.png)
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
California Policy and Politics Thursday
Trump Administration Sues California in Bid to Nix Car Pollutant Rules -- The lawsuit, filed Thursday by the Justice and Transportation departments, targets the California Air Resources Board over its standards for limiting pollutants from light-duty vehicle tailpipes. The suit also takes issue with the state’s efforts to boost production of zero-emission vehicles. Clara Hudson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/12/26
California could be attacked by drones because of Iran war, memo warns. Officials downplay threat -- Law enforcement agencies across California were recently warned that the Iran war could lead to a surprise drone attack in the Golden State, but sources told The Times on Wednesday there’s no credible intelligence to support it. Richard Winton and Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ Nathaniel Percy, Ryanne Mena, Andrea Klick in the Orange County Register$ Devlin Barrett, Laurel Rosenhall, Soumya Karlamangla and Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ Jessica Flores, Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/12/26
Newsom opens commanding lead over Harris in 2028 California primary poll -- The California governor was leading the former vice president by 14 percentage points in their home state, according to a poll by Politico and its partners. Blake Jones Politico -- 3/12/26
Most L.A. voters undecided about mayor’s race, with support for Bass at 20%, poll finds -- The poll by Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics found that about 51% of Angelenos have not made up their minds about who should lead the city. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/12/26
California governor candidates have a similar goal: ‘Housing, housing, housing’ -- Try as they might to distinguish themselves in a crowded race, Republican and Democratic hopefuls to be the next California governor have a largely similar message when it comes to the state’s severe housing costs: Build more homes, and do it faster. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/12/26
$5 to sign a ballot petition with someone else’s name? Video spurs California investigation -- A video circulating online appears to show signature collectors paying people to sign initiative petitions under other people’s names, according to officials, and now the state has opened an investigation. Cierra Morgan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/12/26
‘We’re talking about people’s lives:’ California lawmakers grill DMV director on deadly failures -- The man in charge of California’s Department of Motor Vehicles finally had to face tough questions Tuesday about what his agency is doing to address an increase in road deaths in recent years. Though he didn’t provide many answers. Lauren Hepler and Robert Lewis Calmatters -- 3/12/26
California sues over Trump demand for college admissions data based on race -- The Trump administration’s demand that colleges and universities provide detailed admissions data broken down by race, gender and other characteristics was challenged Monday in federal court by a coalition of states led by Massachusetts and California. Sharon Bernstein in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/12/26
10 projects from Newsom’s mental health bond were supposed to open in 2025. That didn’t happen -- None of the projects expected in 2025 under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mental health ballot measure have opened, CalMatters has found, even though the governor says the bond is exceeding its goals. Marisa Kendall Calmatters -- 3/12/26
Walters: As gas prices soar, California’s new carbon emission rules prompt a war of words -- This week — as the conflict between the U.S. and Iran raged and gasoline prices soared due to disruption in the global oil trade — a political war erupted in California over proposed air pollution rules that could increase fuel prices even more. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/12/26
Housing
L.A. will continue to fund eviction defense program -- A dispute over the city of Los Angeles’ eviction defense program came to an end Tuesday when the City Council approved millions of dollars in funding for the next 15 months. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/12/26
New Tax
Sacramento voters may see half-cent tax for street safety, transit funding -- Sacramento residents and neighborhood advocates are pushing a November ballot measure that would raise an estimated $70 million a year for street safety improvements and expanded public transit service. Ariane Lange in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/12/26
Education
Family of student who died after being hit by water bottle says LAUSD failed to stop bullying -- The parents of Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa say their daughter was struck in the head with a metal water bottle while she tried to help her sister who was being attacked by a group of bullies. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/12/26
California sues Oakland Unified over alleged failure to address antisemitism -- The California Department of Education has sued the Oakland Unified School District over what it says was the district’s failure to address “pervasive antisemitism” on its campuses. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/12/26
