California Policy and Politics Thursday

PG&E says it will scale back planned work after California wildfire reforms fail -- Pacific Gas & Electric Co. will defer $2 billion in connections to new renewable energy projects and housing developments, among other investments, after the California Legislature failed to reach a deal on limits for what utilities could be forced to pay if they start wildfires. Megan Fan Munce, Kathryn Palmer in the San Francisco Chronicle$ George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/3/26

Colorado Fire: Wildfire near Yosemite forces evacuations, threatens dozens of structures -- A wildfire that broke out near Yosemite National Park on Tuesday afternoon had spread across 250 acres, forced evacuations and shut down part of Highway 140. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/3/26

California Legislature passes bills to create first-in-the-nation standards for smoke damage -- On Monday night, the California Legislature passed two bills that ask state agencies to study, create and enforce science-based standards for remediating homes that survive wildfires but are left contaminated by airborne pollutants. Megan Fan Munce, Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/3/26

Walters: California’s top Democrats struggle but can’t resolve the question of wildfire liability -- One might assume that with Democrats controlling every lever of political power in California, they could easily resolve issues that emerge from the state’s ultra-complex socioeconomic matrix. Nope. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/3/26

 

California kills bill regulating Flock cameras even as public rage grows -- The California Legislature has failed several times since 2022 to regulate technology for automatically tracking vehicles — even as examples of abuse mount. This year was no exception. Khari Johnson Calmatters -- 9/3/26

Bill that would have allowed insurers to track driving habits dies in California Legislature -- The Consumer Driving Data Protection Act, proposed by Assemblymember Tina S. McKinnor (D-Hawthorne), failed to make it out of the Legislature this week after stiff opposition from consumer and data privacy groups. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

As California debated sharing data on drivers, Homeland Security subpoenaed 17 million records -- Privacy advocates raised alarms as California lawmakers voted to share driver license information with a national nonprofit database. Then, the Trump administration sought trucker records from the organization. Wendy Fry and Khari Johnson Calmatters -- 9/3/26

How Silicon Valley used Main Street’s outrage against California privacy law -- Senate Bill 690 promises to stop abusive wiretapping suits against small businesses. Privacy advocates warn it also quietly shields tech giants from major lawsuits. Katherine Ortiz Calmatters -- 9/3/26

Who’s behind the secretive multimillion-dollar campaign to crush California’s landmark plastics law? -- Industry groups are pushing hard to kill California’s plastic law. So far, they’ve whiffed. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

Jay Leno’s Classic Car Bill Passes in California Legislature -- The bipartisan bill, backed by Mr. Leno, the comedian and car collector, would exempt some older vehicles from having to meet California’s stringent emissions rules. Livia Albeck-Ripka in the New York Times$ -- 9/3/26

California politicians promised white gold in ‘Lithium Valley’. But are those dreams fading? -- This California desert region was touted as the ‘Saudi Arabia of lithium.’ Years later, projects are behind schedule and workers are waiting for jobs. Deborah Brennan Calmatters -- 9/3/26

 

Democratic Socialists endorse Raman in L.A. mayoral race -- The Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America endorsed Councilmember Nithya Raman for mayor Wednesday, giving the challenger a boost of left-wing, door-knocking energy as she challenges incumbent Karen Bass in the Nov. 3 election. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

Steve Hilton proposes paid family leave expansion funded by 10% workforce cut -- Republican gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton announced a plan Tuesday to expand California’s Paid Family Leave program from 8 to 12 weeks. The former Fox News host said he’d pay for the plan by cutting $1 billion a year from state spending as part of a broader plan that calls for eliminating high speed rail funding and cutting the state workforce by 10%. Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/3/26

Barabak: Texas is red, California blue — but for how much longer? A Lone Star toss-up will tell -- A closely fought Senate race and surprisingly competitive contest for Texas governor have raised Democratic hopes, again. A Democratic win in Texas would be huge, scrambling the presidential map in 2028 and beyond. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

Arellano: ‘It’s become a deportation mill’: A day in the life of an immigration attorney -- Business is better than ever for Karla Navarrete. And she’s not happy about it at all. She’s an immigration attorney who spends six days a week telling people that they have little chance of staying in Donald Trump’s America. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

Workplace

How the influencer industry is taking center stage in Burbank -- Creator-run studios like Smosh, Mythical Entertainment and Alan Chikin Chow’s operation are expanding their footprints in Burbank even as traditional L.A. production keeps shrinking. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

El Segundo healthcare company to lay off more than 700 people -- 24 Hour Home Care hires around 30,000 caregivers in California for people with disabilities and veterans, and partners with regional facilities around the state and major Medi-Cal health plans. Annika Duneja in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

Marketplace

Silicon Valley’s Big Money Is About to Get a Lot Bigger -- When Anthropic goes public in a blockbuster offering, which investors will profit? The answer says a lot about how much start-up investing has changed over the years. Erin Griffith in the New York Times$ -- 9/3/26

From $300,000 EVs to dancing bots: The El Segundo firm sliding into Tesla’s slipstream -- El Segundo-based Faraday Future, once billed as a Tesla challenger, is pivoting from $300,000 luxury EVs to AI-powered humanoid robots after dismal sales and mounting losses. At its El Segundo headquarters, dancing bots priced from about $2,000 to nearly $90,000 could fill roles in education, housework, security and warehouses. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

