California Policy and Politics Friday

Progressive Overcomes AIPAC Opposition to Win Race to Replace Swalwell -- In the closing days of the race, several super PACs — including two with ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — spent millions on advertisements on television and social media targeting the district’s voters in the suburbs east of San Francisco. Jennifer Medina in the New York Times$ Praveena Somasundaram in the Washington Post$ Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/21/26

She beat big money and upset some fellow Dems. Who is Swalwell successor Aisha Wahab? -- The progressive East Bay senator faced an $8 million onslaught traced to AIPAC and fierce pushback from moderate Democrats. Her supporters say it fueled her. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/21/26

Florida Counts Its Election Ballots Fast. Why Can’t California Keep Up? -- Three hours after polls closed on Tuesday night, Florida had reported enough ballots for The Associated Press to make calls on almost all of its dozens of contested primary elections. The same night in California, the last votes were cast for a special congressional election to replace former Representative Eric Swalwell. The nail-biter contest between two Democrats was not called until Thursday evening, with a margin of roughly 6,000 votes separating the contenders. Bayliss Wagner in the New York Times$ -- 8/21/26

Marjorie Taylor Greene is headed to S.F.’s Golden Gate Theatre to face off with Andrew Yang -- Former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang are set to face off in San Francisco this fall as part of a new live debate series. The two are scheduled to appear Oct. 21, at ATG San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theatre in “It’s Up for Debate,” a new live debate series moderated by Charlie Rose. Lily Janiak in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/21/26

Oil

Carson reaches $370-million settlement with Marathon Petroleum, resolving tax dispute -- After years of legal dispute over local tax payments, Carson and Marathon Petroleum have reached a settlement in which the refinery will pay $370 million to the city. Blanca Begert in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/21/26

Judge allows controversial oil company to continue pumping, strips California of oversight -- A federal judge has ruled that a Texas-based oil firm can continue to pump oil through pipelines along the Santa Barbara County coast under an emergency order from the Trump administration. He also transferred much of the regulatory authority over the oil operation to federal officials, stripping the state of its oversight. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/21/26

Lineage

Hundreds suffered ill health from massive Boyle Heights warehouse fire, new survey finds -- Data from government officials show the air near the Lineage refrigerated warehouse fire carried astronomically high levels of smoke and soot, surpassing some of the worst air pollution during the Los Angeles County fires in January 2025. The number of people going to emergency rooms with throat pain and concerns about smoke inhalation increased during this period. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/21/26

Data Centers

Data centers’ deep political unpopularity enters debate over CEQA reform measure -- Opponents of Proposition 45, which creates new rules under the California Environmental Quality Act for some building projects, are arguing the so far well-polling ballot measure would grease the skids for the construction of data centers, which poll very badly. Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/21/26

Education

An elite private school is opening another Bay Area campus. ‘The workload is staggering’ -- BASIS Independent, a prestigious private school, opened its newest location on Wednesday in Dublin, one of the fastest-growing cities in the state. The private school is highly selective, with a reputation for academic rigor, a track record of strong college placement and now a new campus in a town known for its scholastic achievement. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/21/26

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Build First, Ask Questions Later: Trump’s Ballroom Puts Supreme Court in a Bind -- The Supreme Court will soon decide whether to allow Trump to continue building the $400 million project. But he and his administration’s lawyers have told the justices that they have no real choice at all. James Romoser and Will Hobson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/21/26

Walmart Shares Slump on Weakest Sales Growth in Over Six Years -- Walmart reported its smallest sales gain in more than six years as some Americans continue to spend cautiously—especially when shopping at the retailer’s physical stores. Sarah Nassauer in the Wall Street Journal$ Rachel Lerman in the Washington Post$ -- 8/21/26

Homeland Security Made a Big Claim About Noncitizen Voting. Now It Can’t Prove It -- A month after the Trump administration declared without evidence that thousands of noncitizens had illegally registered to vote in Nevada, officials with the Department of Homeland Security were unable to substantiate the claim. Nick Corasaniti in the New York Times$ -- 8/21/26

Trump increasingly lashing out at allies as victory in Iran war proves elusive -- To kick off the week, President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman, a U.S. ally that has been acting as a mediator trying to end the war against Iran. Rachel Chason, Susannah George, Riley Beggin and Mohamad El Chamaa in the Washington Post$ -- 8/21/26

Army will shut down a unit in Europe focused on learning drone warfare -- An Army unit based in Europe that was specializing in drone warfare has been directed to end its efforts to learn and use the battlefield technology and return to being a traditional infantry battalion, officials said Thursday. Konstantin Toropin Associated Press -- 8/21/26

 

California Policy and Politics Thursday

Aisha Wahab wins special election to replace Eric Swalwell in Congress -- State Sen. Aisha Wahab has won a seat in Congress, defeating BART Board President Melissa Hernandez in the special election Tuesday to serve the remainder of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term. Wahab received 53.09% of the vote, and Hernandez had 46.91%. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/26

