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California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Raman takes big lead over Bass in latest poll for L.A. mayor’s race -- The Berkeley IGS/L.A. Times poll represented the strongest showing yet for Nithya Raman, who trailed Karen Bass in almost every poll during the primary campaign and placed second to Bass in the June 2 primary. Most voters who cast ballots for Spencer Pratt in the primary haven’t chosen a runoff candidate, leading to an unusually high number of undecided voters so close to an election. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/26

Billionaire-led California PAC has raised a staggering $91 million since August -- The political action committee set up by billionaires angry about the proposed wealth tax on the November ballot has raised an astonishing $91 million in the last seven weeks alone from wealthy individuals. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/26

California voters will decide on a first-in-the-nation billionaires tax — two competing measures could block it -- Propositions 41 and 42 could prevent the wealth tax from taking effect if either passes and receives more yes votes. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/23/26

Canada’s boycott forces the sale of a California winery -- A massive family-owned winery spanning San Joaquin and Sacramento counties is for sale after struggling to survive the Canadian boycott of U.S. alcohol. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/26

Poll: California Democrats see Newsom as stronger 2028 contender than Harris -- California voters are souring on the idea of Gavin Newsom or Kamala Harris running for president in 2028. But among the state’s Democrats, the California governor has the clear advantage over the former vice president, according to a new poll by Politico and its partners. Melanie Mason Politico -- 9/23/26

ICE

S.F. supervisors call on U.S. senators to visit SFO’s de facto detention center, provide oversight -- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday calling on California’s two senators to visit and provide oversight of the detention center inside San Francisco International Airport that regularly houses immigrants — sometimes for up to a week or more. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/26

ICE detains S.F. lawmaker’s staffer in Nevada, prompting call for release -- Ho Yin Mo is from Hong Kong and is a field representative for Assembly Member Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco. He was arrested by agents on Thursday and is being held at a Nevada immigration detention center in the Pahrump Valley near the California border, records show. Sara DiNatale, Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/23/26

 

A California bill sought to shore up Gavin Newsom’s abortion access plan. He vetoed it -- One of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s most reliable allies, abortion rights advocacy groups, are issuing a rare rebuke of the governor after he vetoed a bill that would have extended California’s abortion shield laws and expanded legal protections for gender-affirming care. Kathryn Palmer in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/26

Gavin Newsom’s big data center play has a problem: His past -- As he gears up for a run for president, the California governor is trying to rebrand himself on data centers. Tyler Katzenberger, Chase DiFeliciantonio and Christine Mui Politico -- 9/23/26

Garofoli: Facing midterm peril, Republicans cannot stop talking about communism -- Republicans are talking about the midterms like it’s 1952, with a drumbeat of red-baiting scaremongering about galloping communism overtaking the country. Not only does it sound unhinged, it’s not helping them. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/26

AI

Ted Lieu: AI risks are ‘no longer in the realm of science fiction’ -- The No. 4 Democrat is urging his party to confront artificial intelligence worst-case risks without stifling the technology’s promise. Owen Dahlkamp Politico -- 9/23/26

Meta’s New AI Agent Is an Instant Hit—and the Backlash Has Already Begun -- But it is already facing scrutiny over privacy concerns. Amazon.com in recent days blocked Meta’s AI agent from shopping on its site, and analysts say competitors are expected to launch their own versions of Muse in the near future. Meghan Bobrowsky in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/23/26

Stanford violated its AI policy by turning a Hispanic student into a fake Black woman in ad -- Stanford University created one of the world’s first artificial intelligence labs in 1965. Six decades later, the school is facing criticism for using generative AI to change the photo of a Hispanic male student into a non-existent Black woman for a campus banner. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/26

Powerful AI companies and VCs unveil plans for new S.F. tech school for the ‘young, hungry’ -- Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is launching a new school from scratch in San Francisco meant to prepare young people to succeed in the artificial intelligence era. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Katherine Bindley in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/23/26

Workplace

Protesters at Paramount’s gates say Bonta ‘caved’ on Warner Bros. merger deal -- Dozens of protesters rallied outside Paramount’s Melrose Ave. gate Tuesday, saying the state’s antitrust settlement does too little to protect Hollywood jobs from the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/26

Walters: Deal allowing Paramount-Warner Bros. merger may not cure Hollywood’s troubles -- In sheer economic terms, Southern California’s movie and television production industry is not terribly important, generating scarcely 1% of the state’s $4 trillion-plus annual economic output. However, Hollywood is California’s signature icon and a cultural powerhouse with global impact. Therefore its actors, directors, executives and unions wield disproportionate political clout. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/23/26

HSR

Planners want to make high-speed rail a gateway to Yosemite. Central Valley residents aren’t happy -- Plans to make high-speed rail the new gateway to Yosemite National Park have met resistance from community organizers in the Central Valley, who last week sent a cease-and-desist letter to the California High-Speed Rail. It’s the first salvo in what could be a long legal battle to preserve the original plans for the railway, which include a station in downtown Merced. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/26

