California Policy and Politics Saturday

Billionaires Prepare $87 Million Ad Campaign to Block California Wealth Tax -- A coalition backed by the Google co-founder Sergey Brin and wealthy tech investors is trying to neutralize a proposed one-time tax on the state’s richest residents. Theodore Schleifer and Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/26

 

Newsom continues crackdown on cities over housing plan requirements. ‘No city gets a pass,’ governor says -- The Newsom administration is suing five more California cities — Calexico, Costa Mesa, Half Moon Bay, Ridgecrest and Turlock — for failing to complete state-mandated housing plans, known as the “housing element.” Huntington Beach was the first city to face such a legal action, and it recently finalized its housing element plans following a court-order and massive fines. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

He grew up in San Francisco. Now he can’t afford to raise his daughter here -- Among the usual posters for art openings and yoga workshops stapled to a coffee shop bulletin board in Bernal Heights, a plaintive housing flyer stands out. “Looking for our dream home in San Francisco!” it reads, over pictures of a smiling young couple with their daughter in a baby sling and a spotted dog at their heels. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/26

 

Trump escalates election attacks, threatens California over voter data -- The Trump administration threatened to punish California and other Democratic states that refuse its demands for voter data. ‘Try us,’ California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in response to the threat. Ana Ceballos, Justine McDaniel and Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

Arellano: Trump’s noncitizen voting fraud claims will backfire. Just look at history -- Thirty years ago this fall, a Republican politician cried electoral fraud after losing a close race. Orange County Rep. Bob Dornan couldn’t accept the most logical explanations for why Loretta Sanchez beat him in a historic upset: that voters had tired of his polarizing politics. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

 

Paramount offers to briefly delay Warner Bros. merger as court battle heats up -- Paramount Skydance’s top antitrust attorney told a judge Friday that David Ellison’s company would voluntarily delay its proposed $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery at least until mid-August amid a legal challenge brought by 12 state attorneys general. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

This is how Tennessee tries to woo Paramount and other companies away from California -- As California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta gathered a coalition of 12 state attorneys general to try to block Paramount’s $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Tennessee slid into Paramount’s DMs, suggesting it would be better treated in the southern state. Lily Wright in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

 

Paul Pelosi charged with hit-and-run in California -- Pelosi, 86, of St. Helena, was charged with a misdemeanor hit-and-run. The Napa County Sheriff’s Office alleged that Pelosi crashed his brown Maserati GranCabrio into an unoccupied parked vehicle and left the scene of the crash without providing information as required by law. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/26

 

Orange County demands $4 million from company at center of Garden Grove chemical crisis -- The multimillion-dollar bill is meant to reimburse the county for costs incurred while dealing with the incident, which forced about 50,000 residents to flee as firefighters warned that a 7,000-gallon volatile chemical tank was at risk of exploding or causing a major spill. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

‘You can’t even breathe’: Regulators cite Lineage over putrid odor of rotting meat spreading in Boyle Heights -- Air regulators have slapped Lineage Logistics with multiple violations related to the putrid odor at its Boyle Heights facility after receiving more than 900 complaints from residents since Sunday. Clara Harter and Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

 

California-based Taylor Farms pulls iceberg lettuce from U.S. amid cyclosporiasis outbreak -- Taylor Farms, the California company that is being investigated for the cyclosporiasis outbreak, according to multiple news outlets, has responded to concerns about the safety of its lettuce and announced it is taking the produce in question off the market. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ Ethan Baron, Chris Hamilton in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/18/26

 

El Niño is here: Five major myths about what it is and what it could mean for California’s weather -- Every day, there are fresh news stories, breathless claims on social media and new questions and concerns from people wondering what it all might mean. That torrent of attention comes with lots of misinformation and misunderstandings, experts say. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/18/26

Environmental groups press to halt Imperial Valley lithium venture -- Controlled Thermal Resources wants to extract lithium from hot brine that will be used to power a geothermal electricity plant it plans to build. This type of lithium removal is different from traditional hardrock mining or evaporation ponds. The project also would need 6,500 acre-feet of fresh water annually for washing the mineral and cooling. Blanca Begert in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/26

