California Policy and Politics Saturday

Trump administration seeks to give away a piece of Yosemite for hotel development -- The National Park Service is considering a highly unusual land swap that would give a Las Vegas developer a small slice of Yosemite National Park, according to officials and documents shared with the Chronicle, a proposal that environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers are calling an outright theft of public lands. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Shawn Hubler and Maxine Joselow in the New York Times$ Jake Spring in the Washington Post$ -- 8/29/26

Two California titans are in an epic clash over last-minute legislation — with impacts for every Californian -- A bitter battle is playing out in the waning days of California’s legislative session, pitting two industries that profoundly impact residents — insurance companies and electric utilities — against one another. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/29/26

California sues Trump administration, developer over deal to walk away from Morro Bay wind power -- After the Trump administration paid California offshore wind developers to abandon their leases and pursue oil and gas development instead, the state is fighting back. Blanca Begert in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/26

California lawmakers move to shield the coast from Trump's oil agenda -- Lawmakers passed a bill that, if signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would make it far more difficult for offshore oil companies to get their product to market. Noah Baustin Politico -- 8/29/26

Judge rules in Stanford Daily’s favor in First Amendment lawsuit against Trump administration -- A federal judge sided with Stanford’s student newspaper Friday in a lawsuit against the Trump administration that claimed the government violated the First Amendment by intimidating student journalists into censoring their own reporting. Sarah Brager in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Chris Cameron in the New York Times$ -- 8/29/26

Social media giants could face even stiffer penalties under California bill -- Tech giants may face steeper penalties in California in cases where their platforms are found liable for fostering anxiety, depression and other harms to children if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bipartisan bill that state lawmakers approved Friday. Tyler Katzenberger Politico Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/29/26

What Meta’s $17-billion settlement revealed about the harms of social media -- Internal documents shown in court during a brief trial suggested Meta knew for years that its youngest users were the most likely to be targeted by bullies, extortionists and sexual predators. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/26

ICE

Bill taxing private immigration detention facilities passes Legislature -- Assembly Bill 1633 establishes the Private Detention Facility Tax Law, which would impose an annual 25% tax on operators of private detention centers. Sofia Williams in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/29/26

New ICE data reveals which California city has become the state’s arrest epicenter -- Although they haven’t received widespread media attention, arrests in San Diego spiked from 800 in June to a new high of 1,500 in July. The city has California’s highest total of ICE arrests under the current administration, at nearly 11,500. Arrests in Los Angeles, which also saw a wave of ICE raids last summer, are also on the rise again. In July alone, ICE recorded nearly 50,000 arrests nationally and 4,300 in California, both records for Trump’s second term. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/29/26

Two U.S. deportations overturned by courts over fears of torture -- Two federal appeals court panels overturned government deportation orders in separate cases Friday – one to El Salvador, the other to Angola – and said U.S. immigration officials discounted or ignored evidence that the immigrants were likely to be tortured if returned to their homeland. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/29/26

Arellano: Racist ‘Magic Deportation Bus’ isn’t the way for Trump to keep Latino voters -- If you want proof of the widening chasm between the Trump administration and Latinos, look no further than California state Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares and White House spokesperson Lauren Bis’ reaction to the same anti-Latino image. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/26

 

California lawmakers resurrect $7.5 billion research bond to counter federal cuts -- A multibillion dollar bond proposal that sought to fund scientific research amid federal funding cuts failed to meet the June deadline to secure its place as a statewide measure on the November ballot. Lawmakers resurrected the language just before the close of the legislative session this week, aiming now to present the measure to voters in the March 2028 primary election. Tarini Mehta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/29/26

California lawmakers propose $125 million for Golden Gate Fields waterfront park -- California lawmakers have proposed setting aside $125 million in state funds to help transform the former Golden Gate Fields racetrack into a regional waterfront park near Berkeley. The funding would come from Proposition 4, a climate bond California voters approved in 2024. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/29/26

California’s new attempt to help struggling newsrooms faces key test -- A new plan by California lawmakers to help fund the state’s struggling journalism organizations could advance in the coming days but faces an uncertain future. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/26

Nithya Raman’s LA mayoral bid tests her socialist ties -- Right now, the fiercest debate among Democratic Socialists of America members in Los Angeles is whether or not they’ll endorse Nithya Raman, one of their own, for mayor. Melanie Mason Politico -- 8/29/26

Wildfire

‘Do not come to Big Sur’: Wildfires shut Highway 1 at busiest time of year -- Big Sur businesses have closed their doors again as two wildfires expand along the California coast, forcing the evacuation of much of the valley and shutting down a 40-mile stretch of Highway 1 with no reopening estimate. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Iris Kwok in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/26

Workplace

California regulators rushed their decision on driverless trucks, Teamsters’ lawsuit says -- As self-driving vehicles spread across the country, a major California labor union is taking a stand against state regulators who say autonomous trucks are ready for the road. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/26

Marketplace

Amazon is bringing drone delivery back to California -- Amazon customers in Tracy, Calif., could soon receive their packages from an autonomous drone in as little as 30 minutes. The e-commerce giant is preparing to launch its Prime Air service in Tracy as part of a broader expansion effort that will bring delivery drones to 500 cities and towns by the end of the year. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/26

