California Policy and Politics Thursday

California dodges a bullet on Colorado River cuts -- California, Arizona and Nevada offered to cut water use to ease the Colorado River crisis. Now, as the Trump administration prepares to announce a plan for dealing with the water shortages, it’s set to accept much of what the three states proposed. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/26

 

California wants to build biggest reservoir in 50 years. There may not be enough water to fill it -- The plan to build California’s largest new reservoir in 50 years has hit a major snag, threatening to undermine the $6 billion water-supply project and prompting outcry from supporters. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/26

OpenAI and Anthropic could go public for trillions. Will S.F. cash in? -- With local titans OpenAI and Anthropic poised for two of the biggest stock market debuts ever — potentially topping $1 trillion each — how much of that wealth will flow back to the city? Not much — at least not directly — experts told the Chronicle. Roland Li, J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/26

Measles surge dramatically in California among children and young adults -- Measles cases have doubled in California so far this year compared to last year — and 2026 is barely half over. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/26

 

Immigration sweeps in L.A. cost businesses millions in revenue, UCLA study finds -- Researchers found there were 46,000 fewer customer visits among formal businesses within half a mile of nine documented enforcement sites and an estimated $3.16 million in accumulated revenue losses during the two weeks after enforcement activity. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ Julia Barajas LAist -- 7/23/26

The Choice Facing Some Immigrants: Pay $1.8 Million in Fines or Leave -- The Trump administration is aggressively deploying a potent tool to pressure undocumented immigrants into self-deporting — civil fines that can total as much as $1.8 million. Miriam Jordan in the New York Times$ -- 7/23/26

New student visa limits could ripple through Bay Area labs and campuses -- International college students across the Bay Area are rushing to adapt to new Trump administration restrictions on student visas, which could make it more challenging to complete doctoral degrees, conduct scientific research or transfer schools. Delilah Brumer in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/26

Man who threw cinder block chunks during anti-ICE protest in L.A. gets prison sentence -- Jacob Daniel Terrazas, 31, previously pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor count of simple assault on a federal officer. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/26

 

Nancy Pelosi, Ro Khanna and other California lawmakers defend KGO in letter to FCC -- California lawmakers are siding with KGO-TV as the ABC station fights to stay on the air. Desiree Luo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/23/26

Newsom appoints podcaster Scott Galloway to UC Board of Regents -- A professor of marketing at NYU, Galloway has founded several companies in the consulting and digital research fields, and served on the board of directors for Urban Outfitters, Panera Bread and The New York Times. Eric He Politico -- 7/23/26

Covered California rates to jump nearly 10% as thousands struggle to afford coverage -- Health insurers are raising rates for plans sold through Covered California by an average of nearly 10% for the second consecutive year, compounding the loss of federal subsidies that sent customer payments soaring as marketplace enrollment fell by about 170,000 people. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/23/26

Warehouse fire aftermath

Giant rats, bright green flies, putrid smells: Unbearable conditions in near Boyle Heights warehouse, residents say -- Residents describe the conditions they’ve been living in nearly a month after a fire damaged a cold storage food warehouse in Boyle Heights. Salvador Hernandez, Allen J. Schaben in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/26

Insurance

Four myths about insurance in California -- Disasters aside, property insurance affects where people live, how neighborhoods are formed, whether people can drive to work, and more. As the state’s residents prepare to vote for a new insurance commissioner in November, here’s a look at a few common myths about insurance in California. Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 7/23/26

Homeless

The Bay Area has a massive shelter shortage. More beds alone won’t solve homelessness -- Only a third of the Bay Area’s homeless residents are sheltered, and fewer than half who leave shelters find permanent housing. Luis Melecio-Zambrano and Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/23/26

Education

Cal State gives $340K job to ex-president who stepped down after discrimination lawsuit -- The Cal State chancellor has announced a new consultant role for the outgoing president of Cal State San Bernardino, Tomás Morales, who stepped down after he was sued for discrimination and harassment. Cal State settled his case as part of a $12 million settlement. For the next year, he will consult on international education programs, earning $343,920. Phoebe Huss Calmatters Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/26

