California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Trump administration denies secret Yosemite land trade, says claims are ‘simply not true’ -- The U.S. Department of the Interior is pushing back against reports that the Trump administration is quietly preparing to give a private developer access to a piece of Yosemite National Park. The agency called the account “not true.” Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/1/26

 

Under Trump, SFO is now a de facto immigration detention center -- Tucked within SFO’s International Terminal is a windowless room officials call an “in-transit lounge.” Immigration lawyers and the people who’ve been detained inside call it a jail. Sara DiNatale, Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/1/26

California lawmakers pass restrictions on hiring former immigration agents, ban on electric-shock gloves -- In a show of defiance to the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants, California lawmakers on Monday voted to ban federal immigration agents from being hired for many local and state government jobs and to outlaw electric-shock gloves similar to those that may be distributed to federal officers. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ Marisa Guerra Echeverria Politico -- 9/1/26

Data from 911 calls at ICE detention centers must be released under bill going to Gov. Newsom -- The California Legislature passed a bill that would force disclosure of information about emergency calls at immigrant detention centers. A Democratic lawmaker put it forward after reading news stories in CalMatters. Wendy Fry Calmatters -- 9/1/26

Limitation on asylum seekers struck down by appeals court -- The Biden and Trump administrations had no legal authority to deny asylum to thousands of migrants who were fleeing danger in their homelands and entered the U.S. without going through a designated port of entry, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/1/26

 

California ban on ‘addictive’ social media for teens heads to Newsom --State lawmakers on Monday approved a plan to ban social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok from offering allegedly addictive features to teens, teeing up Gov. Gavin Newsom to deliver a final decision on a child safety issue spanning global politics. Tyler Katzenberger Politico Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/1/26

Sam Altman called Gavin Newsom over kids’ chatbot safety bill -- When Sam Altman had last-minute concerns about California legislation that proposed new rules for kids using AI chatbots, he took them straight to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Tyler Katzenberger and Chase DiFeliciantonio Politico -- 9/1/26

California lawmakers take their big swing on data centers -- California lawmakers are rushing to rein in data centers, passing seven bills in the final week of the state’s legislative session to put stricter rules on an industry whose rapid buildout has sparked backlash across the country. Noah Baustin Politico -- 9/1/26

Newsom vetoed a data center water bill last year. Will he sign it this time? -- As fights about data centers erupt nationwide, California lawmakers have approved a pair of bills to make data center developers disclose how much water they really use. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 9/1/26

 

Lawmakers patch a hole in California’s film tax credit, for now -- Among the key revisions, independent filmmakers would be exempted from the $5 million state corporate tax credit cap that was approved earlier this year as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state budget. Cerys Davies and Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/1/26

Bill to aid California newsrooms now on the governor’s desk -- California lawmakers have approved a bill that seeks to throw a lifeline to the state’s struggling journalism organizations. Assembly Bill 2222, which would create refundable tax credits for California local news organizations based on the number of journalists they employ, joins a litany of bills on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ Sofia Williams in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/1/26

Raman gets key labor endorsement in mayor’s race, although most unions are backing Bass -- Unite Here Local 11, which represents hospitality workers at hotels and airports, broke with most other labor groups in Los Angeles by backing challenger Nithya Raman over incumbent Karen Bass. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/1/26

North Carolina teen charged with murder in Islamic Center of San Diego shooting -- Officials said the girl, who turned 17 years old less than six weeks before the attack, helped by disseminating the livestream of the assault and releasing the manifesto the two teens had authored. The teen, identified in court documents as Sarah Santiago, was arrested last week and indicted Monday. She is being charged as an adult in North Carolina state court. Teri Figueroa, Alex Riggins and Karen Kucher in the San Diego Union Tribune Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ Alyssa Lukpat in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/1/26

Workplace

Citing California as a problem state, Trump administration shuts down 110 trucking schools -- The administration ordered 110 commercial trucking schools to shut down, citing widespread failures on English language proficiency tests. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ Karoun Demirjian in the New York Times$ -- 8/31/26

H-1B visa: Trump administration proposes new rule to strip right to work from visa holders’ spouses -- The Trump administration has revived plans to end work authorization for certain spouses of H-1B visa holders, potentially forcing an unknown number of Bay Area residents from their jobs and making it harder for Silicon Valley companies to recruit and retain foreign workers. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/31/26

Legislature sends Newsom undocumented student employment bill after 2024 veto -- A bill allowing undocumented students at the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges to work on campus has been approved by the California Legislature and is now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. Tarini Mehta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/31/26

California lawmakers try — again — to put restrictions on use of ‘robo bosses’ -- California would prohibit employers from solely using programs powered by artificial intelligence to discipline or fire workers under a bill passed by the Legislature Monday. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/1/26

Balcony Solar

Solar power for renters would get easier with two bills now on the governor’s desk -- The California Legislature just passed two bills that advocates say will greatly improve access to small-scale solar for renters, people in condos and others who don’t have access to their roofs or can’t afford a full rooftop array. Blanca Begert and Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/1/26