As enrollment flattens at most University of California campuses, it surges at Riverside -- In UC Riverside’s case, officials say years of working to improve the campus’ reputation and its academic prestige have resulted in more demand from families and students. Michael Burke EdSource -- 3/12/26
Street
$1-million reward offered for California murder suspect, an FBI ‘Ten Most Wanted’ fugitive -- A $1-million reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of a man suspected in a 2019 fatal shooting in Sylmar, who also is considered one of the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” fugitives. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/12/26
Also
Huntington Beach surf dog Sugar, battling cancer, goes for one last ride -- Ryan Rustan held Sugar the Surfing Dog in his arms Saturday morning on the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier. He smiled as they took in the sun’s rays before getting out in the water on a surfboard. Matt Szabo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/12/26
Why hundreds of people in L.A. are strapping cameras on their bodies to do chores -- The hottest new gig-economy job in Los Angeles is performing at home to help artificial intelligence understand how humans move. Nilesh Christopher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/12/26
Bill Cosby, Out of Prison and the Public Eye, Faces Civil Trial -- The entertainer whose conviction was overturned in 2021 still faces sex assault lawsuits from multiple women, including one playing out now in a California court. Graham Bowley in the New York Times$ -- 3/12/26
POTUS 47
Oil Crisis Worsens as Iran’s Leader Vows to Keep Vital Route Closed -- Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, struck a defiant tone on Thursday in his first known public comments since succeeding his slain father, vowing to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil route, and to avenge “the blood of the martyrs.” Aurelien Breeden, Rebecca Elliott, Erika Solomon and John Yoon in the New York Times$ -- 3/12/26
400 million barrels of oil to be released from strategic reserves as Iran targets commercial ships -- Attacks on multiple commercial ships in the waters around Iran on Wednesday increased global energy concerns, pushed nations to unleash strategic oil reserves and sparked fresh critiques of the Trump administration’s readiness for a war it started. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/12/26
Pentagon Tells Congress First Week of Iran War Cost More Than $11.3 Billion -- In a Capitol Hill briefing, officials gave their most comprehensive assessment of the cost of the first six days of the war, but the number omitted several aspects of the operation. Catie Edmondson in the New York Times$ -- 3/12/26
Iranian school was on U.S. target list, may have been mistaken as military site -- The strike killed at least 175, many of them children, and has raised questions as to whether the military’s use of AI to identify targets was a factor. Tara Copp, Souad Mekhennet, Meg Kelly, Alex Horton and Susannah George in the Washington Post$ -- 3/12/26
Ukraine’s US air defenses are at risk in Iran war -- The war with Iran is sucking up expensive U.S. air defense munitions that Ukraine desperately needs, putting future deliveries at risk and threatening Kyiv’s ability to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks. Paul McLeary, Jack Detsch and Chris Lunday Politico -- 3/12/26
Why DOJ Hasn’t Charged Anyone Else From the Epstein Files -- The release of the Epstein files was supposed to quell the controversy over whether the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein committed child sex crimes with a host of wealthy, prominent men. But more than a month after the release, something like the opposite has happened. Ankush Khardori Politico -- 3/12/26
Pentagon bars press photographers over ‘unflattering’ Hegseth photos -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s staff took issue with images taken in a rare briefing last week and decided to shut out photographers from two subsequent news conferences. Scott Nover in the Washington Post$ -- 3/12/26
California Policy and Politics Wednesday
S.F.-based campaigns ‘outraged’ over video showing petition gatherers offering $5 a signature -- A video on social media appears to show signature gatherers in the South of Market openly offering money to homeless people to sign ballot initiative petitions using someone else’s name, which could be a brazen violation of California election law. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/11/26
Poll: Hilton’s rise could spare Dems from disaster in California gov’s race -- Republican Steve Hilton is consolidating GOP support, decreasing the likelihood of a Democratic lockout, according to a new poll by Politico and its partners. Melanie Mason Politico -- 3/11/26
The exodus of California’s tech billionaires from the Golden State to Florida’s Gold Coast -- Tech billionaires including Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Sergey Brin are rapidly buying up properties in Florida to avoid California’s proposed 5% wealth tax on billionaires. California’s wealth tax is driving unprecedented demand for Florida luxury properties and reshaping south Florida’s economy. Stacy Perman, Jennifer Ortiz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/26
Wealth tax leads in California poll — but faces major headwinds -- California voters are likelier than not to support a proposed wealth tax that’s already being blamed for driving well-known billionaires out of the state, according to a new poll by POLITICO and its partners. But it’s on a knife’s edge — and voters are still wary enough to be talked out of it. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 3/11/26
