California Policy and Politics Thursday

Altman Attack Suspect Called for ‘Luigi-ing Tech CEOs’ in Online Messages -- Last week, authorities alleged Moreno-Gama, 20, traveled from the Houston area to San Francisco, threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman’s mansion and then attacked OpenAI’s headquarters’ entrance, planning to burn the building down. Zusha Elinson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/16/26

 

Garofoli: The odds of a Democratic lockout in the California governor’s race have shrunk dramatically -- Sacramento data expert Paul Mitchell, who created an online model that simulates thousands of election scenarios, said that “the program really believes that the odds of two Republicans splitting the vote is more remote, almost nonexistent.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/16/26

Tom Steyer is running the most expensive campaign in America. It might win him the California governorship -- Nearly half a billion dollars, two campaigns, and one Eric Swalwell implosion later, Tom Steyer suddenly appears closer than ever to winning elected office. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 4/16/26

Swalwell scandal sparks fears of deeper rot on Capitol Hill -- Current and former female staffers described a culture of warning one another about lawmakers with reputations for inappropriate conduct. Michael Wilner, Justine McDaniel and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Swalwell’s Stunning Downfall Creates a Reckoning for Democrats -- The scandal has resurfaced age-old questions about Capitol Hill culture and the power dynamics between elected officials and their subordinates. It is a uniquely modern one, involving graphic photos sent on Snapchat and an online campaign against Swalwell by content creators. Laura J. Nelson, Eliza Collins and Olivia Beavers in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/16/26

 

Bill protecting elections from ICE advances as state lawmakers campaign against feds -- A California Assembly committee on Wednesday advanced a ban on law enforcement officers from coming near polling places unless they’re responding to a public safety threat — a bill supporters say is designed to insulate the state’s elections from intimidation tactics by federal agencies under President Donald Trump’s administration. Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/16/26

California officially disbars John Eastman for his role in trying to overturn 2020 election -- John Eastman, President Donald Trump’s former legal adviser and a former California law school dean, was disbarred from practicing law in California on Wednesday by the state Supreme Court for his conduct while trying to help Trump overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Andre Mouchard, Teri Sforza in the San Jose Mercury$ Kyle Cheney Politico Pooja Salhotra in the New York Times$ -- 4/16/26

Workplace

Thousands of UC hospital, service workers plan first open-ended strike across California -- The union for thousands of University of California employees announced Wednesday that they will walk off the job indefinitely beginning May 14 to protest stalled contract negotiations for medical center and campus workers ranging from cafeteria cooks to X-ray technicians. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Snap is cutting 1,000 workers in the latest tech layoff -- The Santa Monica social media company is pursuing profitability and efficiency as it faces stiff competition for ad dollars from bigger rivals such as Facebook parent company Meta and Google. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Has the Era of the Mega-Layoff Arrived? -- From Snap to Block to Amazon, a new template for ‘right-sizing’ the workforce is spreading through C-suites—and other companies are taking notes. Chip Cutter in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/16/26

Trump signs bill reauthorizing federal aid to defense startups -- President Trump has signed a bill restoring federal funding to tech startups in California and elsewhere, money that had been held up for more than six months. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Marketplace

This Long Beach startup says it has a patch for California’s power problems -- Long Beach startup Critical Loop raised $26 million to solve California’s power crunch with battery and grid management technology that delivers electricity faster. The company deploys systems in days or weeks, far quicker than utilities’ years-long infrastructure upgrades, and is already serving L.A.’s ports, logistics and factories. Nilesh Christopher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

AI-rendered Val Kilmer debuts in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ trailer -- The filmmakers behind “As Deep as the Grave,” the indie film that is using an artificial intelligence-rendered version of Val Kilmer in a prominent role, debuted a first look at the recreated actor Wednesday at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Lindsey Bahr Associated Press -- 4/16/26

Water

San Diego Now Has So Much Water That It’s Selling It -- Once a drought poster child, the California city now generates enough water to rescue parched states like Arizona—and brew beer from recycled sewage. Jim Carlton, John Francis Peters in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/16/26

Climate

The ocean off California keeps breaking heat records -- The marine heat wave of 2026 is simmering the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, and experts are warning that it could lead to a warm, humid and stormy summer. Hayley Smith, Eric Thayer in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Tijuana River

