California Policy and Politics Thursday

Bonta co-leads coalition opposing new Trump administration tariffs -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes led a coalition of 22 state attorneys general to oppose proposed tariffs in a Monday letter to the U.S. Trade Representative Jaimeson Greer. Sofia Williams in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/9/26

Newsom’s final budget sends more than a billion dollars to University of California, Cal State -- Since Gavin Newsom became governor, state support for California’s public universities has grown by 50%. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 7/9/26

California defends using Medicaid money for housing and food, as GOP cries fraud -- Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana is taking aim at California’s Medicaid program for providing housing assistance, food and other social services to high-need, low-income patients who tend to rack up big healthcare costs and, he argued, strain taxpayer funds. Angela Hart, KFF Health News in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/9/26

 

Historic venue on edge of San Francisco could get a data center -- For more than 85 years, the Cow Palace Arena & Event Center has been home to Republican National Conventions, doomed minor league hockey teams and electronic dance music concerts. Now, under a new proposal, it could also host a data center and helicopter landing pad. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/9/26

Data center could emerge on empty chunk of land at prime San Jose site -- Prologis aims to develop a three-story data center that would total 516,000 square feet in South San Jose, according to a proposal the company filed with city planners. At 5977 Silver Creek Valley Road, the proposed center would include 30,000 square feet of office space, according to project plans. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/9/26

Big Tech Is Now Targeting Native American Land for Massive Data Centers -- The data center boom has roiled communities across the country, but on Native land, a Big Tech push for quick approvals has pitted the need for development against a history of exploitation. David W. Chen, Tamir Kalifa in the New York Times$ -- 7/9/26

 

Spencer Pratt meets with President Trump in White House -- Unsuccessful Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt paid a visit to the White House Tuesday and met with President Donald Trump, who has questioned without evidence the legitimacy of Pratt’s electoral defeat. The item is in the in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/9/26

Newton: California ponders a fundamental question: Should voting be easier or harder? -- There is a problem with elections in California and Los Angeles. It’s just not the one you think. Jim Newton Calmatters -- 7/9/26

Walters: Does crowning California’s governor the education czar mean academic results will improve? -- In late June, after only a few minutes of discussion, both houses of the Legislature completely overhauled how California manages the nation’s largest public school system and its nearly 6 million students. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 7/9/26

Barabak: In God he doesn’t trust. Still, his congressional career thrives -- Rep. Jared Huffman is one of just four openly agnostic or religiously unaffiliated lawmakers on Capitol Hill. His new book, coming in August, warns of the perils of the country’s rising Christian nationalism. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/26

ICE

ICE raided their city, taking parents, spouses and friends. That’s not where it ends -- Three families in Los Angeles on the devastating aftermath of ICE detentions and deportations that overwhelmed their city last summer. Maanvi Singh in The Guardian -- 7/9/26

Workplace

Kaiser nurses say technology is making their jobs — and patient care — worse -- Call center nurses at the health giant said workplace surveillance tools and AI prioritize speed and cost savings over quality and safety. Khari Johnson Calmatters -- 7/9/26

Not everyone is leaving California. A new commercial battery maker just landed in Sacramento -- A factory in Sacramento will be first in the country to make a new alternative to lithium-ion at commercial scale. Blanca Begert in the Los Angeles Times$ Annika Merrilees in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/9/26

Ex-Redlands deputy police chief was California’s highest city earner in 2025, but didn’t work a day -- Travis Martinez received $1.2 million in total wages in 2025, bolstered by an $872,000 settlement with the city for agreeing to retire. Joe Nelson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/9/26

Most California senators supported this ADA lawsuit bill. It died anyway -- Sen. Roger Niello’s proposal to give businesses more time to fix ADA violations before facing lawsuits won overwhelming Senate support. But it died without an Assembly hearing after judiciary chair Ash Kalra rejected the bill in favor of a competing approach. Kate Wolffe Calmatters -- 7/9/26

