California Policy and Politics Sunday

Bass leads the field for L.A. mayor, but many voters view her unfavorably, poll finds -- Mayor Karen Bass was supported by 25% of those polled, while City Councilmember Nithya Raman drew 17% and conservative reality TV star Spencer Pratt came in third at 14%. More than half of those polled said they had an unfavorable view of Bass. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/22/26

Democratic Socialists of America won’t endorse in race for L.A. mayor -- After City Councilmember Nithya Raman decided at the last minute to run against her former ally Mayor Karen Bass, the group called a vote on whether to reopen the endorsement process, which it had closed without supporting a candidate. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/22/26

More than half a million ballots seized by top GOP candidate in California governor’s race -- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is a leading Republican candidate for governor, has seized more than 650,000 ballots from last November’s election and is investigating whether they were fraudulently counted. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/22/26

A $743,000 mystery: How a rural GOP group got flush with California campaign cash -- At an otherwise-empty restaurant at the edge of town, the Sutter County Republican Party came together for its February meeting. Kate Wolffe in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/22/26

Prediction markets are seeing a political boom. Here’s what they might mean for California’s governor race -- As it ticks closer to Election Day, the prediction markets have gotten more confident in East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell’s chances to be the next governor of California. It’s a stark contrast compared to recent polling that shows the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom is still wide open as many voters remain undecided or disengaged. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/22/26

ICE officers soon will help with airport security unless Democrats end shutdown, Trump says -- President Donald Trump said Saturday he will order federal immigration officers to take a role in airport security starting Monday unless Democrats agree on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Collin Binkley Associated Press -- 3/22/26

An 11-year-old was named in a fatal e-bike crash lawsuit. When can a child be sued? -- A wrongful death lawsuit filed against an 11-year-old e-bike rider who allegedly triggered a fatal crash in Burlingame has drawn attention to a little-known feature of state law: Children can be sued in civil court, sometimes at surprisingly young ages. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/22/26

The Silicon Valley Salesman Accused of Helping China Get Nvidia’s Top Chips -- Wally Liaw, Super Micro Computer co-founder, was indicted on charges that he allegedly helped Chinese customers obtain $2.5 billion in AI servers, violating U.S. export laws. Prosecutors allege Liaw orchestrated a scheme to bypass Super Micro’s compliance, diverting $510 million in servers to China and staging dummy servers for inspectors. Robbie Whelan and Katherine Hamilton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/22/26

Gas

Changes to California’s Cap-and-Invest program are freaking out refiners … and a few Democrats -- Some predict proposed updates by the California Air Resources Board will send gas prices even higher. Environmentalists say they don't go far enough. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 3/22/26

Education

Legislative Analyst sees merit in Gov. Newsom’s plan for realigning California’s school bureaucracy -- The LAO concludes: Moving the education department to the governor’s control would reduce confusion. The state superintendent should become an independent evaluator of state programs. The Legislature should confirm the appointment of a new commissioner of education. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 3/22/26

University of California faces ‘the biggest question of our lifetime,’ executive says -- The University of California’s chief investment officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher said this week that the school system faces “probably the biggest question of our lifetime” as it grapples with changes wrought by artificial intelligence on its students’ job prospects and risks to its $214 billion investment portfolio. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/22/26

State finds ‘systemic’ failures in how a California school district handles sex abuse allegations -- Attorney General Rob Bonta issues sweeping reforms for the El Monte Union High School District after an investigation found “systemic” failures in its handling of staff sexual misconduct allegations. Matt Drange Calmatters -- 3/22/26

Also

She started teaching music at Santa Monica school in 1971 and can’t leave because ‘it feeds me’ -- In more ways than one, this is a love story, and it begins in 1970. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/22/26

Barabak: California can have both easy voting and quicker election results. Here’s how. -- The lag between election day and final tabulations has created a vacuum filled by unwarranted fraud claims One election reformer offers a prescription to speed the count while keeping it easy to vote. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/22/26

As mosquitoes go year-round in L.A., a promising fix hits a snag -- An invasive, disease-carrying mosquito is thriving in Southern California, possibly staying active year-round and proving difficult to control. L.A. County officials are testing a solution — releasing sterilized male mosquitoes — with early results showing population declines. Business owners have so far signaled unwillingness to pay for a broader rollout. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/22/26

POTUS 47

Iran responds to Trump’s energy threat with defiance and warnings of its own -- Ebrahim Zolfaghari, an Iranian military spokesman, vowed that if energy sites were attacked, Iran would target more infrastructure in the region used by Israel, the United States and American allies, including “fuel, energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure.” Sanam Mahoozi in the New York Times$ -- 3/22/26

Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants if Strait of Hormuz does not open --President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran’s power plants if the country does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz by Monday, escalating his attempts to force Iran to reopen the waterway as energy prices surge. Sammy Westfall in the Washington Post$ Brian Spegele in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/22/26

Trump on former FBI Director Robert Mueller: ‘I’m glad he’s dead’ -- Hours after news of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s death broke on Saturday, President Donald Trump took to social media to celebrate. Lucy Hodgman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Eric Tucker Associated Press -- 3/22/26

Democrats pile on Trump for post celebrating Mueller’s death -- Democrats are skewering President Donald Trump after he proclaimed on Saturday that he was glad former special counsel Robert Mueller had died. “Every day, this president shows his basic indecency and unfitness for office,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) wrote on X in response to Trump’s statement. Gregory Svirnovskiy and Ben Johansen Politico -- 3/22/26

Trump Wants to End Mail-In Voting. Why Republicans Are Pushing Back -- President Trump has demanded the GOP-controlled Senate vote to end most mail-in voting, complicating the SAVE America Act. Many red-leaning states, including Florida and Idaho, have embraced mail-in voting, putting Republican lawmakers in a tough spot. Louise Radnofsky in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/22/26

Trump’s voter crackdown reaches college campuses -- While Trump’s push for a partisan elections bill faces several bottlenecks on Capitol Hill, his administration has spent months quietly chipping away at programs designed to boost turnout among a voting bloc Republicans say lean Democratic. Bianca Quilantan Politico -- 3/22/26