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California Policy and Politics Monday

California earmarks $40 million to speed up vote counting in November — but county elections officials want to temper expectations -- State lawmakers are hoping that a big investment in county election offices will help reveal results faster this November. But local registrars, though grateful for the additional funding, caution that expectations of speedy election results in the fall should be cooled. Charlie Borla, John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/13/26

Right-leaning billionaires help bankroll California voter ID ballot measure -- Backers of Proposition 39, which would also require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, raised more than $10 million so far. The bulk of that total came from large-dollar donors who helped pay for signature gatherers to get the measure on the ballot. Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/13/26

States Prepare Lawsuit to Block Paramount’s Merger With Warner Bros. -- A group of states are preparing to file a lawsuit to block Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery as soon as this week, according to four people briefed on the plans, a legal challenge that would create a major obstacle for one of the biggest media mergers in history. David McCabe, Benjamin Mullin and Lauren Hirsch in the New York Times$ -- 7/13/26

PG&E should pay $22 million for Mosquito fire violations, regulators say -- California regulators are seeking $22 million from PG&E, alleging the utility provider committed violations that were uncovered during an investigation into the 2022 Mosquito fire in Placer County, according to documents from the proposed settlement made public last week. Matthew Ormseth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/13/26

A ‘super’ El Niño is brewing. Experts fear historic dangers from extreme weather -- Officials warn that the climate pattern — characterized by warmer water in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean — will also increase the risk of heat waves on land and at sea, which are already being exacerbated by human-caused global warming. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/13/26

He fleeced the Navy for millions, then fled the country. Now he wants a pardon -- In an exclusive interview, the legendary con man known as Fat Leonard, back in prison, tells The Post about his wild escape and his bid for a presidential pardon. Craig Whitlock in the Washington Post$ -- 7/13/26

Workplace

With AI character Tilly Norwood set for feature-film debut, Hollywood debates what it means to be an actor -- News that the AI-generated creation will anchor a movie called “Misaligned” is forcing Hollywood to confront a question it has never had to answer: Can a program also be an actor? Josh Rottenberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/13/26

State lawmakers cry foul over new cap placed on film tax credits -- More than three dozen California legislators are calling for Gov. Gavin Newsom to exempt the state’s film and TV production incentive program from a recently approved cap on corporate tax credits, warning that without action it will be “significantly kneecapped.” Samantha Masunaga and Stacy Perman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/13/26

Why recruiters can’t find workers and new grads can’t find jobs (it’s not AI) -- There will be shortages in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of nurses, physicians, teachers, engineers, pharmacists, mental health counselors, construction workers and airplane mechanics — jobs AI generally can’t do. Jon Marcus in the Washington Post$ -- 7/13/26

ICE

ICE took her from her children. Here’s how lawyers raced to free her -- The Bay Area Habeas Network, launched May 1, aims to file a habeas corpus petition for every person illegally detained by ICE in the Bay Area. Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/13/26

Housing

San Francisco has surpassed New York on this key housing metric -- The national vacancy rate has been stable over the past year, but in San Francisco, where demand for housing has rushed back amid the artificial intelligence boom, available rentals are becoming even rarer. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/13/26

SANDAG spared 2 North County cities from more aggressive housing development — a move at odds with state guidance -- For months, many North County leaders have criticized and tried to blunt the impacts of a new state law that overrides local zoning to allow high-rise housing near transit stops. They just got some help in that effort from the San Diego Association of Governments. Lucas Robinson, Madeleine Kashkooli in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 7/13/26

What the big new housing bill means for California -- The largest single piece of housing legislation to come out of Congress since at least 1990 is now law, despite President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign it. The law is meant to kick start more housing construction across the country and features a grab bag of regulatory tweaks, pilot programs and targeted loans and grants. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 7/13/26

San Francisco’s office-to-housing push is finally showing signs of life -- It took two mayors, multiple white papers and five years of hard-fought efforts by developers, lawmakers and city planners, but office to residential conversions are finally starting to ripple across San Francisco. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/13/26

