California Policy and Politics Thursday

OpenAI, Anthropic issue dire cyber threat warning -- OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and more than 100 other companies warned Thursday that the organizations now only have months to prepare for AI-enabled cyberattacks. Hospitals, water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure will face a swarm of hacking threats as AI makes sophisticated cyber capabilities cheaper and more accessible to attackers, the group write in an open letter. Sam Sabin Axios -- 8/27/26

 

From beaches to battery fires, California moves to outlaw disposable vapes -- On Wednesday, the state assembly approved Assembly Bill 762, which, if signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, will make the battery-powered disposable devices illegal to manufacture, distribute or sell in the state. The bill passed the senate Tuesday. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

California, other states sue again to block new Postal Service rules for mail ballots -- California and other Democratic-led states sued again Wednesday to block the U.S. Postal Service from implementing new nationwide rules for mail ballots, arguing they usurp state authority over elections at President Trump’s behest, expose voter information unnecessarily and threaten chaos in the rapidly approaching November election. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ Lynn La Calmatters -- 8/27/26

California legislators say Meta settlement won’t stop social media regulation -- Advocates and California legislators hailed the proposed $17 billion settlement that state attorneys general reached with the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. But they said the agreement should not get in the way of bills that would put further limits on social media companies. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/27/26

Rob Bonta says Paramount case is unlike Meta -- “There’s a contrast in that Meta was always going to stay here, never threatened to leave,” the California attorney general told Playbook. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 8/27/26

Newsom pushes environmental carve-out for campaign donor’s Santa Monica project -- A last-minute Newsom proposal could exempt a Santa Monica housing project from the regular coastal development process. The developer, Jeff Worthe, is a longtime Newsom donor and appointee. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 8/27/26

Newsom’s big housing claim is built on bad data -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed that housing production has increased 59 percent during his tenure. But his calculation left out San Diego and other large cities. 'It's a pretty basic error,' one expert told Politico. Liam Dillon Politico -- 8/27/26

Hogg group takes on Jimmy Gomez -- A group co-founded by former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg is endorsing a progressive challenger to Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez, whose sexual assault allegation and House ethics probe have become central to her campaign. Blake Jones Politico -- 8/27/26

California Passed a Law to Help Abuse Victims. It’s Costing Taxpayers Billions -- Los Angeles County has begun paying up to 11,000 people nearly $5 billion to settle decades-old claims of childhood sex abuse at foster homes and juvenile-detention centers. There’s an issue: The county’s top prosecutor says the majority of claims might be fraudulent. Paul Kiernan in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/27/26

California county’s election drama worsens as official locks up contested ballots -- Days after the top elections official in Shasta County announced that he planned to hire an election denier who served prison time for tampering with voting machines, county leaders there made an extraordinary plea to state and federal authorities: Please come investigate. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

 

California moves to outlaw child marriage with bill headed to Newsom’s desk -- A bipartisan bill that cleared the state Legislature Wednesday will make it illegal for anyone under 18 to get married in California. Previously, minors could get married in the state with judicial approval and the consent of one parent. There was no minimum age to marry. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

California moves closer to approving plug-in solar -- California is the latest US state and the largest market to move toward a law allowing residents to install small plug-in solar systems on apartment balconies and in backyards to offset soaring electricity costs. A bipartisan bill approved unanimously by the state Assembly on Tuesday now goes to the state Senate, which earlier passed the bill 35-1, for a final procedural vote. Todd Woody Bloomberg in the Orange County Register$ -- 8/27/26

L.A.-area lawmakers urge Trump to fund transit fixes for 2028 Summer Olympics -- Transportation officials say $2 billion in federal funding is needed to deploy 1,700 extra buses and to create high-speed traffic lanes during the 2028 Summer Games. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

 

Connie Chan’s critics call her a roadblock. She calls herself a voice for her S.F. community -- San Francisco lawmakers were weighing a plan to allow denser homes in development-averse neighborhoods when Supervisor Connie Chan objected. It was Nov. 17, just days before Chan announced her campaign to succeed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

S.F. Democratic Party wraps sexual assault investigation hours before critical endorsement vote -- An investigation by the local Democratic party was unable to substantiate an allegation of sexual assault against Manny Yekutiel, a candidate for supervisor in District 8, according to a letter circulated to party leaders on Wednesday. Alyce McFadden in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

ICE

California lawmakers scramble last-minute bill to block ICE use of electric shock gloves -- A California lawmaker is making a last-minute attempt to ban the use of Taser-like shock gloves by law enforcement, joining a wave of legislation seeking to place limits on the conduct of federal immigration enforcement officers in the state amid the administration’s immigration crackdown. Kathryn Palmer in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

‘Too many cases’: Mexico confronts U.S. over deaths of its citizens in ICE custody -- Mexico’s president is escalating pressure on U.S. authorities over 17 Mexican migrants who died in ICE custody or operations. Mexican diplomats have filed complaints with the Justice Department, eight attorneys general and 12 district attorneys. Patrick J. McDonnell and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

