California Policy and Politics Thursday

‘The whole beach is gone’: Big waves, flooding bring destruction to SoCal coast. It’s a warning -- To begin to understand how a “super” El Niño winter could punish the Southern California coast, the historic wooden boardwalk on the Long Beach Peninsula may just offer a glimpse at what’s to come. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ Brian Rokos in the Orange County Register$ -- 9/10/26

 

Becerra backers with business in Sacramento spend tens of millions boosting his gubernatorial bid -- Powerful corporations and interest groups with business in Sacramento are among the donors that have poured nearly $50 million boosting Democrat Xavier Becerra’s bid for California governor, far outpacing Republican rival Steve Hilton. Seema Mehta and Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/10/26

California’s health care reckoning could soon become Becerra’s problem -- With Gavin Newsom is on his way out, advocates are hoping the former Biden Health secretary can rebuild California’s safety net despite fiscal pressures. Rachel Bluth Politico -- 9/10/26

Leaked emails reveal industry plan to kill California’s plastic and recycling laws -- Internal memos from a trade organization potentially impacted by California’s single use plastic law reveals a coordinated push to dismantle the landmark legislation by stoking anxiety over affordability and living costs. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/10/26

Few California Republicans flocked to Trump’s Texas convention. His speech drove home why -- With his approval rating down to 32%, gas prices soaring to $4.22 a gallon nationally and an Iran war that was supposed to be over in two weeks entering its sixth month, President Donald Trump summoned a first-ever midterm Republican National Committee convention to rally support in an effort to blunt a Republican bloodbath in the midterms. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/10/26

California, other states warn Supreme Court of ‘chaos’ if it lets USPS mail ballot rules stand -- California and nearly two dozen other states warned the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday that allowing the U.S. Postal Service to move forward with President Trump’s new rules for mail ballots in the November election would cause “chaos” and could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/10/26

Republican chief election officials say it is too late to implement Trump’s mail ballot order -- Seven Republican election officials urged the Supreme Court to not let the Trump administration’s controversial proposal go into effect for November. Elleiana Green Politico -- 9/10/26

Here’s How the Postal Service Could Refuse to Deliver Your Mail Ballot -- The plan, which two dozen states have challenged as unconstitutional, puts in place new requirements about who can receive mail ballots. Eileen Sullivan, Adam Sella, Lily Boyce in the New York Times$ -- 9/10/26

Trump references dropped from GOP Rep. Young Kim’s reelection website -- Fighting for reelection, Orange County Rep. Young Kim has removed several references to President Trump from her campaign website as she tries to broaden her appeal to voters in a race against fellow Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/10/26

‘For 2 years, we’ve held our tongues’: Democrats clap back at 1 of Silicon Valley’s biggest donors -- The crux of the fight is backward-looking: Who said what during a May 2024 White House meeting on AI policy? But it has big implications for this year’s midterms and the 2028 presidential race, including whether the tech billionaires dumping oceans of campaign cash have more to fear from pro-regulation Democrats or from President Donald Trump’s chaotic approach to AI. Brendan Bordelon Politico -- 9/10/26

Insurance

California sanctions insurer after it cut assisted living coverage to thousands -- More than 3,000 low-income seniors rely on Health Net to afford assisted living and caretaker services. State regulators say the insurer must transition these members to other services that meet their needs. Kristen Hwang Calmatters -- 9/10/26

What California’s insurance commissioner does — and how it affects your wallet -- Insurance commissioner may seem like an obscure regulatory position, but it’s a consequential one: It leads the Insurance Department, which regulates home, auto, life, health, workers’ comp and other insurance. The commissioner is tasked with making sure policies are available, premiums are affordable, and that insurance companies are delivering on their promises. Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 9/10/26

Major changes to California home insurance could be coming under bills headed to Newsom’s desk -- California lawmakers passed several bills aimed at remedying problems in California’s home insurance market — even as they postponed resolving complex questions surrounding the balance between insurance companies’ and electric utilities’ payouts when the latter’s equipment sparks wildfires. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/10/26

Marketplace

Justice Department seeks more information on $22-billion Roku deal after Trump blasts ouster of Fox News host -- Fox Corp.’s $22-billion acquisition of San José-based Roku, operator of streaming services and seller of hardware devices, seemed like a straightforward deal when it was announced in June: A growing media company was looking to bolster its presence in the fast-growing streaming industry. But, on Wednesday, the Trump administration weighed in. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/10/26

The Chronicle 200 returns: Bay Area’s largest public companies, ranked -- The last time we published the Chronicle 200, Chevron was No. 1. Since then, the Bay Area’s business landscape has transformed. See which company leads — and which ones are gone. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/10/26

Workplace

More Money Than They Ever Imagined—and No Clue How to Spend It -- There’s more money floating around the Bay Area than people have ever seen. If only those making it knew how to spend it. People working for AI companies are so busy and unfocused on traditional markers of wealth, many have yet to fully embrace the fruits of that labor. Katherine Bindley in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/10/26

Hollywood fears an AI future. China is already living it -- Chen Yilong has racked up plenty of film and TV credits in his two decades as an actor, but with work getting scarcer he signed a contract in August to license the image of his face to a Chinese production studio. Ling Wei and Liza Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/10/26

Housing

San Francisco Mayor to Declare Rent Emergency Amid A.I. Housing Frenzy -- Mayor Daniel Lurie of San Francisco on Thursday plans to declare a rent emergency and propose several actions to combat evictions as residents face a deepening housing crisis amid the A.I. boom. Heather Knight in the New York Times$ -- 9/10/26