Guns

Toddler accidently kills himself with firearm in San Bernardino County. Mom and boyfriend arrested -- Investigators determined the child found a gun between two seat cushions on a couch and shot himself, according to the release. The child’s mother, Jamaria Cobb, and her boyfriend, Armand Bright, were inside the home when the shooting happened. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ Sydney Barragan in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/18/26

Street

Forest Service workers taken hostage, held at gunpoint in remote NorCal trailer, feds say -- Two U.S. Forest Service employees working in a remote area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest were kidnapped, zip-tied and held inside a trailer for more than 17 hours before being rescued Friday morning, authorities said. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/26

Also

‘Help me, I can’t swim’: Fishermen recount frantic rescue of sinking S.F. boat -- People were clinging to the side of the overturned boat and to a kiteboarder that stopped to help. Inside the cabin, three people banged on the windows as the water rose past their knees. Megan Fan Munce, Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/26

SFPD boat locates wreck of the Volare that capsized near Alcatraz -- Police on Friday located the underwater wreckage of the Volare, a 49-foot cabin cruiser that sank in the San Francisco Bay on Tuesday, killing at least two people and leaving two others missing. San Francisco police said the agency’s marine unit had been using mounted sonar to locate the vessel since its sinking. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Clara Harter in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/26

They Were Charged With Assaulting ICE Agents. The Cases Are Crumbling -- Of the more than 400 cases resolved so far, nearly half have unraveled: Juries acquitted defendants, judges threw out charges, or prosecutors withdrew them. Mike McIntire, Danny Hakim, Alexandra Berzon, Jazmine Ulloa and Lauren McCarthy in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/26

POTUS 47

US military says 2 troops are dead and 1 is missing after Iran attacks a base in Jordan -- The U.S. military on Saturday announced the first U.S. troop deaths due to direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war, saying two were killed and another was missing in an attack on a base in Jordan. Jon Gambrell, Toqa Ezzidin Associated Press -- 7/18/26

 

Judge rules OMB can’t retroactively nix grants based on new rules -- U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, denied the Trump administration’s request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by 20 states, three governors and the District of Columbia challenging the cancellation of billions of dollars in federal grant awards since President Donald Trump was inaugurated last year. Jennifer Scholtes and Kyle Cheney Politico -- 7/18/26

Trump says 278,000 noncitizens are on voting rolls. Experts say that’s wrong -- “We can affirm that on its face, we refute these claims. These numbers are wildly speculative at best and the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t shared anything that backs it up,” Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said in a statement. Perry Stein, Isaac Arnsdorf, Patrick Marley and Lauren Kaori Gurley in the Washington Post$ Sam Levine in The Guardian -- 7/18/26

Trump’s Election Claims Land With a Whimper Among Republicans -- Most G.O.P. lawmakers had little to say about the president’s claims of election vulnerabilities, and he did not appear to move the needle on the voting restriction bill he championed. Michael Gold, Carl Hulse, Reid J. Epstein and Erik Wemple in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/26

Trump’s Week of Policy U-Turns and Election Allegations -- President’s recent moves have frustrated some Republicans, who worry he isn’t focused on the economy ahead of the midterms. Meridith McGraw, Brian Schwartz and Lindsay Wise in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/18/26

 

California Policy and Politics Friday

Trump accuses California of registering thousands of noncitizen voters; Newsom scoffs -- Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Sen. Alex Padilla said Trump’s speech was an alarming indication he plans to interfere in the midterm elections. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Blake Jones and Lindsey Holden Politico -- 7/17/26

Newsom's Silicon Valley dilemma comes to a head: Friend or foe? -- A wave of AI and social media bills is heading toward the governor's desk in his final months in office. How he handles them will help shape his legacy, and his 2028 ambitions. Chase DiFeliciantonio Politico -- 7/17/26

