California Policy and Politics Friday

Ex-staffer says Eric Swalwell, candidate for California governor, sexually assaulted her -- A woman who worked for nearly two years for Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate for California governor, said she had sexual encounters with him while he was her boss and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent. Alexei Koseff, Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Seema Mehta, Dakota Smith and Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ -- 4/10/26

A former Swalwell staffer agreed not to disparage him in discrimination settlement, document shows -- A former employee of Rep. Eric Swalwell signed an agreement with confidentiality and non-disparagement requirements when they left his office, despite the California Democrat’s claim that no one on his staff signed an NDA during his tenure. Daniel Lippman and Melanie Mason Politico -- 4/10/26

 

Three unions unite in massive LAUSD strike threat: What’s at stake for workers, families -- Three unions representing nearly 85% of LAUSD’s 83,300 workers — teachers, support staff and administrators — threaten April 14 strike, an unprecedented alliance. All three groups demand significantly higher pay, citing a multi-billion dollar reserve. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/26

Colossal hospice scheme cost California millions, officials say amid intensifying Trump feud -- Five principal conspirators were arrested on suspicion of a host of felonies, including insurance fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and identity theft for their alleged role in a sophisticated hospice scam operating across Southern California. Richard Winton and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/26

California Democrats urge election officials to prep for Trump ballot seizures during midterms -- California House Democrats on Thursday said election officials across the country need to prepare for the possibility President Donald Trump and the federal government will intervene — or even seize ballots — during the midterm elections. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/10/26

Trump’s divisive role in California politics is on display as GOP prepares election endorsements -- California Republicans meet in San Diego for their annual convention where they’ll consider who to back in the governor’s race and work on plans to maintain and expand their legislative presence. Nadia Lathan and Maya C. Miller Calmatters Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/10/26

Walters: California voters will face dueling ballot propositions this fall. Confusion is likely -- When California voters approved Proposition 13 in 1978, they forced a massive change in how government services are financed that continues to reverberate nearly a half-century later. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 4/10/26

These Masked Men in San Francisco Want One Thing: Your Signature -- California’s ballot initiative wars are so lucrative that signature gatherers are offering cash and pizza for names on a petition. The exchange is illegal, and state officials say they are investigating. Heather Knight in the New York Times$ -- 4/10/26

 

How thousands of sensitive LAPD files got leaked online — and what happens next -- The hackers gained access to a file-sharing system that stored documents involved in police-related litigation. The records include officer personnel and disciplinary files normally kept secret under state law. Richard Winton and Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/26\

Oil

Trump energy chief attacks California oil and gas policies in Long Beach -- U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited a Long Beach oil site to pressure Gov. Newsom over state regulations he says are driving up energy costs for Californians. Wright visited Synergy Oil & Gas, where a deal to convert a retired oil field into wetlands — in exchange for new drilling rights — has been blocked by a state law. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and Alejandro Lazo Calmatters -- 4/10/26

ICE

Man shot by ICE agents in Northern California disputes agency’s account -- The man shot by immigration agents Tuesday during a targeted stop in Northern California said he tried to flee in his vehicle only after shots were fired, contradicting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s statement about the encounter, according to his lawyer. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/10/26

Housing

Why the slow down in S.F. housing construction is leading to a new tax battle -- Affordable housing advocates are pushing a new ballot measure in November that would earmark San Francisco’s real estate transfer tax revenue for subsidized housing, setting up a likely fight with Mayor Daniel Lurie amid a difficult budget climate. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/10/26

Almost no housing is getting built in S.F. Could this proposal change that? -- Three years ago the San Francisco Board of Supervisors slashed the percentage of affordable units that developers must include within their market-rate housing projects, arguing that it would help revive a residential construction industry that has been moribund since the pandemic. It didn’t work. J.K. Dineen, Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/10/26

After years of delays, major affordable housing project finally breaks ground in the Mission -- As commuters stream through the 16th Street BART station, a familiar corner has given way to change: A decades-old building that stood behind the station is gone, its absence marked by a construction fence. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/10/26

Karen Bass seeks council approval of $360-million allocation for affordable housing -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado called Thursday for allotting more than $360 million to developers and nonprofits building and preserving affordable housing projects. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/26

LA28

L.A. officials raise alarms over crippling Olympic costs: ‘Bankruptcy cannot be the legacy’ -- Los Angeles officials are expressing growing fears that taxpayers and the city treasury could be hit with a round of crippling costs to support the 2028 Olympic Games if the city doesn’t ink a rigorous deal to assure a “zero-cost” Games. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/26