El Niño

California is about to see a sudden foot of sea level rise from El Niño. Here’s when it hits -- Sea levels along the California coast are expected to rise by a foot as soon as late September, as El Niño-warmed tropical water pushes a slow-moving wave up the coast of North America. The swell isn’t something seen crashing at a beach but a planetary-scale process known as a Kelvin wave that is triggered by changes in wind at the equator. Anthony Edwards in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/3/26

Education

LAUSD adopts moratorium on student AI use, another big move to limit classroom computer use -- L.A. Unified has adopted a moratorium on student use of generative artificial intelligence for the current school year, officials said Wednesday, another in the school district’s pioneering decisions to limit computer use in classrooms amid rising parent concerns about the reliance on technology in schools. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

USC faculty rally in support of unionizing with new, high-placed city allies -- USC faculty rallied Wednesday to demand the university recognize their union with two new political allies on board — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her reelection opponent, City Councilmember Nithya Raman — amid a growing dispute at one of the city’s largest employers. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

Trump Moves to Strip Tax Exemption From Schools That Aid Minority Students -- The Trump administration released new rules that could revoke tax-exempt status from any school offering targeted support to Black or other minority students, a sweeping change that opens another front in the president’s campaign to reshape American education. Andrew Duehren and Michael C. Bender in the New York Times$ Susan Svrluga in the Washington Post$ -- 9/3/26

There are more homeless infants and toddlers in California. What does this mean for early learning programs and schools? -- Nearly 86,000 of California’s children ages 0 to 3 — more than 5% of the state’s infants and toddlers — are estimated to have experienced homelessness in 2023-24, according to new data analysis by SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. Betty Márquez Rosales EdSource -- 9/3/26

LA28

Newton: Clock is ticking as LA Olympics organizers plan massive spending spree to retool venues -- But just because Southern California has Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and dozens of other places to play ball, run track and swim, that doesn’t mean it’s as simple as opening the doors and letting in athletes and fans. Jim Newton Calmatters -- 9/3/26

Street

He calls himself California’s Luigi Mangione. An arson suspect’s rallying cry sparks furor -- Chamel Abdulkarim was arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a warehouse, causing a massive fire. His attorneys argue he intended to hurt no one — just company profits. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

Also

Gloria Steinem, a potent voice of US feminism and co-founder of Ms. Magazine, dies at 92 -- With her trademark streaked hair parted down the middle and large aviator glasses, Steinem, a co-founder of Ms. Magazine, was a hugely recognizable presence wherever she went. And she went everywhere: Much of her life as an advocate was spent on the road, speaking at college campuses and community centers, at rallies and marches. Jocelyn Noveck Associated Press Jon Mooallem in the Wall Street Journal$ Katharine Q. Seelye in the New York Times$ Emily Langer in the Washington Post$ -- 9/3/26

Gloria Steinem Came to New York to Be a Writer. She Became a Movement -- Her 1983 book “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions” is a master class in grit, empathy, curiosity and hustle. Veronica Chambers in the New York Times$ -- 9/3/26

NBA hammers Clippers, Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard following investigation -- The NBA handed down sweeping penalties to the Clippers, owner Steve Ballmer, team executives and star Kawhi Leonard following an investigation into allegations the group circumvented the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Steve Henson and Mirjam Swanson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

Convicted Trump Media-linked fraudster funded pro-Trump film in hopes of pardon, lawsuit says -- A Miami investor convicted in a Trump Media insider trading case bankrolled a pro-Trump documentary in hopes that the flattering film would buy him a presidential pardon, a lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit by a Los Angeles studio claims Michael Shvartsman demanded early repayment, threatened its CEO and grabbed a bigger slice of profits after the film’s Mar-a-Lago premiere. Ben Wieder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/3/26

Climbers rescued from Mount Shasta after relying on AI chatbot to plan trip -- Hikers using AI chatbots to navigate Mount Shasta have gotten lost and confused. In one instance this week, a group of climbers relying on them to plan their trip had to be rescued. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/3/26

POTUS 47

Trump Administration Begins Blitz to Find Elusive Voter Fraud Ahead of Midterms -- Hundreds of federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security have been assigned to an intensive, weekslong hunt for noncitizens among the nation’s registered voters despite an absence of evidence of widespread fraud, according to documents and training videos reviewed by The New York Times. Nick Corasaniti and Hamed Aleaziz in the New York Times$ -- 9/3/26

Postal Service Is Building Ballot Screening System Despite Ongoing Court Fight -- The new system, which requires states to tell the Postal Service which voters will be sent ballots so they can be verified before delivery, shows how aggressively the Postal Service is moving to deliver on the president’s directive ahead of the upcoming elections, which could tip the scales of power in Congress. Eileen Sullivan in the New York Times$ -- 9/3/26

Hegseth Extends Mideast Deployments Into 2027, Escalating Strain on Troops -- When the U.S. launched its campaign against Iran six months ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised a quick, decisive blow that would avoid a long entanglement. Now, he is quietly extending troop deployments in a sign that the conflict could drag well into next year, according to people familiar with the matter. Shelby Holliday and Alexander Ward in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/3/26

Why Trump’s Venezuela Oil Grab Is No Quick Fix for Gas Prices -- President’s plan comes with number of uncertainties, and it’s unclear it would provide relief to Americans pinched by high prices at the pump. Benoît Morenne in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/3/26