California Policy and Politics Thursday

Federal judge blocks ICE from making racially discriminatory stops in Southern California -- A federal judge barred immigration agents in Southern California from stopping people simply because they are Latino or appear to be and are working class, finding evidence of an unwritten, “officially sanctioned” policy of racial profiling. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

Head of California high-speed rail agency resigns amid travel expenses scandal -- Ian Choudri, who has led the train agency since 2024, leaves a troublesome legacy marked by budget woes, project delays and various scandals, including questionable taxpayer-funded trips by consultants. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 10/29/26

 

Support dwindles for wealth tax, voter ID ballot measures, new poll shows -- Half of likely voters plan to vote against Proposition 40, the proposed wealth tax on billionaires’ assets, while 42% support it, according to a new poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

Majority of California voters favor Prop. 3 but oppose Prop. 40 wealth tax, poll says -- Support for Proposition 3, which would make permanent an income tax increase, is holding, while support for Proposition 40, the proposed wealth tax on billionaires, is sinking, according to a new poll released with less than a week before the Nov. 3 election. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 10/29/26

California’s billionaire tax battle is playing out on Instagram—with paid influencers -- As California decides whether to slap billionaires with a special tax, the Golden State’s swarm of social media stars is chiming in — and increasingly getting paid to influence voters. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

Billionaire Tax Campaign Pins Its Hopes on Influencers and Social Media -- Supporters of a California wealth tax are short on cash and are relying on cheaper campaign methods to get their word out. Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ -- 10/29/26

Arellano: How the Bass campaign channels one of L.A.’s most infamous mayoral races -- With less than a week until Nov. 3, it seems like the Los Angeles mayor’s race is Karen Bass’ to lose. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

Newton: Bass-Raman mayoral race has avoided the identity politics that dominate LA’s history -- The race for mayor of Los Angeles has largely focused on the decision voters face between a liberal incumbent with four years of mixed success and a democratic socialist who might advance a more progressive agenda. Jim Newton Calmatters -- 10/29/26

Here’s where Bass and Raman need to win over Pratt voters -- In the race for Los Angeles mayor, incumbent Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman will need to win over a substantial portion of the 218,000 Angelenos who voted for Spencer Pratt in the primary and who are concentrated in certain neighborhoods. Sandhya Kambhampati in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

 

Judge rejects Trump administration bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots -- “Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own Constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the Executive Branch,” wrote U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, an appointee of President Bill Clinton. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kevin Rector and Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ Patrick Marley in the Washington Post$ Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 10/29/26

Workplace

Disney’s theme parks division lays off at least 100 employees -- The latest round of belt-tightening across Hollywood has now reached the Happiest Place on Earth. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

How Hollywood’s green wave washed over Ireland — from ‘Wednesday’ to ‘The Floor’ -- Tax incentives, lower costs and experienced crews helped Ireland’s production spending reach a record $632.7 million in 2025, as studios and local businesses expand to meet demand. Ireland, the first European country to support dedicated unscripted content, has also lured several U.S. game shows, including “The Floor” hosted by Rob Lowe. Stacy Perman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

Marketplace

Airbnb is spending big to shape LA politics ahead of Olympics -- The online rental platform has become one of the largest political donors in Los Angeles in a bid to expand its business before the 2028 Olympics. Liam Dillon Politico -- 10/29/26

Climate

‘Billion-dollar problem’: Marin’s most populous city is already planning El Niño evacuations -- A historically strong El Niño is poised to raise water levels higher than ever, especially on king-tide days such as the one Anabel experienced. It’s a particular concern for San Rafael’s Canal District, where nearly one-fifth of city residents are already living largely below sea level. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/26

This California county may abandon repairs and let a coastal road disappear -- On one of the fastest-eroding areas of the California Coast, Humboldt County has halted plans to repair a winding road that leads to a popular beach north of the famed Lost Coast. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/26

As Californian ports push truckers to go green, the struggling industry asks for more subsidies -- The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, each with some of the country’s most ambitious emissions targets, are considering additional incentives to help truckers switch to electric big rigs. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

Plastic

As plastic law goes into effect, industry sets the numbers -- California is letting the plastics industry decide how much plastic to cut under the state’s landmark single-use plastic law — and preliminary numbers suggest it’s less than half what the state estimated in a 2024 report. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

ICE

Trump Administration Considers Using Ships to Deport Immigrants -- The discussions over recent weeks are still preliminary, but officials have identified possible ships, including the Training Ship Golden Bear, a maritime academy vessel docked in California, said one person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the plan. Hamed Aleaziz in the New York Times$ -- 10/29/26

Tech Giants Ramp Up Resistance to ICE in Bid to Avoid Democratic Scrutiny -- As midterms near, Google, Meta and other tech firms resist broad ICE demands for user data as the agency scours platforms for immigration speech. Emily Glazer, Georgia Wells and Hannah Critchfield in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/29/26

AI

California’s artificial intelligence bill has gaps. Lawmakers plan to fill them -- A rogue action by OpenAI’s artificial intelligence models this summer to break into another company was not considered a “critical safety incident,” under a California law regulating the technology. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/29/26

Oil

Los Angeles approves ban on oil production after years-long fight -- The council voted unanimously on the ordinance, which halts new oil and gas drilling in the city and phases out existing production over the next 20 years. It applies to some 600 active and 1,200 idle oil wells, meaning idle ones cannot be brought back into production. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

Education

A new president takes charge at Caltech as uncertainties linger over JPL, Trump and AI -- NASA is opening JPL’s management contract to competitors for the first time, putting Caltech’s decades-old partnership with the lab at stake. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

Walters: California turf war between universities and community colleges needs a rational resolution -- California being what it is — an infinitely complex socioeconomic matrix — even the seemingly simplest political issues can become a whirlpool of competing special interests. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 10/29/26

Also

Arellano: The Dolores Huerta I’ll remember -- The rambunctious teenagers crammed into a lecture hall suddenly went quiet when a woman old enough to be their great-grandmother, and smaller in stature than many of them, approached the podium. Dolores Huerta was about to speak. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/26

POTUS 47

Nvidia Chief Seen as Target of Chinese Spy Plot -- A Chinese businesswoman who had a close relationship with Jensen Huang was found to be passing intelligence to Beijing. President Trump was briefed and took no action. Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman, Ana Swanson, Paul Mozur, Tripp Mickle and Julian E. Barnes in the New York Times$ -- 10/29/26

An Unpredictable President, a Grim White House: Trump Faces Down the Midterms -- The White House has been rocked by turnover and anxiety over the midterms. The president, who is tightening his inner circle, has lashed out at critics, held meandering rallies and feasted on a diet of news clips and “A.I. slop,” as one aide put it. Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 10/29/26

U.S. economy grew at a fast clip this summer, thanks to consumer, business spending -- The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 3.4 percent from July through September, as consumers continued spending despite high prices and businesses rushed to capitalize on the boom in artificial intelligence. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 10/29/26