California Policy and Politics Thursday

Justice Dept. sues California, seeks to stop state from counting 20,000 ballots -- The lawsuit is highly unusual, particularly given that California voters have already begun voting in the Nov. 3 midterms via mail ballots, experts said. It’s also highly inappropriate and based on questionable federal data that have proved wildly inaccurate in other states, state officials said. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

In 100th lawsuit against Trump, California challenges immigration arrests near courthouses -- California sued the Trump administration for the 100th time in under two years Thursday, challenging the practice of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting people for alleged civil immigration violations at or near state courthouses. Kevin Rector and Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

 

California’s ‘carpet-bombed’ wealth tax measure runs into a wall -- At a moment when populist candidates and anti-billionaire sentiment are surging nationally, a campaign to tax the assets of California’s billionaires is faltering. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 10/15/26

California’s Prop 45 aims to speed construction projects. Opponents say data centers will benefit -- When a county judge put the brakes on what would be the largest data center in California, ruling the whole project needed extensive environmental review, Kristian Salgado was relieved. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

Newsom decries ‘weaponization’ of environmental law, but stays silent on Prop. 45 -- At an economic forum Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom touted changes to the California Environmental Quality Act that he strong-armed through the Legislature last year. But he said the law’s “weaponization” still delays much-needed building projects. Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/15/26

A California proposition to fund medical research is creating strange alliances on both sides -- Proposition 38 would authorize the state to borrow $8.4 billion in general obligation bonds for immunology and immunotherapy research, presented as a way of backfilling some of the widespread cuts to federal research funding by President Donald Trump. Kathryn Palmer in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/26

Should California taxpayers chip in to fund political campaigns? Prop. 4 lets you decide -- Prop. 4 would lift a ban that prohibits state and most local candidates from using public funding for their political campaigns. Proponents argue the mechanism helps more candidates run for office, but opponents are skeptical. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 10/15/26

Walters: California’s ballot propositions fuel its longstanding tax-and-spending war -- California voters will pass judgment on 14 statewide ballot measures this year and all but two of them relate, in some manner, to financing public services. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 10/15/26

Inside Gavin Newsom’s taxpayer-funded team that never stops posting -- Gavin Newsom is preparing to leave office as one of the Democrats’ most prolific communicators. He’s transformed the governor’s press shop into a content-generating media operation. Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 10/15/26

S.F. power grid takeover could cost city $20 billion, PG&E says -- San Francisco has tried for years to acquire PG&E’s local power infrastructure, an endeavor that gained renewed interest after a December fire at a SoMa substation plunged much of the city into darkness the weekend before Christmas. The city told state regulators in April that it valued the utility’s electric equipment at $3.4 billion. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/26

 

California’s ‘No Vigilantes Act’ requiring ID from immigration agents blocked by 9th Circuit -- The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals permanently barred California from enforcing a state law that required federal immigration agents to display identification while on duty. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

ICE agent pleads not guilty to charge of assaulting homeowner in Fresno -- ICE agent David Gonzalez III appeared in a Fresno County courtroom Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty to charges related to an alleged off-duty assault of a homeowner and his daughter in the Tower District. Nick Fenley in the Fresno Bee -- 10/15/26

 

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Didn’t Pass Bar Exam -- Zacharia sat for the California bar exam after graduating from law school at Pepperdine University in 2011, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, but she didn’t pass. Philip Wegmann and Alexandra Bruell in the Wall Street Journal$ Shawn McCreesh in the New York Times$ -- 10/15/26

Lopez: Post-debate, lingering questions about who Raman is and how she would lead -- Raman’s best argument is that City Hall and the entrenched political establishment need a major shakeup. You can’t count Bass out just yet because she’s a fighter, and she’s better at campaigning than at being mayor. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

Homeless

L.A. city and county remain at odds over who will run key homeless systems -- The city and county of Los Angeles continue to spar over which will assume duties of the troubled Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. The Trump administration suspended the LAHSA in June, citing reports of mismanagement and possible fraud. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

