California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Record-setting outside money pouring into California governor’s race -- Outside groups have poured $79.6 million into the California governor’s race ahead of the June 2 primary, shattering past spending records. Billionaire Tom Steyer is the prime target, facing $32.3 million in attacks in the face of the $212 million he has donated to his campaign. Former Biden Cabinet member Xavier Becerra has seen growing outside support. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/26

PG&E goes after gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer. He welcomes the fight -- PG&E is backing a committee that’s attacking Tom Steyer, while propping up Xavier Becerra. Steyer, a billionaire climate activist, frames the attacks as proof of his plans to reform the utilities. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/26

Why Silicon Valley’s big bet on Matt Mahan went bust -- But his underwhelming campaign has become a cautionary tale about an untested candidate and inexperienced donors chasing a vision that has failed to materialize with a week left — a humbling experience for some of Mahan’s backers in tech, many of them relative newcomers to state politics who are working to build enduring political power in California. Jeremy B. White and Christine Mui Politico -- 5/26/26

Raman says she’s running for mayor because L.A. is headed in wrong direction -- Raman’s mayoral campaign platform includes expanding new housing, cutting red tape for developers and introducing “gentle density” into single-family zoned neighborhoods. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/26

California’s overseas voters face new barriers after Trump administration cut key program -- It’s never been easy to cast an absentee ballot from inside a military submarine. But now that the Trump administration has eliminated a crucial mechanism to return absentee ballots, overseas voting requires even more of a herculean effort. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/26

No shame: A last-minute election guide for undecided CA voters -- With just a week until Election Day and only 8% of ballots returned so far, millions of California voters are still making up their minds about the election. But here at CalMatters, we listen, we don’t judge — so we have a last-minute voter guide to catch you up on what you need to know.. Lynn La Calmatters -- 5/26/26

The United Farm Workers built its political power around Chavez. Now it faces a reckoning -- Long before findings that Cesar Chavez sexually abused women and minors for years, the California-based labor union he co-founded had already endured a long and painful decline in its organizing power. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/26/26

Tax to bail out struggling Bay Area transit agencies appears headed to voters -- Backers of a new sales tax measure to bail out the Bay Area’s struggling public transit systems say they have gathered enough signatures to place the proposal on the November ballot. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/26

 

O.C. communities hit by chemical crisis are safe for return, officials say -- The vast majority of the 50,000 people evacuated because of a damaged chemical tank officials feared would explode began returning home, and officials said conditions in the area is safe. Sandra McDonald in the Los Angeles Times$ Sean Emery, Rachel Fobar, Sydney Barragan, Todd Harmonson and Brian Rokos in the Orange County Register$ Reis Thebault, Heather Knight, Shawn Hubler and Christina Morales in the New York Times$ -- 5/26/26

Threat of massive explosion in Garden Grove ‘eliminated’ but danger remains, officials say -- The threat of a massive explosion from a ruptured tank in Garden Grove was eliminated Monday, but Orange County Fire Authority officials stopped short of allowing thousands of evacuated residents to return home due to lingering fears of a toxic chemical release. Meg James, Christopher Goffard and Eric Licas in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/26

 

Downtown L.A. businesses are in crisis. Owners want politicians to deal with it -- Downtown L.A. business owners say crime and neglect are driving away customers as the June mayoral primary looms — and they’re demanding that candidates prioritize the once-bustling region’s problems. Roger Vincent and Itzel Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/26

L.A. is safer than it’s been in decades, but crime is an issue dominating the mayor’s race -- Homicides in Los Angeles are down to levels not seen since the 1960s. Neighborhoods once awash in gang violence now sometimes go weeks, even months, without a shooting. And the follow-home robberies and street takeovers that captured the public’s attention in recent years have largely subsided. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/26

Housing

Plan to build more than 12,000 homes in this Bay Area community faces crucial vote -- After years of delays and failed attempts, Concord could finally move ahead with a plan to build one of the Bay Area’s biggest housing projects on a former naval station. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/26

Hunger

Bay Area braces for Trump’s tougher CalFresh rules -- Tens of thousands of CalFresh recipients in the Bay Area — including veterans and homeless people — will soon have to comply with federal work requirements to keep their food assistance, as officials project 665,000 Californians will lose eligibility and food banks brace for longer lines. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/26

