California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Dangerous heat and fire risk are spreading across California. Here’s when temperatures will peak -- Temperatures will surge across California on Tuesday, nearing 100 degrees in parts of the Bay Area and climbing as high as 118 degrees in the Southern California deserts. Greg Porter in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Grace Toohey and Seamus Bozeman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/14/26

Earthquakes north of L.A. appear to be on or close to San Andreas, Garlock faults -- Back-to-back earthquakes rocked the area north of Los Angeles near two of California’s most significant faults — including the mighty San Andreas — sending shock waves across the region. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/14/26

CalPERS just had one of its best years in a decade. Why it matters to taxpayers -- CalPERS’ investment returns are important markers because they determine whether government agencies — and taxpayers — have to kick in extra money to cover losses at the pension fund. It eclipsed its target in 2025-26. Adam Ashton Calmatters -- 7/14/26

California, 11 other states sue to block Paramount’s Warner Bros. deal -- A coalition of 12 state attorneys general is filing a lawsuit in federal court on Monday to block Paramount Skydance’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery on antitrust grounds, imperiling one of the biggest mergers in entertainment and media history. Daniel Miller Politico Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ Dave Michaels and Joe Flint in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/14/26

Permanent daylight saving time is on the table. Would California scrap being on standard time? -- Congress is again weighing legislation to put the nation on permanent daylight saving time and end the twice-yearly clock change. In 2018, California voters approved Proposition 7, which gave the Legislature the authority to impose year-round daylight saving time — but only if the federal government allowed states to do so. Iris Kwok in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/14/26

Climate

California to offer $3,500 EV rebates to first-time buyers -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Monday that offers $3,500 for first-time buyers of EVs that cost $50,000 or less. There’s also a rebate of $1,750 for first-time buyers who purchase a used electric vehicle with an MSRP of up to $25,000. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 7/14/26

Oil

This California Oil Pipeline Was Dormant for 11 Years. Trump Reopened It -- For decades, state and federal officials had halted new offshore drilling here on California’s coast to protect its shoreline. But in March, amid an oil shortage during the war in Iran, the Trump administration ordered the reopening of a Santa Barbara pipeline that had been dormant since 2015 after a major spill. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 7/14/26

Workplace

Hundreds of economists say ‘we must act now’ on AI’s economic impact and job displacement risks -- Hundreds of economists say in an open letter that institutions “must act now” to address how artificial intelligence could transform the economy and could put many people out of work. The statement released Monday was signed by top economists, along with computer scientists and some executives at tech companies including Anthropic, Google and OpenAI. Associated Press -- 7/14/26

Uncertainty in Tijuana after Toyota announces Tacoma production moving to U.S. ‘A wake-up call.’ -- The Japanese automaker employs more than 2,000 people and produces 166,000 units annually at its Tijuana plant, which will move to Texas. Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 7/14/26

 

Historic transfer of wealth coming to Bay Area. It won’t look like you expect -- The “Great Wealth Transfer” is coming — and the Bay Area will be its epicenter. But what that really means for the region and for your family may defy expectations. Jessica Roy and Hanna Zakharenko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/14/26

Guns

Parents sue Bay Area gun store after suicide of son, 19 -- Jeffrey Marshall, 19, contacted a Pacifica gun shop two years ago to buy a hunting shotgun, the only type of gun that can be legally sold in California to a buyer aged 18 to 21. But the City Arms store instead sold him a short-barreled shotgun with lead slugs, a weapon and ammunition that are both banned for hunting in the state, according to a lawsuit filed by his parents. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/14/26

Education

UC abruptly suspends plan to reconsider SAT in admissions -- The University of California admissions board has voted to rescind — for now — its plan to study whether to resume SAT or ACT requirements in admissions, a move that leaves the direction of one of the university’s most closely watched debates unclear a day before the Board of Regents meets in San Francisco. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/14/26

Street

Grocery Outlet Bay Area stores are using facial recognition technology to catch shoplifters -- Grocery Outlet, the popular Emeryville-based chain of “bargain markets,” has quietly begun rolling out facial recognition software across its Bay Area stores, in what the company’s signage says is an effort to thwart shoplifting. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/14/26

‘Psychological war’: Inside California’s expanding use of jailhouse stings -- Undercover police operations are proliferating in California jails — even after suspects invoke their rights. Cayla Mihalovich Calmatters -- 7/14/26

Also

Feds charge San Jose State grad student with hateful campus threat -- Ziheng ‘Tony’ Fang is formally charged with single instance of a slur-filled violent threat, but criminal complaint implicates him in a string of similar scrawlings that repeatedly prompted unease across campus. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/14/26

Why flags across California and the Bay Area are flying at half-staff this week -- President Donald Trump on Monday ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff until 6 p.m. Saturday at the White House and all public buildings, military posts and naval stations around the nation to honor Graham. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/14/26

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Oil Surges Most Since 2020, Reflecting Bet That Strait Won’t Go Back to Normal -- Oil markets and Middle East producers appear to be aligning around a new reality: The Strait of Hormuz is no longer expected to return to a prewar norm. Ryan Dezember, Georgi Kantchev and Rebecca Feng in the Wall Street Journal$ Stan Choe Associated Press -- 7/14/26

Trump’s Cease-Fire Effectively Collapses as He Vows to Restart Blockade and Tolls -- After several days of strikes, the president notified Congress that fighting had begun again and announced shipping fees that his administration previously deemed illegal. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 7/14/26

What to Know About Trump’s Plan to Charge a Toll in the Strait of Hormuz -- President Trump announced a 20 percent fee on cargo through the waterway, despite his own administration’s position that such fees violate international law. Yan Zhuang in the New York Times$ -- 7/14/26

Trump’s attorneys, Justice Dept. leaders misused courts in IRS case, judge says -- The president's lawsuit against the IRS — which resulted in a now-scuttled proposal for a $1.8 billion payout fund — was filed for an “improper purpose," the judge said. Jeremy Roebuck and Mark Berman in the Washington Post$ Andrew Duehren and Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ Richard Rubin and C. Ryan Barber in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/14/26

 

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

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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