California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Newsom tightens grip on Sacramento ahead of 2028 -- Gavin Newsom has a year left as California governor to pass headline-grabbing legislation — and he’s tightening his grip on in-state Democrats to do it. Camille von Kaenel and Jeremy B. White Politico -- 10/15/25

Katie Porter breaks silence on damaging viral videos: ‘Not going to back down’ -- Embattled candidate Katie Porter said she “could have handled things better” in a pair of viral videos that shook up the California governor’s race. But she plans to remain “focused on earning” back trust and votes in the race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom next year. Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ Seema Mehta and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ Lindsey Holden Politico -- 10/15/25

Katie Porter’s spiral has Dems keeping their distance -- Katie Porter’s public-relations meltdown last week was damaging enough. What may be more humiliating is how few of her former House colleagues or Democratic leaders are rallying to her defense. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 10/15/25

Garofoli: Katie Porter offers an almost apology for her almost scandal -- It was just short of a legit apology for something that was just short of a legit scandal. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/25

Walters: Videos could tank Katie Porter’s bid to become California’s next governor -- In the broadest sense, political campaigns resemble military operations with mission goals, strategic plans to achieve them, logistical support and tactical maneuvers to weaken opposing forces. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 10/15/25

Arellano: One of O.C.’s loudest pro-immigrant politicians is one of the unlikeliest -- Orange City Councilmember Arianna’s Barrios’ rise as one of O.C.’s most vocal politicians opposing President Trump’s deportation machine has been surprising — and welcome. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

 

Federal shutdown stalls legal battles between California, Trump administration -- Justice Department attorneys say the shutdown is preventing them from working on pending cases, and have asked for them to be paused. Judges have granted some stays, but denied others that California and other states have called unfair. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

Benioff and Musk want Trump to send troops to S.F. to fight crime. The law is not on their side -- Newsom once sent the California National Guard to the city. But any attempt by the president to dispatch troops for law-enforcement purposes would collide with a 147-year-old federal law. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/25

California joins bicoastal governors’ alliance to shore up public health -- California is joining a coalition of governors from both coasts, Illinois, and Guam that will offer its own public health recommendations and combat White House misinformation, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/15/25

LA County declares a state of emergency due to immigration raids, citing ‘climate of fear’ -- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared a local, county emergency on Tuesday, Oct. 14, providing a way to help families harmed by federal immigration raids by granting the county more power to offer assistance to those who’ve lost breadwinners and to businesses harmed by a lack of workers and declining revenues. Steve Scauzillo in the LA Daily News -- 10/15/25

 

Glock ban, slavery reparations, ICE agent masks, more housing: Here are 10 key bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law -- State lawmakers in Sacramento introduced 2,350 bills this year. Of those, about a third survived the gauntlet of hearings, compromises and votes in the Democratic Party-dominated Legislature and made it to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Paul Rogers, Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/15/25

NRA sues California over alleged Glock ban aimed at illegal machine gun ‘switches’ -- Gun rights groups filed a federal lawsuit challenging California’s ban on Glock-style pistols with features allowing the attachment of illegal machine gun conversion devices. The law signed by Gov. Newsom prohibits semiautomatic pistols with “cruciform trigger bars” that enable switches converting guns into rapid-fire weapons. Katie King in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

The key health bills California Gov. Newsom signed this week focused on how technology is impacting kids -- New laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom aim to make the artificial intelligence and social media landscape in California safer, especially for minors. Sandra McDonald in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

Newsom vetoes car dealers’ bill to hike fees on buyers -- Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed one bill and signed another that could change how you purchase a vehicle in California. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters -- 10/15/25

 

L.A. County chief executive got $2-million settlement after Measure G fallout, records say -- Fesia Davenport, L.A. County’s chief executive officer, received a $2 million settlement this summer due to professional fallout from Measure G, a voter-approved ballot measure that will soon make her job obsolete, according to a letter she wrote to the county’s top lawyer. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

San Mateo County sheriff removed by Board of Supervisors -- Capping nearly a year of turmoil over allegations of corruption, retaliation and abuse of power, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office effective immediately. Undersheriff Dan Perea will carry out Corpus’ duties until a replacement is named or voted on. Ryan Macasero in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/15/25

