California Policy and Politics Wednesday

FBI whistleblower alleges Trump ordered investigations of L.A.-area immigration protesters -- A former FBI intelligence analyst has alleged that President Trump ordered the FBI to launch unconstitutional investigations into immigration enforcement protesters from the Los Angeles area, according to a whistleblower report made public Tuesday by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

 

Becerra’s ‘son of immigrants’ story emerges as latest flash point in governor’s race -- Becerra for years has described himself as the “son of immigrants” when talking about his upbringing, but that claim has come under scrutiny by Hilton and other critics who accuse Becerra of embellishing his family history. Suhauna Hussain, Seema Mehta and Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

Hilton warm on tax cuts, tepid on Trump, cold on offshore wind during gubernatorial town hall -- California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton dove deep into his housing platform and lobbed a few attacks at his Democratic opponent, Xavier Becerra, during a town hall with Los Angeles news outlets Tuesday. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

 

Newsom just signed hundreds of bills. These 6 new laws will have a major impact on the Bay Area -- Some of them zero in on projects or issues specific to the Bay Area. Others apply to the entire state but were inspired by Bay Area events, or could resonate here because they deal with challenges that have become a fixture of life in the region. Kathryn Palmer in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

Garofoli: Some of Prop 40’s biggest backers say it’s ‘problematic’ — but deserves voters’ support anyway -- Two top California Democrats — Rep. Ro Khanna and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer — have different approaches on the importance of passing Proposition 40, the proposed one-time 5% tax on the state’s billionaires. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

$45 million in a week: California’s wealthy aren’t holding back to try to stop ‘billionaire tax’ -- About a month out from election day, a group of tech and finance moguls have poured another $45 million of funding into a group opposing the proposed California billionaire tax. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

Raman tells viewers to ‘stop fascist liars’ in video urging removal of LAPD chief -- Los Angeles City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has renewed her call for the removal of Police Chief Jim McDonnell over his handling of last year’s federal immigration raids, during a video interview posted online where she urged viewers to “stop fascist liars.” David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

California’s Prop 45 may be the biggest reform to CEQA in decades. Critics say it goes too far -- At issue is the state’s bedrock land-use regulation, the California Environmental Quality Act, signed into law by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1970. CEQA establishes a framework for protecting the environment by requiring state and local agencies to identify and limit the impacts of new development. Proposition 45 would be perhaps the biggest reform to CEQA in its five-decade history. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

Workplace

U.S. share of studio TV spending fell from 94% to 64%, unions say -- A coalition of Hollywood unions is leaning on Congress to enact a federal film tax credit, citing new research that highlights the heavy outflow of productions from the U.S. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

Water

U.S. water rates soaring, with Bay Area bills among highest in nation -- Water rates in the United States have risen more than twice as much as groceries over the past decade, and more than 1.5 times the overall rate of inflation, which has left Bay Area residents with some of the biggest water bills in the nation, according to a new report. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

Education

LAUSD hides sensitive student information from parents, Trump administration alleges -- The Trump administration launched an enforcement action against Los Angeles Unified, alleging its gender policy keeps students’ gender identity confidential from parents. The district denies wrongdoing. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

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Suit against Trump’s anti-trans policies for government employees allowed to proceed -- A federal magistrate says a transgender man who was a supervising official for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when President Donald Trump announced his anti-trans policy last year can sue the agency for alleged discrimination and harassment that caused him to resign. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

ABC says it’s second-guessing news coverage decisions due to FCC’s TV license review -- Editorial decisions at ABC News are being influenced by the Federal Communications Commission’s early license review of its TV stations, the network’s legal team told a U.S. District Court judge Tuesday. Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

‘Minimal relief’: Trucking groups pan Trump’s diesel executive order -- The nation’s largest trucking groups said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at easing diesel prices would do little to increase availability of the key transportation fuel. James Bikales Politico -- 10/7/26

Justice Dept. Turns to Partisans and Conspiracists to Fill Depleted Ranks -- The civil rights unit has recruited people whose questionable work histories and dearth of education and experience might have disqualified them in the past, former officials said. Glenn Thrush in the New York Times$ -- 10/7/26

 

California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Trump suggests letting Iran ‘take out’ Los Angeles, San Diego during campaign rally -- President Trump, speaking at a campaign rally Monday, suggested Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego — a comment that was possibly in jest but brought a quick reaction from leaders in California. Iris Kwok, Richard Winton and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ Laura Chung in the New York Times$ Aoife Walsh in the Washington Post$ -- 10/6/26

Kamala Harris has a 2028 opening — and a 2024 problem -- The former Democratic standard bearer retains considerable respect in the party, but there’s an undercurrent of anxiety about her return to the political conversation. Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Praveena Somasundaram and Dan Merica in the Washington Post$ -- 10/6/26

