California Policy and Politics Monday

Carvalho resigns as LAUSD superintendent amid federal investigation -- Los Angeles Unified schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho, who has been under FBI investigation for four months, resigned Sunday night as leader of the nation’s second-largest school system, bringing a breathtaking end to one of the district’s most consequential and high-profile tenures. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

Boyle Heights fire enters sixth day with air quality warnings, schools relocating activities -- Several schools on Los Angeles’ east side will temporarily relocate to other locations this week due to the ongoing structure fire in the 1400 block of Los Palos Street that is spewing smoke and fumes into the surrounding community. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ Erika I. Ritchie, Nathaniel Percy in the LA Daily News -- 6/22/26

In L.A., as in other U.S. cities, democratic socialists are poised to expand power at City Hall -- L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman and city attorney hopeful Marissa Roy, both democratic socialists, are heading into the Nov. 3 general election on the heels of strong showings in the June 2 primary. If Raman and Roy win in November, it would underscore L.A.’s tilt to the left and the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America, which has four members on the City Council. Sandra McDonald in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

‘I got crushed’: AI giants are funding ad wars in races across the country -- One network of super PACs is linked to Anthropic, the other to OpenAI. The millions of dollars these groups have spent so far could be just a fraction of what they ultimately shell out to influence the 2026 midterm elections. Ben Wieder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

New commission takes aim at California’s broken public defense system -- California is one of just two states that provides no money for the basic defense of poor people accused of crimes. Anat Rubin Calmatters -- 6/22/26

Bill to limit prison off-ramp for the mentally ill could soon head to Newsom -- A bill to tighten California’s rules on mental health diversion — a process that allows certain criminal defendants to avoid prison for arrests linked to mental illness — is now on the verge of being signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

Inside the revolving door: At San Diego County, staff turn to lobbying for private clients amid lax rules and limited bans -- Former employees are allowed to immediately start lobbying any part of the county. Other jurisdictions have far stricter rules. Lucas Robinson in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 6/22/26

Skelton: Politician behind ‘top two’ primary has second thoughts -- The man who brought California the top-two open primary now thinks it needs a drastic overhaul. In fact, he says the “top-two” part should be trashed. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

Barabak: Federal probe of Newsom creates lots of smoke. Is there any fire? -- The investigation by Trump’s corrupted Department of ‘Justice’ presents more questions than answers. Some suggest the targeting of Newsom and his wife will boost the governor’s presidential prospects. But it’s too soon to say. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

Chabria: Behested payments aren’t illegal, but they are a problem. Especially for Newsom -- After Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week that the U.S. Department of Justice may be investigating his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, media and pundits pounced on millions in charity payments he has solicited for nonprofits, including ones she is involved in. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

Workplace

Bay Area companies want employees back in the office. Remote work isn’t budging -- Despite numerous Bay Area companies implementing return-to-office policies, work-from-home numbers in the region have shifted little in the last year. Darryl Laiu in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/22/26

From YouTube to the multiplex: How low-budget horror films are beating big-budget studio bets -- Two of the biggest box-office standouts of 2026 so far were not made by established studio directors or built on franchise IP. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

Inside the S.F. tower where biotech hackers and AI founders are trying to build our future -- San Francisco’s Frontier Tower turned a vacant building into a “vertical village” for post-pandemic urbanism. But inside the self-governing tech hub, the future is still being negotiated. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/22/26

Hollywood Is Having Its Best Box Office Since Before the Pandemic -- Total domestic box office so far this year is an estimated $4.46 billion, the highest since 2019, according to Rentrak. Inflation has played a role, but not as much as growing attendance. The average adult ticket price has risen 3% from last year to $13.44 and the number of tickets sold is up 7% to 312 million, according to research firm EntTelligence. Ben Fritz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/22/26

HSR

High-Speed Rail wants ‘temporary’ non-downtown Bakersfield station. What about permanent one? -- The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s latest business plan, approved by the agency at the beginning of the month, suggests building a “temporary” Bakersfield station that would be several miles northwest of downtown. Erik Galicia in the Fresno Bee -- 6/22/26

Kratom

This plant extract can make a lethal drug cocktail. Can it also treat opioid addiction? -- National Institutes of Health announced that the agency, along with researchers from the University of Florida, would begin clinical trials on mitragynine, the primary psychoactive compound in kratom, to evaluate its potential as a treatment for opioid use disorder. Medical professionals who specialize in addiction medicine say research that provides a clear understanding of kratom is beneficial. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

AI

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella: We Can’t Let AI Giants Eat the Economy -- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella criticized the concentration of AI power and articulated a strategy for cheaper, more user-controlled models. Microsoft rolled out low-cost AI models and is weighing hosting DeepSeek, a Chinese provider, to drive down prices for customers. Bradley Olson and Tina Li in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/22/26

POTUS 47

US-Iran talks strained as Trump threats spark Iranian walkout -- High-stakes talks between the US and Iran are expected to continue for the rest of the week in Switzerland, after a tense start that saw Iranian negotiators walk out in protest at a stream of threats issued by Donald Trump on social media. Patrick Wintour in The Guardian -- 6/22/26

What Changed After Almost Four Months of War? Analysts Say Not Much -- By Saturday, even the most significant immediate result of the deal — Iran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Mr. Trump had identified as essential — seemed at risk. Iran’s military said it was closing the waterway again, because the United States had failed to stop the fighting in Lebanon. The U.S. military contested that, saying the strait remained open as the agreement stipulated. Neil MacFarquhar in the New York Times$ -- 6/22/26

Long list of U.S. concessions to Iran raises specter of a ‘lost war’ -- Vice President JD Vance, who helped negotiate the deal, told reporters Thursday that the deal was structured to reward Iran for good behavior. But the text of the agreement suggests otherwise. Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/26

As War With U.S. Eases, Iran Steps Up Hangings of Dissidents -- Most of those death sentences have been carried out in the past three months, as the authorities have hurried to send a message to a restless population: The regime is still firmly in charge, and dissent won’t be tolerated. Henna Moussavi in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/22/26

FEC filings confirm GOP meddling in Dem primaries -- A Republican-linked group was the sole funded of two pop-up super PACs that spent more than $4.3 million across a swath of Democratic congressional primaries to support candidates seen as less electable. Jessica Piper Politico -- 6/22/26