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California Policy and Politics Sunday

‘It’s coming’: Long Beach scrambles to prepare for Rachel’s high tide -- City of Long Beach workers scrambled Sunday morning to build a sand berm stretching westward from 62nd Place on the Long Beach peninsula, with less than two hours before high tide. Fedor Zarkhin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

Bass-led turnout surge crashes meeting to replace L.A. homeless outreach agency -- It’s not unusual for a public meeting to be canceled for lack of a quorum. But there isn’t even a word for what happened Friday when a once-obscure board canceled a meeting to decide the future of homeless services in Los Angeles because too many people came to vote. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

Ossoff set for LA fundraiser co-hosted by Miramax, United Talent Agency heads -- Hosts of the Oct. 19 event include several Hollywood executives, among them Miramax CEO Jonathan Glickman and United Talent Agency CEO David Kramer. Daniel Miller Politico -- 10/11/26

How the GOP weaponized trans issues and left Democrats searching for a strategy -- For the second election cycle in a row, the rights of transgender people have taken center stage politically, despite their accounting for only about 1% of the U.S. population and many voters identifying other issues as far more important — splitting Republicans and Democrats, but also Democrats among themselves and putting the party on the defensive. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

 

Silicon Valley’s Dream City Has Crashed Into Small-Town Politics -- In the summer of 2025, lobbyists for Silicon Valley-backed entrepreneur Jan Sramek were in overdrive. With Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office in his corner, Sramek was chasing a prize: a $3 billion shipyard beside the city he wants to build from scratch here. Zusha Elinson, Jonah Reenders in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/11/26

Lopez: They were homeless, but turned their lives around. Here’s how they did it -- Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Councilmember Nithya Raman each tout their records on homelessness. I decided to hear from some formerly homeless people willing to share stories about how they managed to break the cycle. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

Barabak: Is there a doctor in the House? Backlash to Trump, RFK Jr. may boost their political ranks -- Anti-vax policies and erosion of the nation’s public health system have spurred hundreds of doctors and scientists to seek office. In Sacramento, pediatrician and congressional hopeful Richard Pan is part of that wave. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

ICE

Off-duty ICE agent found sleeping on Fresno lawn is shot after assaulting man, authorities say -- An off-duty ICE agent was shot in Fresno after he was found sleeping on a lawn, then allegedly assaulted a 72-year-old man, authorities said. Iris Kwok and Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

As thousands sit in ICE detention, one woman is fighting to bring her husband home -- ‘I’m not gonna sit in a corner and cry for him when I have so much to do,’ Blanca Ortiz says. ‘I need to figure out how to pay the mortgage, how to pay the bills, how to keep the shop running.’ Itzel Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

Farm bureaus silent as ag, labor groups in Fresno area decry ICE surge. ‘Sowing fear’ -- As organizations representing farmworkers and laborers speak out about concerns around ICE activity in the Central Valley, local farm bureaus have been silent so far. Nick Fenley and Erik Galicia in the Fresno Bee -- 10/11/26

Workplace

Target plans to hire 2,000 seasonal workers across the Bay Area -- The jobs include cashier and guest-service positions, stocking, general merchandise, online order fulfillment, style, food and beverage and technology. Target is accepting applications now for seasonal positions at stores and other facilities in the region. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/11/26

Housing

Bay Area county wants to help older adults age in place — by selling their homes -- A new program in Alameda County has a creative solution: Help older homeowners build accessible backyard ADUs, then move in, split the lot and sell their original home to help pay for the construction. Jessica Roy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/11/26

Newport Beach’s use of housing overlays to meet planning goals challenged in court -- A resident group is taking Newport Beach to court over allegations the city is “flouting” the law by not revamping its housing plan to exclude overlay zoning that permits but does not require residential development. Gabriel San Román in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

Education

S.F. State just saw its first enrollment growth in a decade. Now comes the hard part -- As San Francisco has become wealthier, it has also become harder for the university’s main customers, middle- and low-income students, to live here. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/11/26

