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California Policy and Politics Thursday

California’s proposed billionaire tax gains majority support in new poll, with a partisan split on voter ID -- New polling shows just 52% of California voters support a one-time 5% tax on billionaires to fund healthcare, leaving proponents in a precarious position. The measure divides sharply along party lines: 72% of Democrats support it while 72% of Republicans oppose it. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Billionaires have a favorite in the California governor’s race — and it’s not even close -- There is no doubt which candidate California’s billionaires want to be the next governor of California: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. Joe Garofoli, Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/26

What’s the state of the California governor’s race? New poll shows voters are ‘disengaged and largely unenthusiastic’ -- With a little over a month-and-a-half before ballots hit mailboxes, a large swath of the California electorate is “largely unenthusiastic” about the crowded field vying to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to a new poll from the Institute of Government Studies at UC Berkeley. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/19/26

Rep. Swalwell, candidate for California governor, has an AI side gig -- During the Los Angeles writers’ strike in 2023, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell wanted to reach out to his donors in Hollywood and ask what he could do to help them. But he didn’t have an easy way to find the screenwriters who backed his many campaigns. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

‘My silence ends here’: The heartbreaking burden of Dolores Huerta -- At 95, labor icon Dolores Huerta made a shocking and heartbreaking revelation Wednesday, in the wake of a New York Times investigation into sexual abuse allegations against her fellow icon, Cesar Chavez. She was raped by Chavez, she said. Twice — both times resulting in pregnancies. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Gavin Newsom, California politicians react with shock to Cesar Chavez abuse allegations -- Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters at a Wednesday press conference in San Lorenzo that he and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were shocked by the allegations, particularly about Chavez’s abuse of Huerta, with whom they said they share a “close” relationship. Newsom said he had photos in his home of Chavez with former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, his political idol. Lia Russell and Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ Ryan Carter in the Orange County Register$ Jeremy B. White Politico -- 3/19/26

Cesar Chavez’s name is on buildings, parks, roads and calendars. Some are demanding change -- Dozens of California schools, streets, parks and libraries bear the name of Cesar Chavez — on top of the statues erected and holiday established in his honor. But in the wake of new sexual abuse allegations against the iconic labor leader, some elected officials and organizations are calling for change. Karen Garcia, Melissa Gomez, Brittny Mejia and Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Finya Swai Politico -- 3/19/26

California sex abuse laws could put U.F.W. at significant financial risk -- The allegations against Cesar Chavez could have sweeping legal and financial implications for the United Farm Workers, legal experts say, because California in recent years has lengthened the statute of limitations for victims to file civil sexual abuse claims. Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 3/19/26

CA bill seeks to change Cesar Chavez Day state holiday to Farmworker Day -- “Farmworkers are essential to our everyday lives – from the food we eat to the economy we enjoy,” said Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo, R-Tulare, who introduced the renaming bill. María G. Ortiz-Briones in the Fresno Bee Lindsey Holden and Nicole Norman Politico -- 3/19/26

Arellano: And just like that, the Cesar Chavez myth is punctured. What’s next? -- An eerie silence had settled. As word evidently reached activists in the last few weeks that disturbing allegations of sexual abuse against Chicano civil rights icon Cesar Chavez were forthcoming, things started to happen without much explanation. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Kevin Kiley removed from House committee assignments after becoming Independent -- U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley has been removed from all his House committee assignments, a consequence of his decision earlier this month to leave the Republican Party to become an Independent. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/26

California GOP hopefuls Hilton, Bianco bet voters are mad at Sacramento, not Trump -- Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco are asking California voters to do something they haven’t done in two decades: Elect a GOP governor. Ben Paviour in the Fresno Bee -- 3/19/26

Oil

Airfares set to take off as fuel prices fly -- Just like regular consumers at the gas station, airlines refueling in Los Angeles are being forced to adjust to higher prices at the pump. Jet fuel prices have shot up, and experts say airfares are following suit. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Workplace

LAUSD teacher and service worker unions announce massive April 14 strike if no deal reached -- Los Angeles Unified’s two largest labor groups — the teachers union and service employees — announced Wednesday they will join forces and both go on strike April 14 if no contract deal is reached before then, actions that would effectively shut down schools in less than a month. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Teachers will return to class as strike ends in Sacramento-area school district -- Teachers in Natomas reached a deal with their district late Wednesday night, putting an end to a strike that left 16,000 Sacramento kids without classroom teachers for seven consecutive school days. Jennah Pendleton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/19/26

Trump’s H-1B visa overhaul is upending Bay Area employment and separating families -- The Trump administration’s overhaul of the Bay Area tech industry’s most-used visa program has scrambled the plans of companies and foreign workers and left families separated across continents, as immigration attorneys brace for more shocks to H-1B holders and hopefuls as new rules roll out. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/26