Newsom hires prominent litigator Abbe Lowell to fight DOJ probe -- The Democratic governor is turning to a lawyer with a long history of defending targets of the Trump administration. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 7/17/26

California billionaire tax backers work Washington -- An official with the health care union championing the proposed one-time, 5 percent tax on billionaires’ assets met with California’s House delegation and the House Progressive Caucus this week, seeking to build political support for a ballot measure that has roiled California politics and drawn the opposition of Gov. Gavin Newsom and other labor unions. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 7/17/26

These California Republicans have one advantage in the race for Congress: Money -- A clear primary field and a favorable U.S. Supreme Court ruling could help these California Republicans eke out wins in the state’s remaining swing districts. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 7/17/26

 

California restricts utility shutoffs as dangerous heat ripples across state -- California bars utilities from cutting off power to customers who fall behind on their bills when it’s dangerously hot outside – a basic safety protection. Losing power in some rural areas can also mean losing water, and in cities, having no way to cool down can be dangerous, even deadly, when hot weather spans several days. Alejandro Lazo Calmatters -- 7/17/26

Workplace

Newsom curbs fund paying workers up to $1,700 a week for common ailments -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed immediate reforms to a state fund that paid as much as $1,700 weekly to people claiming that such common ailments as allergies, asthma and erectile dysfunction hampered their ability to work. Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/17/26

AI

China’s Moonshot AI Releases Model to Challenge Top U.S. Systems -- The model has surprised many in Silicon Valley with its advanced capabilities. Tracy Qu and Raffaele Huang in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/17/26

AI’s Wider Availability Is Good for China, Not Great for OpenAI and Anthropic -- Intelligence ‘too cheap to meter’ could threaten the leading AI labs, while creating opportunity for their competitors. Christopher Mims in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/17/26

China’s Leader Pitches ‘Openness’ in Push to Shape A.I.’s Future -- The remarks by Xi Jinping highlighted how China plans to compete for A.I. leadership with the United States, even if Mr. Xi never mentioned it by name. Steve Lohr in the New York Times$ -- 7/17/26

ICE

Judge demands immigrants at Adelanto get clean water and medical care -- The ruling comes as scrutiny over the conditions inside immigrant detention centers in the Trump administration continues to mount. Wendy Fry and Sergio Olmos Calmatters -- 7/17/26

DHS $1.5 billion California ICE detention facilities purchase may limit oversight -- The Department of Homeland Security’s purchase of two privately-run immigration detention facilities in California is likely an attempt to circumvent current and future state oversight, according to legal experts, lawmakers and immigration advocates. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/17/26

Earthquake

The San Andreas fault has gone ominously silent. Scientists fear when it finally snaps -- It lurks ominously beneath California’s many natural wonders, a reminder that nothing in this landscape is truly permanent. It’s been described as “the mother of all earthquake faults,” the source of both our geological birth and, perhaps, our ultimate undoing. Rong-Gong Lin II, Sean Greene, Eric Thayer in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/26

Wildfire

Fire survivors were finally ready to rebuild homes. A new barrier is leaving them ‘demoralized’ -- More than a year after the Eaton and Palisades fires, families are finally rebuilding. But many are hitting a new roadblock: their mortgage lenders are delaying and denying access to their insurance funds held in escrow. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/26

Develop

California Forever loses $3.2 billion shipyard contract as defense startup picks Texas -- California Forever’s bid to recruit a major industrial tenant for a planned waterfront shipbuilding facility in Solano County has slipped away, a significant blow to the ambitious but heavily scrutinized billionaire-backed plan to build an entire new city on thousands of acres of farmland. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/17/26

Cyclosporiasis

Lettuce supplier identified as potential source of cyclosporiasis outbreak -- A Salinas Valley agricultural giant may be the source of the cyclospora-contaminated lettuce outbreak linked to Taco Bell, the Washington Post reported Thursday. Lucy Hodgman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/17/26