Housing

How do you get a housing permit in California? He can hook you up, for a fee -- So-called land-use consultants and permit expediters are wayfinders of bureaucracy, sherpas of red tape. If the left hand of a city’s building safety department doesn’t know what the right hand of its sanitation bureau is doing, the expediter’s job is to pull them into a handshake. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 9/23/26

Education

Charter school accused of misspending millions is seeking to open under new name -- A Sacramento charter school that the state auditor blasted last year for allegedly wrongly receiving $180 million is seeking a new home – and a new name – in Sutter County. Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 9/23/26

UC San Francisco illegally favored Black and Latino medical school applicants, DOJ alleges -- UCSF disputes the findings, saying it considers academics alongside service and experience. The department said it may sue if UCSF does not reach a voluntarily settlement. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/26

Climate

California files another lawsuit against Trump administration over offshore wind -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Energy Commission filed a 54-page lawsuit in federal court Tuesday, disputing what they claim was an unlawful buyout that took a major offshore floating wind project in Morro Bay off the table. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/23/26

Also

Investigation fails to find cause of massive Boyle Heights fire -- A months-long investigation into a fire at a cold storage warehouse that saturated Boyle Heights in smoke and rotten air for weeks was started by an “electrical event” of unknown origin, the Los Angeles Fire Department concluded. Salvador Hernandez and Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/26

POTUS 47

At the U.N., Trump Lays Out a Winner-Takes-All Vision of U.S. Power -- President Trump’s speech at the U.N. General Assembly amounted to a rejection of the founding concept of the United Nations. Zolan Kanno-Youngs and David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 9/23/26

Fact Focus: Trump made multiple false and misleading claims in front of the UN General Assembly -- They covered topics such as U.S. munitions supply, drug seizures, oil and the economy. Here’s a closer look at the facts. Melissa Goldin Associated Press -- 9/23/26

One Big Beautiful Bill Is Starting to Bite Before the Election -- The tax cuts in President Trump’s signature achievement were the Republicans’ answer to voters’ economic struggles, but its health care and food assistance cuts are taking a toll. Audra D. S. Burch in the New York Times$ -- 9/23/26

‘I am the code’: Trump clashed with ballroom architect over safety issues -- James McCrery II resigned in October after warning that the president was insisting on designs that violated fire and safety codes. Sarah Blaskey and Jonathan O'Connell in the Washington Post$ -- 9/23/26

Barabak: ‘Cheat like hell.’ Trump’s summons to supporters lays bare his cynicism, hypocrisy -- President Trump’s unusual and unseemly exhortation puts the lie to claims he’s seeking to fight election fraud. Nixon said ‘I am not a crook.’ Trump is urging Americans to act like crooks. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/26

 

California Policy and Politics Tuesday

California billionaire tax loses ground in new poll -- A proposed tax on billionaires is faltering in California, according to a new poll by Politico and its partners, with public support dropping off as opponents launch a massive advertising blitz. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 9/22/26

Two very different California ballot measures are leading with voters, new polls find -- Opposing ends of the political spectrum are making big asks of California voters, with progressives backing a one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires and conservatives seeking to require voters to present an ID to vote. Lucas Robinson in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/22/26

Poll: California Democrats see Newsom as stronger 2028 contender than Harris -- But enthusiasm for a presidential bid by either California Democrat has fallen among voters overall since March. Melanie Mason Politico -- 9/22/26

Newsom declares state of emergency as California prepares for historic El Niño this winter -- The move is the latest sign that emergency officials are growing increasingly concerned about flooding, landslides, coastal damage and power outages as winter approaches. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Saul Pink in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/26

 

Meet the Illinois billionaire who’s poured $17M into Prop 39, California’s voter ID measure -- A megadonor Republican billionaire from Illinois has so far given $17 million to the effort to enact voter ID requirements in California, making him Prop. 39’s biggest single backer. Richard Uihlein, the heir to the Schlitz Brewing Company and the co-founder of a leading shipping and packaging company, has been a prominent Republican donor since the 1990s. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/26

FBI visits California MAGA stronghold after elections chief alleges ballot stuffing -- FBI agents paid a visit to Shasta County last week after Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis claimed ballots looked, felt and smelled funny as workers were counting them in the June primary, an election he happened to lose. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters -- 9/22/26

 

Newsom clamps down on California data centers as voters turn against the industry -- Facing growing public backlash and a pivot from his own past vetoes, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping package of seven bills on Monday that aim to force the data center industry to pay its own way in California. Katherine Ortiz Calmatters -- 9/22/26

Newsom sides with industry, vetoes bill on factories near homes and schools -- Newsom vetoed a bill requiring review for polluting facilities near homes, schools. The veto preserves a manufacturing exemption he pushed through last year. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde Calmatters -- 9/22/26

Walters: Gavin Newsom paddles to the political right with 3 notable vetoes -- Nearly a half-century ago, while addressing a group of high school students, Jerry Brown enunciated his canoe theory of governance. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/22/26

