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California Policy and Politics Thursday

OpenAI, Anthropic issue dire cyber threat warning -- OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and more than 100 other companies warned Thursday that the organizations now only have months to prepare for AI-enabled cyberattacks. Hospitals, water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure will face a swarm of hacking threats as AI makes sophisticated cyber capabilities cheaper and more accessible to attackers, the group write in an open letter. Sam Sabin Axios -- 8/27/26

 

From beaches to battery fires, California moves to outlaw disposable vapes -- On Wednesday, the state assembly approved Assembly Bill 762, which, if signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, will make the battery-powered disposable devices illegal to manufacture, distribute or sell in the state. The bill passed the senate Tuesday. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

California, other states sue again to block new Postal Service rules for mail ballots -- California and other Democratic-led states sued again Wednesday to block the U.S. Postal Service from implementing new nationwide rules for mail ballots, arguing they usurp state authority over elections at President Trump’s behest, expose voter information unnecessarily and threaten chaos in the rapidly approaching November election. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ Lynn La Calmatters -- 8/27/26

California legislators say Meta settlement won’t stop social media regulation -- Advocates and California legislators hailed the proposed $17 billion settlement that state attorneys general reached with the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. But they said the agreement should not get in the way of bills that would put further limits on social media companies. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/27/26

Rob Bonta says Paramount case is unlike Meta -- “There’s a contrast in that Meta was always going to stay here, never threatened to leave,” the California attorney general told Playbook. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 8/27/26

Newsom pushes environmental carve-out for campaign donor’s Santa Monica project -- A last-minute Newsom proposal could exempt a Santa Monica housing project from the regular coastal development process. The developer, Jeff Worthe, is a longtime Newsom donor and appointee. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 8/27/26

Newsom’s big housing claim is built on bad data -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed that housing production has increased 59 percent during his tenure. But his calculation left out San Diego and other large cities. 'It's a pretty basic error,' one expert told Politico. Liam Dillon Politico -- 8/27/26

Hogg group takes on Jimmy Gomez -- A group co-founded by former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg is endorsing a progressive challenger to Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez, whose sexual assault allegation and House ethics probe have become central to her campaign. Blake Jones Politico -- 8/27/26

California Passed a Law to Help Abuse Victims. It’s Costing Taxpayers Billions -- Los Angeles County has begun paying up to 11,000 people nearly $5 billion to settle decades-old claims of childhood sex abuse at foster homes and juvenile-detention centers. There’s an issue: The county’s top prosecutor says the majority of claims might be fraudulent. Paul Kiernan in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/27/26

California county’s election drama worsens as official locks up contested ballots -- Days after the top elections official in Shasta County announced that he planned to hire an election denier who served prison time for tampering with voting machines, county leaders there made an extraordinary plea to state and federal authorities: Please come investigate. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

 

California moves to outlaw child marriage with bill headed to Newsom’s desk -- A bipartisan bill that cleared the state Legislature Wednesday will make it illegal for anyone under 18 to get married in California. Previously, minors could get married in the state with judicial approval and the consent of one parent. There was no minimum age to marry. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

California moves closer to approving plug-in solar -- California is the latest US state and the largest market to move toward a law allowing residents to install small plug-in solar systems on apartment balconies and in backyards to offset soaring electricity costs. A bipartisan bill approved unanimously by the state Assembly on Tuesday now goes to the state Senate, which earlier passed the bill 35-1, for a final procedural vote. Todd Woody Bloomberg in the Orange County Register$ -- 8/27/26

L.A.-area lawmakers urge Trump to fund transit fixes for 2028 Summer Olympics -- Transportation officials say $2 billion in federal funding is needed to deploy 1,700 extra buses and to create high-speed traffic lanes during the 2028 Summer Games. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

 

Connie Chan’s critics call her a roadblock. She calls herself a voice for her S.F. community -- San Francisco lawmakers were weighing a plan to allow denser homes in development-averse neighborhoods when Supervisor Connie Chan objected. It was Nov. 17, just days before Chan announced her campaign to succeed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

S.F. Democratic Party wraps sexual assault investigation hours before critical endorsement vote -- An investigation by the local Democratic party was unable to substantiate an allegation of sexual assault against Manny Yekutiel, a candidate for supervisor in District 8, according to a letter circulated to party leaders on Wednesday. Alyce McFadden in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