UC targets high school course requirements amid SAT debate. What aspiring students need to know -- As UC reconsiders whether to bring back SAT and ACT scores, faculty are also launching a review of the high school course requirements for admission. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/26

Climate

How climate change could redraw California’s wine map -- Researchers from Japan’s Tohoku University published a granular investigation of California viticulture in a changing climate and found a redrawn map of prime wine regions. Corinne Purtill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/26

Also

They’re on our flag, but do long-gone grizzly bears belong in modern California? -- Democrats are advancing a bill over objections from rural residents, ranchers and Republicans that would study whether California should bring back grizzly bears. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters -- 7/23/26

Bears Are Running Amok in Lake Tahoe and Causing Chaos Among Locals -- Peter and Barbie Fons were washing dishes after dinner when they looked up to see a bear in the living room. “He’s just standing there, you know, on all fours, and he’s got drool coming down,” recalled Peter, 69. “And he walks around the couch and does a big ol’ pee on the floor.” Jim Carlton, Jessica Hadley in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/23/26

 

Barabak: ‘The scope of corruption ... is breathtaking.’ Schiff takes on Trump, again -- In a floor speech, California’s senator plans to assay the president’s conflicts of interest and offer a prescription for cleansing once Trump leaves office. He warns against numbness or complacency in the face of the president’s abundant outrages. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/26

Arellano: Go visit Trump’s White House, Dodgers — but stand up for L.A. while you’re there -- When a pitcher purposely throws high and inside, the batter has four choices. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/23/26

POTUS 47

Trump adds condition to nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, throwing pact into doubt -- Saudi Arabia would need to normalize relations with Israel as a condition of a nuclear deal with the United States, President Donald Trump said. Michael Birnbaum and Evan Halper in the Washington Post$ -- 7/23/26

Iran Digs In After Latest Trump Threat on Civilian Targets -- Iranian leaders dug in against President Trump’s threats on Wednesday to strike bridges and power plants in Iran if it targeted any more ships in the Strait of Hormuz, with the foreign minister warning that his country would fight “an eye for an eye.” Eric Schmitt, Shirin Hakim, Alan Yuhas and Pranav Baskar in the New York Times$ -- 7/23/26

U.S. Surges Forces Toward Middle East, Giving Trump Options to Expand Iran War -- The U.S. is surging forces, medics and weaponry to the Middle East to give President Trump more muscular military options as he considers expanding the conflict against Iran, according to people familiar with the matter. Shelby Holliday, Lara Seligman and Stephen Kalin in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/23/26

What Visuals Show About Recent Damage to U.S. Military Sites in the Middle East -- Iranian attacks on nine U.S. locations across the Middle East in the two weeks since the cease-fire broke down show that the country maintains an ability to inflict damage on precise targets, despite the Trump administration’s repeated claims that Iran’s military capabilities have been diminished or destroyed. Aric Toler and Christoph Koettl in the New York Times$ -- 7/23/26

‘We’re getting into an ugly phase’: Trump’s new tariffs are angering voters and US allies alike -- Tariffs are back — and they couldn’t come at a worse time for the GOP. Megan Messerly and Daniel Desrochers Politico -- 7/23/26

Attacks in Red Sea Send Oil Prices Over $100 a Barrel -- The price of Brent crude soared after Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen claimed strikes on two Saudi tankers. The House cast a second vote to rein in President Trump’s war powers, with four Republicans joining Democrats to rebuke the president. Max Bearak and Leo Sands in the New York Times$ -- 7/23/26

How Trump Is Getting Richer in Office -- Since returning to office, President Trump has made huge amounts of money from cryptocurrency and foreign investments. Andrea Fuller, Daniel Wood and Ben Protess in the New York Times$ -- 7/23/26