Trump’s top federal prosecutor in L.A. faces challenge over ‘acting’ status -- A federal judge heard arguments Tuesday to decide whether maneuvers used by the Trump administration to install Bill Essayli as acting United States attorney in Los Angeles are improper — and, if so, what should be done about it. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/25

Barabak: In shutdown fight, this Nevada Democrat stands (almost) alone. And she’s fine with that -- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s split with fellow Democrats includes her state’s other U.S. senator. She says negotiation and compromise are still possible, even in these intensely partisan times. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

Workplace

Hollywood turns to K Street as AI threatens their livelihoods -- Creative Artists Agency, which represents some of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry, has hired an outside lobbying firm for the first time. Caitlin Oprysko Politico -- 10/15/25

Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers launch five-day strike -- Up to 31,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in California and Hawaii walked off the job Tuesday in a five-day strike over wages and staffing. Workers seek a 25% salary increase to keep pace with inflation; Kaiser offered 21.5% and hired 7,600 temporary replacements. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

Reality TV production in L.A. drops, leading to nearly 21% decrease in TV shoot days -- The total number of shoot days in the greater L.A. area from July to September was 4,380, down 13.2% compared to a year ago, according to data from FilmLA, a nonprofit that handles film permits for the Los Angeles region. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

NASA’s JPL faces lowest morale in decades after latest layoffs at La Cañada Flintridge institution -- Layoff notices went out Tuesday to 550 employees at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in response to ongoing budgetary chaos at the legendary La Cañada Flintridge facility. The layoffs reduced the employee headcount by more than 10% and affected teams across the institution, according to multiple sources not authorized to speak publicly. Corinne Purtill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

Marketplace

Grocery Prices Keep Rising. Frustrated Consumers Are Trying to Adapt -- Inflation in the grocery aisle is picking up, and stinging consumers. Consumers said they are cutting back on purchases, stockpiling certain foods or exploring more-affordable stores. Christopher Kuo in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/15/25

Dreamforce

Dreamforce mania returns to downtown S.F. in the wake of Marc Benioff’s controversial comments -- Initially founded in 2003 as a product showcase for Salesforce, the conference has become saturated with artificial intelligence as the sector has seized the company’s hometown. Major tech speakers include OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/25

Develop

California Forever’s latest plan to build the ‘next great American city’: Expand existing towns -- More than a year after pulling the plug on a ballot initiative to create a city in eastern Solano County, California Forever has submitted new “detailed plans for America’s next great American city.” J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/25

L.A. planners clear $2-billion project in Skid Row neighborhood -- A proposed mega-development in downtown Los Angeles, which would replace a cold storage facility with a $2-billion residential and commercial complex, cleared a major hurdle last week when the city Planning Commission backed it. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

Earthquake

Dangerous ‘supershear’ earthquakes pose risk to California, new research suggests -- A specific type of earthquake that can cause particularly intense shaking is more common than previously believed, some scientists say — carrying potentially profound risk for communities across California, including those in the path of the notorious San Andreas fault. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

Health Insurance

Californians may get a price shock this week on health insurance -- California this week plans to notify Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees that their costs could rise sharply next year unless Congress extends subsidies to help people buy health insurance. Bernard J. Wolfson KFF News in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/25

Wildfire

Man, machine and mutton: Inside the plan to prevent the next SoCal fire disaster -- California fast-tracked over 100 fire risk reduction projects after the Palisades fire. One of the projects is underway in the Santa Monica Mountains, where crews are cutting a miles-long web of fuel breaks between Topanga and Calabasas. The effort involves heavy machinery, manpower, and hundreds of goats to clear invasive grasses. Noah Haggerty in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

Campus

Protecting Jewish students or chilling speech? Inside California’s ‘hardest’ fight over antisemitism -- Emotional fights erupted over a controversial attempt this year to counter antisemitism in schools by restricting what teachers teach in classrooms, exposing a political quagmire for California Democrats who needed to balance the needs of Jewish communities against the fury of a growing pro-Palestinian base. Yue Stella Yu and Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 10/15/25

