 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Updating . .
California Policy and Politics Tuesday
Becerra, Hilton to debate in governor’s race days before voters receive mail-in ballots -- Voters will see sharply contrasting views on taxes, spending and California’s clashes with the Trump administration as the state prepares to choose a successor to termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. After weeks of Hilton accusing Becerra of ducking debates, the nationally televised, hour-long CNN event — without a studio audience — will give millions of Californians a side-by-side comparison. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
Becerra once pushed for the death penalty, but says he would extend a moratorium if elected governor -- Democrat Xavier Becerra defended the death penalty while serving as California’s attorney general, a punishment his office actively sought in the case of a gunman convicted of an Orange County mass shooting, but as the front-running candidate for governor he has vowed to block executions if elected in November. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
Both Becerra and Hilton say they support new guardrails on AI industry -- Both candidates running for California governor say they back new restrictions on artificial intelligence, a booming state industry that polls show has been greeted warily by voters. Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/8/26
Backlash over data centers hits California, and the midterms -- Data centers are becoming the political flash point of the midterms as candidates race to respond to tanking public opinion. A company’s pitch for small-scale data centers on fairgrounds has prompted outcry from some in Kings, Tulare and Ventura counties. Justine McDaniel, Gary Kazanjian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
As Republicans head to Texas convention, Newsom plays up his favorite rivalry -- Soon after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an effort last year to redraw California’s congressional maps in response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to do the same, he released an ad hyping the move. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/26
Richard Pan is running for Congress on a decade-old fight with RFK Jr. -- The pediatrician and former state senator has long battled with the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary over California’s vaccine laws. Hannah Wiley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/26
The insurgent Democrat taking on David Valadao -- The campaign camera was rolling as Randy Villegas changed the oil in his car at his family’s Bakersfield auto shop. Growing up, said Villegas, the young progressive backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “Anytime I wasn’t in school, I was here in the shop.” Blake Jones Politico -- 9/8/26
Workplace
Union workers at Labor Day rally sound alarm over automation, job losses, affordability -- Thousands of union members and families packed Wilmington’s Labor Day parade, blending marching bands, classic cars and solidarity with worries about automation. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
S.F. protesters invoke FDR in Labor Day rally against Trump -- A ragtag smattering of pro-democracy activists, U.S. military veterans and at least one federal worker unafraid of the Trump administration hunkered in front of the federal courthouse in San Francisco on Monday to call for an entirely different political reality. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/26
California’s largest state worker union to hold a strike authorization vote -- California’s largest state worker union announced Monday that it’s holding a strike authorization vote. SEIU Local 1000, which represents about 100,000 state workers across nine bargaining units, accuses the state of bargaining in bad faith. The union’s contract expired at the end of June. Corey Schmidt in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/8/26
L.A. fast-food workers could get more predictable schedules, labor rights training -- L.A. is weighing an ordinance to extend Fair Work Week scheduling rules to fast-food workers, adding predictable shifts and paid labor-rights training for tens of thousands. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
Marketplace
The 1.5-Million-Square-Foot Hole in the Center of San Francisco’s Comeback -- Not long ago, San Francisco Centre was a thriving retail destination, with a luxury day spa, nine-screen movie theater and department stores Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s drawing huge crowds. But the mall got sucked into a downward spiral during the pandemic. A surge in crime and homelessness followed. Kate King and Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/8/26
ICE
ICE dragged him from his doorstep in January. His elderly partner fears he’ll die in detention -- Rafael Vela Gonzalez was taken by ICE from his Silver Lake home in January. His health has rapidly declined in the eight months he’s spent in detention. Itzel Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
Wildfire
California water agencies may get a new defense in lawsuits over hydrants running dry in wildfires -- A bill that would help California water agencies avoid being sued when hydrants run dry in wildfires is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
Climate
