California Policy and Politics Monday

Bonta defends Paramount settlement: ‘resolves the antitrust concerns’ -- The California attorney general, who had joined forces with other states in a lawsuit to block the transaction, argued the settlement would soften the impacts of media consolidation even as he maintained he did not believe the companies should merge. Blake Jones and Daniel Miller Politico -- 9/21/26

Newsom signs bills to regulate data center industry, criticizes Trump for inaction -- California’s growing data center industry will have more oversight after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed seven bills to regulate the industry’s electricity costs and track water consumption. Dakota Smith, Blanca Begert and Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/26

Helicopter crashes in Yosemite National Park while fighting wildfire, killing two -- Crash occurred while making water bucket drops on the Dome Fire, which has burned 3,047 acres. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/21/26

 

Paramount Settles States’ Antitrust Suit, Clearing Way for Warner Megadeal -- Paramount has reached a settlement with state attorneys general, clearing the way for its $81 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. A dozen states led by California’s attorney general sued in July to block the deal, arguing it would create too much market concentration. Under the agreement, Paramount will avoid having to sell cable channels. Jessica Toonkel in the Wall Street Journal$ Benjamin Mullin, David McCabe, Shawn Hubler and Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ -- 9/21/26

 

California declares statewide emergency ahead of epic El Niño storms -- Gov. Newsom has declared a statewide emergency for California in anticipation of this winter’s El Niño-fueled storms, a new sign of growing worry about costal flooding and high waves expected in the coming months. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/26

Despite court wins, California election war with Trump rages on -- Los Angeles County has received multiple subpoenas seeking voter information, which appear to be part of a nationwide effort by Homeland Security officials to identify noncitizens who have illegally voted. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/26

Skelton: Three ballot measures on housing, medical research but only one no-brainer -- One is a no-brainer “yes.” It would help middle-class Californians buy a new home by allowing them to borrow most of the down payment. And it wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime. That’s Proposition 37. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/26

Workplace

Newsom cites pension crisis as he vetoes bill to enhance retirement for police and firefighters -- Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected a bill to lower the retirement age and sweeten pension perks for police and firefighters despite overwhelming support in the Legislature. Adam Ashton Calmatters -- 9/21/26

Campus jobs for undocumented students blocked by Newsom veto -- Advocates and student leaders had pushed for the bill, saying that campus jobs and internships are crucial for undocumented students’ futures. UC and CSU remained neutral on the bill. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 9/21/26

OpenAI’s San Francisco empire could grow with another major office deal in the works -- Even as OpenAI’s Sam Altman joins calls for guardrails on the pace of artificial intelligence development, the company’s appetite for physical expansion — and the real estate it needs to support its growth — shows no sign of slowing. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/21/26

Jedi-themed protest outside Lucas Museum targets L.A. Olympics over worker rights -- The coalition of more than 80 unions and various community groups is pushing for living wage jobs, new housing units and protections for immigrant workers. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/26

AI

In the heart of tech country, voters turn on AI -- California voters overwhelmingly say advanced AI is likely a threat to humans, according to a new poll by Politico and its partners. Tyler Katzenberger Politico -- 9/21/26

U.S. proposes AI incident alert system in talks with China -- The United States and China are considering a “notification mechanism” to monitor national security incidents involving artificial intelligence, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday night. Riley Beggin in the Washington Post$ -- 9/21/26

This document helps courts decide who goes to prison. AI may soon help write it in San Diego -- The county wants to build an AI model to help write hundreds of reports every month for county probation officers, handing over to AI a role in the creation of a key document courts rely upon when they sentence defendants. Lucas Robinson in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/21/26

Why some musicians aren’t happy about labels signing AI deals with platforms -- The deals promise artists a choice and a cut, but payout terms are undisclosed and label contracts may limit that choice. Sony and Universal are still suing Suno, and musicians, session players and songwriter groups are challenging the deals. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/26

This A.I. House Can Provide You With Connections. It Also Has a Dark Side -- Group tech houses have proliferated across the San Francisco Bay Area in the artificial intelligence boom. One of the most prominent has also racked up an extensive police record. Kirsten Grind in the New York Times$ -- 9/21/26