Yamaha is leaving California after nearly 50 years -- After 47 years in Cypress, Yamaha Motor relocates its U.S. headquarters to Georgia, citing tax pressures and the need to improve profitability. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/26
San Diego County sues ICE after it blocked health inspection at detention center -- According to the lawsuit, ICE initially cleared county officials to enter the facility but reversed that decision when the inspection team arrived. Wendy Fry Calmatters -- 3/11/26
California DACA recipient sues Trump administration over her deportation -- Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez, 42, was deported to Mexico last month despite having active deportation protection through the Obama-era program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The lawsuit against the federal government seeks her immediate return to the U.S. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/26
Solar panel reimbursements to remain low under California appeals court ruling -- A California appeals court upheld a 2022 regulatory decision to reduce rooftop solar payments. Environmental groups may appeal to the state Supreme Court. Malena Carollo Calmatters -- 3/11/26
A California sheriff is investigating local elections. What happens if he’s elected governor? -- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is reportedly investigating an election conspiracy group’s claim of 45,000 extra votes in the November 2025 election. He has a shot at being the next governor. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/11/26
California Democrats unveil new effort to nudge governor candidates out of the race -- California Democratic Party leaders are so worried about the rising chance that Democrats will be shut out of the governor’s race that they’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on polling in an attempt to publicly shame the lower-ranking candidates to bow out of the race. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/11/26
LAUSD
LAUSD Supt. Carvalho breaks silence on FBI raid of his home, office -- Los Angeles Unified Supt. Alberto Carvalho issued his first statement after an FBI raid on his home and office. The investigation is linked to AllHere, the company behind a failed multimillion-dollar chatbot initiative that the district launched with fanfare in 2024 but that failed within months. Carvalho, who is on paid leave, has not been charged with wrongdoing. Howard Blume, Richard Winton and Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/26
Workplace
Teachers strikes are rare in California. Why are so many happening now? -- The California Teachers Association, which directs and supports local unions, launched a campaign in February 2025 to coordinate the contract negotiations of 32 school districts. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/11/26
42,000 kids without teachers as strike starts in 2nd Sacramento school district -- Teachers from Natomas Unified School District went on strike Tuesday, becoming the second group of Sacramento-area teachers in a week to take to picket lines. Hundreds of people demonstrated and marched near campuses while classes continued with substitutes. Annika Merrilees, Emma Hall and Graham Womack in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/11/26
‘Significant’ pension bill could lower police and firefighters’ retirement age -- Earlier this session, the Assembly passed a bill that would enable unions to negotiate more generous retirement benefits for newly hired police officers and firefighters, and lower the retirement age from 57 to 55, which labor groups say will help California and local governments hire and retrain critical public safety employees. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/11/26
Union proposes 100% remote work as California state workers resume negotiations -- State worker unions are meeting this month with California’s labor negotiators to discuss the impending return-to-office order scheduled to go into effect in July. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/11/26
California cardrooms file lawsuits to keep blackjack ahead of rule change -- The gaming industry claims the 'unprecedented power grab' by Attorney General Rob Bonta will lead to mass layoffs and diminished tax revenue. Pat Maio in the Orange County Register$ -- 3/11/26
AI Isn’t Lightening Workloads. It’s Making Them More Intense -- One of the great hopes for artificial intelligence—at least, among workers—is that it will ease workloads, freeing people up for more high-level, creative pursuits. So far, the opposite is happening, new data show. Ray A. Smith in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/11/26
Wildfire
LAFD testimony details missed opportunities to fully put out the Lachman fire -- Sworn testimony from a dozen firefighters in a lawsuit filed by Palisades fire victims calls into question the LAFD’s repeated claims that commanders left the Lachman fire “dead out.” Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/26
PFAS Chemicals
Nearly 40% of California produce contains PFAS pesticides, report finds -- Nearly 40% of California’s conventionally grown fruits and vegetables tested contained PFAS residues, including 90% of peaches and nectarines. These “forever chemicals,” some linked to cancer, immune suppression and reproductive harm, are increasingly used in agricultural pesticides despite concerns about their environmental persistence. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/26