Thousands suffer nausea, delirium and other health issues from toxins in the Tijuana River -- The smell of rotten eggs permeates Steve Egger’s Southern California home, especially at night as the nearby Tijuana River foams up with sewage from Mexico before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Julie Watson, Dorany Pineda Associated Press -- 4/16/26

Housing

The Iran war shocked L.A.’s housing market. Recovery won’t be simple -- Mortgage rate increases triggered by Iran war tensions deepened L.A.’s housing market freeze, rendering more first-time homebuyers unable to afford starter homes. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Hundreds of affordable housing units funded by new L.A. County agency -- The L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency approved its first funding to build and preserve affordable housing, signing off on just over $100 million for more than 500 units across 10 projects. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Data Center Ban

Bay Area city becomes first to ban data centers over power and water concerns -- Oakley has become the first Bay Area city to temporarily ban new data centers, signaling a more cautious approach as other parts of Silicon Valley continue to line up projects to meet rising demand for artificial intelligence. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Hema Sivanandam in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/16/26

Education

California students author new ‘digital wellness’ bill, say school cellphone bans fall short -- Assembly Bill 2071 would require California schools to include social media and AI use in health classes. Students co-authored the bill, saying school cellphone bans address mental health concerns ‘halfway.’ Vani Sanganeria EdSource -- 4/16/26

Hate

Anti-Latino hate crimes reached a record high in 2025 -- “It doesn’t matter if they’re undocumented immigrants or if they’re legal citizens, this period of Latino hatred should be concerning for everyone,” says Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Carlos De Loera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Also

FBI searches Lancaster City Hall, homes of vice mayor and council member in corruption probe -- The homes of Lancaster’s vice mayor and a council member — along with City Hall and a home in Bel-Air — were served with FBI search warrants Wednesday morning. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Why a California lawmaker wants to give the state more power to collect child support -- The measure, from Elk Grove Democratic Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, would compel separated families to enroll in a state program empowered to garnish wages for child support. ChrisAnna Mink Calmatters -- 4/16/26

Trump wants data on California’s trans and abortion care. Can the state stop him? -- The latest clash between California and President Donald Trump over abortion and gender-affirming care could soon leave doctors caught between state and federal law. Ryan Sabalow and Kristen Hwang Calmatters -- 4/16/26

Arellano: Pope Leo isn’t afraid of President Trump. We shouldn’t be, either -- “I’m not afraid.” With these three words Sunday morning, Pope Leo XIV offered as powerful a rebuke of President Trump and everything he has wrought on the world as anyone ever has. Three words that mocked Trump for being the bully that he is. Three words that undercut Trump’s self-hyped aura of invincibility. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/16/26

Walters: California lawmakers must weigh long-term consequences before granting tribe a state park -- Four years ago, with the state budget seemingly providing a cornucopia of new revenues, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature extended state-paid health care to undocumented immigrants of all ages. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 4/16/26

 

Philp: In Memoriam: The Bee’s Peter Schrag was one of the great minds of California journalism -- Peter Schrag, a former editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee who died at age 94 on March 19 in Davis, was one of the intellectual giants in the history of California journalism. Yet pigeonholing Schrag to this city and state doesn’t begin to capture the many dimensions of an extraordinary life that began as a child refugee fleeing Nazi Germany. Tom Philp in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/16/26

POTUS 47

Europe has ‘maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left,’ energy agency head warns -- IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol painted a sobering picture of the global repercussions of what he called “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced,” stemming from the pinch-off of oil, gas and other vital supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. John Leicester Associated Press -- 4/16/26

Trump to promote tax breaks in Las Vegas, where residents feel the pinch of high gas prices -- President Donald Trump heads to Las Vegas on Thursday to promote the tax cuts he signed into law last year to try to highlight what Republicans see as an economic strength ahead of this year’s elections. Michelle L. Price, Jessica Hill Associated Press Megan Messerly Politico -- 4/16/26

‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers,’ Pope Says Amid Standoff With Trump -- For days, Pope Leo XIV has attracted criticism from President Trump and his allies for refusing to back the war in Iran. On Thursday, he reiterated his calls for peace. Motoko Rich in the New York Times$ Rachel Chason in the Washington Post$ -- 4/16/26