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California Policy and Politics Monday

Trump endorses Steve Hilton in California governor's race -- Some Republicans had argued the party’s best shot at the governor’s mansion depended on Trump staying out of the contest. Blake Jones Politico Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/26

CNN will televise California gubernatorial primary debate in May -- CNN will host California’s primary debate May 5, bringing competing candidates from both parties under the state’s “jungle primary” system in which the top two advance. Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco lead in polls while six Democratic candidates qualify for the debate, raising concerns about vote-splitting on the left. Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/26

Billionaire candidate for California governor catching heat for past business interests, wealth -- Billionaire Tom Steyer, a Democratic candidate for California governor, faces mounting criticism over his former hedge fund’s prior investments in private prisons now housing undocumented immigrants. Seema Mehta and Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/26

Democrats are eager to flip Issa’s seat. But his Republican successor is a ‘formidable opponent’ -- In the run-up to the June primary, Democrats are still divided on which candidate would give them their best shot to flip a closely watched House seat. Nadia Lathan and Deborah Brennan Calmatters -- 4/6/26

In L.A. mayor’s race, everyone is campaigning on change — even the incumbent -- Mayor Karen Bass is running as a champion of change, saying she has been tackling entrenched, decades-old problems. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/26

The woman who thinks civil rights went too far -- Dhillon — a figure likely to emerge with new power from President Donald Trump’s shakeup of the department’s leadership — built her legal career and political identity in San Francisco, where she was a Republican activist vastly outnumbered by Democrats and led a legal revolt against California’s progressive policies in state and federal courts. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 4/6/26

Skelton: Trump’s cries of cheating on mail-in ballots defy logic -- Why would an immigrant living here illegally risk jail and deportation by trying to vote? That has always puzzled me. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/26

Workplace

Immigrant truck drivers were supposed to get their licenses back. Why California’s DMV is stalling -- Thousands of immigrant truck drivers in California lost their licenses earlier this year as a result of a Trump administration order, and many more drivers will face the same fate soon. Lawsuits are seeking to restore the licenses, but they may take months or years to resolve. Adam Echelman Calmatters -- 4/6/26

AP says it will offer buyouts as part of pivot away from newspaper journalism -- The news organization is becoming more focused on visual journalism and developing new revenue sources, particularly through companies investing in artificial intelligence, to cope with the economic collapse of many legacy news outlets. Once the lion’s share of AP’s revenue, big newspaper companies now account for 10% of its income. David Bauder Associated Press -- 4/6/26

He was willing to testify against the cartel — but ICE got to him first -- Javier Hernandez agreed to testify against two men arrested alongside him when DEA agents seized nearly 22 pounds of meth in 2015. Hernandez says he received graphic death threats against his family members but was still willing to cooperate with authorities. Six months before he could take the stand, he was detained by ICE and deported. Prosecutors lost the case against his co-defendants soon after. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/26

The farmworker movement made César Chávez famous. But Filipinos started it -- ‘There would be no UFW without Larry Itliong,’ one Filipina historian said. Kyle Martin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/6/26

An uninsurance bomb is about to go off, and it will touch Orange County -- Changes in last year's tax and spending bill will result in tens of thousands of lower-income locals losing federal health coverage. That could be a health disaster for them, and an economic hit for everybody else. Andre Mouchard in the Orange County Register$ -- 4/6/26

Costs soar for troubled state program that pays workers up to $1,700 weekly for various ailments -- 'It's a well-intentioned program that's lost its way and run amok with real consequences for taxpayer-funded agencies,' said a reform group spokesperson. Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register$ -- 4/6/26

Education

School districts across the Bay Area urge legislators to reject Newsom’s proposal to withhold billions in funding -- In a first-of-its-kind coalition, leaders from San Jose, Fremont, Oakland, Antioch, West Contra Costa, San Ramon Valley, San Francisco and Napa districts joined with Los Angeles school officials to sign a formal letter to California’s state elected leaders calling for immediate state intervention to address what they see as major funding issues facing public schools across the state. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/6/26