Data Center

Major S.F. waterfront site may become 160,000-square-foot data center -- A little-known real estate firm seeking to build data centers appears to have quietly eyed one of San Francisco’s largest remaining privately held industrial properties on the central waterfront. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/21/26

Housing

Propositions 1 and 37 put $36 billion to housing effort -- One initiative funds new affordable homes while another will sell bonds to lend money to homebuyers. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/21/26

Education

California community colleges can offer up to 12 new bachelor’s degrees under laws Newsom signed -- A set of bills signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday aims to rein in the topsy-turvy expansion of bachelor’s degrees at California community colleges. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 9/21/26

Street

Wild California crime rampage: Man linked to slaying, stolen guns and forest fires, police say -- A murder suspect who led law enforcement on a violent chase across Placer County, ramming a patrol car and lighting forest fires as authorities closed in, was killed in a shootout Monday morning. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/26

Armed suspect killed in shootout with Placer deputies after all-night Iowa Hill manhunt -- In the darkness early Monday, tactical teams moved through the steep, heavily forested terrain of Placer County’s Sierra foothills toward an armed murder suspect accused of killing a woman, ramming a patrol car and firing on deputies during a sprawling manhunt that also kept firefighters from battling a nearby wildfire. Daniel Hunt and Nicole Buss in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/21/26

Also

Anti-abortion advocates say it’s possible to ‘reverse’ an abortion. California wants them to stop -- Anti-abortion advocates promote a disputed hormonal treatment as a way to reverse the effects of the abortion pill. State lawyers say there’s no credible evidence backing those claims and accuse advocates of false advertising. Kristen Hwang Calmatters -- 9/21/26

Aircraft makes first cross-country autonomous flight, from Bay Area to North Carolina -- A white utility aircraft swept past the Golden Gate Bridge this month, beginning a nearly 3,200-mile journey that its maker says became the first autonomous flight across the United States. The aircraft traveled from Concord to the Outer Banks of North Carolina without assistance from its onboard safety pilot, Santa Cruz-based transportation company Joby Aviation announced Friday. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/21/26

POTUS 47

Trump heads into a week of diplomacy, hampered by a lack of allies -- At the United Nations on Tuesday and in meetings with China’s Xi Jinping on Thursday, the president will largely stand alone. Michael Birnbaum in the Washington Post$ -- 9/21/26

Wave of Setbacks Leaves Trump Frustrated and Looking for Credit -- But his frustrations reached a fever pitch on Friday, when one of his closest aides, Natalie Harp, showed him clips of anchors on the cable network MS NOW criticizing his administration, according to people familiar with the matter. Hours later, Trump banned the network and two other news organizations from the White House. Brian Schwartz, Meridith McGraw and Alexander Ward in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/21/26

CNN, MS NOW and Politico say they’re suing over denied White House access -- The three outlets made the announcement in a joint statement posted on X, two days after their reporters were blocked from the White House and prevented from doing their jobs. Jocelyn Noveck Associated Press Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/21/26

Major TV networks decline White House pool duties -- The nation’s major television networks are declining to participate in White House pool duties moving forward in response to the Trump administration’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from the White House, Fox News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton wrote in an email to TV pool subscribers. Ben Johansen and Megan Messerly Politico Gareth Vipers and Isabella Simonetti in the Wall Street Journal$ Scott Nover in the Washington Post$ Erik Wemple in the New York Times$ -- 9/21/26

Trump Gets Caught in a Dilemma Over a Saudi Plea for Military Help -- The president vacillated but decided on Sunday not to join Saudi Arabia, for now, in joint strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. But he also needs the kingdom’s cooperation in his war against Iran. Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt, Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 9/21/26

Trump says his planned arch would become a ‘military complex’ able to host drones and snipers -- It is one more example of how Trump is insisting that his initiatives to beautify the White House and the city are also serving a defensive purpose. Trump has been calling the new White House ballroom a “military complex” and arguing it is necessary for national security purposes. Seung Min Kim Associated Press -- 9/20/26