Federal agents seize devices from ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell in sexual misconduct probe, AP source says -- Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Rep. Eric Swalwell and searched his Washington home as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by the ex-Democratic congressman from California, according to a person familiar with the matter. Alanna Durkin Richer Associated Press Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Richard Winton, Dakota Smith and Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ Perry Stein and Alexei Koseff in the Washington Post$ -- 8/20/26

 

Report warns Paramount-Warner merger could erase 4,500 jobs in L.A. -- The report, completed this week by CVL Economics, paints a sobering picture of the potential aftermath of the debt-laden deal, including the prospect of an estimated $1.26 billion in lost wages. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

How Trump Is Trying to Crush California’s Environmental Policies -- At least a half-dozen federal agencies have taken action against the state that has led the nation in environmental protections. Maxine Joselow in the New York Times$ -- 8/20/26

 

Xavier Becerra gets to play it safe in the race for governor, and he isn’t making promises -- What would Xavier Becerra, a 35-year veteran of Democratic politics, do as California governor? He’s still not saying. Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 8/20/26

Bass, Raman spar over policing, homelessness in first mayoral debate since June primary -- Bass accused Raman failing to work collaboratively with her colleagues, while Raman hit the mayor repeatedly over homelessness, saying she brought numbers down in her district even as homelessness grew citywide. David Zahniser and Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

Raman campaign plans to hire controversial strategy group that advised Graham Platner -- Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman plans to hire the controversial progressive consulting group Fight Agency to produce television advertisements for her mayoral campaign, a spokesperson said Wednesday, drawing a quick condemnation from the rival campaign of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

Garofoli: Aisha Wahab was on track for a double-digit win. Then came the AIPAC money -- State Sen. Aisha Wahab was on track for a double-digit win in Tuesday’s special election to serve the remainder of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term. Now, with 62% of the votes counted, Wahab is clinging to a 1,356-vote lead. She has the edge over BART Board Director Melissa Hernandez, 51.04% to 48.96%. Roughly 20,000 votes remain to be counted. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/26

Californians are more concerned about Trump interference in midterm than fraud, poll finds -- A majority of voters — 61% — identified potential federal interference as a “major concern” heading into November, slightly more than the 59% who cited possible foreign interference as such, according to the poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by The Times. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

 

Trump’s new national forest rule change would impact Yuba, American river watersheds -- From the air, the stretches of U.S. National Forest that hug the higher reaches of the American and Rubicon rivers in the Sierra do not look entirely pristine. Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/20/26

Trump’s treatment of migrant kids prompts judge to appoint watchdogs to enforce rules -- A federal judge in Los Angeles appointed an independent monitor and “special master” to oversee the Trump administration’s compliance with the Flores settlement, an agreement that sets the rules for how migrant children can be detained. The administration filed appeals seeking to rescind the Flores settlement, which dates to the 1990s. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

Marketplace

California Draws More Investment Than All Other 49 States Combined -- California is in the midst of a record-shattering investment wave, fueled by the artificial-intelligence boom in Silicon Valley. Paul Kiernan in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/20/26

How L.A. stopped being Hollywood’s leading star -- The story of how L.A. steadily lost much of its homegrown industry to other locales is a tale of hubris, escalating costs, political inaction and fierce competition from states and countries hungry for a piece of the Hollywood pie. Stacy Perman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

A California wine region’s long-simmering battle against the government is bubbling over -- Napa Valley’s wine industry is pushing back on what it views as overregulation by the local government. Jess Lander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/26

The Dodgers are Mark Walter’s crown jewel. Can he hold on to it amid federal probe? -- Dodgers owner Mark Walter faces a sweeping federal investigation into billions in undisclosed insurance loans even as he unloads marquee assets, including a stunning $12.5-billion sale of the Lakers. Steve Henson, Jenny Jarvie, Bill Shaikin and Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

Workplace

San Francisco Bay Area dethroned as largest tech talent market -- Fueled by mass layoffs, the Bay Area’s tech talent workforce dropped by 6% from 2022 to 2025. New York’s tech talent workforce, on the other hand, grew by more than 8% during that period. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

AI fired an S.F. store employee. Will California crack down on ‘robobosses’? -- Last week, a San Francisco store announced a personnel change in a social media post. An employee at Andon Market was fired for habitual tardiness. Kathryn Palmer in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/26

This may be the first academic profession to see its work taken over by AI -- Top mathematicians gathered recently in San Francisco at the offices of OpenAI to discuss what would be left for humans to do when artificial intelligence becomes superhuman at math. Miriam Waldvogel in the Washington Post$ -- 8/20/26

Legal challenge of new wage rule for foreign guest farmworkers in hands of Fresno judge -- The union argues the new interim final rule significantly lowers the wages for workers in the H2A program, a strategy that allows U.S. agricultural employers to temporarily hire workers from another country when no domestic workers can be found. Robert Rodriguez in the Fresno Bee -- 8/20/26

U.S. Workers Are Paying More for Healthcare, and Next Year Will Be Worse -- Surging healthcare costs are walloping U.S. workers, and they will only worsen next year. For 2027, employers may be facing the biggest health-insurance increase in at least two decades. Anna Wilde Mathews and Peter Loftus in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/20/26

