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California Policy and Politics Thursday

Voters in poll side with Newsom, Democrats on Prop. 50 — a potential blow to Trump and GOP -- A Nov. 4 statewide ballot measure pushed by California Democrats to help the party’s efforts to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives and stifle President Trump’s agenda has a substantial lead in a new poll released on Thursday. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Gavin Newsom’s biggest political test yet is on the ballot next Tuesday -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is staking his political future on Prop. 50. How long will it pay off? Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 10/30/25

Newsom’s redistricting campaign unlocks a new donor army ahead of 2028 -- The ballot initiative has brought in far more donors from across the nation than the governor's statewide campaigns. Melanie Mason and Jessica Piper Politico -- 10/30/25

Arnold Schwarzenegger Has Become Gavin Newsom’s Toughest Opponent Yet -- California governors past and present tangle over gerrymandering measure: pumping iron, throwing ketchup and a suspected Hall of Fame snub. Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/30/25

Would Prop. 50 really flip two Central Valley seats? It’s a gamble -- There’s just one hitch: Even if the congressional redraw passes, California’s 13th and 22nd districts would remain quite competitive. In some ways, Newsom is putting the outcome of Prop. 50 – his most high-profile fight yet with President Trump – on voters in a region where he’s not that popular, even among members of his own party. Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/30/25

What happens when an election skeptic runs elections? In this California county, they’re finding out -- Limiting voting options, promoting secessionists and hiring elections deniers — Clint Curtis is causing a stir as Shasta County’s new registrar. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/25

Days before Palisades inferno, firefighters were ordered to leave smoldering burn site -- Firefighters alerted a battalion chief that areas of a New Year’s Day fire in Pacific Palisades, known as the Lachman fire, were still smoldering the next day, according to text messages. The firefighters were ordered to pack up and leave anyway, instead of monitoring the burn area for reignitions. Paul Pringle and Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Months after fire in Altadena, determination turns to despair -- A pickleball group chat morphed into a network of thousands of survivors. In recent months, distressed messages have increased. The network has been vocal critics of Edison’s early settlement proposal and have pushed insurance carriers to compensate fairly. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Californians confront costly fallout of Congress stalemate as health insurance prices skyrocket -- Sticker shock over health insurance is taking hold in California as the shutdown stalemate drags on in Washington. Rachel Bluth Politico -- 10/30/25

OpenAI just cut a deal with California. Critics say it’s full of holes -- The company behind ChatGPT is converting to a for-profit company and settling an investigation by California’s attorney general. Experts and advocates say the company could still exploit its charitable roots. Khari Johnson and Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 10/30/25

Why a small change in paperwork is generating a big fight over hazardous waste in California -- Just as consumers can track a package from a warehouse to their doorstep, California regulators keep tabs on the movement of hazardous waste, even on a short journey. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde Calmatters -- 10/30/25

Bill Essayli says he isn’t going anywhere -- Bill Essayli said Wednesday he isn’t going anywhere after a judge ruled that he has been illegally serving in his role as Los Angeles’ top prosecutor — and that the decision only affirmed the Trump administration’s power to install the attorneys of its choice in these offices. Rachel Bluth and Nicole Norman Politico -- 10/30/25

S.F. will cover SNAP recipients’ missed payments. But the rest of the Bay Area is panicking -- More than 5 million Californians will stop getting federal SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, on Saturday — at the same time health care premiums will be spiking — creating a perfect storm that could shred the social safety net that protects low-income Americans. Joe Garofoli, Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/25

Water

California can enforce its landmark groundwater law, court rules -- California water officials can move ahead with enforcement of the state’s landmark groundwater regulation after an appellate court ruled Wednesday that a state crackdown on pumping in Kings County is likely, in large part, legal. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/25

Workplace

Amazon’s mass layoffs hit 1,400 California jobs, including hundreds in Bay Area -- Hundreds of jobs across the Bay Area and California will be impacted by Amazon’s mass layoffs announced this week, part of a sweeping corporate restructuring tied to the company’s accelerating push into artificial intelligence. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/25

Disneyland Resort lays off 100 people in Anaheim -- Disney attributed the cuts to an increase in hiring after the parks reopened once the COVID-19 pandemic waned. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

LACMA employees unionize as museum works to open $720-million building -- The effort comes six months before the opening of the David Geffen Galleries and just days before the splashy Art + Film gala, co-hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio. Jessica Gelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

When the federal shutdown closed this national park, rangers took to the classroom -- On a sunny morning, 17 students from a preschool here in Marin huddle as close as possible to furloughed interpretive park ranger Adrian Boone of the Muir Woods National Monument. Jenny Gold in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Marketplace

Warner Bros. Discovery is up for sale. Why CEO David Zaslav isn’t ready to give up the reins -- Paramount Chairman David Ellison offered $58 billion for Warner Bros. Discovery, even suggesting CEO David Zaslav could stay to lead the combined entertainment giant. Zaslav and the board rejected the offer and opened an auction to other bidders, betting he can drive up the stock price as the company finally shows turnaround signs. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Education

