California Policy and Politics Saturday

California lost 30,000 jobs in last three months and July’s drop was biggest in over a year -- The state lost 20,500 jobs in July according to preliminary state data, with the professional and business services sector cutting around 15,000, the most of any sector. July’s job losses, which are subject to revision, were the worst drop since June 2025. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/22/26

 

California, Paramount reps expected to meet Monday in antitrust settlement talks -- The meeting would come after Gov. Gavin Newsom, gubernatorial frontrunner Xavier Becerra and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass all signaled in recent days a preference for the litigation to be resolved ahead of the trial, which is scheduled for March. Daniel Miller Politico -- 8/22/26

 

As Colorado River reservoirs plummet, the Trump administration orders water cuts -- With the Colorado River’s major reservoirs at record low levels, the Trump administration has ordered substantial water cutbacks, agreeing to a two-year water-saving deal offered by California, Arizona and Nevada. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/22/26

‘Every advocate’s nightmare’: Inside ICE’s strategy to sidestep local oversight laws -- The efforts to sidestep laws in California and elsewhere take many forms. In some instances, contracts have been changed to declare that the centers are simply not subject to certain local or state laws. In other instances, ICE has purchased facilities owned and operated by private companies. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/22/26

Recent college graduate identified as creator of phony L.A. mayor’s race poll -- The Guardian identified Rahil Prakash as the originator of the fake poll, using domain registration data tied to the Median Strategies website. Prakash confirmed the report to The Times but declined an interview. Sandra McDonald and Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/22/26

Gov. Gavin Newsom encourages Californians to open Trump Accounts for kids -- “I’m enthusiastic about encouraging people to get a Trump account. I think it’s incredibly important,” Newsom told reporters at a Friday press conference, where he said 1 million California kids had claimed accounts under a similar state program that began in 2022. Lia Russell and Tarini Mehta in the Sacramento Bee$ Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ Lasherica Thornton EdSource -- 8/22/26

AI

OpenAI calls for stronger AI laws in California -- OpenAI urged its home state of California on Friday to “strengthen” its landmark AI law following recent autonomous hacks by its models — a notable step after the ChatGPT maker had previously opposed stricter rules. Chase DiFeliciantonio Politico -- 8/22/26

Workplace

Stone Brewing lays off employees as it moves production away from Southern California -- California craft beer pioneer Stone Brewing will close three Escondido sites and cut 220 jobs as production shifts to Paso Robles and Kansas City, Mo., following Sapporo’s sale of the Stone brand. Iris Kwok in the Los Angeles Times$ Roxana Popescu in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 8/22/26

California state attorneys union says RTO mandate could put bar licenses at risk -- The union representing California state lawyers has filed about 15 Public Employment Relations Board charges since July, claiming state departments aren’t properly negotiating telework policies. Corey Schmidt in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/22/26

Immigrant services privacy bill lands on Newsom’s desk after months-long debate -- After months of contentious debate, California lawmakers voted Wednesday to advance a bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk that would protect the confidentiality of immigration service providers. Sofia Williams in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/22/26

Develop

California Forever housing plan sidelined as shipyard and manufacturing proposal advances -- After weeks of frantic last-minute lobbying in Sacramento, billionaire-backed real estate development project California Forever could emerge from the current legislative session with permission to fast-track thousands of jobs — but not housing — in Solano County. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/22/26

Dodgers

If Dodgers are put up for sale, previous runner-up Patrick Soon-Shiong is interested -- Those close to Dodgers majority owner Mark Walter insist the team is not for sale, but a federal probe and cash crunch raise questions about his future leading the franchise. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who finished second in the 2012 bidding for the Dodgers, is interested in leading an investment group should Walter change his mind. Bill Shaikin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/22/26

Street

Loaded handgun found at California school weeks after fatal graduation shooting -- Fairfield police said they received information Friday morning that a student might have a firearm at the Sem Yeto High School campus on Atlantic Avenue. School resource officers went to the campus, detained the student in a classroom and found a loaded handgun with an extended magazine, police said. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/22/26

S.F. judge hands down sentence for protesters who shut down Golden Gate Bridge -- A San Francisco Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced seven people who shut down the Golden Gate Bridge in 2024 to protest the war in Gaza to 30 days in jail, with credit for time they’ve already served, and six months of probation. Annie Vainshtein, Abigail Vân Neely in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/22/26

Also

‘I always knew the truth’: Man falsely imprisoned for 18 years exonerated of O.C. robbery -- For 6,895 days, Guy Miles sat behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. He lost years of freedom, along with the opportunity to watch his son grow up. But now, authorities have officially exonerated him — acknowledging his innocence in the 1998 Fullerton heist that robbed him of nearly two decades of his life. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/22/26

LAPD investigates Nicolas Cage movie that went missing at Netflix -- A dispute between a producer and Netflix over a missing copy of a World War II spy drama starring Nicolas Cage has now reached the Los Angeles Police Department. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/22/26

POTUS 47

Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods beginning Sept. 8 as trade negotiations collapse -- The United States imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products early Saturday, and Canada said it would retaliate beginning Sept. 8 after last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve the latest strain in relations between the historic allies. Paul Wiseman, Rob Gillies Associated Press. Daniel Desrochers and Ari Hawkins Politico Gavin Bade and Amanda Coletta in the Wall Street Journal$ Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Ian Austen and Ana Swanson in the New York Times$ Rachel Lerman and Amy B Wang in the Washington Post$ -- 8/22/26

Trump cites national security as Supreme Court weighs challenge to ballroom -- Chief Justice John G. Roberts issued an order giving the court more time to decide a legal challenge to the ballroom. The Trump administration argued that a judge’s order blocking further construction threatened the safety of the president and must be overturned. David G. Savage and Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/22/26

Trump Threatens Suit Over Report He Doesn’t Like, Aiming to Intimidate a Critic -- President Trump has opened a new front in his campaign to intimidate political foes, threatening a prominent liberal think tank with a $5 billion defamation lawsuit over a report concluding that his deployment of the National Guard to cities across the country has had little effect on reducing violent crime. Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ -- 8/22/26

The Pentagon fires the editor and the publisher of Stars and Stripes, a military news outlet -- The terminations came about 10 days after Stars and Stripes journalists reported on hardships that Navy sailors were facing on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, the aircraft carrier whose deployment was extended to nine months amid the war. Minho Kim in the New York Times$ Scott Nover and Liam Scott in the Washington Post$ -- 8/22/26