California Policy and Politics Friday

The Steyer campaign pays influencers. Their posts don’t always make that clear -- California passed a law in 2023 requiring influencers to disclose if they have been paid to create promotional content for or against a candidate or ballot measure. A Steyer spokesperson said the campaign had properly followed the rules in hiring influencers. Ben Wieder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

 

Conditions at immigrant detention centers in California have worsened under Trump, report says -- A new report by the California Department of Justice found that conditions at immigrant detention facilities in the state have worsened as surging arrests under the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign led to overcrowding and insufficient medical care. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

Why the infuriatingly catchy Kars4Kids jingle got yanked off the air in California -- The frustratingly unforgettable Kars4kids jingle, which has been worming its way into listeners’ brains for decades, is officially banned from the airways in California. While the 1-877-KARS4KIDS song has been called one of the most memorable jingles in history, a court has ruled it is misleading. Itzel Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

 

CA governor candidates focus on corruption, abortion and climate in final debate -- Democratic rivals for governor continued to hammer new frontrunner Xavier Becerra in a final televised debate in San Francisco ahead of the June 2 primary. Becerra’s sharp rise in the polls — and record spanning more than three decades in office — made him a top target, continuing a theme from four other debates over the last month. Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ Linh Tat in the Orange County Register$ Seema Mehta, Nicole Nixon and Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ Jeanne Kuang Calmatters Melanie Mason and Blake Jones Politico -- 5/15/26

Arellano, Barabak and Chabria: Who won and who lost in Thursday night’s California gubernatorial debate? Our columnists weigh in -- Times columnists Gustavo Arellano, Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria absorbed the rhetorical blows, followed the heated back-and-forths and took in each and every one of the candidates’ myriad policy prescriptions. Here’s their assessment: Gustavo Arellano, Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

Newsom says Dems have 'break-the-glass' contingency plan for California gov's race -- Gavin Newsom said he’s confident at least one Democrat will advance from California’s June gubernatorial primary, hinting at a “break-the-glass” contingency plan as he declined — yet again — to endorse in the race. Melanie Mason Politico -- 5/15/26

Ex-Newsom aide pleads guilty in scheme to siphon campaign funds from Xavier Becerra -- Dana Williamson, the former aide, entered her plea at the federal courthouse in Sacramento. She faces a maximum sentence of 38 years in prison, according to the plea agreement. Raheem Hosseini, Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 5/15/26

Steyer campaign staffer linked to video of rival Katie Porter berating staff -- A briefing memo obtained by The Times appears to support former Rep. Katie Porter’s accusation that a Tom Steyer staffer leaked a video of her yelling at an employee, an outburst that tainted her gubernatorial prospects when the video became public. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

 

Newsom tries to balance California’s books — and head off 2028 liabilities -- For one of his final acts as governor, Gavin Newsom is working to make some of his biggest political liabilities disappear. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 5/15/26

AI boom helps erase California’s multibillion-dollar budget deficit -- A tax revenue windfall for the state is unlikely to offset billions of dollars in federal health care cuts. Ethan Varian, Grant Stringer, Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/15/26

Newsom’s last budget: Cut California spending now, save for the AI bubble to burst -- California tax revenue is soaring thanks to tech stocks. But Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing more cuts, warning that the boom won’t last and Trump cuts will hit the state hard. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 5/15/26

Gov. Gavin Newsom says his last budget is fiscally sound. Some see trouble ahead -- During the presentation for his final budget proposal, Gov. Gavin Newsom said leaving a $0 deficit for the next few years was in the “spirit” of his predecessor, Jerry Brown, who left him an $8.9 billion surplus and a bolstered rainy day fund. Kate Wolffe in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/15/26

California legislators kill new spending programs and blame Trump for funding cuts -- Down the hall from where Gov. Gavin Newsom bragged about his balanced two-year budget proposal, California lawmakers went on a rapid-fire spree culling their colleagues’ pricey proposals. Maya C. Miller and Nadia Lathan Calmatters -- 5/15/26

California lawmakers rush $25 million to hospitals without knowing who qualifies -- California leaders approved the hospital funding within days even as they questioned the narrow criteria, the amount and the number of hospitals that would qualify. The speed stunned some hospitals that are now scrambling to apply by the deadline. Yue Stella Yu and Ana B. Ibarra Calmatters -- 5/15/26

California schools, agencies face higher fuel prices from Iran war -- As California drivers are paying the highest gas prices in the nation, local and state agencies face increased fuel costs because of the U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran that began at the end of February. Levi Sumagaysay and Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 5/15/26

Walters: Newsom’s tightfisted final budget faces a rough reception in the Legislature -- Since the turn of the century, California’s state budget has been plagued by a boom-and-bust syndrome rooted in its lopsided revenue system and a lack of political discipline. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 5/15/26

Workplace

CEO tells staff LinkedIn will cut jobs: ‘We need to reinvent how we work’ -- LinkedIn plans to lay off employees across several teams as the Microsoft-owned professional networking company reorganizes and cuts costs. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/26

Federal workers sue in S.F. over Trump agriculture secretary’s ‘proselytizing’ emails -- President Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, is unconstitutionally pressuring her 100,000 employees to adopt her religious views in a series of messages, such as an Easter email urging them to “celebrate the greatest story ever told,” a group of workers charged in a lawsuit Wednesday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/26