ICE

Those caught in Trump immigration dragnet seek millions for raids, shootings, trauma -- U.S. citizens and immigrants alleging brutal encounters with federal immigration agents are now demanding financial compensation. People across the country are seeking millions through federal tort claims, precursors to possible lawsuits. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/26

ICE tried to separate a San Francisco mom from her baby. She fought back -- Yulisa Alvarado Ambrocio joined fellow asylum-seekers in blocking arrests at San Francisco’s immigration courthouses. They’re on the cusp of a bigger victory. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/26

Health Care

UCSF doctor has bold plan to achieve universal primary care in California -- An article published in JAMA last week, co–authored by a UCSF physician, proposes one way the state could move toward a single-payer system: Make primary care a public utility, like electricity or clean water, and create a “common fund” financed by public and private sources that would directly pay primary care doctors to treat patients. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/26

Education

California colleges are seeing a rise of conservative voices. Some classes are tense -- Charlie Kirk’s 2025 killing has galvanized conservative students, fueling an expansion of Turning Point USA chapters on California campuses. In classrooms, some professors report anxious, combative discussions while others deliberately stage structured debates to expose students to opposing viewpoints. Kahani Malhotra in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/26

Out-of-state students should pay more for UC Berkeley, UCLA, state analyst says -- If the University of California wants to raise some quick cash — say, $80 million over four years — it should consider charging non-Californians thousands of dollars more to attend its three most popular campuses, says a new report from the state’s Legislative Analyst’s office. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/26

San Diego Islamic Center

Despite millions in spending, experts say zero-risk security at houses of worship not possible -- Experts say no level of spending can guarantee public safety. The very nature of shopping centers, schools, churches and other soft targets leaves them vulnerable to attacks from people committed to hate crimes and political violence. Jeff McDonald, Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/26/26

AI

California judges are testing a new AI clerk, and you won’t know if it’s looking at your case -- Courts in Los Angeles and Riverside counties are testing an artificial intelligence tool and deciding whether it can be used in high-stakes criminal cases. Cayla Mihalovich and Khari Johnson Calmatters -- 5/26/26

Clean Energy

Clean energy boom spurs pushback. ‘Cumulative impacts are being ignored.’ -- As San Diego County races to meet green energy targets, sprawling developments are transforming backcountry communities — and residents of those areas want a voice in the process before their homes are reshaped by solar, wind and battery storage projects. Hannah Elsmore in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/26/26

Also

Their meteoric rise reshaped the Bay Area and powered Silicon Valley. Is it at an end? -- Just a few decades ago, Fremont was as white as any other middle-class East Bay suburb. Today, 30% of residents are of Indian ancestry, the highest share of any city in the Bay Area. Silicon Valley’s hunger for talent, India’s deep bench of tech workers and the immigration liberalization of the 1990s reshaped Fremont — and much of the Bay Area with it. Ko Lyn Cheang, Sarah Ravani and Sriharsha Devulapalli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/26

Inside U.S. soccer’s World Cup camp at Orange County Great Park -- The Orange County Soccer Club has moved out of its home stadium, allowing crews to renovate Orange County Great Park for U.S. soccer’s World Cup camp. Kevin Baxter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/26

POTUS 47

Iran threatens retaliation after U.S. strikes in southern Iran -- The attacks prompted Tehran to warn that it would “leave no act of hostility unanswered,” complicating negotiations to end the war. Dan Lamothe and John Hudson in the Washington Post$ -- 5/26/26

U.S. Carries Out Renewed Strikes in Southern Iran -- American military forces conducted what U.S. Central Command said were “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran on Monday “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” Eric Schmitt in the New York Times$ -- 5/26/26

‘Rabbit holes all over the place’: How hard it would be for Trump to rebuild Cuba --Any effort to open Cuba comes with the heavy burden of history, ranging from an expatriate community looking to recoup seized property to layers of U.S. policy that would need to be unwound to promote business development. Daniel Desrochers and Nahal Toosi Politico -- 5/26/26

Heavy caseloads, regrets and surprises: 5 judges who embody the courts’ rebuke of Trump’s ICE detentions -- Hundreds of judges have rejected the Trump administration’s unprecedented expansion of ICE detentions, fueling nearly 10,800 rulings against the administration as of May 15. Kyle Cheney and Jessie Blaeser Politico -- 5/26/26

As Trump Politicizes Justice Dept., Prosecutors Struggle With Grand Juries -- Judges and grand juries have increasingly lost faith in the Justice Department as the president uses it to reward his friends and go after his opponents. Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ -- 5/26/26