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California Policy and Politics Monday
New California safety laws tighten commercial rules after Lineage fire in Boyle Heights -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new safety laws after a June fire at a Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse sent noxious smoke into nearby neighborhoods and drew rats and flies. One law lets local agencies impose fines of up to $50,000 per violation on companies that threaten public health and safety. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/26
Newsom signs bills aimed at protecting LGBTQ people, citing Trump administration attacks -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills Saturday that increases protections for LGBTQ people in California, saying the legislation was needed because of recent moves by the Trump administration that threaten that support. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/26
Sea level rise is reshaping a California beach town and threatening a key rail line -- For years, residents of this Southern California beach town could walk a mile along a stretch of cream-colored sand and dip their toes in the waves lapping ashore. That trip has been cut short. Amy Taxin Associated Press Jill Cowan in the New York Times$ -- 9/28/26
Education
AI is changing higher education. Here’s how California schools are responding -- While the California State University system declared itself “AI-empowered” a year and a half ago, the University of California began working on its systemwide strategy recently. The California Community Colleges system, meanwhile, is hoping to secure the funding it believes it needs for AI adoption in the next state budget cycle. Tarini Mehta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/28/26
After 5 years, ethnic studies rollout in Southern California classrooms is still a hodgepodge -- Amid a lack of state funding, shifting political dynamics and added scrutiny in the classroom, response to landmark state law has been mixed. Still, teachers across the region are trying to make it work, to the delight of many students. Ellen Wang in the Orange County Register$ -- 9/28/26
Also
San Diego aircraft carrier deploys to Middle East uncertain how long its mission will last -- The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego Sunday on deployment to the Middle East, a mission that might turn out to be longer than normal because the Navy needs more ships. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/28/26
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The Moves That Backfired on Trump and Drove Interest Rates and Inflation Higher -- The president’s advisers said fiscal restraint and deregulation would bring down prices and borrowing costs. Then came tariffs, war and an investment boom. Nick Timiraos and Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/28/26
A Trump 2024 Campaign Ad Returns, Now Brought to You by the Government -- The ad, which ethics experts said could violate federal law, shows Mr. Trump vowing to “expel the warmongers” from the government and fight the “deep state,” even as he wages a war with Iran. Bayliss Wagner in the New York Times$ Katherine Doyle in the Washington Post$ -- 9/28/26
Trump now says the Kennedy Center could be deadly. Months ago, it was ‘great.’ -- The president’s assessment of the Kennedy Center’s physical condition grew increasingly dire after his name went up on the building and revenue began to plunge. Jonathan Edwards and Travis M. Andrews in the Washington Post$ -- 9/28/26
California Policy and Politics Sunday
L.A. voting rights groups mobilize to counter possible November election disruption -- The once simple message, “Get out the vote,” now has a corollary: “Protect the vote.” That message was hammered home Saturday for dozens of voting rights groups, community organizations and unions attending a rally to recruit and train poll watchers for the November election. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/26
How this low-profile ballot measure could make it harder to raise taxes — and what it could mean for San Diego County -- Will California make it harder for voters to raise taxes? Maybe, if a statewide ballot measure passes in November. Jemma Stephenson in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/27/26
Newsom signs bills aimed at expanding reproductive healthcare in California -- Gov. Newsom signs bills focusing on reproductive healthcare in California. Some of the bills focus on increasing access to abortion. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/26
Newsom signs bill that seeks to help abused dogs and cats avoid long shelter stays -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill allowing abused and neglected animals held as evidence in criminal cases to move toward foster care or adoption instead of languishing in shelters. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/26
Newsom administration proposes removing explorer John C. Frémont’s name from state park, citing his violence against Native Americans -- Citing his violence against Native tribes in the 1840s, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is moving forward with a plan to remove the name of 19th-century explorer John C. Frémont — a former U.S. senator for whom the Bay Area city of Fremont is also named — from a state park on a prominent peak that straddles the San Benito and Monterey county line. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/27/26
Barabak: War games and draft lawsuits: Democrats work to Trump-proof November election -- Stepping in for an absentee Congress, Democratic attorneys general are ready to fight efforts to undermine or overturn the midterm balloting. ‘We need to stay nervous and stay vigiliant,’ says Colorado’s Phil Weiser. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/26
Wrightwood residents fight a quarry they never saw coming -- Residents of Wrightwood are battling a proposal for a massive open-pit quarry. In 2019, the county planning commission granted “vested rights” to the quarry, exempting it from a comprehensive environmental review. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/26
AI
OpenAI pauses training of latest models after agents probed US government sites in unexpected ways -- The decision to halt development came just hours after the company disclosed Friday that it was reviewing several incidents from the summer in which OpenAI agents searching federal government websites acted in unexpected ways beyond what was asked of them while gathering and distributing information. Bernard Condon Associated Press -- 9/27/26
Top AI companies probing tens of thousands of security incidents -- The findings, which are surfacing as part of internal work to assess models and in investigations at both companies into model behavior, raise questions about whether either company — or any top model-maker — is currently capable of establishing complete control over their technology. Madison Mills Axios -- 9/27/26
Also
Hurricanes bring heavy surf to Southern California, rain to parts of the Southwest -- Two hurricanes churning in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico are sending high surf toward Southern California that will overlap with unusually high tides, bringing hazards for beachgoers and possible coastal flooding. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/26
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Poll: Trump’s MAGA loyalists don’t think he has an affordability problem -- While many Americans say the cost of living is the top issue facing the U.S. more than any other, President Donald Trump’s MAGA base does not always agree, according to a new analysis of The Politico Poll. Jessie Blaeser Politico -- 9/27/26
Trump rejects Iran’s latest Strait of Hormuz deal offer -- “They wanna make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump said. Nette Nöstlinger Politico Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times$ -- 9/27/26
Trump Administration Plans to Gut Clean Car Rules -- New fuel-economy standards, which President Trump said he finalized Saturday, would kill a federal effort to speed the transition to electric vehicles. Maxine Joselow in the New York Times$ -- 9/27/26
Trump administration considers building baseball park in Grand Teton National Park -- National parks are among the country’s most protected federal lands, and constructing a sports facility at Grand Teton could set a new precedent for the use of vast national park land in the Western United States. Jake Spring and Stephanie Apstein in the Washington Post$ -- 9/27/26
Trump supercharged ICE. Now battleground candidates are scrambling for a message -- Trump’s crackdown on the border and immigration has given Republicans a potent campaign win — and a liability as raids and alleged abuses alienate some voters. Democrats remain divided over whether to reform ICE or to abolish it. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ Samuel Benson, Eric Bazail-Eimil Politico -- 9/27/26