Housing

An Impending IPO Boom Has Sparked FOMO Among San Francisco Home Buyers -- As AI wealth drives up home prices, buyers are racing to purchase properties ahead of highly anticipated potential public offerings from OpenAI and Anthropic. Jessica Flint and E.B. Solomont in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/9/26

Education

UC weighs return of SAT amid early signs of changing views and faculty pressure -- The UC is reopening SAT/ACT debate six years after dropping tests as faculty sound alarms over students’ math and writing skills. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/26

University of California will consider using Smarter Balanced exam scores for admissions -- The state exams, administered to California 11th graders, could be a useful tool because they are designed to measure college readiness, proponents say. Michael Burke EdSource -- 7/9/26

Street

LAPD weighs canceling academy classes to get more cops on streets for Olympics -- The LAPD is considering whether to shut down its police academy for part of 2028 in order to put hundreds of officers back to work on the streets in time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to four department sources. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/26

Northern California home issued $100,000 fine over illegal Fourth of July fireworks -- A Northern California home faces a $100,000 citation after fire officials said drones captured people setting off numerous illegal fireworks during the Fourth of July holiday. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/9/26

Drones help issue citations for illegal fireworks and confiscate them in Anaheim, Santa Ana -- Drone teams in north Orange County cities helped police officers take illegal fireworks off of the streets and catch dozens of perpetrators lighting them on the Fourth of July, officials said. Nathaniel Percy in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/9/26

Therapy in a tent: The healthcare many homeless Californians need but aren’t getting -- Like many people who are or have been homeless, Jessica Scott struggles with debilitating anxiety. When she finally moved from her stepfather’s car into a Sacramento apartment a few weeks ago, she said one thing played a major role in helping her take that step: Therapy. Marisa Kendall Calmatters -- 7/9/26

Also

Rob Reiner receives posthumous Emmy nomination for ‘The Bear’ -- This marks Reiner’s first award nomination since his death in December and his first performance-related Emmy nom since 1978, when he won for supporting actor in a comedy series for “All in the Family.” Eloise Rollins-Fife in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/26

California man’s hand is blown off while he’s doing Fourth of July cleanup -- It was an ordinary day in Crescent City. Jason Turner and his girlfriend were taking a stroll on Point St. George Beach, picking up leftover Fourth of July fireworks debris along the way, when they noticed a shiny box with nails sticking out of it. Jazmin Alvarado in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/26

Arellano: The Trump ‘curse’ at the World Cup is his latest red card against Americans -- For the past 11 years, I’ve waited for a scandal, a slip up, a moment of clarity that would finally make President Trump’s supporters realize that their man is a charlatan. My fellow Americans, I think we finally found it. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/26

POTUS 47

Trump flies partway home from Turkey in an old Air Force One, not the new Qatari-gifted jet -- The travel switch raised fresh security questions about the new aircraft that the U.S. spent $400 million to retrofit. Images of the Qatari-gifted jet captured since its unveiling show it is not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets. Michelle L. Price, Konstantin Toropin Associated Press Tyler Pager, Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt and Eric Lipton in the New York Times$ -- 7/9/26

Trump orders new round of strikes after calling Iranian leaders ‘scum’ -- The president previewed the attack earlier in the day, later adding that any action would end quickly and suggesting the U.S. may reimpose a naval blockade. Michael Birnbaum, Victoria Craw and Dan Lamothe in the Washington Post$ -- 7/9/26

The Global Oil Market Isn’t Ready for the Iran Ceasefire to End -- America’s crude inventories are flirting with dangerous levels, while exports of gasoline and diesel hover near records. Collin Eaton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/9/26

Trump reopens the Iran war — and a political problem he can’t shake -- Republicans face fall elections tied to a conflict most voters oppose, unable to end it and mostly unwilling to break with the man who started it. Amy B Wang, Praveena Somasundaram and Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 7/9/26