California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Paramount shareholder lawsuit accuses Ellisons of ‘corruption’ -- The Delaware suit alleges Paramount won the bidding war for Warner Bros. by assuring President Trump there would be sweeping changes at CNN. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/26

Owner of boat that capsized near Alcatraz identified -- The man who died was identified Wednesday morning by the San Francisco medical examiner as Clifford Boisa, 79, of Sutter County. He was the older brother of John Boisa, 62, the Stockton man who owned and captained the vessel, the Volare. Sixteen people survived Tuesday’s sinking, including three who were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Megan Fan Munce, Aidin Vaziri, Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/26

 

Newsom’s populist turn on tech -- When Gavin Newsom recently proposed giving Americans equity shares in artificial intelligence companies, he was doing more than floating an economic policy. He was staking out what advisers and allies believe could be a defining populist cause of the 2028 campaign. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 7/15/26

Inside Anthropic’s state-by-state plan to ratchet up AI rules -- Artificial intelligence giant Anthropic is pursuing a strategy of one-upmanship that encourages states to impose increasingly tougher AI guardrails, rather than align around a single set of regulations. Christine Mui and Brendan Bordelon Politico -- 7/15/26

 

Alcatraz boat disaster leaves 1 dead, 2 missing after capsizing -- Sixteen people survived after the 49-foot cabin cruiser Volare took on water and capsized in rough seas between Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. Aidin Vaziri, St. John Barned-Smith, Aldo Toledo, Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/26

ICE

Trump Reverses ICE’s Decision to Suspend Traffic Stops -- The president’s move comes after a federal immigration officer fatally shot a 26-year-old man in Maine. Marianne LeVine in the Wall Street Journal$ Luena Rodriguez-Feo Vileira, Bernard Mcghee Associated Press -- 7/15/26

DHS has shot at least 17 motorists during immigration operations since 2025 -- These incidents have become more frequent as the Trump administration ramped up enforcement, a Washington Post analysis finds. Cole Reynolds in the Washington Post$ -- 7/15/26

 

After lawsuit, ICE pauses construction of Bay Area detention facility -- The voluntary pause until Sept. 9 comes after the California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and Santa Clara County officials sued the Trump administration last month to block the facility from being developed near Gilroy. The lawsuit remains ongoing. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/26

Faith groups form ‘sacred corridor’ outside San Francisco immigration court -- As individuals waited Tuesday morning for hearings at San Francisco’s federal immigration court, they were joined by a group of clergy members and parishioners offering prayers, words of encouragement, food, water and informational pamphlets. Davis Cuffe in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/26

Workplace

WGA sues Paramount, claiming Warner Bros. acquisition would take away jobs -- The Writers Guild of America sued Paramount on Tuesday, alleging that the company’s planned $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery violates federal antitrust law. The union said that with fewer competitors, the merged Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery business would be able to lower costs by reducing writers’ wages and work. Wendy Lee and Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ Wyatte Grantham-Philips Associated Press Molly Reinmann in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/15/26

Inside the states’ case to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger -- California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s big swing — leading a coalition of 12 state attorneys general to try to block Paramount Skydance’s $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery — could reverberate through the entertainment business for years to come. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/26

Christopher Nolan spent $250 million on ‘The Odyssey.’ This AI version cost almost nothing -- Just days before Christopher Nolan’s star-studded $250 million film “The Odyssey” invades theaters, an artificial intelligence startup with ties to the Bay Area announced it has made an AI version of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem on a budget of just a few thousand dollars. G. Allen Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/26

26 Meta employees sue, alleging AI-driven layoff picks hit workers on medical and parental leave -- A group of 26 Meta employees has sued the company, claiming it used artificial intelligence systems to select people for layoffs, disproportionately targeting those on medical, parental or family leave. Barbara Ortutay, Alexandra Olson Associated Press -- 7/15/26

Two Million Workers Are Locked Out of an Improving Job Market -- Federal data suggest that white-collar workers are spending the most time on the sidelines, with those in their prime working years particularly affected by long-term unemployment. “I go through lots of screening calls and they go nowhere,” said Norig Karakashian, an accountant in Glendale, Calif., who has been looking for a job for the last year and a half. Harriet Torry in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/15/26

The Fight Over Humanoid Robots Has Shut Down a Car Factory for the First Time -- This week, Hyundai’s auto workers in South Korea have gone on a partial strike. It is the car industry’s first factory stoppage addressing humanoid robots. Jiyoung Sohn, Jean Chung in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/15/26

Marketplace

The hottest AI models in Silicon Valley face a powerful source of competition -- Burdened by rising costs from labs like OpenAI and Anthropic, U.S. companies have begun to shift to Chinese models in a landmark adoption of the country’s software. Miriam Waldvogel in the Washington Post$ -- 7/15/26