ICE

California lawmakers scramble last-minute bill to block ICE use of electric shock gloves -- A California lawmaker is making a last-minute attempt to ban the use of Taser-like shock gloves by law enforcement, joining a wave of legislation seeking to place limits on the conduct of federal immigration enforcement officers in the state amid the administration’s immigration crackdown. Kathryn Palmer in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

‘Too many cases’: Mexico confronts U.S. over deaths of its citizens in ICE custody -- Mexico’s president is escalating pressure on U.S. authorities over 17 Mexican migrants who died in ICE custody or operations. Mexican diplomats have filed complaints with the Justice Department, eight attorneys general and 12 district attorneys. Patrick J. McDonnell and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

In reaction to recent ICE shootings, Legislature mandates state investigations -- A bill mandating independent state investigations of shootings by federal immigration enforcement agents landed on Newsom’s desk Wednesday after passing an Assembly floor vote. Sofia Williams in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/27/26

Nick Shirley draws hundreds of supporters, counterprotesters to California Capitol -- About 500 protesters gathered on the Capitol steps Wednesday afternoon in opposition to legislation that offers to withhold immigrant support providers’ addresses from the public, clashing with a group of counterprotesters. Sofia Williams and Alula Alderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/27/26

California Tribes

Controversial California bill would give tribes much more sway over ancestral state lands -- The first and only California tribal member to serve in the state Legislature is pushing a bill that would give Indigenous people considerably more say over their vast ancestral lands. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Wildfire

New fire erupts near Big Sur, prompting evacuations as crews battle Timber Fire -- A fast-growing wildfire in southern Monterey County triggered evacuation orders Wednesday as crews battled the blaze in rugged terrain near Big Sur, where firefighters are already working to contain a much larger fire. Aidin Vaziri in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/27/26

Marketplace

S.F. tourism surge expected to accelerate next year — but not surpass pre-COVID numbers -- San Francisco’s tourism sector is expected to see its third straight year of growth in 2027, as a boom in conferences and big events combines with a rebound in international travel. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Workplace

Hollywood actors clash over AI voice clones -- Hollywood voice actors are split over AI voice cloning, as big-name performers license lucrative replicas while freelancers see jobs vanish and fear training their own replacements. Nilesh Christopher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

Apple’s rare layoffs hit 147 Bay Area workers -- Apple is laying off 147 workers across three Bay Area offices, a rare downsizing in contrast to the company’s tech rivals, many of whom have shed tens or hundreds of thousands of jobs. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Trump administration wage cuts for seasonal farmworkers unlawful, federal judge in California rules -- A federal judge in California has ruled the Trump administration’s wage-cutting rule for H-2A seasonal farmworkers unlawful, yet allowed it to remain in effect while new rates are devised. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

Hunters Point

San Francisco’s Hunters Point cleanup scandal leads to major settlement -- A former Navy cleanup contractor will pay $57 million to resolve allegations that workers falsified environmental testing data during the long-running cleanup of San Francisco’s Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Water

Big oil and gas companies are partly responsible for California’s water woes, study finds -- Scientific research has revealed how climate change is placing added strain on water in California and the western United States. In a new study, scientists estimate the role of carbon dioxide emissions from more than 100 of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

Oil

People living near East Bay refinery have greater cancer risk, air district says -- East Bay residents living near the Chevron Richmond Refinery are at a higher risk of developing cancer and other health ailments from exposure to toxic pollutants, according to preliminary findings released Tuesday by the Bay Area Air District. Sarah Brager in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Education

USC and UCLA bet big on AI to meet soaring student, job market demands -- UCLA, USC and other universities are launching new majors to train students either to build AI systems or to use them in the humanities. USC’s new AI degree immerses students in model-building aimed at producing industry-ready graduates. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

Three state senators press UC to restore SAT test requirements, backing faculty outcry -- Three Republican state senators are pressing the University of California to reinstate SAT and ACT scores in undergraduate admissions, urging the Board of Regents to act “as soon as possible” and warning that six years without the tests has left students under-prepared. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/26

AI

Over 1,000 AI agents worked together in OpenAI hack, report reveals -- Hundreds of independent artificial intelligence bots being trained by ChatGPT-maker OpenAI conspired together to hack into another AI company’s systems, according to a report on the incident released by two independent AI testing agencies Wednesday. Gerrit De Vynck in the Washington Post$ -- 8/27/26

