California Policy and Politics Monday

Newsom Says Trump’s Justice Department Is Investigating Him and His Wife -- Federal agents have questioned friends and associates of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and his wife, Mr. Newsom said on Monday in a video in which he accused President Trump of using the Justice Department to punish a political enemy. Laurel Rosenhall, Devlin Barrett and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ Sophia Bollag, Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Lia Russell and Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ Maya C. Miller, Lynn La and Wendy Fry Calmatters Sophie Austin, Alanna Durkin Richer Associated Press Jeremy B. White Politico Amy B Wang, Jeremy Roebuck and Perry Stein in the Washington Post$ Dani Anguiano in The Guardian -- 6/15/26

 

B-52 bomber crashes at Edwards Air Force Base in California -- It wasn’t immediately clear whether anyone was injured or killed in the crash. The Air Force base only confirmed in a post on social media that a B-52 Stratofortress crashed “shortly after takeoff” on the base’s airfield at 11:20 a.m. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/15/26

California admits using high-risk AI — including systems it failed to report last year -- State officials have found they are using six high-risk AI-like systems. One year ago, they reported using zero. Khari Johnson Calmatters -- 6/15/26

With Iran set for World Cup match at SoFi, L.A. Iranians see glimmers of unity -- Iran’s World Cup team arrived in Tijuana last week bearing gold lapel pins on their jackets honoring the 168 victims, most of them schoolgirls, killed in a Feb. 28 U.S. missile strike on an elementary school in southern Iran at the outset of the war. Suhauna Hussain and Kevin Baxter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/15/26

The Board of Equalization has little power. Campaign donors still spent millions on it -- Current state lawmakers dominated fundraising in races for California’s little-known Board of Equalization, drawing heavily from interests with business before the Legislature. Kate Wolffe Calmatters -- 6/15/26

California Sues to Stop One County’s Ban on Most Mail Voting -- Shasta County voters had approved a ballot measure that would have heavily restricted voting by mail and imposed photo ID requirements. State officials said the new rules were illegal. Maia Spoto in the New York Times$ -- 6/15/26

Skelton: Slow vote counting creates the window for MAGA conspiracy, which is why California should fix it -- If Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature truly believe that slow vote counting is a horrible problem — which it’s not — right now is the time to fix it. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/15/26

 

Google CEO brought optimism to Stanford commencement. Some graduates walked out -- As Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage Sunday at Stanford’s commencement, scores of graduates stood, booed and walked out, turning a celebration for nearly 6,000 degree recipients into a protest over the tech giant’s work with Israel. Luis Melecio-Zambrano in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/15/26

California school districts battle for $3.9 billion they argue is due now, not later -- In coming days, school districts will find out whether their pressure campaign worked to persuade Gov. Gavin Newsom to turn over the $3.9 billion he planned to withhold, for now, from next year’s state funding for schools and community colleges. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 6/15/26

 

This Bay Area suburb is shrinking faster than any other California city -- It’s got a central location, but a “perfect storm” of demographic factors has led this Bay Area city to one of the state’s biggest population declines. Connor Letourneau in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/15/26

Workplace

DACA renewals are dragging on for months, upending participants’ lives --It’s a dilemma for more than 140,000 Californians — including nearly 19,000 in the Bay Area — who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, according to 2025 data. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/15/26

In Orange County, six-figure salaries now qualify as ‘low income’ -- In much of the country, a six-figure salary is a benchmark for success. That sixth digit tends to symbolize professional achievement and a degree of financial security. But in Orange County, individuals earning up to $104,200 now qualify as “low income.” David Wagner LAist -- 06/15/26

Here’s how SoCal’s car washes are learning to operate in the Trump era -- Interviews with industry workers, owners and labor advocates show that staffing at car washes that were hit by multiple raids has dried up considerably, both because of difficulty attracting labor to a physically strenuous, and now dangerous, job — and because businesses now simply can’t afford payroll. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/15/26

People around the world see a winner on AI — and it’s not the US -- China is eclipsing the United States as the perceived artificial intelligence superpower in much of the world, according to a new global poll that underscores how Silicon Valley’s lead in the defining technology race is no longer taken for granted. Owen Dahlkamp Politico -- 6/15/26

Coders Were Tech’s MVPs. Now They’re Fighting to Stay in the Game -- After Christopher Pack earned a master’s degree in computer science in 2022, he immediately landed a software job in California’s Bay Area. Hiring was booming. His tech degree felt foolproof. Four years later, the 27-year-old has grown much more wary about his future. Konrad Putzier in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/15/26

Water

Tensions Are Rising Between States That Rely on the Colorado River -- Water in the Colorado River is dwindling to levels that haven’t been seen in decades, and the seven states whose residents and farmers depend on the river can’t agree on a fair way to divide up what’s left. Scott Dance in the New York Times$ -- 6/15/26

Lake Oroville

California scales back golden mussel safeguards at vital reservoir, alarming experts -- The state of California is walking back protections meant to keep destructive golden mussels out of Lake Oroville, one of the largest and most important reservoirs in the state. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 6/15/26

Street

Older Californians are becoming homeless faster than any other age group -- Almost half of all unhoused single adults in California are 50 or older, and many are experiencing homelessness for the first time, according to data presented at a hearing of the state’s Commission on Aging on Thursday. Advocates said there just isn’t enough affordable housing for this unique population. Panashe Matemba-Mutasa in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/15/26

Also

New MLK hospital program brings amputations to zero for at-risk diabetic patients -- A new program has boosted patients’ health while avoiding painful, costly surgeries. In its four years, only one high-risk diabetes patient has needed an amputation. Corinne Purtill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/15/26

AI Deepfakes Are Getting Weirder and Harder to Spot in the Midterms -- Political campaigns are employing artificial intelligence in a range of campaign ads to elevate candidates and attack opponents, fueling concerns that the wave of fake content will undermine the midterm elections. Amrith Ramkumar in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/15/26

POTUS 47

Frustrated by Courts, Trump Weighed Suspending a Constitutional Right -- Secret memos show that the White House debated last year, to a greater degree than previously known, whether to limit habeas corpus rights for undocumented immigrants. Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times$ -- 6/15/26

Donald Trump turns 80 and celebrates with UFC cage fighting on the White House lawn -- Fueled by a dose of high-octane patriotism, President Donald Trump and UFC boss Dana White walked out from the Oval Office to the Blue Room Balcony to chants of “USA!” “USA!” as fighter jets streaked overhead — before they settled in for a night of cage fighting on the White House lawn. Dan Gelston Associated Press -- 6/15/26

Trump Winds Down the War He Started With Goals Unmet -- While the president says the agreement with Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz and provide economic relief, the country’s nuclear program is still a subject for negotiation. Erica L. Green and Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times$ -- 6/15/26

Trump sought to break Iran’s regime. He settled for reopening Hormuz -- The emerging agreement ends a costly war but leaves Iran’s leadership intact and its nuclear future still subject to negotiation. Michael Birnbaum in the Washington Post$ -- 6/15/26

Trump Claims Strait Will Be ‘Permanently Toll-Free’ Under Agreement With Iran -- President Trump said in an interview on Sunday afternoon that the agreement he had reached with Iran would ultimately assure that the Strait of Hormuz was “permanently toll-free,” and asserted that, despite the objections of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, he had saved Israel from nuclear obliteration. David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 6/15/26