Wildfire

Newsom blames ‘outside groups’ for his defeat on wildfires -- Gavin Newsom blamed “Big Insurance,” hedge funds and trial attorneys on Monday for blocking a major wildfire liability overhaul in California, warning that compromise legislation had already dealt a blow to the state’s utilities. Nicole Norman, Marisa Guerra Echeverria and Camille von Kaenel Politico -- 9/1/26

L.A. County sues State Farm, alleging delays and denials on wildfire claims created ‘public nuisance’ -- Los Angeles County sued California’s largest insurer Monday alleging the company improperly delayed and denied claims from Los Angeles County wildfire survivors — particularly for those whose homes survived the flames but were left filled with smoke. Megan Fan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Laura J. Nelson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/31/26

Education

Community colleges would be able to award far more bachelor’s degrees if Newsom approves -- Lawmakers late Monday night sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a pair of bills that would make it easier for community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees — a significant reshaping of higher education opportunities in California — but the legislation shares similarities with other measures Newsom has vetoed. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/1/26

Homeless

S.F. spends hundreds of millions on the homeless. Mayor Lurie says new plan would boost accountability -- San Francisco will seek new contracts for all of its homelessness services over the next several years in a bid to boost accountability and results for the hundreds of millions of dollars it spends annually to address the crisis. Alyce McFadden in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/31/26

Oil

Prime Valley land in crosshairs of Trump plan that may allow fracking in California -- Land that could be used to drill for oil — potentially using fracking — includes prime residential and recreational areas in Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley, according to a map from the Bureau of Land Management. Thaddeus Miller in the Fresno Bee -- 9/1/26

AI now

Own a gun? Go to church? Do yoga? AI can find out in seconds -- Republicans and Democrats across Capitol Hill are getting a glimpse of artificial intelligence’s latest power: its ability to churn out instant dossiers filled with details about ordinary Americans, from a gun store owner’s leaked email passwords to a church member’s yoga workouts to people’s visits to abortion clinics. And it’s freaking them out. Alfred Ng Politico -- 9/1/26

Tijuana River sewage

Can a billion dollar plan stop Tijuana River sewage pollution at the border? -- After decades of pollution and years of beach closures caused by raw sewage in the Tijuana River, San Diego County Supervisors are pursuing a local plan to divert the river and treat it directly. Deborah Brennan Calmatters -- 9/1/26

Also

Walters: As Gavin Newsom’s reign nears end, his ability to sway legislators has also waned -- During his nearly eight years as California governor, Gavin Newsom has had a somewhat unusual approach to dealing with a Legislature dominated by his fellow Democrats. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/1/26

A toddler fell in an S.F. crosswalk. Then her dad saw a Waymo coming -- The girl lay face down with her tiny legs splayed in a Noe Valley crosswalk, clearly distraught as a Waymo robotaxi crawled toward her. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/1/26

‘I’m stuck’: A climber’s 9-hour ordeal trapped on a High Sierra ledge, where a fall would mean death -- Rob Martin could feel doubt creeping in midway up the gully. His ascent was getting steeper, the rock features looser and less stable. This isn’t the route I read about in the guidebooks, he thought. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/1/26

Simi Valley landfill gets rotting food from warehouse fire, raising odor complaints from neighbors -- At one point, one resident said, the smell of rot was so strong they believed a wild animal had died on a nearby hiking trail. “We had the smell of rotten eggs or rotten meat,” said George Khalatian, president of the Big Sky Homeowners Assn. in Simi Valley. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/26

Could California really get hit by a hurricane this weekend? -- At least some weather models, though not most, have been showing a scenario in which the tropical storm or hurricane that emerges from 95E moves into Southern California over Labor Day weekend. Greg Porter in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/1/26

POTUS 47

US strikes targets in Iran as hostilities flare again after a month without military action -- The U.S. military hit targets in Iran on Tuesday after it said Tehran tried to attack commercial ships and American forces in the Middle East, as hostilities flare once again in an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Ben Finley Associated Press -- 9/1/26

Postal Service work to comply with Trump’s executive order is rushed and sloppy, a whistleblower contends -- The U.S. Postal Service is poised to launch a hastily built, error-riddled computer system that could jeopardize the process of mail voting relied upon by one-third of all voters, according to a whistleblower statement released Tuesday by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Nicholas Riccardi Associated Press Patrick Marley in the Washington Post$ -- 9/1/26

Trump said his deal with Venezuela would lower gas prices. Will it? -- It is likely to be years before oil production meaningfully ramps up, industry experts say, and there are many risks involved. Evan Halper, Anthony Faiola, Samantha Schmidt and Karen DeYoung in the Washington Post$ -- 9/1/26

Supreme Court, in 5-4 vote, clears way for Trump’s new ballroom -- Conservative majority tossed the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s lawsuit on standing grounds, saying preservationists weren’t personally harmed. In a dissent, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said the construction project was ‘likely unlawful’ and should not be allowed to continue. David G. Savage and Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/26

Trump calls for Hollywood tax incentive -- Donald Trump called Monday on Congress to move “immediately” to create a federal production incentive for film and television, throwing his support behind a growing effort in Hollywood to stem the loss of entertainment work to other countries. Daniel Miller Politico Ben Fritz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/31/26