Bianco

We went to court to unseal the warrants behind Sheriff Chad Bianco’s ballot seizures. What they reveal -- Riverside County Sheriff and California governor candidate Chad Bianco launched an investigation into alleged voter fraud after hearing allegations from an activist group. Newly unsealed warrants justifying the investigation do not show direct evidence of voter fraud. Ryan Sabalow, Cayla Mihalovich and Wendy Fry Calmatters -- 4/10/26

Workplace

JPMorganChase lays off 53 S.F. workers -- The layoffs at One Front St. are only a small part of the bank’s nearly 6,000 Bay Area workers and it is still hiring, with over 230 open positions locally, JPMorgan spokesperson Angela Reighard-Rand said. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/10/26

Qualcomm lays off dozens of senior positions in San Diego -- The layoffs affect employees at 11 San Diego facilities, including its headquarters, but no plants will be closed, according to the WARN notice. Noelle Harff in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 4/10/26

After losing his home in the Palisades fire, he’s learning to rebuild it — literally -- Los Angeles has an acute shortage of qualified construction workers as the region tries to rebuild from the Eaton and Palisades Fires. One community college is trying to help. Adam Echelman Calmatters -- 4/10/26

FEMA

Landslides Destroyed Their Homes. Two Years Later, FEMA Money Still Hasn’t Come -- Homeowners on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in California remain in limbo as the federal agency has yet to deliver $42 million in voluntary buyouts. ‘It is the difference between financial recovery and ruin.’ Nancy Keates in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/10/26

Street

7 arrests in Esparto fireworks blast: At least 4 charged with 7 counts of murder -- A sweeping criminal investigation into last summer’s deadly Esparto fireworks explosion culminated Thursday in multiple arrests, including a sheriff’s lieutenant, his wife and the Bay Area owner of the fireworks company long suspected of being at the center of the blast. Daniel Lempres and Joe Rubin in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/10/26

‘This is senseless’: Detective killed in Porterville barricade, shootout -- A Tulare County sheriff’s deputy was killed Thursday morning while assisting officers serving an eviction notice in Porterville. The incident turned into a barricade situation and shootout. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/10/26

Student Hit by Projectile During ‘No Kings’ Protest Lost an Eye, Lawyer Says -- The student, Tucker Collins, 18, was observing demonstrators in Los Angeles when he was struck, the lawyer said. Chris Hippensteel in the New York Times$ -- 4/10/26

Also

A California bill seeks to make robotaxis safer. AV companies say it could ‘ban’ the industry -- A Silicon Valley lawmaker is pushing a bill that would require robotaxis to hire local human operators for emergency situations like the blackouts that paralyzed Waymo vehicles in San Francisco last winter. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/10/26

High-speed rail could run from S.F. to L.A. by 2040. All it needs is $126 billion -- The figure, buried in a table in the plan’s technical supporting document, is nearly triple the original sticker price of $45 billion that was put to voters in 2008, when California passed a bond measure to fund the 800-mile rail network. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/10/26

Rodolfo Acuña, 93, Forthright Scholar at Forefront of Chicano Studies, Dies -- An activist in the academy, he wrote a foundational text in the field, “Occupied America: A History of Chicanos.” It is still in print and still assigned to students. Trip Gabriel in the New York Times$ -- 4/10/26

POTUS 47

‘This is very real’: Surging gas prices drive inflation to highest level in two years -- As the effects of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran ripple across the economy, the combination of surging prices and grim attitudes is a warning sign to Republicans seeking to maintain control of Congress in the midterm elections. Sam Sutton Politico Konrad Putzier in the Wall Street Journal$ Andrew Ackerman in the Washington Post$ -- 4/10/26

When Gas Prices Rise, They’re Hard to Bring Down. Here’s Why. -- Prices will likely take time to recede, even if President Trump’s two-week pause on fighting holds. Drivers from Las Vegas to Seattle are now commonly shelling out $5 a gallon for gas, according to AAA, while prices in San Francisco and Los Angeles frequently top $6. David Uberti in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/10/26

Democrats grow bolder on talk about removing Trump from office after his Iran threats -- President Donald Trump’s threats to wipe out Iran, “a whole civilization,” ended the restraint that Democrats have mostly practiced when it comes to questions of removing him from office in his second term. Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking Associated Press -- 4/10/26

Melania Trump delivers statement at the White House denying knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes -- First lady Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes, saying Thursday that the “stories are completely false” and calling accusations that she was somehow involved “smears about me.” Collin Binkley, Will Weissert Associated Press -- 4/10/26

The Middle East war depleted US weapons. Rebuilding will require China's cooperation -- Beijing has a stranglehold on the critical minerals the U.S. needs to rebuild its weapons cache following five weeks of war. Daniel Desrochers Politico -- 4/10/26