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California Policy and Politics Monday

Trump asks Supreme Court to segregate California ballots before midterm election -- It comes as new polls show that Democrats are within striking distance of taking control of the Senate. John Fritze and Tierney Sneed CNN David G. Savage and Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/26

Beware the ‘red mirage’ if California Republicans have an election night lead -- It happens in close races in almost every major election. Early California returns show Republicans winning or at least faring better than expected. Then, as votes are counted over the following days, the tallies shift in Democrats’ favor. This “blue shift” or “red mirage” isn’t a result of California Democrats “finding votes” or rigging elections, as President Donald Trump and his supporters have repeatedly claimed. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters -- 11/2/26

Counties’ Election Day rules may block news coverage of voting, civil rights groups warn -- Some of California’s most populous counties are issuing guidelines restricting the press from documenting Election Day proceedings at polling places in ways that appear to violate state statutes and the First Amendment. Lynn La Calmatters -- 11/2/26

Mayoral candidates Bass and Raman crisscross L.A. on final weekend before the election -- The former allies, and now competitors, took veiled shots at each other as they each hit multiple campaign stops Sunday morning, with both attending church services and other events. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/26

A daughter of L.A. and a transplant to the city. The different paths taken by Bass and Raman -- Karen Bass is a South L.A. native shaped by the civil rights movement and decades of public service. Nithya Raman, who studied urban planning, once worked to improve conditions in the slums of Delhi. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/26

The accidental politician who could run Los Angeles -- Nithya Raman didn’t plan on a political career. But an unsolicited direct message, an “Evil Elmo,” and a stubborn homelessness crisis has put her at City Hall’s door. Will McCarthy Politico -- 11/2/26

Progressives are on the rise nationally. Will the midterms help them regain ground in S.F.? -- The progressive side of the Democratic Party has been ascendant nationally, showing signs of strength in races from New York to the Central Valley. But that momentum has yet to show up in famously liberal San Francisco. Joe Garofoli, J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/26

Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom, weighing 2028 runs, rally together in California -- Former vice president Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) returned to the campaign trail together in their home state Sunday, marking their first joint appearance in nearly a year. Praveena Somasundaram in the Washington Post$ -- 11/2/26

Skelton: A boring governor is fine. A do-nothing governor is not -- Xavier Becerra hasn’t even been elected yet — officially, anyway — and I am already bored. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/26

Workplace

Newsom proposes $1 billion cap for film and TV tax incentive -- Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to expand California’s current Film and Television Tax Credit Program from $750 million to at least $1 billion annually. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/26

Employers Near Deal to Delay Strike Threat at Los Angeles-Long Beach Ports -- The Pacific Maritime Association says an agreement with unionized dockworkers would extend a labor contract, giving more time to negotiate. Paul Berger in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/2/26

Climate

What the El Niño worst-case scenario would look like in California -- Last week’s flooding was so bad because of two events that are expected to worsen over the next few months: a record-hot ocean raising sea levels combined with higher-than-normal tides. A third factor would be powerful storms that bring big waves. Rong-Gong Lin II and Sean Greene in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/26

Wildfire

Three questions California lawmakers are weighing on who should pay for wildfires -- Utilities want to limit their liability, insurers want to chase payouts and wildfire victims want to be made whole. But communities don’t want their utility bills to skyrocket. Aaron Leathley KVIE Abridged -- 11/02/26

Health Care

S.F. hospitals are rethinking emergency care for older adults -- San Francisco hospitals are adapting emergency care for older adults, with specialized screening, social work and even music. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/26

AI

Microsoft AI CEO warns industry against trying to build conscious machines -- The debate over whether to treat the idea that current AI systems are conscious as an open-ended question, or to dismiss the concept outright, continues to divide the industry. Nilesh Christopher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/26

Education

Culture War Tensions Roil Beverly Hills School Board Race -- Battles over Israel, antisemitism and race have shaken Beverly Hills in recent years and divided the formerly Democratic enclave. Tim Arango in the New York Times$ -- 11/2/26

Why school board members aren’t running for reelection: ‘A lot of disillusionment’ --School board members cited a slew of reasons for not running for reelection, including distress over budget cuts and labor strife, immigration raids affecting schools and youth and an overall hostile political climate. Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 11/2/26

Need more financial aid for college? This new law will make it easier to ask for it -- A new California law will require colleges and universities to clearly inform students how to request additional financial aid if they believe their awarded amount is not enough. Institutions must also publish how they calculate their costs of attendance, which is used to determine how much financial aid students receive. Mariam Farag and Max Guerra Calmatters -- 11/2/26

1 in 3 California community college students don’t return the following term -- Community college officials say the low retention rate — the share of students who continue their education from one term to the next — reflects the makeup of their student population: Most students attend part time, making them less likely to persist, while others enroll to gain new skills rather than to earn an associate’s degree. William Melhado EdSource -- 11/2/26

Environment

San Onofre’s nuclear waste is stored on the beach: Will another community agree to take it? -- If Rep. Mike Levin’s proposal moves forward, the spent nuclear fuel stashed on the beach at San Onofre will be stored and processed at one of several potential campuses in other states. Deborah Brennan Calmatters -- 11/2/26

POTUS 47

El-Sayed raised $1.2 million in hours since Haley Stevens endorsed his rival -- Senate Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign says it has raised $1.2 million in the four hours and counting after former primary rival Rep. Haley Stevens backed Republican Mike Rogers in the final messy days of the Michigan Senate race. Adam Wren Politico -- 11/2/26

Democrats Show Strength in Final Days of Race for the Senate, New Polls Find -- Democrats are up in Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Maine and Ohio, have an edge in Alaska and are effectively tied with Republicans in Iowa, new New York Times/Siena polls found. Shane Goldmacher and Ruth Igielnik in the New York Times$ -- 11/2/26

The Final Polls Show a Blue Surge. Can We Trust Them? -- On the other hand, there’s precedent in the Trump era for polls to overestimate Democrats, and it’s reasonable to wonder whether the polls might be overestimating Democratic strength yet again. This is a real possibility. President Trump’s supporters are relatively unlikely to respond to polls, which introduces the ever-present risk of a polling misfire. Nate Cohn in the New York Times$ -- 11/2/26

Judge tosses DOJ’s attempt to delay Alaska’s Senate results if Republican loses -- A federal judge on Sunday rejected the Justice Department’s bid to hold up the certification of the results in Alaska’s Senate election in the event of a Republican loss, cutting short an extraordinary legal intervention in the race by the Trump administration. Jeremy Roebuck and Patrick Marley in the Washington Post$ Nicholas Riccardi, Becky Bohrer Associated Press -- 11/2/26

Trump is giving his closing midterm pitch at problem-plagued Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool -- President Donald Trump is making his closing pitch of the midterm elections at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, pushing his slow, expensive and problem-plagued efforts to repair it back into the spotlight on the eve of Election Day. Will Weissert Associated Press -- 11/2/26