Republican Hilton’s ‘Just try it’ ad courts liberals — and angers his own base -- The room is dim, the background music crooning, the vibe suggestive. Two young women (hair dyed, faces pierced) sit in front of a rainbow Pride flag, one of them cajoling the other to try something she’s never done before. Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 10/6/26

Luxury-car buyers who use ‘Montana loophole’ to dodge California taxes are target of new law -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law aimed at stopping California buyers from using out-of-state shell companies to dodge taxes on luxury cars. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

Democrats want to change the rules for recall elections. Voters get their say with Prop. 5 -- Following the failed 2021 recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrats had the political will and momentum to call for changes to the recall process. What emerged was Proposition 5 on the November ballot, a measure to change the recall process. Kate Wolffe Calmatters -- 10/6/26

Bernie Sanders boosts wealth tax while labor argues it would devastate California’s economy -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, a hero among the nation’s progressive voters, stumped in Southern California on Monday for a wealth tax on the California ballot in November that has drawn hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending. Seema Mehta and Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

Marketplace

David Ellison names Skydance team that includes prominent Warner executives -- HBO Chairman Casey Bloys, CNN Chairman Mark Thompson, Discovery streaming executive J.B. Perrette and DC Comics managers James Gunn and Peter Safran will join Ellison at Skydance. Paramount executives will fill out the rest of Ellison’s leadership team. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

Workplace

Kaiser to pay millions in back wages to more than 1,000 nurses after payroll error, union says -- It’s not yet clear how much Kaiser must pay the nurses, but the wages date back to at least 2021 and could total tens of millions of dollars, said CNA, which represents about 25,000 registered nurses in 22 Kaiser locations around California. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/6/26

Restaurant workers face hidden dangers from gas stoves, including pollution and extreme heat -- Restaurants with gas stoves and ovens are exposing workers to harmful air pollution and unsafe levels of heat, according to a new study led by California researchers. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

5 Challenges David Ellison Faces as He Snags His Hollywood Prize -- The tech scion has given his combination of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount a new name: Skydance. Now he must make tough decisions about news, movies, streaming, sports and debt. The item is in the New York Times$ -- 10/6/26

Oil

Supreme Court sounds wary of state-based climate change suits against oil producers -- Several justices suggested that local and state claims against oil companies may be blocked by the federal Clean Air Act. California and nearly three dozen states and municipalities have filed such claims. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ James Romoser in the Wall Street Journal$ Justin Jouvenal in the Washington Post$ -- 10/6/26

Education

Overspent and under-enrolled: State fiscal crisis experts issue severe warning to LAUSD -- Los Angeles Unified is at high risk of insolvency, California’s fiscal watchdog says, citing declining enrollment, rising staff and labor costs, and growing expenses for special education. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

Embattled Northern California charter school files for bankruptcy -- A beleaguered Sacramento charter school, which the state last year accused of misspending $180 million, has filed for bankruptcy after the school said negotiations broke down over its repayment of the debt. Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 10/6/26

First priority for California’s next state superintendent: Negotiate a job description -- What’s unclear is what the next state superintendent will actually do. Whoever wins next month’s election for the job — either Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified school board, or Richard Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified’s school board — will spend the next four years creating a new job template for future state superintendents. John Fensterwald and Emma Gallegos EdSource -- 10/6/26

AI

‘Evaluators’ are supposed to keep AI from killing us all. No pressure -- California and dozens of countries want mandatory AI audits, conducted by AI evaluators. Lawmakers are still learning about the job — and its pitfalls. Khari Johnson Calmatters -- 10/6/26

Hackers Use Chinese AI Tool to Hit South Korean Banks, Exposing New Risk -- Hackers used a Chinese artificial-intelligence agent to attack South Korea’s biggest banks and steal the personal information of 68,000 people, officials said, marking one of the first such AI-powered intrusions into the global financial system. Sooyoung Rhee and Raffaele Huang in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/6/26

Also

‘Go back to Mexico!’ Woman’s racist rant disrupting Laguna Beach proposal goes viral -- The video of the encounter at Crescent Bay Point Park has drawn more than 10 million Instagram views and prompted the city to condemn hateful behavior while noting permit rules for planned setups and professional photography. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

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Trump says he’ll pay for taxpayer-funded ads praising him after backlash -- After more than a week of bipartisan criticism over ads promoting his presidency with taxpayer money, Trump said he or his MAGA Inc. super PAC would cover the cost. Scott Waldman Politico Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal$ Shane Goldmacher, Theodore Schleifer and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ Natalie Allison in the Washington Post$ Will Weissert Associated Press -- 10/5/26