El Niño could bring waves of starving sea lion pups to California beaches. It’s happened before -- As El Niño and a marine heatwave threaten mass strandings along California beaches, the release of one rescued seal pup offers a window into the possible crisis. Lila Seidman, Christina House in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
Dozens of homes evacuated in Long Beach due to storm damage, high surf -- Long Beach officials concerned about structural damage from usually high tides driven by Tropical Storm Marie evacuated some 20 homes along the Long Beach Peninsula Monday evening. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
Education
How an L.A. charter school has all but eliminated chronic absenteeism among homeless students -- Scholarship Prep South Bay has all but eliminated chronic absenteeism among homeless students. Through 50-plus community partnerships the school embeds counselors, mental healthcare and enrichment to keep students in class. Francesca Pinney, Ronaldo Bolaños in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
Their children couldn’t tell them what happened. Now some California parents want cameras in classrooms -- Central Valley parents signed petitions demanding cameras be placed in California’s special education classrooms, as is allowed in states such as Texas and Louisiana. The petitions grew from cases of suspected teacher misconduct in classrooms where students have significant disabilities and cannot reliably report what happens. Emma Gallegos EdSource -- 9/8/26
911
Remembering Bay Area’s Flight 93 passengers who died on 9/11: ‘Think of the collective bravery’ -- Mark Bingham hardly was the only person with Bay Area connections aboard Flight 93. Tom Burnett, who joined Bingham in leading the counterattack, worked at a medical-device company in Pleasanton and lived in San Ramon with his wife and three young daughters. Todd Beamer, who famously said “Let’s roll!” as the revolt began, spent his senior year at Los Gatos High School. Ron Kroichick in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/26
Data Brokers
California’s new privacy system depends on data brokers with a poor record of following the law: Stanford research -- California’s new, first-of-its-kind “DROP” program enabling residents to have personal information deleted by data brokers depends on companies that have frequently failed to follow privacy law already on the books, new research from Stanford University suggests. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/8/26
AI
Think Your Anonymous Account Is Safe? AI Might Figure Out Who You Are -- By piecing together scattered public clues, large language models can unmask pseudonymous social-media profiles with surprising accuracy. Jackie Snow in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/8/26
A.I. Models Built a Computer Worm That Could Rapidly Hack WeChat Accounts -- Calif said the attack, which it named WeWorm, was the first known computer worm — a type of malicious software that can leap from machine to machine on its own absent human help — that could spread across Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems without needing a victim to click or tap on anything. So-called zero-click attacks are different, and far more lethal, than standard phishing emails and texts. Dustin Volz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/8/26
Also
CBS named its new legal drama ‘Cupertino.’ Some locals barely recognize their city -- Noticeably absent from the trailer are Asian lead characters and shots of familiar neighborhoods, leading residents to wonder how the city will be portrayed when the show premieres Oct. 8 Stephanie Lam in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/8/26
POTUS 47
Trump’s economic record is working against him in the midterms -- Trump’s trade wars, tax cuts and immigration crackdown have driven up prices on everyday goods and gas. With inflation elevated and gas prices surging amid the war with Iran, voters give Trump dismal marks on the economy as Republicans brace for midterm losses. Michael Wilner and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/26
Canada Imposes New Tariffs on U.S. Goods, as Trade War Intensifies -- The duties apply to a variety of U.S. goods, including clothing, cheese, metal parts and wood products. The approach is meant to mimic the taxes that President Trump imposed on Canada after trade talks between the two neighbors collapsed in acrimony last month. Tony Romm in the New York Times$ -- 9/8/26
As Canada’s countertariffs kick in, Trump’s escalating threats draw political rebuke -- President Donald Trump threatened to ban the sale of Canadian Bombardier jets unless they are built in the United States, prompting pushback from at least one Republican senator. Riley Beggin and Aoife Walsh in the Washington Post$ -- 9/8/26
As War Grinds On, Trump Relishes Renovation Projects -- Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s billionaire commerce secretary, was holding court before reporters outside a Washington courthouse recently when he acknowledged what had become readily apparent inside the White House. Luke Broadwater and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 9/8/26
Iran war drives $100 billion in extra energy costs for U.S. consumers -- The war in Iran has now cost U.S. consumers $100 billion in higher energy prices, and the bill is rising another $1 million about every two minutes, per a real-time estimate from Brown University as of Monday morning. Ben Berkowitz Axios -- 9/8/26
California Policy and Politics Monday
