California Policy and Politics Saturday

San Francisco’s $17.8 billion plan to save its waterfront hits new hurdles -- San Francisco has a sprawling $17.8 billion plan to protect its waterfront against rising seas and earthquakes over the coming decades. But it will cost more and take longer than previously estimated, and it could be years before the megaproject gets federal approval. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/15/26

A crippling cyberattack hit a small California city, shuttering City Hall. Residents wonder: Why us? -- No one, it seems, knows why cyberattackers would target Suisun City, a sleepy, marsh-front suburb of 29,000 people on the northeast outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area. But target it, they did, with crippling effects. Whoever they are. Hailey Branson-Potts, Sarahbeth Maney in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

 

He’s Probably California’s Next Governor — So Why Does No One Know What He Thinks? -- Now, as Sacramento prepares for Becerra’s all but inevitable ascension, the elected officials, lobbyists, and corporate and labor leaders who shape policy in one of the nation’s most consequential capitals are grappling with a contradiction: Despite Becerra’s decades in public service, no one seems to be quite sure what he’ll do with the biggest job of his career. And the ambiguity seems to be by design. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 8/15/26

Tom Steyer talks climate, billionaire tax and the progressive wave skipping California -- Billionaire investor and climate activist Tom Steyer came up short in his run for governor, placing third in the state’s June primary. Now he’s back — and going on the climate offensive. Alex Nieves Politico -- 8/15/26

Trump administration wins transgender medical records case -- In a case that could extend the Trump administration’s war against transgender care to states like California where the medical treatment is legal, a federal appeals court ruled Friday that the Justice Department can order a clinic to release records of doctors who provide gender-affirming care and patients who receive it. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/15/26

Home insurance, AI and designer pets: What lived and died in Sacramento -- Classic-car smog exemptions and homeowner insurance protections advanced, while AI copyright transparency and mental health diversion limits fell short. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/15/26

A California official helped a company pitching data centers. His daughter works there -- With state fairgrounds in desperate need of funds for long-sought improvements, the California official who oversees them has become a prominent ally of an audacious plan to provide land to a new company seeking to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/15/26

After refinery explosions, California lawmakers move to preserve safety rules -- The union-backed proposal, Senate Bill 966, would enshrine existing worker protections into state law as California regulators move to revise them in response to a legal settlement with the state’s oil lobby. Alejandro Lazo Calmatters -- 8/15/26

DACA

Court ruling narrows pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients -- The Trump administration has largely ended a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients who marry U.S. citizens. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

Workplace

California Uber and Lyft drivers’ union could be certified in less than 30 days -- Uber and Lyft drivers in California are a step closer to unionizing after state regulators confirmed the budding union had gained enough support to be certified. Rideshare drivers have been fighting for a union for more than a decade to have more say in their pay, working conditions and benefits. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

FedEx and others announce layoffs in Southern California -- More than 500 people have lost their jobs in the latest round of layoffs in Southern California, from FedEx and others. The latest government filings show that Staples and LAZ Parking were also among the companies cutting positions. Annika Duneja in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

As Inflation Eats Up Pay Gains, Workers Fall Behind -- That means that, for the fourth month in a row, Americans’ real wages — how many sandwiches, haircuts and gallons of gas they can buy with an hour’s pay — actually fell. Ben Casselman in the New York Times$ -- 8/15/26

Waymo

Waymo wins approval for drastic expansion in Los Angeles, Bay Area regions -- The California Public Utilities Commission gave Waymo permission to operate in San Diego and Sacramento, as well as in communities in Marin, Napa, Orange and Riverside counties, among others. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

Boyle Heights

Boyle Heights reaching breaking point over rotten meat as warehouse cleanup deadline dissolves into fight -- The city says Lineage failed to meet the deadline Friday, while the company says it should have more time. Residents say the end can’t come soon enough and that the cold storage industry behemoth has already worn out its welcome. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

Wildfire

PG&E fined $22 million for 2022 Mosquito Fire in Placer and El Dorado counties -- PG&E will pay a penalty of $21 million in shareholder funds to California’s General Fund and $1 million for an independent expert third-party review of PG&E’s Transmission Centralized Inspection Review Team’s operations, CPUC officials said in a news release. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/15/26

