—and a personal call from the president. Brian Schwartz, Natalie Andrews and Joshua Robinson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/6/26

How Trump Put Himself in the Middle of America’s 250th -- The president placed his image and initiatives front and center, blurring the line, critics said, between loyalty to nation and loyalty to him. Erica L. Green in the New York Times$ -- 7/6/26

Supreme Court’s dramatic moves will reshape elections — and give the GOP a midterm boost -- The timing and speed of the justices’ moves are all but unprecedented in recent years, legal experts said. Republicans are expected to reap the most rewards. Justin Jouvenal and Patrick Marley in the Washington Post$ -- 7/6/26