Price of key fuel soars to new record in California -- Diesel prices soared to a new record in California over Labor Day weekend, mirroring a national trend as the U.S. war with Iran causes major refinery disruptions and the price of crude oil soars. The average price of diesel across the state hit $7.81 per gallon on Sunday — roughly 50 cents more than the average price a week ago and more than $2.60 higher compared to this time last year, according to AAA Gas Prices. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/26
As his naysayers bash California, Newsom leans into his Golden State roots -- He rattled off some of his favorite stats. The murder rate in Alabama, where Newsom visited Wednesday, is three times as high as California’s. The Golden State’s GDP has increased 40% since Newsom was sworn in as governor. During that time, California’s economy has grown from the fifth-largest to the fourth-largest in the world. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/26
California made Gavin Newsom famous. Will it drag down his 2028 presidential ambitions? -- Gavin Newsom’s secret is no secret here in South Carolina. They were selling “Gavin 2028” buttons outside his events this past week as he trekked across the state that will hold Democrats’ first presidential primary. Steve Peoples Associated Press -- 9/7/26
Gavin Newsom says you should open a Trump account for your kid. Here’s why -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom is certainly no fan of President Donald Trump. But they’ve found common ground: the new Trump accounts for children. Jessica Roy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/26
Nevada Republicans are testing the 2028 case against Gavin Newsom -- As GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo runs for reelection, he’s trying to pin high Nevada fuel prices — a majority of which is imported from California — on “Gavin Newsom’s energy policies.” He lambasts California as too expensive and too regulated. And he’s hammering his Democratic opponent, Attorney General Aaron Ford, for accepting Newsom’s endorsement, betting that it will turn off Nevada swing voters. Samuel Benson Politico -- 9/7/26
Ro Khanna weighs 2028 presidential run built on economic populism -- The Silicon Valley congressman says AI, inequality and a changing economy are pushing him toward a campaign, despite low early polling and a field of better-known rivals. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/7/26
After years of defying the odds, California’s David Valadao faces new test as Latinos turn on Trump -- For years, Rep. David Valadao benefited from voting patterns that shifted toward Republicans in his rural, heavily Latino district in Central California, deep in the state’s farm belt where highways crisscross boundless stretches of almond groves, cornfields and dairy feed lots. This time, that could change. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 9/7/26
Democrats try a novel path to defeat a battleground Republican: Moving to the left -- Antiestablishment candidate Randy Villegas is testing the conventional wisdom about what it would take to unseat Rep. David G. Valadao in California. Dan Merica in the New York Times$ -- 9/7/26
California lawmakers split on how to spend $2.1B Meta payout -- Conversations with 16 California state lawmakers who are positioned to have a say in how the money is spent, plus the candidates vying to become governor, revealed nearly a dozen competing ideas for how to cash in. Tyler Katzenberger Politico -- 9/7/26
Chabria: What we learned about AI last week should terrify all of us -- Even many of those creating artificial intelligence now concede they can’t say with any degree of certainty that they know what it is doing, why it is doing it or if it is safe. But they do know this — it is growing exponentially more powerful by the day, is become more sneaky, and continues to hold the promise of making a few people unimaginably wealthy. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/26
Skelton: Wildfire bill flameout sad for California -- It was unprecedented and stunning: California’s governor and top two legislative leaders negotiated a compromise on a big bill — and one house rebelled, refusing to bring it to a vote. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/26
Inside the fevered fight to free an East Bay man from ICE detention -- Sergio Chaparro had just cleared security at Oakland International Airport on the morning of Aug. 28 and was thinking about a preflight coffee when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped him. They had a warrant for his arrest, they said, and demanded to know his immigration status. St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/26
Workplace
Americans Without College Degrees Are Having One of the Best Job Markets in Years -- Unemployment among younger workers who didn’t go to college has rarely been lower in recent decades. It is the opposite story for college grads. Theo Francis and Ray A. Smith in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/7/26
‘A dying art’: These quintessential S.F. restaurants couldn’t exist without their unsung workers -- For Labor Day, we are showcasing some of the less-heralded heroes of San Francisco restaurants and bars: a team of fleet-fingered dumpling makers, the engineers who keep the famed Tonga Room lagoon that perfect shade of curaçao blue and a florist who for more than 30 years has enlivened a two-Michelin-star restaurant with elegant, dramatic flower arrangements. Mario Cortez, Tara Duggan, Elena Kadvany in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/26