Also

‘Very dire’: High Sierra climber trapped on 6-inch ledge saved in daring nighttime rescue -- The call came in Saturday afternoon: An alpine climber ascending a giant gully outside of Mammoth Lakes had ventured off-route and become stuck on a near-vertical slab, standing on a 6-inch ledge just wide enough to fit half of one of his feet. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/27/26

Marmots Are Terrorizing California Hikers and Stealing Their Shoes -- Welcome to Sequoia National Park, also known as Marmot Country. Yellow-bellied marmots are stalking hikers and campers in a park more famous for its namesake giant trees. They snatch backpacks, swipe shoes and nibble on trekking poles. Some even chase humans. Jim Carlton, Angela Owens in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/27/26

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Another potential headache for US data centers — Trump tariffs -- The possibility of new duties is rattling the tech industry, which is already grappling with a shortage of high-end semiconductors. Ari Hawkins and Gabby Miller Politico -- 8/27/26

Republicans Caught in a Bind With Trump as Midterms Near -- The president’s pull with the party base has been clear and his resources are vast. But his low approval ratings make him a liability with swing voters. Tim Balk, Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 8/27/26

 

California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Federal judge removes major legal obstacle to Trump mail voting order, with more challenges likely -- A federal judge on Wednesday lifted a major obstacle to President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting, but the decision will only clear the path for more legal challenges. Nicholas Riccardi, Lindsay Whitehurst Associated Press -- 8/26/26

 

Meta reaches $16.68 billion settlement over social media harms to children -- Meta Platforms agreed to pay a maximum $16.68 billion and make major changes ​to Facebook and Instagram to resolve claims by states across the U.S. that the company designed those platforms to addict children, ‌misled consumers about their safety and improperly collected children's personal data. Diana Novak Jones Reuters Barbara Ortutay, Kelvin Chan Associated Press -- 8/26/26

 

California AG Bonta open to Warner Bros. settlement talks if Paramount ‘stops playing games’ --A day after canceling settlement talks, Bonta said he remains open to meeting with Paramount Skydance executives to find remedies to resolve the antitrust lawsuit stalling David Ellison’s $111-billion takeover, but called on the company to end its “amateur hour” conduct. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ Joe Flint in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/26/26

Pelosi succession brawl splits delegation -- Members of California’s congressional delegation and top Democratic donors are getting dragged into San Francisco’s bitter race to succeed Nancy Pelosi — a contest dividing party leaders far beyond the city. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 8/26/26

Taxing the rich cracks open the Democratic coalition -- In California and New York, political leaders are divided over what they're willing to risk to soak the ultrawealthy. Jeremy B. White and Nick Reisman Politico -- 8/26/26

 

The countdown is on: Energy and environment battles to watch before Sacramento closes out its session -- Central fights include how to divvy up cap-and-invest climate dollars, whether to shield utilities from wildfire liability, and whether to roll back controversial shortcuts to environmental review for industrial projects. Other proposals aim to tap home batteries, electric vehicles and plug-in “balcony solar” to address soaring power bills, while tightening oversight of coal exports and the offshore drilling pushed by the Trump administration. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/26

 

Years Late, Billions Over Budget: California’s High-Speed Rail Hasn’t Laid a Track -- Since 2008, the authority has spent about $15 billion, purchasing thousands of land parcels and building giant overpasses, rail beds, walls and other concrete structures that now rise over California’s Central Valley. The work has generated thousands of jobs. But the Authority’s Inspector General estimated the project will “exhaust its current funding resources” as early as next year, according to its July report. Taylor Umlauf and Esther Fung in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/26/26

 

Walters: California’s political battle over key environmental law brews on two fronts -- Business as usual in California politics always includes at least one squabble over the California Environmental Quality Act, a law signed 56 years ago by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 8/26/26

 

California officials say there’s one clear impact from SCOTUS mail ballot ruling: Confusion -- President Donald Trump’s Monday Supreme Court victory almost certainly will not impact people’s ability to cast mail ballots in November, experts say, but is still injecting an element of chaos into the 2026 midterm elections as local officials prepare to begin mailing ballots. Sophia Bollag, Hannah Wiley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Charlie Borla and Kaitlyn Schallhorn in the LA Daily News -- 8/26/26