SoCal’s defense startups secure vital funding boost -- Congress passed legislation restoring federal funding deemed vital to Southern California’s defense startups, ending a months-long dispute. The extended Small Business Innovation Research and other programs has distributed funding to startups such as Anduril Industries and K2 Space. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Walters: California’s $20 fast food wage yields higher prices, fewer jobs, more automation -- The legislation, Assembly Bill 1228, emerged from months of intense political conflict, pitting fast food behemoths such as McDonalds against service worker unions, arguing not only over the wage itself but what the industry saw as an effort to undercut its business model. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/19/26

ICE

Deported 6-year-old deaf boy could die in Colombia without medical attention, his attorney says -- Attorney Nikolas De Bremaeker said deaf 6-year-old boy Joseph Lodano Rodriguez, who was snatched from Northern California and deported to Colombia earlier this month, needed to be returned to the U.S. immediately or he would die. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Transit

Fewer people are riding the San Diego trolley. Officials blame the unexpected drop on ICE and affordability -- Local transit officials are blaming a recent dip in San Diego trolley ridership on the federal immigration crackdown and on lower-income transit users making fewer leisure trips because of rising household expenses. David Garrick in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 3/19/26

Water

Trump administration cuts key California drought-monitoring program -- As California has endured increasingly severe droughts, a long-running federal research program has used planes to survey, and help explain, the growing toll on the landscape: how many trees have died, what areas are being hit hardest and where wildfire risk is greatest. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/26

Wildfire

Even low-risk homes are caught up in California’s climate-driven insurance crisis -- As another wildfire season looms, insurance companies have abandoned some California neighborhoods at lower risk of burning, forcing tens of thousands of homeowners to obtain bare-bones coverage from the state’s insurer of last resort. Todd Woody Bloomberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know -- When the January 2025 firestorms swept through Altadena and Pacific Palisades they not only burned down homes but left thousands still standing riddled with smoke damage. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Education

Schools left wondering how to proceed after Supreme Court ruling on transitioning students -- The Supreme Court broke new ground this month when it ruled the Constitution forbids school policies in California that prevent parents from being told about their child’s gender transition at school. But the reach of this new parental right remains unclear. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Why Bay Area schools are cutting jobs and closing campuses despite record state funding -- Mike Fine, chief executive officer of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team — a state agency that helps California schools resolve financial and operational issues — said it comes down to one reason: declining enrollment. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/19/26

Gamified math. Video read-alouds. Why parents are saying no to screens in class -- Parents across California are frustrated with a growing reliance on technology in the classroom for grade levels as low as transitional kindergarten Early childhood experts say excessive screen time displaces hands-on learning and peer interaction critical to development. Kate Sequeira in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Street

LAPD commander fired over drunken incident wins $5.7 million in discrimination lawsuit -- A Los Angeles County jury awarded a former LAPD commander nearly $6 million on Wednesday, finding in her favor in a lawsuit against the department that claimed she was wrongfully fired over an alcohol-fueled incident in 2018. Libor Jany and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

Young Explorers abused by cops in mentorship program; Whittier to pay $3.5 million, lawyer says -- Four former female Whittier Police Explorers who accused former police officers of sexually abusing them will receive a $3.5-million settlement from the city, an attorney for the women announced Wednesday. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/26

POTUS 47

Trump is poised to take Iran’s Kharg Island. Here’s what could unfold next -- A tiny Iranian island responsible for virtually all of the country’s oil exports is in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs. Scott Waldman Politico -- 3/19/26

What U.S. Marines Can Do to Help Reopen the Strait of Hormuz -- The Pentagon has deployed the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a rapid-response force of about 2,200 Marines, to the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported. The U.S. could use the unit to seize one or more of the islands off the southern coast of Iran to use as leverage or as a base to counter Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, according to former and current U.S. officials. Lara Seligman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/19/26

Escalating Attacks on Gulf Energy Assets Plunge Iran War Into New Phase -- Escalating attacks on Persian Gulf oil-and-gas infrastructure are sending the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran into a dangerous new phase that threatens to worsen the crisis over global energy supplies. Summer Said, Rebecca Feng and Alexander Ward in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/19/26

F.B.I. Investigates Joe Kent, Whose Resignation Over Iran War Angered Trump -- Mr. Kent is under investigation for a possible intelligence leak, according to people familiar with the situation. The inquiry is said to predate his resignation this week as the top U.S. counterterrorism official. Glenn Thrush and Chris Cameron in the New York Times$ -- 3/19/26

Pentagon seeks more than $200 billion in budget request for Iran war -- Some White House officials do not think the Defense Department’s request has a realistic shot of being approved in Congress, one senior administration official said. Noah Robertson, Jeff Stein and Riley Beggin in the Washington Post$ -- 3/19/26

A U.S. Citizen Now Runs Mexico’s Top Drug Cartel—and Targeting Him Is Complicated -- The California-born stepson of the late kingpin ‘El Mencho’ enjoys constitutional protections other capos could only dream of. José de Córdoba, Santiago Pérez and Steve Fisher in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/19/26