Wildfire

After so many L.A. fire failures, this week’s Santa Ana winds test whether officials can do better -- Since the Eaton and Palisades fires, there has been report after report documenting how woefully unprepared city, county and fire officials were. This week’s upcoming Santa Ana winds will provide one of the first major tests of whether Los Angeles has applied those painful lessons. Clara Harter, Terry Castleman and Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

Workplace

California looks to block state worker strike, asks labor agency to halt walkout -- Seeking to block the Oct. 21 one-day strike, the California Department of Human Resources has turned to the Public Employment Relations Board, the state’s public labor referee. Corey Schmidt in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/15/26

Hollister lays off city staff, including police employees, amid financial crisis -- As it faces a budget deficit of almost $7 million for fiscal year 2025-2026, the City of Hollister laid off employees across multiple departments, including the police department, on Wednesday, city officials said. Jason Green and Caelyn Pender in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/15/26

Climate

A little bipartisan bromance as Schwarzenegger, Newsom laud California’s climate-change wins -- Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, celebrated the 20-year anniversary of landmark climate legislation he signed while in office alongside Democrats including Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday. Seema Mehta and Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

AI

AI robots are roaming L.A. grocery store aisles. Shoppers and workers are worried -- The bots help employees manage inventory, but grocery workers and unions worry automation could cut hours, threaten jobs and monitor staff. Some shoppers also worry the machines are another step toward fewer human interactions in stores. Ella Chakarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

AI Companies Play Cat-and-Mouse With Secret-Stealing Spies -- At a San Francisco playground, a stranger tried to befriend an OpenAI employee who was there with their child. The stranger also regularly showed up with a child, and, in the process of making small talk, asked the OpenAI employee questions about their work. It was no idle curiosity: The stranger was a spy. Georgia Wells, Erin Woo and Meghan Bobrowsky in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/15/26

What a Group of A.I. Agents Talked About as Their Humans Had a Dinner Party -- As artificial intelligence bots spread, we are increasingly glimpsing how these digital entities interact and what they talk about with one another. Erin Griffith in the New York Times$ -- 10/15/26

Education

New California test scores show most students don’t meet standards in math, English or science -- California students’ proficiency in math and English language arts follows the same trend in 2026 as the past few years: incremental improvement from the year prior, with the majority of students below grade-level standards. Zaidee Stavely, Lasherica Thornton, Yuxuan Xie EdSource Carolyn Jones Calmatters Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/26

Also

Veteran KQED politics reporter to retire after nearly three decades -- Scott Shafer, one of the Bay Area’s best-known political journalists and a fixture at KQED for nearly three decades plans to retire in mid-December after a career covering California politics, elections and some of the state’s most consequential legal and social debates. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/15/26

POTUS 47

Trump, after bipartisan backlash, says Pentagon won’t livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter -- President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Pentagon will no longer livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, after the announcement faced bipartisan criticism and Vice President JD Vance said he wouldn’t watch it. Associated Press Jack Detsch and Gregory Svirnovskiy Politico -- 10/15/26

Secret documents reveal donors behind $330 million for Trump’s ballroom -- A list obtained by The Washington Post reveals all the major donors to President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, including previously undisclosed contributors who have benefited from regulatory decisions, government contracts and, in one case, a pardon for a family member. Jonathan O'Connell, Sarah Blaskey and Aaron Schaffer in the Washington Post$ -- 10/15/26

He Crafted a Crypto Law for Trump—as His Company Got Millions From a Crypto Giant -- Money from Tether flowed to Nxum while Bo Hines worked in the White House on landmark stablecoin legislation. Once the law passed, Tether hired him as its U.S. chief. Sam Kessler in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/15/26

Ukraine's Starlink restrictions raise suspicions of Musk, Trump retaliation -- The rupture between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over last week's diesel deal deepened Wednesday after an Elon Musk-owned satellite system used by Ukraine unexpectedly restricted service — undercutting Ukraine's fight against Russia. Barak Ravid Axios -- 10/15/26