California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Young people are fleeing Los Angeles for some surprising places. Fresno in, Texas out? -- A Times analysis of U-Haul data shows that young Los Angeles residents are more often leaving for other California cities than older Angelenos who are more likely to leave the state. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

FBI whistleblower alleges Trump ordered investigations of L.A.-area immigration protesters -- A former FBI intelligence analyst has alleged that President Trump ordered the FBI to launch unconstitutional investigations into immigration enforcement protesters from the Los Angeles area, according to a whistleblower report made public Tuesday by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

 

Becerra’s ‘son of immigrants’ story emerges as latest flash point in governor’s race -- Becerra for years has described himself as the “son of immigrants” when talking about his upbringing, but that claim has come under scrutiny by Hilton and other critics who accuse Becerra of embellishing his family history. Suhauna Hussain, Seema Mehta and Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

Arellano: What Steve Hilton doesn’t get about Xavier Becerra’s parents -- What more proof do California voters need that Hilton is laughably out of touch with how we live? Many Mexican Americans consider family members raised in Mexico to be immigrants, even if they were born in the U.S. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

Hilton warm on tax cuts, tepid on Trump, cold on offshore wind during gubernatorial town hall -- California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton dove deep into his housing platform and lobbed a few attacks at his Democratic opponent, Xavier Becerra, during a town hall with Los Angeles news outlets Tuesday. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

Barabak: Hilton makes history in California governor’s race. But not the kind he had in mind -- The California Republican is plowing new ground with a TV spot with a soft-core porn vibe and an attack on his Democratic rival as ‘Bitch-Ass Becerra.’ The provocations are garnering Hilton plenty of attention though probably not winning him very many new votes. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

 

Why are out-of-state billionaires funding a California voter ID measure? -- Republican megadonors are boosting California’s voter ID measure in the hopes its success, or failure, can reveal how similar measures can perform in more moderate states. Nadia Lathan Calmatters -- 10/7/26

The same union supporting a billionaire tax wants voters to limit clinic spending. Here’s what to know about Prop. 44 -- Proposition 44 would require clinics to spend more money on patient care. The union pushing the measure is the same one supporting the billionaire tax proposal. Clinics say the measure will force closures. Kristen Hwang Calmatters -- 10/7/26

Newsom just signed hundreds of bills. These 6 new laws will have a major impact on the Bay Area -- Some of them zero in on projects or issues specific to the Bay Area. Others apply to the entire state but were inspired by Bay Area events, or could resonate here because they deal with challenges that have become a fixture of life in the region. Kathryn Palmer in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

 

Garofoli: Some of Prop 40’s biggest backers say it’s ‘problematic’ — but deserves voters’ support anyway -- Two top California Democrats — Rep. Ro Khanna and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer — have different approaches on the importance of passing Proposition 40, the proposed one-time 5% tax on the state’s billionaires. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

$45 million in a week: California’s wealthy aren’t holding back to try to stop ‘billionaire tax’ -- About a month out from election day, a group of tech and finance moguls have poured another $45 million of funding into a group opposing the proposed California billionaire tax. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

Billionaires are fleeing California. The tax agency is preparing to chase them -- At stake is a tax bill equal to roughly a third of the state’s annual budget, setting up an inevitable clash between a small army of lawyers promising the billionaires they can help save every dollar and a tax agency regarded as an extremely dogged — and competent — pursuer of tax debts. Will McCarthy and Jeremy B. White Politico -- 10/7/26

 

Raman tells viewers to ‘stop fascist liars’ in video urging removal of LAPD chief -- Los Angeles City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has renewed her call for the removal of Police Chief Jim McDonnell over his handling of last year’s federal immigration raids, during a video interview posted online where she urged viewers to “stop fascist liars.” David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

California’s Prop 45 may be the biggest reform to CEQA in decades. Critics say it goes too far -- At issue is the state’s bedrock land-use regulation, the California Environmental Quality Act, signed into law by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1970. CEQA establishes a framework for protecting the environment by requiring state and local agencies to identify and limit the impacts of new development. Proposition 45 would be perhaps the biggest reform to CEQA in its five-decade history. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

Diesel

‘We’re not making money’: $8 diesel leaves California truckers fighting to survive -- Small operators are losing money as the Iran war drives oil prices higher and driver shortages raise wages and shipping rates. Some truckers are shrinking fleets, fueling up out of state and changing driving habits; higher hauling costs could soon show up in grocery prices. Nilesh Christopher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

Workplace

U.S. share of studio TV spending fell from 94% to 64%, unions say -- A coalition of Hollywood unions is leaning on Congress to enact a federal film tax credit, citing new research that highlights the heavy outflow of productions from the U.S. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

Marketplace

Hollywood tears into Big Tech -- In a run of films arriving this fall, the industry casts Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Elizabeth Holmes as venal, feckless, cowardly, cruel or worse — villains in a new, on-screen front in the backlash over Silicon Valley’s power. Daniel Miller and Tyler Katzenberger Politico -- 10/7/26

Water

U.S. water rates soaring, with Bay Area bills among highest in nation -- Water rates in the United States have risen more than twice as much as groceries over the past decade, and more than 1.5 times the overall rate of inflation, which has left Bay Area residents with some of the biggest water bills in the nation, according to a new report. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

AI

Inside AI safety’s hottest club -- An invite-only conference in California hosted a rare convergence of AI influence — from industry luminaries to foreign officials and Congress members — as global concerns about the technology grow. Christine Mui Politico -- 10/7/26

ChatGPT’s teen safeguards failed to alert parents during suicide conversations, report finds -- In tests of more than 4,000 prompts, researchers found that prolonged conversations about suicide and self-harm rarely triggered parental alerts, and some chats lacked referrals to professional help. Ella Chakarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

Why My Conversations With ‘ChatGPT for Teens’ Made Me Very Worried -- A new mode includes a study tool, but it still does a user’s homework. And a children’s safety nonprofit says the chatbot flunked its tests. Brian X. Chen in the New York Times$ -- 10/7/26

Education

LAUSD hides sensitive student information from parents, Trump administration alleges -- The Trump administration launched an enforcement action against Los Angeles Unified, alleging its gender policy keeps students’ gender identity confidential from parents. The district denies wrongdoing. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

Also

What comes next at Golden Gate Fields now that the historic East Bay horse track is closed? -- $175 million deal is set to close in three months, but big issues remain. Paul Rogers, Chase Hunter in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/7/26

POTUS 47

Suit against Trump’s anti-trans policies for government employees allowed to proceed -- A federal magistrate says a transgender man who was a supervising official for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when President Donald Trump announced his anti-trans policy last year can sue the agency for alleged discrimination and harassment that caused him to resign. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/26

ABC says it’s second-guessing news coverage decisions due to FCC’s TV license review -- Editorial decisions at ABC News are being influenced by the Federal Communications Commission’s early license review of its TV stations, the network’s legal team told a U.S. District Court judge Tuesday. Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/26

‘Minimal relief’: Trucking groups pan Trump’s diesel executive order -- The nation’s largest trucking groups said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at easing diesel prices would do little to increase availability of the key transportation fuel. James Bikales Politico -- 10/7/26

Justice Dept. Turns to Partisans and Conspiracists to Fill Depleted Ranks -- The civil rights unit has recruited people whose questionable work histories and dearth of education and experience might have disqualified them in the past, former officials said. Glenn Thrush in the New York Times$ -- 10/7/26