Trump can’t cut off funding to communities whose policies he opposes, court rules -- The Trump administration has no legal authority to cut off billions of dollars in federal health care and housing funds to local governments, including San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties, unless they cooperate with his policies on immigration, abortion and “gender ideology,” a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/26/26

Wildfire

With clock ticking, California lawmakers reject key parts of Newsom’s wildfire plan -- With only six days left in the legislative session, lawmakers refuse to back several of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s controversial proposals for reducing how much for-profit utility companies must pay after causing a wildfire. Jeanne Kuang and Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 8/26/26

CA Senate issues its own utility wildfire proposal, sets up late negotiations -- A California Senate plan that would change how the state handles utility-caused wildfires differs from an earlier proposal put out by Gov. Gavin Newsom, but aligns itself more with one recently put forward by the Assembly. Andrew Graham and Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/26/26

Timber Fire has entered a dangerous new phase — and could again pose threat to Big Sur -- After more than a week of relatively slow growth, the Timber Fire roared back to life over the weekend, more than doubling in size as it pushed deeper into the Ventana Wilderness. Greg Porter in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/26/26

Reno became an affordable, booming destination. Fires show the limits of all that growth -- Over the last 15 years, the population of Reno — the so-called Biggest Little City in the World — has surged, thanks in large part to an influx of Californians drawn by Nevada’s cheaper housing, booming tech industry and relative lack of soul-crushing traffic. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/26

El Niño

This state is likely to get the worst of El Niño -- It is clear, though, that California is again likely to be an epicenter for this historically intense El Niño in the US. Strong El Niño events, such as the one revving up in the tropical Pacific, have rarely spared the Golden State from significant and damaging consequences. Andrew Freedman CNN -- 8/26/26

Develop

Surprise Solano County vote kills California Forever’s shipyard bill for this year -- Solano County supervisors voted Tuesday to oppose a plan that would have allowed the billionaire-backed California Forever to use an 18-year-old environmental report in its effort to create a new shipbuilding facility in the county, throwing a wrench in the group’s plans. Kate Wolffe and Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 8/26/26

AI

Three Takeaways From Bill Gates’s 5,784-Word Warning on AI: ‘There Is No Plan’ -- Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates issued a stark warning about AI’s risks to employment and the human condition, saying that companies were barreling ahead with the technology with no larger plan for the massive upheaval it would cause. Lindsay Ellis in the Wall Street Journal$ Shira Ovide in the Washington Post$ -- 8/26/26

Workplace

Unions sound alarm on last-minute push for robot farm equipment -- Labor leaders are up in arms over a proposal lawmakers are mulling in the final days of the Legislature’s season that would allow automated agricultural equipment to operate alongside workers in California. Chase DiFeliciantonio Politico -- 8/26/26

Marketplace

California wine exposed again as U.S.-Canada trade fight flares -- With Canada accounting for more than a third of U.S. wine exports, boycotts have erased roughly $360 million in revenue, forcing some family-owned California wineries to slash staff and scale back. The trade clash reaches beyond wine, denting California tourism and other industries. Annika Duneja in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/26

Californian grocer Raley’s to shut Brentwood and other outlets -- California-based Raley’s is shuttering stores in Brentwood, Elko, Petaluma and Antioch, reflecting store-by-store assessments of local market conditions and long-term financial sustainability rather than a companywide retrenchment. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/26

ICE

Indian workers seeking U.S. green cards could face 179-year wait, report finds -- For someone from China applying this year, getting a U.S. employment-based green card could take an estimated 25 years. For an Indian national, the estimated wait is up to 179 years. Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/26/26

ICE arrests jumped to nearly 50,000 in July, the highest monthly total of Trump’s second term -- The spike in immigration arrests shows that the administration has continued to advance its mass deportations agenda despite a shift in approach earlier this year from high-profile operations in large American cities that sparked a public outcry to arrests that have garnered less attention but have nonetheless been disruptive. Rebecca Santana, Gisela Salomon, Tim Sullivan, Ryan J. Foley Associated Press -- 8/26/26

