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California Policy and Politics Friday
Updating . . .
US pilot ejected from their aircraft over Iran, Iranian state TV affiliate claims -- An Iranian state TV affiliate claimed a US pilot ejected from a fighter jet over southwestern Iran Friday. Iranian media also showed U.S. aircraft over the mountainous terrain. The TV anchor urged Iranians to deliver any “enemy pilot” to police for a “precious prize.” The U.S. did not immediately comment. Verda Subzwari, Brian P. D. Hannon, Hrvoje Hranjski, Luena Rodriguez-Feo Vileira, Mariam Fam Associated Press Stephen Kalin, Shelby Holliday and Anat Peled in the Wall Street Journal$ Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper and Ronen Bergman in the New York Times$ Alex Horton and Tara Copp in the Washington Post$ -- 4/3/26
Trump asks Congress to supersize military budget, slash domestic programs -- The president’s fiscal 2027 budget request calls for Republicans to use a partisan process for enacting billions for the Pentagon. Jennifer Scholtes, Katherine Tully-McManus and Connor O'Brien PoliticoTony Romm in the New York Times$ -- 4/3/26
‘Amateur hour at the U.S. attorney’s office’: L.A. prosecutors face more losses in protest cases -- Federal prosecutors in L.A. have lost every assault on a federal officer case they’ve brought to trial against immigration protesters. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Federal judge: Continued Border Patrol sweeps in California violated court order --A federal judge rules that the Border Patrol again broke the rules in California immigration sweeps, saying agents acted “without considering or complying with law Congress enacted.” Wendy Fry and Sergio Olmos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
California is a sanctuary state. Its public pensions invest in companies working with ICE -- California’s two biggest pension funds have invested more than $2.7 billion with companies contracting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Department of Homeland Security, a new analysis shows. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Newton: Top-two race in Los Angeles makes strange political bedfellows -- Rules governing elections are generating novel possible outcomes in the races for California’s two top executive offices — the governorship and the mayoralty of Los Angeles — and in LA they’re producing strange bedfellows as well. Jim Newton Calmatters -- 4/3/26
Arellano: Spencer Pratt is sharing a Miami sound machine ad. It won’t play in L.A. -- You know the political silly season is upon us when campaigns start to make fools of themselves trying to court Latino voters. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, that moment kicked off last week. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Walters: This isn’t a race for California governor; it’s more like a game of chicken -- Political media habitually use “race” to describe contests for public office. However the word implies movement and therefore would be inaccurate if applied to this year’s election of a new governor. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 4/3/26
Workplace
Oracle’s mass layoffs hit 158 Bay Area workers -- The tech giant said that 76 software developers, 30 application developers and 11 product management staff were among the layoffs at 5815 Owens Drive. The facility will remain open. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/26
Meta lays off nearly 200 Silicon Valley workers as AI spending ramps up -- The reductions add to roughly 700 job cuts across the company in recent weeks, affecting teams in recruiting, sales, operations and its Reality Labs division. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/3/26
Google proposes huge new tech buildings as company expands in San Jose -- Google has floated plans to develop a huge new tech and research hub in San Jose, a project that would greatly expand the search company’s presence and investment in the Bay Area’s largest city. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/3/26
Economists Once Dismissed the A.I. Job Threat, but Not Anymore -- Artificial intelligence hasn’t disrupted the labor market, economists say, but they are increasingly convinced that it will — and that policymakers are unprepared. Ben Casselman in the New York Times$ -- 4/3/26
Marketplace
PayPal transformed digital payments. Why the California fintech giant is now struggling -- PayPal’s branded checkout growth has slowed to just 1% as competitors like Apple Pay and Google Pay capture more digital wallet users. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Downtown L.A.’s cratering real estate market is changing — rich renters are buying their buildings -- Downtown L.A. office buildings are plummeting in value as vacancy rates soar, creating opportunities for major tenants to purchase their properties instead of renting. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Amid E. coli outbreak, California-based Raw Farm owner pushes back against a weakened FDA -- An E. coli outbreak has infected at least nine people, including seven in California. The FDA has tied the infections to raw-milk products from Raw Farm, based in Fresno. The farm’s owner, however, contends that the federal government has not proved its case. Corinne Purtill and Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant gets final go-ahead to run through 2030 -- The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday renewed Diablo Canyon’s license to operate, ensuring that California’s last remaining nuclear facility will continue to run through at least 2030. Blanca Begert in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