Feds revamp charges against Palisades arson suspect after mistrial -- Prosecutors unveiled a new indictment against Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of starting a blaze that reignited to become the Palisades fire. Earlier this year, a trial against Rinderknecht ended with a deadlocked jury. Ten jurors were in favor of acquittal. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

Oil

An oil company wants to restart fracking off the California coast. The state’s top coastal officials say no way -- Just days after the Trump administration launched proceedings that could limit California’s ability to protect its iconic shoreline, the state’s top coastal officials reasserted their authority by voting unanimously against an oil company’s controversial bid to restart underwater fracking operations. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

Environment

Where did the birds go? Once-abundant wetlands are drying up after federal staff cutbacks -- The seasonal wetlands, which are part of a larger pit stop for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway, were nearly bone dry — and not because of a drought. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service simply didn’t have enough employees dedicated to opening the levees that flood the wetlands. Lynn La Calmatters -- 8/15/26

California lawmakers kill grizzly bear reintroduction bill -- For now, the only place you’ll find grizzlies in California are in zoos or on the state flag. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters -- 8/15/26

Could this be the strongest El Niño since the French Revolution? -- This year’s El Niño, a periodic warming of tropical Pacific waters that shifts weather patterns worldwide, could become the strongest in roughly 250 years, reaching an intensity not seen since the late 18th century. Greg Porter in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/15/26

Street

‘Unacceptable’: La Jolla man who admitted kicking a sea lion faces a year in jail and $100,000 fine -- Tyler Muehl, from La Jolla, was captured in a video that went viral showing him kicking the sea lion in the head and body even as it tried to escape the attack. Fedor Zarkhin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

Also

Arellano: Shock gloves on immigrants? Trump gifts his deportation goons a cowardly new tool -- It’s come to this: pain gloves. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

How $600B of Biden’s clean energy funding escaped Trump’s cuts -- President Donald Trump has spent more than 18 months demolishing Joe Biden’s expansive green agenda. Yet pieces of the former president’s would-be legacy stubbornly cling to life — along with roughly $600 billion in congressionally approved spending that has so far escaped Trump’s wrecking ball, a new Politico analysis has found. Jessie Blaeser, Benjamin Storrow and Kelsey Tamborrino Politico -- 8/15/26

POTUS 47

U.S.-Iran ceasefire set to expire with talks at a standstill -- The fragile monthlong ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran appears set to expire Monday absent a last-minute deal to extend it and potentially end the war between the two nations. Megan Messerly and Scott Waldman Politico -- 8/15/26

Trump says USS Abraham Lincoln deployment ‘not nearly long enough’ amid outcry from families -- Democratic lawmakers and military families are pressing the Pentagon for answers after reports emerged that thousands of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have endured food shortages, plumbing failures and severe fatigue during deployment that has stretched more than 260 days. Christopher Buchanan and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/15/26

Navy Carrier’s Problems Are Tied to Attacks on U.S. Base Early in War -- The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln’s supply problems began soon after the first day of the war, as Iranian missiles and attack drones fell on a Navy base in Bahrain. The Iranian attack, retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli assault on Tehran, destroyed much of the base. And as it went up in smoke, so did a major logistics hub that the Navy has relied on for decades. John Ismay in the New York Times$ -- 8/15/26

Trump Dismisses Reports About Dire Conditions Aboard U.S. Aircraft Carrier -- Asked whether the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln had gone on too long, the president said its deployment had lasted “not nearly long enough.” Erica L. Green and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 8/15/26

Navy weighs major warship redesign to match Trump’s preferences -- The president wants the new fleet of aircraft carriers to more closely resemble those from World War II. The change could cost billions. Noah Robertson and Tara Copp in the Washington Post$ -- 8/15/26

Trump wants to put golden seals on White House ballroom -- The planned adornments, which were included in renderings submitted to the Supreme Court, break with tradition and the original vision for the White House grounds. Dan Diamond and Jonathan Edwards in the Washington Post$ -- 8/15/26