Water

Amid controversy, California officials release long-awaited Delta water plan -- California regulators have released a plan to change how the state governs the pumping of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a proposal that would give water agencies more leeway in how they comply with the rules. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

Wildfire

Key takeaways from investigation into Edison’s role in the deadly Eaton fire -- New details revealed in court show that critical fire prevention equipment needed repair before the blaze and that vegetation under the tower where it ignited hadn’t been trimmed for years. Investigators say Edison kept power flowing through mountain transmission lines despite “life‑threatening” Santa Ana winds and documented multiple equipment violations. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

State approves ‘Zone Zero’ fire-safe landscaping rules, reshaping yards for millions of Californians -- California’s Board of Forestry has approved sweeping Zone Zero rules, banning plants within one foot of homes and most combustibles within five feet for millions in high fire-risk communities. Noah Haggerty and Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/26

San Andreas Fault

San Andreas Fault just south of Bay Area is slipping faster than previously thought, geologist says -- The speed at which the Santa Cruz Mountains portion of the northern San Andreas Fault moves — also known as the fault’s slip rate — is faster than earlier estimates suggested, according to research by San Jose State University professor Kim Blisniuk, an earthquake geologist. Faster faults generally have more frequent earthquakes than equivalent slower-moving faults. Litong Deng in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/26

Data Centers

‘Have the balls to try’: The Democrats bucking AI skepticism -- AI-bashing has become a winning tactic for some Democrats, but others see the technology as crucial to win the White House from Republicans. Tyler Katzenberger Politico -- 8/20/26

The Teens Taking On Data Centers -- Then she saw something alarming on a friend’s Instagram story. A 300,000-square-foot data center — the sort of hulking, humming facility that powers A.I. technology — was slated to be built near her neighborhood in Pittsburg, Calif., on the eastern edge of the Bay Area. Callie Holtermann in the New York Times$ -- 8/20/26

Community urges permanent ban on data centers at Tulare fairgrounds -- While Tulare County residents and community activist groups welcomed the county’s 45-day moratorium on data center development in any unincorporated part of the county, they are urging elected officials to support a permanent ban. María G. Ortiz-Briones in the Fresno Bee -- 8/20/26

Also

Barabak: It’s beyond debate. California voters deserve a Becerra-Hilton face-off -- The Democratic front-runner has pledged he’ll share a stage with his Republican foe, but hasn’t said where or when. Hilton, in typical underdog fashion, is eager to meet anytime, anyplace. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

Newton: As LA prepares for the Olympics, a lot is riding on its transit system -- Everyone knows Los Angeles is addicted to the car, that traffic is unbearable and that public transit is a joke — with trains that go nowhere, buses that are crowded and filthy, connectors that are impossible to navigate and the inexplicable fact that a rail network stops just out of reach of the airport. Jim Newton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

Walters: Attorney General Bonta excels at self-promotion but buries legal losses that cost California -- Driven by either genetic impulse or vocational training, politicians habitually brag about how they are serving those who voted them into office. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 8/20/26

Arellano: In Karen Bass’ bad debate night, she even trashed taco trucks -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad reelection campaign just got worse after Wednesday night’s debate in Sherman Oaks. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

Former California TV executive among 7 killed in Kenya helicopter crash -- José Alberto Suárez, a former president and general manager of Telemundo stations in Sacramento and Fresno, was among seven people killed Wednesday when a tourist helicopter crashed in northern Kenya, authorities said. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/26

A ‘nonbeliever’ in Congress argues new view of religion is gaining ground on the Hill -- When Rep. Jared Huffman came out publicly in 2017 as a “nonbeliever,” he was only the second member of Congress in modern times to do so — even though a quarter of U.S. residents identified as nonreligious. Things have changed since for the secular cause on Capitol Hill. Michelle Boorstein in the Washington Post$ -- 8/20/26

Goodbye, Montecito. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly moving to U.K. -- In the coming weeks, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will reportedly relocate just in time for Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to begin school in September. Emily St. Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/20/26

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The US national debt now stands at $40 trillion -- The unprecedented $40 trillion figure highlights competing administration priorities, from boosting defense spending that the U.S. relies on to carry out President Donald Trump’s almost-6-month-old war in Iran to lowering the cost of gas and groceries. Fatima Hussein Associated Press Alan Rappeport in the New York Times$ Steve Thompson in the Washington Post$ -- 8/20/26

How the U.S. Navy Is Helping Get Oil Through the Strait of Hormuz -- With Iran making ship traffic perilous, a U.S. operation offers a way out for some energy exports, stealthily shepherding tankers on dangerous journeys. Peter Eavis and John Ismay in the New York Times$ -- 8/20/26

Kennedy Center tarp to stay up indefinitely, lawyers say -- A Democratic lawmaker is asking a judge to halt a renewed plan to recognize President Donald Trump on the building and to demand a better explanation for the tarped facade. Jonathan Edwards in the Washington Post$ -- 8/20/26