Need a reminder of California worker laws this Labor Day? What you should know -- Workers across the country are preparing to relax and take time off this Labor Day holiday. To keep you informed, The Sacramento Bee has compiled a list of up-to-date state wage and labor laws to make sure you know your rights and entitlements as a worker in California. Vince Basada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/7/26
Marketplace
Hollywood’s Box Office Boom Comes With 248 Million Missing Tickets -- The movie industry ranks box office results by the raw dollar total, without adjusting older figures to account for rising ticket prices. It is the simplest method and, not incidentally, the most flattering. But when you do an apples-to-apples comparison, translating older box office totals into today’s dollars, Hollywood’s summer loses some of its shine. Brooks Barnes and Christine Zhang in the New York Times$ -- 9/7/26
Housing
A suburb bordering S.F. lost control over housing development. What happens next? -- A couple of decades from now, if developers have their way, Caltrain riders leaving Bayshore station will look out over a new carbon-neutral neighborhood of apartment buildings, tree-lined streets and plazas. Connor Letourneau in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/26
HSR
Central Valley cities are complaining about High-Speed Rail in 2026 -- Merced officials told the California High-Speed Rail Authority not to attempt its proposed station area change until it comes up with a full plan. In Shafter, a major developer has started planning more than 1,200 homes squarely in the bullet train’s approved path. The latest conflicts between the rail authority and Central Valley cities follow complaints earlier this year from Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, who strongly opposed the agency’s idea to capture local tax dollars around future stations to pay for infrastructure. Erik Galicia, story produced with AI assistance in the Fresno Bee -- 9/7/26
Also
San Francisco’s mountain lion reported seen again on north edge of Golden Gate Park -- The mountain lion that climbed a tree in San Francisco’s Panhandle on Saturday night was said to have been seen on Sunday around 3 p.m. on the northwest edge of Golden Gate Park, near 44th Avenue and Fulton Street. Kate Galbraith, Sarah Brager, Rachel Swan, Brooke Park, Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/26
Bears in Los Angeles Are Getting Their Close-Ups, Ready or Not -- California has 60,000 black bears, and they are venturing far from their usual habitat in search of food and shelter. It’s the humans who have to adapt. Jill Cowan,Loren Elliott, Loren Elliott in the New York Times$ -- 9/7/26
Maurice ‘Mo’ Jourdane, California lawyer who fought for farmworkers, dies at 83 -- Maurice “Mo” Jourdane, the California attorney who led a long legal fight to ban the short-handled hoe, or el cortito, improving the lives of farmworkers across the state, died Saturday. He was 83. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/26
‘Epic’ new Tahoe trail through old-growth forest is being built right now -- An audacious plan to build a 6-mile trail in Lake Tahoe’s rugged backcountry was jolted to life after a local couple donated $250,000 to see it through. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/26
POTUS 47
A whiplash election year enters its final stretch as Trump holds wild cards -- In the earliest days of this election cycle, the U.S. wasn’t at war with Iran. The East Wing of the White House was still standing and the Kennedy Center wasn’t threatened with demolition. Artificial intelligence data centers weren’t bipartisan shorthand for the tech sector’s excess. Democratic socialists were largely confined to the outer edges of political discourse. Lake Ontario’s name wasn’t in question. Steven Sloan Associated Press -- 9/7/26
Trump’s economic record is working against him in the midterms -- A sporadic global trade war led by President Trump is fueling inflation across the U.S. economy, elevating prices on everyday goods, as the war with Iran sends the price of gas on a roller coaster. Michael Wilner and Ana Ceballos Michael Wilner and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/26
Iran says it plans to announce a new ‘exclusion zone’ near the Strait of Hormuz -- The new head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Sunday said Tehran plans to announce an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway. Samy Magdy, Julia Frankel, Cara Anna Associated Press -- 9/7/26
Republicans might still lose half the seats they gerrymandered to flip -- Republicans are growing increasingly worried their mid-decade gerrymandering push isn’t going to save their House majority. Andrew Howard and Aaron Pellish Politico -- 9/7/26
Trump appeals to Supreme Court as time runs out on push to restrict mail voting -- With November midterms approaching, two swing states are sending ballots, and other states plan to send theirs soon. Patrick Marley and Justin Jouvenal in the Washington Post$ -- 9/7/26
Trump suggests renaming New Mexico amid torrent of online memes and taunts -- The suggestion came as the president unleashed dozens of social media posts. He lacks authority to rename New Mexico or any other state. Dan Diamond in the Washington Post$ Dan Watson in the New York Times$ -- 9/7/26