California AG drops remaining felony charges tied to Stanford protest break-in -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta dropped felony charges Monday against the last five pro-Palestinian protesters charged with felony vandalism and conspiracy following a predawn break-in at Stanford University administrative offices in June 2024. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/26

 

The $1.5 Billion Concession That Unlocked Paramount’s Deal With California -- Investment in domestic production, quiet mediation from Gavin Newsom and threat of relocating helped Paramount forge settlement. Jessica Toonkel and Eliza Collins in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/22/26

Chabria: A ‘fight worth fighting’: Paramount settlement is less than desired, more than nothing -- Did California come out a winner when Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta settled a multistate lawsuit against Paramount Skydance on Monday, allowing its $111-billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery to move forward? Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/26

 

White House uses 2011 S.F. Chronicle incident to justify its press ban. Here’s what happened -- President Donald Trump’s press team on Monday invoked past clashes between Democratic administrations and reporters as justification for its new ban on three media outlets, including a 2011 dispute between the San Francisco Chronicle and President Barack Obama’s administration. Hannah Wiley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/26

Bill Pulte Scrutinized Mortgages of Trump’s Political Rivals—and Todd Blanche -- The episode, which the housing chief denied, happened as Pulte and Blanche clashed over an investigation into Sen. Adam Schiff. Sadie Gurman and Josh Dawsey in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/22/26

Workplace

A timeline of California’s decades-long fight to keep Hollywood in state -- Since 2009, California has increased its incentives for companies to film in the state. One Hollywood-area lawmaker says there’s still more to do to beat the competition from other states. Kate Wolffe Calmatters -- 9/22/26

The ‘Kid’ Takes Over: David Ellison Becomes a Hollywood Colossus -- With Paramount and Warner Bros. under his control, Mr. Ellison will be “the Hollywood equivalent of Superman, Caesar and Midas combined.” But challenges remain. Brooks Barnes in the New York Times$ -- 9/22/26

Transit

A Bay Area transit ‘death spiral’ could double Bay Bridge delays, report says -- Rush hour delays on the Bay Bridge could more than double if voters reject a pair of transit taxes on the November ballot, according to a report by SPUR, the nonprofit think tank that has endorsed both measures and largely spearheaded the regional one. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/26

Climate

A ‘super’ El Niño is about to crash into California: 9 essential ways to prepare -- With California virtually certain to see a “super” El Niño, residents and business owners are being asked to brace for a wet and potentially punishing winter later this year. Iris Kwok in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/26

This major California river has gotten too warm for its salmon -- Chinook salmon have been laying eggs in gravelly nests in the Sacramento River for millennia. But California’s biggest river is now so warm that biologists expect a significant number of the eggs won’t hatch. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/26

Housing

Why L.A. developers aren’t building more apartments, despite epic housing shortage -- Los Angeles is desperate for housing, yet multifamily values have plunged nearly 30%. Developers say building new apartments no longer pencils out as higher interest rates, expensive fees and L.A.’s “mansion tax” erase profits. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/26

Education

Oakland explores plan to bring California its first undergraduate historically Black college -- A volunteer task force, backed by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, is pursuing an HBCU campus in Oakland. Supporters say a local HBCU could stem the Bay Area’s Black student brain drain. Ashley McBride in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/26

AI

The Big Threat Has Been Climate Change. Now Comes A.I. -- New warnings that humans are flirting with out-of-control artificial intelligence raise an uneasy question: has A.I. surpassed climate change as one of humanity’s gravest risks? Chico Harlan in the New York Times$ -- 9/22/26

Also

California establishes Dolly Parton Day on Sept. 25 in honor of late country legend -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Sunday that establishes Sept. 25 as Dolly Parton Day. The date’s significance may be obvious to fans of the late country legend: 9-2-5 references Parton’s hit single “9 to 5” from the soundtrack of the 1980 comedy film of the same name that starred Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Deborah Day in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/26

The California Surf Spot With Epic Waves—and Rusty Metal Spikes -- Beach erosion has uncovered century-old hazards at the Wedge in Newport Beach, but wave riders can’t get enough of epic swells. Paul Kiernan in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/22/26

Laurel Canyon Wants Its Beloved Hippie Store Frozen in Time -- The roadside grocery was about a century old, and creaky. The shelves smelled of incense and dust. The power was hit-and-miss and even the most loyal patrons viewed the milk as a gamble. Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 9/22/26

POTUS 47

After Years as the Star of Must-See TV, Trump Faces the Sting of Cancellation -- A boycott of the White House press pool by the major networks deprives the president of the oxygen of screen time. But he is still finding ways to get on the air. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 9/22/26

Trump inaugurates new White House helipad, but networks skip coverage during First Amendment fight -- President Donald Trump showed off his new White House helicopter landing pad on Monday, attempting to brush aside a First Amendment firestorm even as major television networks kept their cameras away in protest of CNN being banned from the grounds. Will Weissert, Seung Min Kim Associated Press -- 9/22/26