Water

Trump administration readying a plan to impose Colorado River water cuts on Western states -- Reservoirs on the river have provided a major source of water for California and six other states, but the levels are dropping. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

ICE

Work begins on planned ICE detention facility near Gilroy as Santa Clara County threatens lawsuit -- Work is already underway at the site of a planned ICE detention facility just outside Gilroy, setting up a legal and political fight between Santa Clara County and the federal government over what could become Northern California’s newest link in the federal government’s expanded deportation system. Caelyn Pender, Ethan Baron, Luis Melecio-Zambrano in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/15/26

Green Card Holders Targeted for Deportation by New ‘Removal Apparatus’ -- The Department of Homeland Security recently formed a unit tasked with revetting thousands of immigrants with permanent residency. Madeleine Ngo in the New York Times$ -- 5/15/26

Housing

S.F. wants to stop housing projects from being blocked over shadows -- A San Francisco official wants to throw some shade on the city’s housing approval process. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/26

Wildfire

Will Her Daughter Be Safe at Pali High After the Wildfire? -- It’s a nightmare faced by families all around Los Angeles: After wildfire smoke blanketed homes, schools and offices with toxic chemicals, when is it OK to go back? Emily Baumgaertner Nunn, Jenna Schoenefeld in the New York Times$ -- 5/15/26

Altadena’s latest roadblock to rebuilding: Sewage -- More than a year after the Eaton fire, hundreds of fire survivors without sewer lines still don’t have clarity about how to rebuild, and whether they’ll be on the hook for a costly effort to install new wastewater infrastructure. Grace Toohey, Allen J. Schaben in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

LA28

Concerns over federal funding for L.A. Olympics raised by state lawmakers -- State lawmakers worry that Trump administration tensions with California could threaten $1 billion in federal funding needed for 2028 Olympics law enforcement and transportation. Lawmakers are also drafting bills to protect immigrants from increased ICE enforcement actions expected during the international sporting event. Katie King in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

Breathe

Ten times worse than benzene — California updates its science on two chemicals in everyday air -- The announcement comes as the Trump EPA rolls back ethylene oxide standards to industrial users, while California independently strengthens its own environmental protections. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

California unveils a $1 billion rebate program for electric trucks -- The rebates run $7,500 to $120,000 and can be applied toward the purchase of new electric medium‑ and heavy‑duty commercial vehicles, including drayage trucks, electric semis, box trucks, delivery vans and other fleet vehicles. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/15/26

Education

What Newsom’s proposed budget means for education in California -- Public school districts would receive $2.4 billion in ongoing special education funding, what Gov. Newsom calls the largest such investment in California’s history. Los Angeles Unified would likely be able to afford recent union salary raises thanks to increased state education funding and cost-of-living adjustments. Howard Blume, Jaweed Kaleem and Kate Sequeira in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/26

California schools could get billions more in Newsom’s final budget plan — with one catch -- Newsom is still withholding $3.9 billion in Proposition 98 funding that school organizations say should go to schools and community colleges now. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 5/15/26

Newsom’s revised budget eases budget worries for UC and Cal State -- UC and CSU officials breathed a sigh of relief because it wasn’t a given that the funding earmarked in the governor’s January budget would remain intact in his May revision. Ricardo Cano EdSource -- 5/15/26

Also

Bay to Breakers will shut down San Francisco roads this weekend. Here’s how to get around -- Bay to Breakers is the once-a-year opportunity for San Francisco residents to don their Spandex shorts and chug up Hayes Hill, maneuvering around people dressed as bananas or fluffy birds, or those braving the elements in no clothes at all. But it’s also a massive, bright, and famously obnoxious street party for revelers swarming in from the suburbs. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/26

Trump installs new Presidio Trust board with loyalists and tech elites -- A month after dismissing the six Biden-appointed members of the Presidio Trust Board of Directors, President Donald Trump has named six new members, including several prominent supporters and Time Magazine co-chair Lynne Benioff, who served on the body during Trump’s first term. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/26

POTUS 47

Trump Touts ‘Fantastic Trade Deals’ With China, but Details Are Scarce --Chinese officials struck a more cautious tone. Asked whether China had agreed to buy more Boeing airplanes or American agricultural products, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, would not confirm any details. Ana Swanson in the New York Times$ -- 5/15/26

In pageantry and politics, China summit yields Xi’s goal — equal footing with U.S. -- Over two days of meetings here, the carefully choreographed pageantry and the reciprocal gestures of friendship and respect between the world’s two most powerful men displayed a geopolitical dynamic that the Chinese have long craved and Americans had resisted. Isaac Arnsdorf, Michael Birnbaum and Michelle Ye Hee Lee in the Washington Post$ -- 5/15/26

Trump Was Flattering, Xi Was Resolute. The Difference Spoke Volumes -- At every turn, at least as he began his two-day trip to China, Mr. Trump sounded conciliatory, the exact opposite of his portrayals of China in public appearances back home, where during his presidential campaigns he has talked about the country as a job-stealer and national security threat. Mr. Xi, while smiling and welcoming to Mr. Trump, was quietly more confrontational — especially on Taiwan, where he delivered an unequivocal warning. David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 5/15/26