California politicians react to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death: ‘Giant loss’ -- “We’re all trying to wrap our heads around this giant loss,” Sen. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, said Sunday morning on NBC’s Meet the Press, on which Graham was scheduled to appear. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/13/26

Who are Democrats Kim and Allen, California’s insurance commissioner candidates? -- Jane Kim wants to move toward a 'universal disaster insurance for all' plan while Ben Allen looks to bring his legislative expertise to 'reduce risk' and depopulate FAIR Plan. Pat Maio in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/13/26

California food aid programs see some support in state budget after federal cuts -- Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California legislature took steps in this year’s budget to support some food access programs in the state that faced federal funding cuts, including a program that would have ceased to exist without state dollars. Lizzie Kane in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/13/26

322,000 Californians sign up to have data brokers delete their personal information -- More than 300,000 Californians have demanded that hundreds of data brokers erase information about their locations, finances, health and personal lives as the state’s first-in-the-nation Delete Act requires brokers to start the mandatory process of removing data on Aug. 1. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/13/26
Link https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/

Education

LAUSD, California school districts seek money, changes to social media apps in lawsuits -- L.A. Unified and other school districts are suing companies like Meta, Google and TikTok for platforms they say are ‘addictive’ for children. Vani Sanganeria EdSource -- 7/13/26

AI is already in Sacramento schools. Here’s what one student is seeing -- But today’s artificial intelligence tools aren’t just being used by my peers. I’ve seen teachers generate quiz questions using AI tools, and I’ve read an email from a district leader that showed all the signs of being AI generated. As my academic cohort moves towards adulthood, we are more and more interested — and concerned — by the presence of AI in the education system. Grace Gollihur KVIE Abridged -- 07/13/26

Also

Southern California becoming a hub for wildlife crossings -- More than half a dozen projects represent a broad effort to 'restore migration corridors fragmented by decades of highway construction and development.' Joe Nelson in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/13/26

Venice Beach’s World Cup moment with Fan Zone signals new chapter for businesses, LA28 Olympics -- For three days, the Official Los Angeles World Cup Fan Zone transformed one of the world’s most iconic beachfront destinations into an international gathering place, where giant match broadcasts, live music, cultural performances, wellness experiences and local businesses combined to create an atmosphere organizers hope becomes a blueprint for Venice’s future during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Michelle Edgar in the LA Daily News -- 7/13/26

Ferry Building birthday party attracts thousands to San Francisco’s Embarcadero -- Jennifer Stabile and Beth Smith came to the Ferry Building Plaza Sunday for a wine tasting — five glasses for $20 — and stumbled into a much better deal. There were free bands and DJs on three stages, turning a few hours of sampling wine into an entire Sunday afternoon of entertainment. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/13/26

POTUS 47

US to take over Strait of Hormuz, charge 20 percent fee for cargo shipped through, Trump says -- President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. will take over the Strait of Hormuz — and will be reimbursed “at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped” for overseeing one of the world’s most critical oil passageways that has been at the center of the U.S.’s re-escalating war with Iran. Riya Misra Politico -- 7/13/26

Trump Says He Is Reimposing the U.S. Blockade of Iran -- The move would sharpen a standoff over control of Hormuz that has led to days of fighting. Benoit Faucon, Rebecca Feng and Jared Malsin in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/13/26

How Trump Failed to Secure the Strait of Hormuz in His Iran Deal -- President Trump signed an agreement that Iran said gave it control of the waterway — and global energy supplies. Now, Iran’s military is violently asserting authority. Edward Wong, Michael Crowley and Eric Schmitt in the New York Times$ -- 7/13/26

‘A key link’: Trump’s Senate whisperer is gone -- Lindsey Graham’s death deprives President Donald Trump of one of his most effective Capitol Hill operators — and leaves Senate Republicans without one of their strongest links to the White House. Jordain Carney, Sophia Cai, Alex Gangitano and Daniel Lippman Politico -- 7/13/26

Graham’s death complicates Senate Republicans’ packed agenda -- Republicans return to Washington facing a thinner working margin, stalled spending bills and a fight over the president’s attorney general nominee. Jarrell Dillard and Theodoric Meyer in the Washington Post$ -- 7/13/26