L.A. Metro confirms it was hacked. Weeks later, it’s still getting systems back online -- Metro board member Fernando Dutra said the agency had been working through a painstaking process to bring systems back online, an effort that continues. That includes reviewing about 1,400 servers individually to ensure they are secure before restoring access and bringing systems back online, he said. Gavin J. Quinton and Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Avalanche
Retracing the fateful journey of the Tahoe avalanche victims -- The site of the deadliest avalanche in California history is a surprisingly peaceful ravine, highlighting the deceptive nature of the terrain that claimed nine lives. The tragedy followed critical guide decisions, including whether to proceed despite an approaching storm and how to escape once it arrived. Jack Dolan, Danny Kern, Lorena Iñiguez Elebee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Report criticizes ski guides’ decision in deadly Lake Tahoe avalanche, provides new details -- The guides in the deadliest avalanche in modern California history led a group of backcountry skiers below avalanche terrain during dangerous conditions and traveled in a group large enough to potentially trigger the large slide, investigators concluded in a report released this week. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/26
Microplastics and pharmaceuticals named a priority threat in drinking water by health, environment officials -- Federal health and environmental officials announced a $144-million effort to study microplastics in human bodies and drinking water. For the first time, the EPA designated microplastics and pharmaceuticals as priority contaminants. Susanne Rust and Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Earthquake
If the 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck today, these cities would get no advance warning -- The core population centers — not just San Francisco but also Oakland and Berkeley — would have no advance warning, according to Robert de Groot, the coordinator for ShakeAlert, the earthquake early warning system used in California. The shaking would start faster than the ShakeAlert system could transmit the message to them. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/26
Street
Former S.F. official pleads not guilty to corruption. Her co-defendant enters court disguised -- A man who showed up to a once powerful San Francisco city official’s first criminal court appearance Thursday disguised in a surgical mask and balaclava was none other than her co-defendant in a case that centers around their furtive relationship. Michael Barba in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/26
A $200-million trust and a bitter divorce. What new documents reveal about the case against Michael Abatti -- An Imperial Valley farmer embroiled in a bitter divorce involving a $200-million trust drove to Arizona and fatally shot his estranged wife in the middle of the night, according to prosecutors and court documents released to The Times this week. Susanne Rust and Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
Fake deliveries, then guns: How a ‘wrench attack’ crime ring chased crypto millions from S.F. to L.A. -- San Francisco, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Los Angeles. In each city, the plan was the same: Stake out a major cryptocurrency holder, pose as a food or package courier and pull out the gun. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/26
Typhus
Typhus from fleas hits record level in L.A.: Where the hot spots are and how to protect yourself -- Attention pet parents: Los Angeles County is reporting a record number of flea-borne typhus cases. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
POTUS 47
Trump weighs more Cabinet changes after Bondi ouster -- President Donald Trump has expressed frustration and disappointment with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer — and is pondering making additional changes to his Cabinet. Dasha Burns Politico -- 4/3/26
Trump speech on Iran war, recent remarks on oil, NATO, daycare costs land with a thud -- Oil prices surged after the address as Trump deflected responsibility for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to other nations. His NATO criticism and comments that the U.S. can’t afford social services while funding war sparked rebukes from Macron, diplomats, and domestic political opponents. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/26
How Trump Boxed Himself In on Iran -- President Trump faces the possibility that at the end of his own two-to-three week window for wrapping up the war in Iran, nothing much will have changed. David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 4/2/26
Planning Commission Approves Trump’s Ballroom, but Legal Roadblocks Remain -- The National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by allies of President Trump, approved the president’s $400 million White House ballroom project despite a deluge of negative comments from the public. But legal roadblocks remain after a federal judge ruled that Mr. Trump must get approval from Congress to proceed. Luke Broadwater in the New York Times$ -- 4/3/26
Trump’s Media-Bashing Is Coming Back to Bite Him in Court -- Judges have cited attacks on the press by the president and his appointees when ruling against the government in at least three court cases. Erik Wemple in the New York Times$ -- 4/3/26
