California Policy and Politics Monday

Progressive Nithya Raman advances to November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass -- Progressive city council member Nithya Raman has advanced to a November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, setting up an unexpected matchup between two Democrats and former political allies to run the struggling city of nearly 4 million. Michael R. Blood -- 6/8/26

Court blocks Trump’s $100K visa fee -- A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s bid to slap a $100,000 fee on employers who seek to hire foreign workers for specialized roles, labeling the policy an unauthorized “tax” that required congressional approval. Kyle Cheney Politico Louise Radnofsky in the Wall Street Journal$ Zach Montague in the New York Times$ Lauren Kaori Gurley in the Washington Post$ -- 6/8/26

Nithya Raman surges past Spencer Pratt in L.A. mayor’s race, closing in on runoff with Karen Bass -- Nithya Raman is now in second place in the mayor’s race, with 27.1% of the votes counted so far compared to 26.7% for Spencer Pratt. Mail-in ballots will continue to be accepted through Tuesday, but analysts say the trend favors Raman moving into a Nov. 3 runoff with incumbent Karen Bass. David Zahniser and Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 6/8/26

Skelton: The secret to Xavier Becerra’s success -- Winning elections — or achieving any success — often is about being in the right spot at the right moment. Getting lucky and capitalizing. Xavier Becerra is a textbook example. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/26

Trump, after baselessly alleging fraud in California vote again, storms out of NBC interview -- During a lengthy interview in Wisconsin that aired on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Trump echoed claims he made in recent days — without providing evidence — that officials in California were “cheating,” because after four days, they “aren’t even close” to finishing the ballot counting. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ Cheyanne M. Daniels Politico -- 6/8/26

Military-like training in California cities part of FIFA World Cup preparation, FBI says -- Recent training scenarios that rattled communities in Los Angeles and Orange counties with unexpected low-flying helicopters and sounds of explosions and simulated weapon fire could likely be observed over the next two years in Southern California, an FBI official said. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register$ -- 6/8/26

ICE

Deaths in ICE custody have surged. The Chronicle is tracking them here -- Deaths in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention have surged since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 and launched an aggressive deportation effort. The 33 people who died in ICE custody last year represented a record high since the agency’s creation in 2003, federal records show. Ko Lyn Cheang and St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

 

California immigration advocates amp up lobbying ahead of budget deadline -- Advocates are holding town hall meetings, driving buses around the state and organizing thousands of phone calls to leaders in the California Legislature to convince them to reject changes to immigrant healthcare coverage proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom ahead of looming deadlines. Stephen Hobbs and Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/8/26

Housing

Can you buy a home with Anthropic stock — and see tax benefits? Here’s the reality -- In a sign that artificial intelligence hysteria may be nearing a peak, some people who are desperate for stock in OpenAI and Anthropic before they go public are offering to sell their Bay Area homes for privately held shares in those San Francisco companies. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

Investors appear to be buying up a record share of S.F. homes. The truth is more complicated -- These entities have especially expanded their market share in the condominium market. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

Homeless

This affluent Bay Area region is booming. So is its homelessness crisis -- The rise in homelessness in one Tri-Valley city and other neighboring areas comes as the region grapples with a population boom. Maggie Angst, Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

Workplace

California wants to cap business tax credits, alarming life sciences and tech industries -- California’s life sciences industry is sounding the alarm over a proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom that would permanently cap corporate tax credits. Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 6/8/26

California wine giant Gallo announces another facility closure, layoffs -- Modesto-based alcohol producer and distributor Gallo announced it will close one of its facilities and lay off 20 workers, industry publication Wine Business reported, the latest in a string of shutdowns the company has enacted during a troubling period for the wine industry. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

It’s a high-demand job with lots of openings. How LAUSD trains adults for a role in child care -- An experiment involving preschool children is unfolding in South Los Angeles, one that aims to solve a persistent problem in the region’s stressed day-care industry: the lack of workers. Kate Sequeira in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/26

Driverless Trucks Are Here—and They’re Delivering Bags of Doritos -- A 26,000-pound box truck loaded with Doritos and Frito-Lay chips rolls out of a distribution center, bound for a Walmart store about 4 miles away. It looks like any other truck, but there is no one at the wheel. Esther Fung, Johnny Kompar in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/8/26

Education

‘They’re going to try to get her’: What awaits S.F. schools chief Maria Su when she faces Congress -- When San Francisco’s Superintendent Maria Su sits in front of congressional committee in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday she is expected to face an onslaught of baiting questions about parental rights, inappropriate classroom content and the indoctrination of children. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/26

Wildfire

Few roads out, higher wildfire risk: New study maps Bay Area evacuation danger -- In scenic Alhambra Valley south of Martinez, where forest and grasslands surround large homes, wildfire risk is high, and for retired technology executive Kevin Lewis and his wife, there’s only one road out. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/8/26

Street

San Diegans voted for far more police oversight. Little has materialized, a new report finds -- The Commission on Police Practices still lacks many of the powers voters approved nearly six years ago. Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 6/8/26

Also

‘It’s a hurricane warning’: Guardrails around powerful AI models may be too late -- The U.S. is scrambling to strengthen guardrails around increasingly powerful artificial intelligence models before China can catch up. It may already be running out of time. Dana Nickel and Maggie Miller Politico -- 6/8/26

Authorities draw down massive search for missing Tahoe hiker presumed dead -- Authorities vowed to continue the search for a hiker who went missing near Lake Tahoe on Memorial Day, despite sending nearly all rescue crews home last Monday amid fears the man had died. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/26

Grisly affair: SoCal man survives grizzly bear attack in Glacier National Park -- A San Diego man said he felt lucky to be alive and recovering at home this week after surviving a grizzly bear attack at Glacier National Park on May 28. “I’m honestly grateful I still have an arm,” said Daniel Crago, 32, in an interview Sunday with The Times. “It’s pretty painful, but I’m making progress day by day.” Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/26

POTUS 47

Iran and Israel Move to De-Escalate After Cease-Fire Breaks Down -- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps signaled that it had concluded its latest military operation against Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled back from preparations for another attack after pushback from President Trump, two Israeli military officials said. Aaron Boxerman, Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman in the New York Times$ -- 6/8/26

Lawsuit seeks to stop the UFC fight on the White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday -- The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction. Melissa Goldin Associated Press -- 6/8/26

Trump continues defense of 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' -- President Donald Trump on Sunday defended his $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and urged Congressional leaders to approve the controversial settlement between him and the IRS. Cheyanne M. Daniels Politico -- 6/8/26

Trump Says He Never Promised No New Wars, and Defends Compensation Fund -- President Trump, who campaigned on a central promise to keep the United States out of overseas wars, denied in an interview aired on Sunday that he’d ever made the pledge. Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 6/8/26