Housing

Mobile homes, an overlooked refuge of affordability, are disappearing in L.A. Residents fight to stay -- Despite rents as low as a few hundred dollars a month in cities like Carson, park owners can often make more money by selling, leaving homeowners powerless on land they don’t own. Audrey McGlinchy, Gina Ferazzi, Allen J. Schaben in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/26

California sues 5 cities for missing deadlines for new housing -- State officials escalated their campaign to build affordable housing in California on Thursday, filing lawsuits that accused five cities of flouting legal deadlines for submitting plans to meet housing shortages. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/17/26

State sues Costa Mesa for not complying with housing law. One city leader is crying foul -- Costa Mesa is among five cities being sued by the state for failing to produce mandated housing plans in a timely manner, the governor’s office announced Thursday. But one city leader is calling the state’s complaint misleading and unfair. Sara Cardine in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/26

Education

New rule caps foreign student visas at four years, jolting California campuses -- Foreign college students and campuses across California are scrambling after the federal government finalized a rule Friday limiting international student visas to four years — a change that takes effect this fall and clouds the futures of those who typically need to stay longer, including doctoral and medical students. Francesca Pinney in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/26

Also

S.F. July 4 traffic meltdown: Lurie urges state leaders to clamp down on Waymo -- San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has called on state regulators to set new standards for robotaxis during major events, following a July 4 traffic disaster that appeared to stem from stalled Waymo vehicles. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/17/26

‘They’re going to kill me’: A Waymo rider was trapped inside as vandals smashed the robotaxi -- Watson grew frantic. He asked Waymo’s support team when law enforcement would arrive, but they didn’t know. He asked if they could move the car, and they declined, saying it was obstructed. From the corner of his eye, Watson saw one of the assailants staring at him through the passenger-side window. The man swung “something heavy,” he said, and struck the laminated glass. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/17/26

House approves Rep. Robert Garcia’s bill making major changes to loose change -- The U.S. House on Tuesday, July 14, by a unanimous voice vote, passed a bill from Reps. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, and Lisa McClain, R-Michigan, that legally ends the production of the penny and sets a federal standard allowing businesses to round prices to the nearest nickel for cash transactions. Charlie Borla in the LA Daily News -- 7/17/26

POTUS 47

Trump rails against election systems — and familiar enemies -- None of the information Trump described appears to support his long-running claims that the 2020 election was stolen or that ballots and vote totals were manipulated. Kyle Cheney, Alex Gangitano and John Sakellariadis Politico Julian E. Barnes and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ Ken Thomas, Brian Schwartz and Vera Bergengruen in the Wall Street Journal$ Isaac Arnsdorf and Warren P. Strobel in the Washington Post$ Robert Tait in The Guardian Ana Ceballos and Justine McDaniel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/16/26

Trump Has Systematically Dismantled Election Security Efforts. Here’s How -- Despite his stated concern about U.S. election security, President Trump during his second term has overseen significant cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, including to its election work. Mr. Trump made no acknowledgment of those cuts in his speech on Thursday. Dustin Volz in the New York Times$ -- 7/17/26

The Many Ways Trump Is Trying to Tip the Scales for the Midterms -- Many of these efforts have been blocked by courts, stymied by the Constitution or stopped in Congress. But the relentless assault by the president on the electoral process — both administratively and rhetorically — is likely to sow doubt and lay groundwork for extensive challenges to election results. Karen Yourish, Nick Corasaniti and Charlie Smart in the New York Times$ -- 7/17/26

Trump Media to Sell Faster Access to President’s Social Posts --President Trump broke with tradition by posting near-constant policy decisions and market-moving news on his social-media platform. Now his media company wants traders and investors to pay for instant access to his Truth Social posts, the latest example of the first family mixing its business interests and White House affairs. Dean Seal and David Uberti in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/17/26

Top Treasury Tax Official Ousted After Clashes With White House Over IRS Audits -- Treasury’s top tax policy official Kenneth Kies was forced out after warning the White House risked violating a law barring officials from influencing IRS audits. Brian Schwartz, Richard Rubin and Josh Dawsey in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/17/26