AI

Nicolas Cage says he won’t work with Amazon again over AI dispute -- Nicolas Cage is making it clear — he’s not an “AI-friendly actor.” The 62-year-old actor spoke out against a tech giant during an appearance at New York Comic Con on Saturday. He alleged that he was asked to sign an artificial intelligence waiver for the television series “Spider Noir.” Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

Street

Mexican cartels are building luxury fleets by stealing U.S. rental cars -- Operatives with the Jalisco cartel and other Mexican criminal organizations are increasingly renting U.S. trucks and cars and then driving them across the border. The thefts often happen in border states, with California the top target. Steve Fisher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/11/26

Also

At Davos, Kimberly Guilfoyle Boasted of Private Jet Trips, Luxury Stays -- Recording captures U.S. ambassador saying Greek businessmen were paying for her travels and pleading for an invite to an event with Eric Trump. Rebecca Ballhaus, Joe Parkinson, Drew Hinshaw and Dana Mattioli in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/11/26

One Acre of Yosemite Has Kicked Off a Battle Over the Future of National Parks -- A sliver of meadow and trees on the edge of Yosemite National Park has become an unlikely battleground over whether development is allowed in national parks. Kate King in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/11/26

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Justice Department Probes TV Networks Over Suspension of Trump Press-Pool Coverage -- The Justice Department is investigating whether major TV networks violated federal antitrust laws when they briefly suspended a rotation of broadcast journalists covering the White House last month following CNN’s removal from a planned assignment. Joe Flint and Dave Michaels in the Wall Street Journal$ David McCabe, Michael M. Grynbaum, Benjamin Mullin, Lauren Hirsch and Glenn Thrush in the New York Times$ Perry Stein, Miriam Waldvogel and Scott Nover in the Washington Post$ -- 10/11/26

 

California Policy and Politics Saturday

Gavin Newsom backs measure to kill the billionaire tax and ban future wealth taxes -- On Friday he endorsed Proposition 42, a ballot measure that would cancel out Proposition 40, the proposed billionaire tax. Prop. 42 would prohibit retroactive taxes like the one-time 5% tax on assets that would apply to any billionaire who lived in California on Jan. 1, 2026 if Prop. 40 passes. Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 10/10/26

Here’s how Gavin Newsom is voting on California’s propositions -- Gavin Newsom’s campaign team on Friday released an almost complete list of the governor’s positions on the ballot measures California voters will decide in the Nov. 3 midterm election. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/10/26

Trump keeps trying to control California’s elections. The midterms will be another test -- On Monday, as mail ballots went out to the state’s 23 million registered voters and early voting began, California Attorney General Rob Bonta reassured Californians that the Nov. 3 election would be “business as usual.” Minutes later, he listed multiple scenarios that, if they were to happen, would render the election anything but normal. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/10/26

‘Do no harm’ vs. doing the most: Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton’s wildly different strategies -- Neither approach by Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra appears to have moved the needle much in the race to become California’s next governor. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/10/26

How California’s insurance race became a race to the left -- Progressives have spotted an opening to seize one of the most powerful regulatory posts in the country from establishment Democrats. They’re bringing in Sen. Bernie Sanders to help. Saqib Rahim Politico -- 10/10/26

Kamala Harris’s Husband Privately Says He Doesn’t Want Her to Run for President Again -- As former Vice President Kamala Harris lays the groundwork for a potential third presidential campaign, her husband has privately told some people he would prefer she didn’t run and some donors have told her directly that a bid would be a long shot, according to people familiar with the conversations. Jessica Toonkel, Emily Glazer and Ken Thomas in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/10/26

High-speed rail board limits CEO contract authority after $600,000 travel scandal -- The board that oversees the California High-Speed Rail Authority voted Friday to rein in Chief Executive Ian Choudri’s contracting authority following a state investigation that showed consultants billed the agency $600,000 in questionable travel expenses. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 10/10/26

 

How would Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton manage California’s most precious resource, water? -- Climate change is raising the stakes, amplifying the cycles of wet to dry and fueling conflicts between water haves and have-nots that have defined California for generations. The next governor — Republican Steve Hilton or Democrat Xavier Becerra — will inherit these challenges, and more. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 10/10/26