Will CA empower ‘the little guy’ to sue the world’s biggest companies? -- The California Legislature is considering a bill that would make it easier for people to sue companies over alleged anti-competitive practices. But support for it is split among Democratic lawmakers who fear that the proposal would go too far in hurting businesses. Lynn La Calmatters -- 7/15/26

This invasive insect threatens California’s wine industry. It’s been linked to another Costco-sold plant -- Costco is warning California customers who recently bought desert willow plants that an invasive insect may be living on them, which can threaten grapevines and the state’s $73-billion wine industry. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/26

As fire season looms, tech startups come calling in DC -- Companies peddling smoke-spotting cameras, firefighting drones and forest-clearing robots are taking their pitch from California to the Capitol. Corbin Hiar and Camille von Kaenel Politico -- 7/15/26

 

Chad Bianco says he won’t endorse fellow Republican Steve Hilton ‘at this time’ -- The Riverside County sheriff has been silent about the election results after placing a distant fourth in the June primary, ignoring calls for unity from state party Chair Corrin Rankin. Ben Paviour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/15/26

Meet the man who wants to put a bronze statue of President Trump in Huntington Beach -- A Venice local and filmmaker-turned-art-broker is working to secure funding for what would be the third sculpture of the president he has helped facilitate. Lillian Ashworth in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/15/26

Anger grows in Boyle Heights as warehouse fire leaves stench, flies and vermin in its wake -- Nearly one month after a fire destroyed a massive cold-storage facility in Boyle Heights, the neighborhood has been overcome by the stomach-churning stench of rotting food. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/26

Water

A major Colorado River decision looms. Here’s how it will affect millions -- With the river in freefall, federal officials plan to intervene, possibly imposing large cuts to water usage in seven states. Effects would be felt beyond the West. Sarah Kaplan in the Washington Post$ -- 7/15/26

Water-saving San Diegans’ bills won’t go up as steeply as feared -- A court ruling against the city is having a major impact across California by casting doubt on the rate structures of all water agencies that reward conservation — in other words, nearly all of them. David Garrick in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 7/15/26

SAT

A new review of the SAT at University of California is coming by June 2027 -- A growing number of professors are pushing the UC to reinstate the SAT for undergraduate admissions, which the Board of Regents removed from the admissions process in 2020. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/26

Landslides

Scientists crack the code on predicting California’s deadly cliff collapses -- Scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography found that it is possible to predict a coastal landslide hours, sometimes days, before it happens. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/26

Street

5 things to know about undercover police stings in California jails -- The California Supreme Court is reviewing convictions that turned on undercover stings in jails known as Perkins operations. Cayla Mihalovich Calmatters -- 7/15/26

Also

House passes bill to 'ditch the switch' and make daylight saving time permanent -- The Senate passed a bill four years ago to make daylight saving time permanent, but it stalled in the House. Kevin Freking Associated Press -- 7/15/26

‘The Ring’ star Daveigh Chase, who died at 35 while homeless, leaves behind six-figure estate -- Legal documents filed July 8 in Los Angeles reveal Daveigh Chase left behind about $400,000 in personal property. Chase died June 16 in a hospital at age 35 of AIDS. Alexandra Del Rosario in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/26

This California Town Voted Its Council Out of Office. They’re Refusing to Leave -- Avenal is in political crisis as four recalled officials, including the mayor, cling to control in one of the more unusual power struggles to hit the state. Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/15/26

POTUS 47

Trump Dollar ‘Gold Coin’ to Go Into Production, Bessent Says -- President Trump has added his name or likeness to federal buildings, an airport, bridges and even some passports. Now, the U.S. Mint is striking a one-dollar coin featuring his face, in a rare and controversial move to put a sitting president on American money. Gareth Vipers and Richard Rubin in the Wall Street Journal$ Maegan Vazquez in the Washington Post$ -- 7/15/26

 

Trump’s Flip-Flop on Strait of Hormuz Fees Raises New Risks -- One day after proposing a fee for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump on Tuesday said the United States would instead guarantee safe passage to vessels from Persian Gulf states that agree to invest in the United States. It’s not clear how Mr. Trump’s plans would play out, and the president’s latest comments left questions unanswered. Jenny Gross in the New York Times$ -- 7/15/26

South Korean company paid Trump $2 million amid trade investigation -- A South Korean investor paid Trump's company $2 million while its aluminum firm fought a Commerce Department trade case, raising new conflict-of-interest questions. Cat Zakrzewski in the Washington Post$ -- 7/15/26

E Jean Carroll receives $5.6m owed by Trump after court releases damages -- A Manhattan federal court has released more than $5.6m that Donald Trump owes E Jean Carroll in her successful 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial against him, records reveal. Victoria Bekiempis in The Guardian -- 7/15/26