Democrats, voter rights groups file lawsuits on Trump order on mail ballots -- The plaintiffs in both cases argue that the order violates the Constitution, which directly gives states and Congress the power to regulate federal elections and voter rolls. Mariana Alfaro in the Washington Post$ -- 4/3/26
California Policy and Politics Thursday
Californians say democracy is in peril, state should enact voting rights protections, poll shows -- Two-thirds of California voters believe American democracy is under attack, with 84% of Democrats citing threats compared with 40% of Republicans. A new poll shows overwhelming support for California to enact its own Voting Rights Act after Supreme Court decisions that limited federal voting protections. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/26
Journalists, peaceful protesters were targeted by ICE, feds in Los Angeles, judges reaffirm -- A judge’s order prohibiting immigration agents and other federal officers from violently attacking journalists and protesters in Los Angeles was largely upheld Wednesday by a federal appeals court, which said officers had fired rubber bullets and other projectiles at peaceful demonstrators and reporters. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/2/26
New AI surveillance towers from General Dynamics deployed along U.S. – Mexico border in San Diego -- Using a combination of cameras and radar, the towers can distinguish a human from a cow, and a passerby from a potential case of smuggling. Noelle Harff in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 4/2/26
Media coalition seeks to unseal records in Riverside County sheriff’s election probe -- The Southern California News Group joined a coalition of media outlets Wednesday, April 1, in going to court to unseal search warrants and other documents related to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s investigation of ballots cast in the county during November’s special election. Jeff Horseman in the San Jose Mercury$ Ryan Sabalow and Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 4/2/26
Bianco argues Bonta is too partisan to overrule him on probe of Prop 50 ballots -- Riverside County Sheriff and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Chad Bianco has told the state Supreme Court he is not bound by California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s order to end an investigation into alleged Proposition 50 voting irregularities because, as a supporter of the measure, Bonta has partisan motives. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/2/26
Matt Mahan, top strategist part ways as gubernatorial campaign struggles to break through -- Matt Mahan’s campaign is parting ways with its top strategist as the San Jose mayor struggles to gain ground in the race for California governor. Eric Jaye confirmed the change to Politico, citing a “difference of opinion about strategy.” Jaye declined to elaborate. Jeremy B. White and Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 4/2/26
Eric Swalwell’s finances show cash crunch, delayed taxes, $400,000 childcare tab -- Rep. Eric Swalwell and his wife consistently brought in an income in the top 5% of Washington, D.C., households from 2021 to 2024 but made cash-raising moves anyway: drawing down retirement accounts, delaying federal tax payments and spending heavily on childcare through campaign funds, according to tax returns and campaign finance filings. Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/2/26
Two Republicans are fighting for California governor. Why a tie is their best strategy -- Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco need to split the vote nearly evenly to lock Democrats out of the race. Their strategy? Attack each other relentlessly. Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 4/2/26
Here’s what candidates for California governor said during Central Valley forum -- During the hour-and-a-half long forum, s the four Democrats and two Republicans were asked about key state issues including agriculture, water, energy prices, regulation and affordability. Melissa Montalvo in the Fresno Bee -- 4/2/26
Walters: Allegation that Gavin Newsom presides over an ’empire of fraud’ doesn’t stick -- When Newsom embarks on an almost certain campaign for the presidency after leaving office next year, his managerial shortcomings will likely be cited by Democratic rivals and, were he to win his party’s nomination, by whomever Republicans choose as his opponent. But does his record warrant the epithet of “Gavin Newsom’s empire of fraud?” Dan Walters Calmatters -- 4/2/26
California politicians react strongly to Supreme Court birthright case -- California politicians are optimistic that they will prevail after challenging a White House executive order to end birthright citizenship, which ensures citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/2/26
AI
Newsom orders government to consider AI harm in contract rules -- In an executive order, California’s governor pushed back on Trump administration moves against a California AI startup. At the same time, the governor moved to add further guardrails for the technology. Khari Johnson Calmatters -- 4/2/26
Data Centers
‘You’re a liar.’ Why the world’s biggest building boom has run into a wall in California -- California’s notorious NIMBYs have a new cause. They are worried that the data centers that power artificial intelligence will lead to pollution, higher power bills and worse. It is a nationwide movement gaining momentum and particularly poignant in California, arguably the birthplace of the AI boom. Nilesh Christopher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/26