Avert ‘ecological tailspin’: Advocates sue California over one of the largest water systems in the world -- An environmental group and water agency representing farmers are suing California, arguing the state is taking excessive amounts of water out of the Bay Delta, harming fish and the ecosystem. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/10/26

The 100-Year-Old Math Miscalculation That Broke the Colorado River -- About 40 million people rely on the Colorado River. But an extended drought and a century-old legal framework have pushed the system to a breaking point. Now, a federal plan threatening deep cuts has ignited a political and legal war across the Southwest. Michael Tabb in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/10/26

Guns

New California ghost gun lawsuit takes aim at company that sells 3-D printer filament -- San Diego County is suing a 3-D printing filament manufacturer, accusing the company of selling material used to make untraceable “ghost guns” in violation of state law. The suit is the latest effort to limit the making of 3-D-printed guns by stanching the flow of precursor components. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/10/26

 

Sudden surge in ICE arrests empties streets in California’s San Joaquin Valley -- In a dim storefront near downtown Fresno, a family gathered to mourn. They wore memorial T-shirts, lit candles, and told stories about their patriarch through tears and sobs. Luis Arreguin didn’t die, but to his closest loved ones, it feels like it. Wendy Fry Calmatters -- 10/10/26

Medicaid reckoning awaits next California governor after program’s rapid expansion -- In March 2025, when California ran out of Medicaid funds to pay doctors and hospitals, the state borrowed $3.4 billion to keep the program afloat. Christine Mai-Duc KFF Health News in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/10/26

 

Newport Beach, other coastal spots hit by flooding: ‘We’re preparing for more damage’ -- Newport Beach expected intense surf Friday, but the high tide turned out to be much worse than the estimates. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/10/26

Wildfire

L.A. County investigates FAIR Plan’s claims practices after widespread complaints -- After widespread complaints over how the California FAIR Plan has handled January 2025 wildfire claims, Los Angeles County has opened a civil probe into the state’s home insurer of last resort to determine whether it has violated consumer protection laws. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/10/26

Workplace

Netflix plans substantial layoffs, sources say -- The cuts are expected to affect 5% of the company‘s workforce, which could be 800 employees, according to one of the sources who were not authorized to comment. The job losses will affect the creative team including those working on features, the source said. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/10/26

Marketplace

This Culver City startup made shopping into a spectator sport—and billions of dollars -- Culver City startup Whatnot has helped bring livestream shopping into the U.S. mainstream, reaching $8 billion in sales and a $ 20 billion valuation. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/10/26

Ex-Warner Bros. CEO pockets $600 million in sale to Paramount -- David Zaslav, the longtime TV executive who created Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. but ultimately failed to keep it going as an independent company, made about $600 million on the sale of the business to Paramount Skydance Corp. this week. Christopher Palmeri and Dylan Sloan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/10/26

AI

Anthropic AI Model Goes Rogue, Submits Fake Unsolved Murder Tip -- Police in Philadelphia say Anthropic alerted it this week that one of its artificial-intelligence models submitted a false homicide tip through PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com. The incident happened in July. Anthropic didn’t realize it until September. Georgia Wells and Joseph Pisani in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/10/26

Anthropic Agents Tried to Fill Out Visa Forms on State Dept. Website -- Artificial intelligence agents created by Anthropic, acting on their own, tried to gain access to a range of government websites, filled out visa applications on the State Department’s website and sent a fake homicide tip to Philadelphia’s Police Department. Kate Conger, Mike Isaac, Julian E. Barnes and David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ Gerrit De Vynck in the Washington Post$ -- 10/10/26

Also

‘We’re at our wit’s end.’ Carmel-by-the-Sea homes got addresses for the first time. Voter confusion ensued -- Carmel-by-the-Sea recently got numbered street addresses for the first time in its 110-year history. All residents were told to re-register to vote. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/10/26

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Hegseth faces bipartisan backlash over public execution for Fort Hood shooter -- Senior lawmakers from both parties said the plan to broadcast the scheduled Dec. 3 firing squad execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan amounted to a dishonorable public spectacle that could inspire terrorism. Connor O'Brien, Mark Satter and Leo Shane III Politico -- 10/10/26