Street

Newsom denies parole for Manson follower convicted of 7 counts of murder -- Gov. Gavin Newsom denied parole to Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel, who participated in the notorious 1969 murders of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six others. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/25

Also

Lake Tahoe braces for first snow as winter storm targets Sierra -- The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Sierra Nevada crest, including Interstate 80 over Donner Pass, and a winter weather advisory for the Tahoe basin until 11 a.m. Wednesday. Anthony Edwards in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/25

Think your kid’s done with a booster seat? New California law says maybe not -- After pushback from some Democrats, a controversial bill that would have banned short kids from the front seat was watered down. But small children face new seat belt rules under a law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last week. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters -- 10/15/25

This Bay Area county has ousted its scandal-plagued sheriff in an historic vote -- The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office effective immediately in a vote that marked a dramatic and historic culmination of a bitter saga that plunged the sheriff’s office into scandal. Annie Vainshtein, David Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Nigel Duara Calmatters -- 10/15/25

Conservatives gather at California Capitol to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s birthday -- In a steady rain, about 80 faithful from around Northern California congregated outside the California state Capitol on Tuesday in Sacramento to celebrate the 32nd birthday of Charlie Kirk, the MAGA youth pundit who was shot and killed on a college campus last month. Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/15/25

No amount of alcohol is safe, at least for dementia risk, study finds -- It adds to evidence that even small amounts of alcohol can be harmful to our health, including increasing the risk of cancer or disrupting sleep. Richard Sima in the Washington Post$ -- 10/15/25

POTUS 47

Trump says U.S. will disarm Hamas if it does not do so itself -- Hamas has not yet publicly agreed to or signed anything that specifies how it would disarm, but Trump suggested he had received verbal assurances the group would. Amy B Wang and Sammy Westfall in the Washington Post$ Joe Stanley-Smith and Jacob Wendler Politico -- 10/15/25

China, Betting It Can Win a Trade War, Is Playing Hardball With Trump -- Chinese leader Xi Jinping thinks the president will fold before launching new tariffs that would roil markets. Lingling Wei and Gavin Bade in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/15/25

Trump Targets Democratic Districts By Halting Billions During Shutdown -- Two weeks into the government shutdown, the Trump administration has frozen or canceled nearly $28 billion that had been reserved for more than 200 projects primarily located in Democratic-led cities, congressional districts and states, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Tony Romm and Lazaro Gamio in the New York Times$ -- 10/15/25

White House Guts Education Department With More Layoffs -- About a fifth of the agency’s remaining staff was affected, including employees working on special education, funding for low-income students and civil rights enforcement. Sarah Mervosh, Michael C. Bender and Dana Goldstein in the New York Times$ -- 10/15/25

‘Without precedent’: Virtually all news outlets reject restrictive Pentagon press policy -- President Trump said ‘no’ last month when asked whether the Pentagon should control what reporters gather and write. Only one outlet — the far-right One America News, or OAN — said it would agree to the new policy. Michael Wilner and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ Scott Nover in the Washington Post$ -- 10/15/25

Supreme Court might upend Voting Rights Act and help GOP keep control of the House -- A ruling for the Trump administration would permit Republican-led states to redraw the congressional districts of a dozen or more Black Democrats. Such a ruling would likely have ‘devastating’ consequences for minority representation, one expert said. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ Zach Montellaro and Andrew Howard Politico -- 10/15/25

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat --Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country worried what would happen if their Telegram chat ever got leaked, but they kept typing anyway. They referred to Black people as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery. Jason Beeferman and Emily Ngo Politico -- 10/15/25

Renewable Energy Is Booming Despite Trump’s Efforts to Slow It -- With federal subsidies ending or becoming hard to claim, companies are racing ahead with solar, wind and battery projects. Rebecca F. Elliott in the New York Times$ -- 10/15/25

Florida Court Blocks Transfer of Miami Land for Trump Library -- Judge says college board that conveyed site didn’t give reasonable public notice about its meeting where vote took place. Deborah Acosta in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/15/25