Street
Dozens of missing, abused and trafficked minors rescued in and around Southern California -- Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies rescued 37 teenagers across Southern California and in nearby states including Arizona and Nevada. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/26
L.A. County deputy collected paychecks after felony excessive force conviction -- Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Trevor Kirk was convicted in February 2025 of using excessive force after he was recorded throwing a woman to the ground. Kirk has appealed the guilty verdict and his supporters have sought President Trump’s intervention in his case. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/26
Also
California cardrooms continue fight to keep blackjack with lawsuits filed -- The fight to keep blackjack games at licensed cardrooms across California intensified this week when the California Gaming Association filed a couple of lawsuits that challenge new, looming regulations. Bryant-Jon Anteola in the Fresno Bee -- 3/11/26
Walters: California’s tribal casinos trample smaller cardrooms with new regulations -- While writing a book about California politics a quarter-century ago, I devoted one chapter largely to the phenomenal emergence of Native American tribes as a powerful interest group after being treated shamefully, even viciously, for nearly 500 years. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/11/26
POTUS 47
The White House isn’t panicking about oil prices. That may change in a few weeks -- The administration believes it has three to four weeks “where they can ride out what they need to” before oil prices become a more durable political problem, according to one person close to the White House. Administration officials’ confidence was bolstered Tuesday when oil dropped to $80 per barrel, down from $120 this weekend, reinforcing their view that the spikes are temporary and manageable. Megan Messerly and Nahal Toosi Politico -- 3/11/26
How Trump and His Advisers Miscalculated Iran’s Response to War -- In the lead-up to the U.S.-Israeli attack, President Trump downplayed the risks to the energy markets as a short-term concern that should not overshadow the mission to decapitate the Iranian regime. Mark Mazzetti, Tyler Pager and Edward Wong in the New York Times$ -- 3/11/26
IEA Proposes Largest Ever Oil Release From Strategic Reserves -- The International Energy Agency has proposed the largest release of oil reserves in its history to bring down crude prices that have soared during the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, officials familiar with the matter said. Matthew Dalton and Bojan Pancevski in the Wall Street Journal$ Rachel Chason, Evan Halper and Siham Shamalakh in the Washington Post$ -- 3/11/26
Energy, food prices surged in February — before Iran fighting started -- “March’s inflation data is going to be a harder pill to swallow,” said Art Hogan, the chief market strategist at the wealth management firm B. Riley Wealth. Sam Sutton Politico -- 3/11/26
U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says -- Outdated targeting data may have resulted in a mistaken missile strike, according to the ongoing military investigation, which undercuts President Trump’s assertion that Iran could be to blame. Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt, Tyler Pager, Malachy Browne and Helene Cooper in the New York Times$ -- 3/11/26
Iran’s threats on U.S. soil: sleeper cells, lone wolves, cyberattacks and eerie numbers code -- With U.S. and Israeli forces continuing offensive strikes on Iran, federal counterterrorism authorites are warning that the desperate theocracy could launch retaliatory strikes on American soil using sleeper cells, affiliated Iranian terrorist groups, lone wolf sympathizers or targeted cyberattacks. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/26
Hegseth gutted offices that would have probed Iran school strike -- The number of Pentagon employees who focus on mitigating civilian casualties has dropped from 200 people to less than 40. Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch Politico -- 3/11/26
Iranian Military Shows It Knows How to Adapt, U.S. Officials Say -- Iran appears to be targeting what it views as American vulnerabilities, including air defenses meant to guard troops and assets in the region. Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt in the New York Times$ -- 3/11/26
Trump says his bill would ‘guarantee the midterms.’ House Republicans are moving on -- President Donald Trump told House Republicans Monday he had one overriding legislative priority for 2026. Then they spent Tuesday talking about just about anything else. Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy Politico -- 3/11/26
White House tells House GOP to avoid mass deportation talk ahead of midterms -- Change in rhetoric comes as the public sours on the administration’s aggressive tactics and Republican fears of election losses mount. Natalie Allison and Kadia Goba in the Washington Post$ -- 3/11/26
‘Titanic’ statue of Trump and Epstein on the Mall draws praise, scorn -- The statue is the third satirical installation placed on the Mall by a mysterious group of artists that highlights the relationship between the two men. Joe Heim in the Washington Post$ -- 3/11/26