Water
Sierra Nevada snowpack just 18% of normal — second-lowest in recorded history -- Obliterated by record hot temperatures in March, the statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack, the source of one-third of California’s water supply, stood at only 18% of its historical average on Wednesday, the second-lowest April 1 reading in recorded history. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Rachel Becker Calmatters Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/2/26
Insurance
State Farm Is in Trump’s Crosshairs Over L.A. Fires -- The president directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to compile a list of insurers based on their handling of wildfire claims. Trump’s public declaration was spurred in part by recent conversations between his administration and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Laura J. Nelson and Jean Eaglesham in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/2/26
Homeless
L.A. County student homelessness has surged, study finds. Here’s what the numbers show -- The number of students experiencing homelessness in the county rose by 28% — from 47,689 in the 2022-23 school year to 61,249 in 2023-24 — according to a pair of studies from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/26
She left S.F.’s streets for housing. But the isolation deepened her addiction -- Standing in the doorway of her new San Francisco apartment, Amber Richmond felt like her luck had finally changed. Lucy Hodgman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/2/26
Develop
Special statute seeks to exempt Midway Rising from state environmental law -- If signed into law, bill would curtail opponents' ability to sue to block the mega project proposed for San Diego's sports arena site on environmental grounds. Jennifer Van Grove in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 4/2/26
Education
‘I’ve never had that much space for myself’: Novel Oakland project gives teachers affordable housing -- As more Bay Area teachers are priced out of the communities where they work, school districts have increasingly considered a costly, time-consuming and complicated solution: building housing for educators. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/2/26
Also
The story of César Chávez is being rewritten — and Filipinos are at the center -- Without Larry Itliong, there might be no César Chávez. Without Filipino farmworkers, some experts say, there would be no United Farm Workers union. Although Chávez is regularly credited as instrumental to the rise of the 1960s labor movement, there is more to that history than widely known, local historians told this news organization. Kyle Martin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/2/26
4.6 magnitude earthquake shakes California, centered in Santa Cruz Mountains -- The earthquake was centered near Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Shaking of a few seconds or more was felt in Oakland and San Francisco, with some people reporting a sharp jolt. Residents as far north as Petaluma felt the quake. Kate Galbraith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/26
POTUS 47
Dow Slips, Oil Rises as Hopes of Quick End to War Fade -- The Dow industrials, Nasdaq and S&P 500 all fell sharply at the open before recovering ground. Asian and European stocks declined. Adding to the angst in energy markets, Trump suggested again that opening the strait was a problem for other countries. Brent crude traded more than 5% higher, above $106 a barrel. Joe Wallace in the Wall Street Journal$ Ellen Francis and Victoria Craw in the Washington Post$ -- 4/2/26
President Trump Tries to Sell Americans on War in Iran -- The Strait of Hormuz, the war’s most notable flashpoint, would “open up naturally” once the war ended, Trump claimed. “They’re going to want to be able to sell oil,” Trump said of Iran, “and the gas prices will rapidly come back down, stock prices will rapidly go back up.” Alexander Ward and Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal$ Luke Broadwater and Tyler Pager in the New York Times$ Cleve R. Wootson Jr. and Karen DeYoung in the Washington Post$ Lisa Mascaro, Matthew Lee, Michelle L. Price Associated Press -- 4/2/26
Trump’s grip on the Supreme Court seems to be slipping -- But the rejections of Trump’s signature tariff program and the administration’s use of national guard to control anti-ICE protests, coupled with the difficult outing for the president’s birthright policy this week, are challenging the perception that Trump has the court firmly in his pocket. Josh Gerstein Politico Abbie VanSickle in the New York Times$ -- 4/2/26
Trump Has Discussed Firing Attorney General Pam Bondi -- President Trump has not made a final decision, but he has floated the idea of replacing Ms. Bondi with Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator. Tyler Pager in the New York Times$ -- 4/2/26
Democrats sue Trump administration over mail-in-voting order -- Democrats argue that an executive order Trump signed at the White House on Tuesday, which creates an approved list of absentee voters among other actions, is an unconstitutional interference in the power of states to regulate elections. Jacob Wendler and Aaron Pellish Politico -- 4/2/26
Why Republicans aren’t rushing to save Trump’s ballroom -- A judge has challenged Congress to approve Trump’s multimillion-dollar construction project, but Republicans aren’t showing any immediate interest in the subject. Hailey Fuchs and Riley Rogerson Politico Dan Diamond and Jonathan Edwards in the Washington Post$ -- 4/2/26