Most of California’s public K-12 students go to school on campuses with virtually no shade -- A team of researchers collected data on thousands of public schoolyards in California, and found that the vast majority lack adequate tree cover and are paved with surfaces that radiate excessive heat. Tyrone Beason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Climate

Humanity is on path toward ‘climate chaos,’ scientists warn -- As global warming intensifies storms, droughts and wildfires, the scientists warn that “the window to prevent the worst outcomes is rapidly closing.” Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Santa Ana winds, heat trigger power shutoff for thousands of Southern Californians -- The first Santa Anas of the season triggered a power shutoff for thousands of Southern Californians on Wednesday as utilities, firefighters and health officials were put on alert for impacts from the strong winds and unseasonably warm temperatures. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Education

California’s next university has a plan and programs. All it needs is a campus -- By 2027 students in South County San Diego County will be able to earn eight different bachelor’s degrees from three public universities while enrolled in the new Chula Vista University. That’s before it even has a campus. Deborah Brennan Calmatters -- 10/30/25

Housing

Lurie’s ‘Family Rezoning’ would fall far short of sate housing goals, new report says -- A new city report says Mayor Daniel Lurie’s proposed “Family Zoning” plan would generate far less housing than the planning department is projecting, an analysis that comes as the Board of Supervisors gears up for a November vote to increase residential building heights and densities in swaths of San Francisco’s northern and western neighborhoods. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/30/25

Homeless

Can $750 a month help people exit homelessness? -- A new USC study found that giving $750 a month to homeless individuals helped stabilize their lives, but wasn’t enough to significantly improve housing options. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Street

Masked men impersonating FBI agents rob Jurupa Valley home -- A brazen robbery caught on video showed three masked men dressed as FBI agents entering a Riverside County home before restraining the occupants and robbing them. The video went viral and puts a focus on the state’s new anti-mask law for federal agents, which takes effect on Jan. 1 and was adopted in response to the recent federal immigration raids conducted by masked agents. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

San Jose pushes policies to support immigrant community amid federal crackdown -- San Jose has approved its own local rules preventing law enforcement officers from concealing their faces in most scenarios. Devan Patel in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/30/25

Feds charge 12 in alleged violence, attacks on police during immigration protests -- Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced charges Wednesday against people who allegedly assaulted law enforcement officers during protests earlier this year. Many of the charges stem from demonstrators throwing items at police from a freeway overpass on June 8. James Queally and Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

County will pay $16M over 22-year-old’s death in San Diego jail, its biggest such settlement ever -- The agreement comes weeks after two significant rulings in the plaintiffs’ favor, and 16 months after the county paid $14 million in the death of Elisa Serna five years earlier — at the time a record payout. Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 10/30/25

Newton: In Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park, a fence won’t cure homelessness or addiction. But it’s a start -- Los Angeles struggles to balance its humane responses to addiction and homelessness with its more instant but often less durable alternatives — police action. MacArthur Park, a 35-acre space in the heart of L.A.’s Westlake neighborhood, is proving to be a frustrating testing ground. Jim Newton Calmatters -- 10/30/25

Also

Arellano: Bodies are stacking up in Trump’s deportation deluge. It’s going to get worse -- Like a teenager armed with their first smartphone, President Trump’s masked immigration enforcers love nothing more than to mug for friendly cameras. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Elk are again roaming on lands that California has returned to the Tule River Indian Tribe -- More than 17,000 acres of ancestral lands were returned to the Tule River Indian Tribe, part of a state effort to address historical wrongs committed against Native Americans. The return will enable a host of conservation projects, including reintroduction of Tule elk. Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/30/25

Walters: Erie Canal creation contrasts with the glacial pace of public works in California -- This week one of the nation’s earliest and most important public works projects, the 363-mile Erie Canal linking the Hudson River with Lake Erie, marked its 200th anniversary. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 10/30/25

POTUS 47

Trump cuts tariffs on China after ‘12 out of 10’ meeting with Xi -- In return, the Chinese leader agreed to delay restrictions on rare earth minerals for a year, Trump said after a meeting designed to soothe trade tensions. Cat Zakrzewski, Natalie Allison and Katrina Northrop in the Washington Post$ Katie Rogers, Erica L. Green, David E. Sanger and Qasim Nauman in the New York Times$ Josh Chin and Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/30/25

Trump Threatens to Resume Nuclear Weapons Testing, Minutes Before Xi Meeting -- Just minutes before he was scheduled to meet President Xi Jinping of China, the president threatened on social media to resume nuclear testing for the first time in 33 years. David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ Michael R. Gordon and Alex Leary in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/30/25

The Art of Letting Trump Claim a Win, While Walking Away Stronger -- When Xi Jinping walked out of his meeting with President Trump on Thursday, he projected the confidence of a powerful leader who could make Washington blink. The outcome of the talks suggested that he succeeded. Lily Kuo and David Pierson in the New York Times$ -- 10/30/25

Most Americans oppose East Wing demolition for Trump ballroom, poll finds -- Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom building by a 2-to-1 margin, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Thursday. Dan Diamond, Andrew Ba Tran and Jonathan Edwards in the Washington Post$ -- 10/30/25