California Policy and Politics Sunday

Backlash over data centers hits California, and the midterms -- A company’s pitch for small-scale data centers on fairgrounds has prompted outcry from some in Kings, Tulare and Ventura counties. Democrats opposing data centers say it’s an affordability issue, while Republicans juggle public backlash with Trump’s pro-AI support. Justine McDaniel, Gary Kazanjian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/6/26

Trump administration is ‘playing shadow games’ with top SoCal prosecutor, public defenders say -- The Los Angeles federal public defender’s office on Friday joined a renewed effort to oust Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Southern California, accusing the government of “playing shadow games with the most consequential powers a government can wield against its population.” Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/6/26

California wants to list Jewish as an ethnicity. Jews are divided over the idea -- California is poised to become the first state to treat Jewish identity as an ethnicity on official forms, with a new optional checkbox heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Supporters say the change could reveal gaps in healthcare, education and hate-crime response for the state’s 1.2 million Jews, giving officials better data to direct resources. Opponents warn a single ‘Jewish’ ethnic box oversimplifies diverse Jewish histories and risks echoing past government tracking, amid elevated antisemitism and debate over religion, ancestry and culture. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/6/26

He lied about his resume. Five ex-wives say he used them for their money. His next move? Running for Congress -- Jeff Belle’s past is littered with bogus check charges, unpaid debts and at least eight divorces. ‘With some of my challenges,’ he says, ‘most people wouldn’t have the courage to run, would they?’ Lucas Robinson in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/6/26

Barabak: Integrity on the ballot: Election deniers target secretary of state races in key states -- Trump’s attempts to undermine our democracy have elevated the import of the secretary of state’s office. Election deniers on the ballot in Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin could make mischief in 2028. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/6/26

 

They earn $300,000 and pay $1,800 in rent in the Bay Area. Why they can stay in affordable housing -- At Sunset Square Apartments, a 96-unit affordable housing complex in East San Jose, roughly a quarter of households earn above the site’s income limits. Two bring in over $300,000 a year, while each has paid around $1,800 a month for a one-bedroom unit — almost $1,000 below the city’s median rent for such apartments. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/6/26

Pacifica’s coastal quarry resisted development for decades. This 1,225-unit plan may be different -- For 40 years, Pacifica’s rugged coast has attracted real estate investors from as far away as Florida and the Netherlands with dreams of turning a 90-acre former limestone quarry into a development gold mine. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/6/26

San Francisco just rolled out a far-reaching new rule for major home renovations -- Most property owners seeking permits for gut-level renovations that also replace major mechanical systems, such as water heaters and furnaces, are now required to ditch natural gas and install fully electric systems. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/6/26

Develop

Smolens: Midway redevelopment moves forward on its long, bumpy road -- The effort to redevelop the Midway District has taken a unique path. Over the past several years, two proposals have involved two ballot measures lifting a height limit, two court rulings overturning those votes, two developers, two mayors, and now two bills approved by the Legislature to boost the current project. Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/6/26

 

Hurricane Marie brings dangerous ocean conditions, soggy weather to SoCal -- Would-be beachgoers, be wary: Although Hurricane Marie is expected to stay hundreds of miles off the California coast over Labor Day weekend, forecasters are expecting rain and hazardous ocean conditions. Iris Kwok in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/6/26

‘People aren’t food.’ Footage shows shark circling swimmer at SoCal beach -- Drone footage off Santa Barbara shows a juvenile great white shark circling within arm’s length of a lone swimmer. Scientists had warned of a “sharky summer” as warming waters draw great whites closer to California beaches. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/6/26

9/11

Nearly 1,000 firefighters and civilians remember 9/11 with San Diego hotel stair climb -- Wearing 40 pounds of firefighting gear, 32-year-old Austin Littlejohn climbed 30 flights of stairs to the top of a downtown San Diego hotel — three times — with a clear purpose and an attitude of deep respect. Jennifer Van Grove in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/6/26

Wildfire

California could be first in the nation to create smoke-damage standards -- When a home is left standing after a wildfire, survivors and insurers battle over testing and cleanup. California lawmakers passed two bills that aim to change that. Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 9/6/26

Street

LAPD busts massive street takeover in South Bay, impounding more than 100 cars -- The Los Angeles Police Department and multiple other agencies responded in droves early Saturday to reports of an illegal street takeover in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of L.A. near Gardena. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ Sydney Barragan in the LA Daily News -- 9/6/26

The deadly Marin crash. The drag race that orphaned twin girls. One question could connect the cases -- While the circumstances of both crashes aren’t identical, they both raise the same difficult question: When a child is accused of causing a deadly crash, what responsibility do their parents bear? Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/6/26

Also

After overtourism besieged Big Sur, the worst finally happened: ‘People kept saying someone is going to die’ -- California’s rugged Big Sur coastline is often called a slice of heaven, 120 miles (195km) of unspoiled rocky promontories, sandy beaches and redwood forests at the foot of the Santa Lucia mountains. This year, it has endured a long summer of hell. Andrew Gumbel in The Guardian -- 9/6/26

How a Blacklisted Chinese Tech Giant Kept Buying America’s Best A.I. Chips -- For years, a sign outside one of Silicon Valley’s many nondescript offices said Inspur, the name of one of China’s most important technology companies. Ana Swanson, Paul Mozur, Tripp Mickle and Keith Bradsher in the New York Times$ -- 9/6/26

POTUS 47

Trump Officials Draft Plan to Pay At-Home Parents, Using Funds for Working Ones -- The proposed benefit, a top policy priority for Vice President JD Vance, would apply only to married couples and tap a fund intended to provide federal child care subsidies to working parents. Coral Davenport in the New York Times$ -- 9/6/26

Trump’s MAGA Inc. sends $10M to Texas in first general election spend of the year -- President Donald Trump’s super PAC is shelling out $10 million for Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign, its first general election contribution ahead of the November midterms, according to a filing made public Saturday. Gregory Svirnovskiy and Alex Gangitano Politico Anthony DeBarros and Elizabeth Findell in the Wall Street Journal$ Theodore Schleifer in the New York Times$ Alexei Koseff in the Washington Post$ -- 9/6/26

Trump administration makes another appeal to the Supreme Court to allow mail ballot restrictions -- The Trump administration on Sunday renewed its appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal judge blocked new restrictions on mail ballots ahead of the midterms. Lindsay Whitehurst, Gary Fields Associated Press -- 9/6/26

How Billions in Iranian Money Passes Through U.S. Banks -- As the Trump administration tightens its economic squeeze on Iran, it faces a surprising weak link in its campaign to cut off the regime from the global financial system: America’s own banks. Rory Jones and Dylan Tokar in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/6/26

Canada turns its critical minerals into leverage against Trump -- “I don’t get mad, I get even,” Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said Thursday, capping a tour meant to showcase the mines and electricity projects Canada is racing to build in response to President Donald Trump’s economic aggression. Mike Blanchfield Politico -- 9/6/26

NATO races to guard against Russian nuclear subs without the US -- Donald Trump’s turn away from NATO came to fruition last month in the waters off Iceland. Allied forces gathered here to practice hunting for Russian submarines, drawing German surveillance planes to scour the waves alongside Canadian warships and Belgian fighter jets. Paul McLeary Politico -- 9/6/26