S.F.’s long-stalled Candlestick Point project finally breaks ground on 7,200 homes after 25 years -- Widening a road from two to four lanes. Installing dedicated lanes for bikes and buses. Building sidewalks with street lights and underground stormwater systems to manage heavy rain and chronic flooding. These improvements are not as glamorous as a new hotel or park or affordable housing complex. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/10/26

ICE

Judge orders return of deported Oceanside resident and father of former U.S. Marine -- The San Diego federal judge ruled that the government violated the due process rights of Esteban Ríos, 57, who was deported to Mexico. Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/10/26

Wildfire

With support from loggers and (some) environmentalists, Congress unites on major wildfire bill -- Congress seems poised to pass the Fix Our Forests Act, which would expedite forest thinning work, test new firefighting tech and build up homes’ wildfire armor. Noah Haggerty in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/10/26

Education

UC Berkeley law school illegally weighed race in admissions, Justice Department alleges -- Federal civil rights officials allege UC Berkeley’s law school illegally favored Black applicants over white and Asian candidates. Campus leaders say Berkeley Law follows state and federal laws and admit students on merit. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/10/26

‘We actually saved a kid’: Schools recruit AI chatbots as counselor shortage persists -- More than 200 schools across the country have deployed an artificial intelligence chatbot to fill coverage gaps in mental health services for students. Vani Sanganeria EdSource -- 9/10/26

San Diego City College students rally to protest ICE arrest near campus -- The arrest happened Tuesday morning at the corner of 16th and C streets. Renatho Kemsley Casseus was taken into custody, while his passenger, also a student, ran and took refuge on campus. Both are Haitian immigrants. Alexander Nguyen, Mike Damron KPBS -- 9/10/26

Gas

Some San Diego drivers are literally counting pennies to cope with high gas prices -- With fuel prices rising at a relentless pace, some drivers around San Diego are coming up with unusual strategies to scrape their way from one trip to the pump to another. Managers of the Petromerica gas station on 16th Avenue and F Street say a few customers come to the counter with coins. No, not bitcoin — actual coins. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/10/26

Street

Justice Department launches investigation into conditions at L.A. County men’s jail, after years of complaints -- The government will look into whether Los Angeles County has provided “humane” conditions to individuals housed there, and notified Sheriff Robert Luna of the federal inquiry in a letter Wednesday, according to a Justice Department press release. Salvador Hernandez and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/10/26

California has one-quarter of all the nation’s death sentences. Will Newsom commute them all? -- More than 560 people still face death sentences in California, despite a longstanding moratorium on executions. Maurice Chammah and Jill Castellano Calmatters -- 9/10/26

AI

Newsom signs AI safety bills backed by Anthropic, OpenAI -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed two bills regulating how outside groups evaluate AI programs for safety after warnings from a former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher stoked fears about existential threats posed by the technology. Christine Mui in the Los Angeles Times$ Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/10/26

How Would AI Actually Kill Us All? What to Know About the AI Doomsday Debate -- A growing chorus of AI researchers say the technology could wipe out humans—even if all the bots want to do is make paper clips. Sam Schechner in the Wall Street Journal$ Kate Conger in the New York Times$ Miriam Waldvogel and Ian Duncan in the Washington Post$ -- 9/10/26

Lawmakers are at a loss for how to regulate AI as insiders warn of impending doom -- Members of Congress are confronting a grim reality: They are ill-equipped to rein in advanced artificial intelligence that one expert warns could “kill us all” by the end of the decade. Riley Rogerson and Kelsey Brugger Politico -- 9/10/26

Could Your Chatbot Be Stealing Ideas From You? It’s a Thorny Question -- A controversy around OpenAI’s latest math proof raises a fear that might become increasingly common: that A.I. tools could take valuable insights from one user and hand them to another. Cade Metz in the New York Times$ -- 9/10/26

Also

California sues over Trump’s changes to Endangered Species Act, arguing they threaten habitat -- The Trump administration reinterpreted the Endangered Species Act to counter what it called “federal overreach.” California is suing to block its changes, arguing they threaten vital habitat. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 9/10/26

‘Immaculate condition:’ Rare mastodon fossil found in San Mateo County creek -- Brigid Lynch was walking through a redwood forest in the San Mateo County hills when she noticed something unusual, half-submerged in the flowing water through a creek: a big smooth object that didn’t look like any of the other rocks. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/10/26

POTUS 47

Trump’s Top Advisers Confront Possibility That Iran War Lasts Through End of Term -- Top White House advisers have raised privately with President Trump the prospect that the Iran war could drag on through the remainder of his term, U.S. officials said, a message at odds with Trump’s public assurances of a swift victory. Alexander Ward, Shelby Holliday and Michael R. Gordon in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/10/26

60 Posts in 10 Hours: How Trump’s Social Media Reflects His Version of Reality -- With an assist from A.I., President Trump offers a window into how he wants to be seen — and, critics say, a barometer of his mental state. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 9/10/26

Trump administration proposes changes to census that could exclude millions -- Millions of residents could be excluded from the U.S. census, congressional representation could be reshaped and federal funds could be reallocated across states under changes proposed by the Trump administration. Amy B Wang in the Washington Post$ Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times$ Michelle Hackman and Paul Overberg in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/10/26

Trump Wants to Give Out $5,000 Checks. It Would Cost More Than $1 Trillion -- The president’s pledge to hand every American adult a “dividend” if Republicans keep control of Congress in the midterm elections raises questions. John Yoon in the New York Times$ Aoife Walsh and Victoria Craw in the Washington Post$ Jonathan J. Cooper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/10/26