In reaction to recent ICE shootings, Legislature mandates state investigations -- A bill mandating independent state investigations of shootings by federal immigration enforcement agents landed on Newsom’s desk Wednesday after passing an Assembly floor vote. Sofia Williams in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/27/26

Nick Shirley draws hundreds of supporters, counterprotesters to California Capitol -- About 500 protesters gathered on the Capitol steps Wednesday afternoon in opposition to legislation that offers to withhold immigrant support providers’ addresses from the public, clashing with a group of counterprotesters. Sofia Williams and Alula Alderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/27/26

California Tribes

Controversial California bill would give tribes much more sway over ancestral state lands -- The first and only California tribal member to serve in the state Legislature is pushing a bill that would give Indigenous people considerably more say over their vast ancestral lands. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Wildfire

New fire erupts near Big Sur, prompting evacuations as crews battle Timber Fire -- A fast-growing wildfire in southern Monterey County triggered evacuation orders Wednesday as crews battled the blaze in rugged terrain near Big Sur, where firefighters are already working to contain a much larger fire. Aidin Vaziri in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/27/26

Marketplace

S.F. tourism surge expected to accelerate next year — but not surpass pre-COVID numbers -- San Francisco’s tourism sector is expected to see its third straight year of growth in 2027, as a boom in conferences and big events combines with a rebound in international travel. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Workplace

Hollywood actors clash over AI voice clones -- Hollywood voice actors are split over AI voice cloning, as big-name performers license lucrative replicas while freelancers see jobs vanish and fear training their own replacements. Nilesh Christopher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

Apple’s rare layoffs hit 147 Bay Area workers -- Apple is laying off 147 workers across three Bay Area offices, a rare downsizing in contrast to the company’s tech rivals, many of whom have shed tens or hundreds of thousands of jobs. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Trump administration wage cuts for seasonal farmworkers unlawful, federal judge in California rules -- A federal judge in California has ruled the Trump administration’s wage-cutting rule for H-2A seasonal farmworkers unlawful, yet allowed it to remain in effect while new rates are devised. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

Hunters Point

San Francisco’s Hunters Point cleanup scandal leads to major settlement -- A former Navy cleanup contractor will pay $57 million to resolve allegations that workers falsified environmental testing data during the long-running cleanup of San Francisco’s Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Water

Big oil and gas companies are partly responsible for California’s water woes, study finds -- Scientific research has revealed how climate change is placing added strain on water in California and the western United States. In a new study, scientists estimate the role of carbon dioxide emissions from more than 100 of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

Oil

People living near East Bay refinery have greater cancer risk, air district says -- East Bay residents living near the Chevron Richmond Refinery are at a higher risk of developing cancer and other health ailments from exposure to toxic pollutants, according to preliminary findings released Tuesday by the Bay Area Air District. Sarah Brager in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Education

USC and UCLA bet big on AI to meet soaring student, job market demands -- UCLA, USC and other universities are launching new majors to train students either to build AI systems or to use them in the humanities. USC’s new AI degree immerses students in model-building aimed at producing industry-ready graduates. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

Three state senators press UC to restore SAT test requirements, backing faculty outcry -- Three Republican state senators are pressing the University of California to reinstate SAT and ACT scores in undergraduate admissions, urging the Board of Regents to act “as soon as possible” and warning that six years without the tests has left students under-prepared. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

AI

Over 1,000 AI agents worked together in OpenAI hack, report reveals -- Hundreds of independent artificial intelligence bots being trained by ChatGPT-maker OpenAI conspired together to hack into another AI company’s systems, according to a report on the incident released by two independent AI testing agencies Wednesday. Gerrit De Vynck in the Washington Post$ -- 8/27/26

Also

‘Very dire’: High Sierra climber trapped on 6-inch ledge saved in daring nighttime rescue -- The call came in Saturday afternoon: An alpine climber ascending a giant gully outside of Mammoth Lakes had ventured off-route and become stuck on a near-vertical slab, standing on a 6-inch ledge just wide enough to fit half of one of his feet. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Marmots Are Terrorizing California Hikers and Stealing Their Shoes -- Welcome to Sequoia National Park, also known as Marmot Country. Yellow-bellied marmots are stalking hikers and campers in a park more famous for its namesake giant trees. They snatch backpacks, swipe shoes and nibble on trekking poles. Some even chase humans. Jim Carlton, Angela Owens in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/27/26

POTUS 47

Another potential headache for US data centers — Trump tariffs -- The possibility of new duties is rattling the tech industry, which is already grappling with a shortage of high-end semiconductors. Ari Hawkins and Gabby Miller Politico -- 8/27/26

Republicans Caught in a Bind With Trump as Midterms Near -- The president’s pull with the party base has been clear and his resources are vast. But his low approval ratings make him a liability with swing voters. Tim Balk, Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 8/27/26