California’s next governor to face tough choices for education as state budget tightens -- Whoever is elected this fall as governor and state superintendent of public instruction will face a new reality for California education. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 4/6/26

Environment

A stunning new California beach preserve has drawn hordes of visitors. Where should they park? -- The secret is out: A new hiking destination along the Sonoma Coast allows visitors to walk down to a beautiful beach that was all but off-limits to the public for more than a century. Visitation there has surged — and the question is: what to do about it? Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/6/26

Imperial Beach presses forward as pollution crisis persists -- Years of raw sewage and industrial waste flowing north from Tijuana have closed beaches, sickened families, and stigmatized a small beach town. Life goes on anyway. Walker Armstrong in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 4/6/26

San Clemente ballot measure seeking 1% sales tax for beach, fire protection certified -- The “San Clemente Natural Hazards Protection and Resilience Act of 2026” gathered 7,119 signatures, surpassing the required 10% of the city’s 46,617 voters, said Cameron Cosgrove, author of the proposed ballot measure. Laylan Connelly in the Orange County Register$ -- 4/6/26

Housing

California HOA triumphs over ADU law -- A Carlsbad condo-owner lost his legal battle to turn his garage into an apartment over the objections of his homeowners association. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 4/6/26

Street

Crime is down in S.F., but homicides are up. What’s going on? -- The majority of reported crimes in San Francisco continued their downward trajectory in the first three months of the year, building on historic declines over the last two years. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/6/26

San Bernardino police slammed handcuffed teen to the ground, lawsuit alleges -- An 18-year-old woman sued San Bernardino police after an officer allegedly body-slammed her face-first to the pavement while handcuffed, causing a concussion and injuries. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/26

Rough & Tumble

For more than 30 years — day in, day out — he’s chronicled California. One paragraph at a time -- The Sacramento-based Rough & Tumble may be California’s longest-running aggregator of politics and policy. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/26

Also

The eaglets have landed for Big Bear couple Jackie and Shadow -- It’s an Easter Sunday to remember for Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow, who welcomed a pair of eaglets this weekend in front of 2.5 million social media followers. Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/26

POTUS 47

Iran dismisses Trump’s expletive-filled threat over Strait of Hormuz -- A defiant Iran struck infrastructure targets in neighboring Gulf Arab countries and threatened to restrict another heavily used waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Arabian Peninsula. Lorian Belanger, Brian P. D. Hannon Associated Press -- 4/5/26

Oil Prices Climb Further After Trump’s Threats to Tehran -- U.S. oil futures opened higher Sunday evening after President Trump ramped up his threats toward Iran ahead of a Tuesday deadline he has set for the country to allow tanker traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz oil-shipping lane. Ryan Dezember in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/6/26

Jamie Dimon Warns of Higher Inflation, Interest Rates From Iran War -- JPMorgan Chase CEO says threat of Iran must be addressed while economic risks from prolonged conflict remain. Alexander Saeedy in the Wall Street Journal$ Andrew Ross Sorkin in the New York Times$ -- 4/6/26

Trump’s Lesson From Risky Rescue: Threaten to Go Harder at Iran -- In an expletive-laced social media post, the president said Iran should open the Strait of Hormuz or he would bomb bridges and power plants. David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 4/6/26

ICE Agents Detain Newlywed Spouse of Soldier Training to Deploy -- The 22-year-old wife of an Army staff sergeant came to the U.S. as a toddler. She was taken from a military base where the couple planned to live. Miriam Jordan in the New York Times$ -- 4/6/26

On Easter, Pope Leo delivers commanding message of peace to a world at war -- “Let those who have weapons lay them down!” the first American pope declared. The White House’s war in Iran and nativist agenda at home are testing the Vatican. Anthony Faiola in the Washington Post$ -- 4/6/26

The war’s economic impact could get worse for Americans -- Amazon is adding a fuel surcharge to its e-commerce deliveries. Mortgage rates have risen to their highest mark in seven months. And consumers may soon see higher prices for soda bottles and detergents. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 4/6/26