California Policy and Politics Friday

Appeals court, including Trump appointed judge, sides against him in takeover of California National Guard -- President Donald Trump had no legal authority to take over California’s National Guard and send 4,000 of its troops to Los Angeles last year to combat protesters of immigration raids, a federal appeals court said Friday in a 2-1 ruling, with a deciding vote by a Trump appointee. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/26

 

Backers of billionaire tax plan to attack Newsom in early presidential primary states -- Foes of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is widely viewed as a likely 2028 presidential candidate, are launching television and digital ads this weekend in early primary states that criticize the governor’s opposition to the proposed billionaire tax on California’s November ballot. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/23/26

Trump Administration Asks Appeals Court to Intervene in California Ballot Suit -- The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Thursday to step in and accelerate a lawsuit against California, where it has sought to compel the state not to tabulate as many as 20,000 mail-in ballots sent to voters it claims are “likely noncitizens.” Zach Montague in the New York Times$ -- 10/23/26

The millions spent by California billionaires against Prop. 40 is about 0.07% of their wealth -- About 260 California billionaires would be subject to Proposition 40’s one-time 5% wealth tax according to the Forbes Real-Time billionaires list. Sandhya Kambhampati and Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/23/26

He Put the Billionaire Tax on the Ballot but Made Enemies in His Own Party -- The tax initiative is the most ambitious proposal that Dave Regan has ever qualified for the California ballot. Some Democrats hope it will be his final one. Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ -- 10/23/26

California has more revenue than expected thanks to AI. Should the state save it? -- The question Proposition 2 poses to California voters is simple: Should the state be able to save more money when its economy is booming? Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 10/23/26

California’s carbon market changed this year, and the next governor will inherit the fallout -- Neither gubernatorial candidate has made climate a top campaign priority. Advocates fear this year’s overhaul will undercut California’s climate targets and complicate the next governor’s work. Emma Foehringer Merchant Calmatters -- 10/23/26

Judge limits election-related immigration stops amid broader legal war ahead of midterms -- A sweeping campaign by federal immigration agents to identify voter fraud by noncitizens through door knocks, street stops and other field interviews in California and eight other states must be reined in ahead of the Nov. 3 election, after a federal judge in Northern California ruled it has intimidated U.S. citizens and interfered with the work of voting rights groups. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/23/26

The cracks are showing in California’s Big Oil block -- Big Oil wields immense power in California politics, and has been a thorn in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s side for years. Now, there’s a crack in the coalition’s unified front. That could have major ramifications for the future of oil in the state. Noah Baustin and Alex Nieves Politico -- 10/23/26

Poll shows first independent evidence: Wiener slightly leads Chan in race to succeed Pelosi -- With less than two weeks until Election Day, there’s little hard data about who’s leading the race for Nancy Pelosi’s seat. Although Scott Wiener has long been considered the favorite (including by betting markets), most of that assessment was vibes — until today. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/26

A ‘battle of the ages’ in a California House race: Matsui, 82, faces a 41-year-old challenger -- The race for Sacramento’s seat in Congress hinges on what kind of “experience” voters value most — seniority and familiarity with Capitol Hill, or first-hand knowledge of the struggles today’s workers face? Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 10/23/26

Develop

Buyer selected for shuttered downtown S.F. mall -- A buyer has been selected for the majority of the shuttered San Francisco Centre, downtown’s vacant shopping mall, with closing expected in the first quarter of 2027, according to a Fitch Ratings report this week. The report did not identify the potential buyer, and the credit-rating agency did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/26

Climate

These California highways are most at risk of flooding during El Niño storms -- San Francisco International Airport, the Bay Bridge, Highways 101, 1 and 37 and other critical California infrastructure are vulnerable to “exceptional” flooding and erosion this winter, according to a report published Monday by UC Davis. Anthony Edwards in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/26

State officials defend California clean-truck subsidy program as lawmakers weigh reforms -- California clean-air regulators are defending the state’s Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Project after the Los Angeles Times reported that the $1-billion program is facing accusations of fraud, waste and poor oversight. Tony Briscoe and Sandhya Kambhampati in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/23/26

AI

AI experts warn California legislators about potential ‘danger’ of technology -- “Even if there isn’t a single dramatic moment when AI seizes power, we might just keep giving it power bit by bit until we wake up one day and realize that we can’t take it back,” Andrew Doris, a policy director at Secure AI Project, told members of the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/23/26

The Signal Chats That Cost OpenAI Researchers Their Jobs -- The firings came in the throes of a battle over how to keep AI systems under human control—and who gets to see the secret designs that could determine the winners of the biggest commercial race in history. Maxwell Zeff, Keach Hagey and Berber Jin in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/23/26

Also

California’s storm door is about to swing wide open -- An atmospheric firehose could soon take aim at California, raising the prospects of a wet and stormy Halloween and Election Day. The massive pattern change is likely to take shape during the last week of October and may persist into the first full weekend of November. Greg Porter in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/26

S.F. Tesla driver who fatally struck man crossing highway said car was in full-self-driving mode -- The crash occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Interstate 80 westbound at the Interstate 780 interchange, where the Tesla’s dash camera showed the 71-year-old man entering the freeway from the right shoulder while the car was traveling around 70 mph, according to the California Highway Patrol. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/26

POTUS 47

Trump says he ordered the Justice Department’s lawsuit over Alaska’s US Senate race -- President Donald Trump on Friday said he told his administration to file its lawsuit to block certification of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, kicking off what many fear could become a lengthy battle between the government and states over certifying an election where the president’s party is struggling. Nicholas Riccardi Associated Press -- 10/23/26

Dow Slides as Oil Prices Climb to Highest in Five Months -- Oil prices continue to climb as concerns mount that the U.S.-Iran conflict could soon escalate, sending stocks lower. Brent crude now trades at its highest level since early May. Ed Ballard in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/23/26

Ukraine Says Starlink Isn’t Working, Despite Trump’s Promise to Restore It -- Soldiers and government officials say connections continued to fail if drones fly at high speeds. Marcus Walker, Ievgeniia Sivorka and Alistair MacDonald in the Wall Street Journal$Victoria Craw and Anastacia Galouchka in the Washington Post$ -- 10/23/26

Judge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11 -- A federal judge ordered President Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 in his $10-billion defamation suit against the BBC, warning that failure to comply could bring sanctions or dismissal. David Fischer and Jocelyn Noveck in the Los Angeles Times$ Corinne Ramey in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/23/26

Judge extends pause on taxpayer-funded Trump ads -- U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon extended the order, which would halt the ads airing until after election day. Cheyanne M. Daniels Politico -- 10/23/26