Gas

California gas prices ‘shaping up to be the highest on record.’ What you’ll pay -- Gas prices are climbing across the country as ongoing tensions involving the United States and Iran continue to put pressure on global oil markets. California drivers are feeling the increase at the pump, with prices reaching their highest level ever recorded for this time of the year, according to AAA. Angela Rodriguez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/26/26

Education

California promised undocumented college students a future. Now they are losing hope -- California has opened college doors to undocumented students with financial aid and other benefits. Trump-era immigration enforcement and legal battles are driving down financial aid applications and enrollment. Alexandra Villarreal The Hechinger Report in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/26

Tahoe

Surging Tahoe visitation could lead to new, higher fees at popular trails -- Lake Tahoe has become so busy with visitors that the U.S. Forest Service intends to implement new use fees, and increase existing ones, at some of the region’s most popular hiking trails and campgrounds — prospects some Tahoe locals say they vehemently oppose. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/26/26

Street

The fall of ‘Wicked’: How an L.A. crime boss went down — and took his gang out with him -- For decades, Blythe Street gang terrorized Panorama City despite injunctions, beautification projects and millions in investment. Ezequiel ‘Wicked’ Romo reinvented Blythe Street as an enforcement arm for the Mexican Mafia, directing business and ordering murders from his prison cell. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/26

GKN Aerospace

Orange County to sue Garden Grove aerospace company over chemical tank crisis --Orange County will sue to recoup more than $4 million in costs associated with the response to a chemical threat at GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove facility after a faulty tank triggered mass evacuations over Memorial Day weekend. Claire Wang in the Orange County Register$ -- 8/26/26

Also

United announces ‘largest expansion’ in its history. SFO is getting a new route -- United Airlines plans to add a new nonstop route from San Francisco International Airport to Okinawa, Japan, and resume flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, as part of what the airline says is the “largest expansion” in its history. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/26/26

Burning Man’s Orgy Dome blew away last year. Now it’s rising again -- After high winds at last year’s Burning Man festival destroyed the tent that hosts sex-positive workshops and public sex parties, organizers are returning to the playa with a redesigned structure they hope will withstand the desert’s famously unpredictable weather. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/26/26

L.A. takes aim at phenibut, an unregulated ‘gas station drug’ that is growing in popularity -- L.A. City Council voted to regulate phenibut, a Soviet-era drug marketed as a “brain booster” or “smart drug” Phenibut iswidely available in convenience stores across the city, warned Councilmember Heather Hutt. Sandra McDonald in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/26

Huntington Beach mayor pro tem ordered to pay nearly $120K in attorney fees -- An Orange County judge has ordered Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Butch Twining to pay nearly $120,000 in attorney fees to Ocean View School District Board of Trustees President Gina Clayton-Tarvin, after Twining lost his defamation case against her. Matt Szabo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/26

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Immigration officers are being diverted to Trump’s voter-fraud effort -- The reassignment is the latest step to marshal the federal government behind Trump’s unsupported claim that noncitizens vote enough to change U.S. elections. Ted Hesson in the Washington Post$ -- 8/26/26

Canada has 1 important edge in the North American trade war -- President Donald Trump is threatening Canada with economic destruction amid an escalating trade war. He’s not factoring in one key U.S. disadvantage. Americans are not nearly as gung-ho for a tariff stand-off as their northern neighbors, who have been seething for months over Trump’s rhetoric against their country. Daniel Desrochers, Zi-Ann Lum, Oliver Ward and Ari Hawkins Politico -- 8/26/26

Kennedy Center may need to be demolished if not renovated, Justice Department argues -- Justice Department lawyers warn the Kennedy Center could be demolished if Trump-backed renovations stall, framing the iconic arts hub’s future as a choice between a costly overhaul or an eventual teardown. Jessica Gelt in the Los Angeles Times$ Julia Jacobs in the New York Times$ -- 8/26/26

Bessent’s ‘economic D-Day’ may not end the war — or $4 gas -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s latest plan for Iran — what he called an “economic D-Day” — is supposed to end the war and tame the oil markets. Energy market analysts and even some Trump allies fear it won’t do either. Scott Waldman and Megan Messerly Politico -- 8/26/26

At Home and Abroad, Deference to Trump Turns Increasingly to Defiance -- While the president remains the most dominant figure in the world, other leaders and institutions are pushing back more vigorously than at the beginning of his second term. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 8/26/26