California Policy and Politics Sunday

LAUSD and teachers union reach tentative agreement days before threatened strike -- A tentative agreement between the LAUSD and the teachers union makes possible that a planned Tuesday strike could be averted. To avert a strike, agreements also must be reached with Local 99 of Service Employees International Union and Associated Administrators of Los Angeles. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ Mallika Seshadri, Betty Márquez Rosales Edsource -- 4/12/26

Trump fires entire San Francisco Presidio Trust board, all Biden appointees -- A year after threatening to “dramatically” downsize the operations of San Francisco’s Presidio, President Donald Trump has terminated the park’s board of trustees. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/26

Defiant Eric Swalwell digs in as DA opens investigation and staffers ‘stand’ with accusers -- A defiant Rep. Eric Swalwell is fighting on in his quest to become the next California governor despite growing calls to drop out, resign or even be expelled from Congress after the Chronicle reported Friday that a former staffer for the Castro Valley Democrat said he sexually assaulted her twice. Alexei Koseff, Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dustin Gardiner Politico Melody Gutierrez, Dakota Smith, Nicole Nixon and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ Orlando Mayorquín and Chris Hippensteel in the New York Times$ -- 4/12/26

Barabak: Eric Swalwell’s bid for California governor is over. Let the political scrambling begin -- Eric Swalwell’s campaign for governor is over, whether he admits it or not. For weeks, salacious talk swirled in campaign circles, ricocheted through email chains and was served up, like a buzzy side dish, over gossipy lunches from Sacramento to San Diego. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/26

Skelton: Bye, bye Eric. Swalwell needs to go -- There has never been a California governor’s race like this one. And that was even before the leading Democrat was shoved aside by shocking accusations of sexual assault. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/26

Push to Expel Swalwell Could Touch Off Chain Reaction of House Removal Votes -- The House could move within days to consider expelling Representative Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California, in light of sexual assault allegations against him. There could be more to come for both parties. Annie Karni in the New York Times$ -- 4/12/26

California Republicans are torn on following Trump’s lead in governor’s race -- President Donald Trump will face a test of his power Sunday in an unusual place: California, where the state’s Republican Party delegates will decide whether to follow his lead and endorse Fox News commentator Steve Hilton or buck him and back Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, an immigration hardliner who appeals to the party’s base. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Maura Fox in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 4/12/26

What each California governor candidate is campaigning on, according to 1.3 million ads -- Tom Steyer and Matt Mahan are running on housing and education. Eric Swalwell and Antonio Villaraigosa are running against Donald Trump. The candidates for California governor are spending millions of dollars on ads to define themselves against these issues — and more. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/26

Workplace

Meta, Oracle and Qualcomm share details on layoffs across California -- Oracle, Meta Platforms and Qualcomm have laid off hundreds of California workers, citing investments in artificial intelligence and cost-cutting measures. Workers worry that tech companies will automate tasks and shrink their workforce despite billions spent on AI development. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/26

Edison

Fire survivors call for audits of Edison’s wildfire prevention spending -- Fire survivors push for independent audits of Southern California Edison’s wildfire prevention spending after a Times investigation revealed it failed spend hundreds of millions of work it said was needed. The utility’s transmission line is now suspected of igniting the January 2025 Eaton fire, which killed 19 and destroyed thousands of homes. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/26

Data Centers

LA County cities weigh the data center question in the face of AI surge -- In a built-out region, the mere mention of data centers in local cities is sparking questions and concerns about power grid capacity and land use. San Gabriel Valley cities have become flashpoints. David Wilson, Joshua Silla in the LA Daily News -- 4/12/26

Homeless

Mayor Lurie says he’s trading S.F. shelter beds for sites with more services. Critics aren’t convinced -- As San Francisco overhauls its network of homeless shelters, a large facility near the Tenderloin that faced opposition from neighbors and the recent departure of its operator will close its doors. Lucy Hodgman, Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/26

Street

Sheriff’s lieutenant with million-pound fireworks stash led to deadly blast, prosecutors say -- Two pyrotechnic companies stored millions of pounds of explosives on the lieutenant’s property over the course of a decade, while he used his position to shield the illicit operation from scrutiny, prosecutors allege. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/26

POTUS 47

Trump threatens Strait of Hormuz blockade after U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks end without agreement -- President Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy would “immediately” begin a blockade to stop ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after historic U.S.-Iran peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement or next steps in sight. Munir Ahmed, Josh Boak, Sam Metz Associated Press Megan Messerly Politico Katie Rogers, Tyler Pager, Aaron Boxerman and Isabel Kershner in the New York Times$ Susannah George, Natalie Allison and Shaiq Hussain in the Washington Post$ -- 4/12/26

Tehran says US ‘failed to gain the trust’ of Iran negotiators in Pakistan -- In a statement on X, Ghalibaf said that his country had gone into the talks “with the necessary good faith and will” and had proposed “forward-looking initiatives.” But he added that “due to the experiences of the two previous wars, we have no trust in the opposing side.” Hanne Cokelaere Politico -- 4/12/26

Trump Says Iran’s Water and Electric Plants Are ‘Easy to Hit’ -- “The only thing left, really, is their water, which would be very devastating to hit,” Trump said Sunday on Fox News. “I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalinization plans, their electric generating plants, which are very easy to hit. Alex Leary in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/12/26

An Iran War Winner: China’s Green Industrial Complex -- Beijing’s push to sell its solar and wind power to the world gains momentum from Mideast troubles. Ed Ballard, Yusuf Khan and Hannah Miao in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/12/26