Housing

San Francisco’s AI boom is fueling a new wave of eviction fears -- Tenants start lining up at the Eviction Defense Collaborative offices on San Francisco’s Mission Street hours before its drop-in clinic opens at 10 a.m. Some are facing eviction due to nuisance or nonpayment of rent while others are worried about a big rent hike or an owner moving into their unit. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/29/26

Rent control fight heads to voters in two Bay Area cities -- Measure E in Redwood City would limit annual increases on qualifying buildings and add eviction protections. In San Pablo, voters will consider Measure S that would enforce a 3% cap and additional tenant protections. Stephanie Lam in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/29/26

Street

LAPD releases video of officers beating handcuffed jail inmate who later died -- The LAPD released footage of an incident that led to the death of 58-year-old Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz at Van Nuys Regional Jail. An LAPD spokesman said officers used force on Hoyos-Munoz after he was uncooperative and spit on them. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/26

Also

S.F.’s Embarcadero Plaza would be renamed for Art Agnos under city plan -- Embarcadero Plaza would be renamed Art Agnos Plaza under a plan to honor the former San Francisco mayor who championed the demolition of the Embarcadero Freeway after it was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, removing a barrier that had long divided the park space from the Ferry Building. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/29/26

These California cities have the highest concentration of each ethnicity. Many are No. 1 in the U.S. -- The Chronicle reports extensively on the demographics of California, which has often led us to examine cities with unusual concentrations of particular racial and ethnic groups. Hanna Zakharenko, Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/29/26

Lopez: A coastal development exemption in Santa Monica? Shame on Gov. Newsom -- Gov. Gavin Newsom quietly backs a bill exempting a long-planned Santa Monica oceanfront project from Coastal Commission review. The bill would benefit Newsom donor Jeff Worthe as California marks the Coastal Act’s 50th anniversary. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/26

POTUS 47

President Trump loses again in bid to erase his hush money conviction -- The ruling leaves intact Trump’s 34-count felony conviction for falsifying business records tied to a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a historic case against a former and current president. Michael R. Sisak, Larry Neumeister Associated Press -- 8/29/26

Trump says US has entered deal with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of oil reserves -- President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration has entered a sweeping agreement with Venezuela that, if realized, could give the U.S. access to vast amounts of the South American country’s untapped oil reserves, at cost. Aamer Madhani, Collin Binkley, Regina Garcia Cano Associated Press -- 8/29/26

How DHS created a workaround to turn Guard members into immigration officers -- The Department of Homeland Security devised an unusual legal tool last year that made it possible for National Guard members to participate in immigration enforcement operations, according to an internal memo obtained by Politico. Eric Bazail-Eimil Politico -- 8/29/26

Drain on U.S. Munitions From Iran War Raises Fears Over Ability to Deter China, Russia -- The U.S. has rushed so many munitions to the Middle East to fight Iran that military planners are concerned the loss of firepower is diminishing America’s ability to defend against potential threats from China and Russia, said U.S. officials. Shelby Holliday, Michael R. Gordon, and Lara Seligman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/29/26

The White House says its ballroom is 65% complete. Its documents suggest otherwise -- Publicly available appropriations data shows that as of the end of July, the White House budget office had approved $144 million in spending from an account used to pay for the East Wing and other White House projects. Even if that entire amount were spent on the East Wing, it would come to only about 24 percent of the $600 million estimated construction cost that Clark provided the White House in March. The Post has previously reported that cost estimate. Sarah Blaskey, Jonathan O'Connell, Dan Diamond and Jarrett Ley in the Washington Post$ -- 8/29/26

Republicans Are Worried About the Midterms. Trump Is Focused on His Legacy -- As Trump faces political challenges and sagging poll numbers, he is on a mission to cement his legacy. Philip Wegmann and Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/29/26

 

California Policy and Politics Friday

Trump administration considering trading Yosemite land to private developer -- Interior officials insist there has been no inappropriate political pressure on the outcome, and that nothing has been decided. California lawmakers and conservation groups warn the proposed deal would set a dangerous precedent and undermine promises to safeguard public lands. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

 

Bucking state party, S.F. Dems vote to oppose California billionaire tax -- Bucking the California Democratic Party and siding with Mayor Daniel Lurie and Gov. Gavin Newsom, the San Francisco Democratic Party voted not to endorse Proposition 40, the proposed one-time wealth tax on the state’s billionaires. The group unanimously supported a resolution backing a national wealth tax. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/28/26

Newsom headed to South Carolina on Southern state swing -- Gavin Newsom will return to South Carolina next week, part of a four-day swing through the South that will also include visits to Alabama and North Carolina. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 8/28/26

Nithya Raman’s LA mayoral bid tests her socialist ties -- Right now, the fiercest debate among Democratic Socialists of America members in Los Angeles is whether or not they’ll endorse Nithya Raman, one of their own, for mayor. Melanie Mason Politico -- 8/28/26

With Term Winding Down, Pelosi Tries to Anoint a Successor -- Nancy Pelosi has a meaty to-do list in her final months in office: Ensure Democrats take back the House of Representatives. Fend off attempts by the Trump administration to make it harder to vote in the midterms. And persuade San Franciscans to send a local elected leader little known outside the city to replace her in Washington. Heather Knight in the New York Times$ -- 8/28/26

 

‘All hell will break loose’: UFC 250 attack plotters also planned to ravage Bay Area data centers, FBI say -- A Rocklin man has been arrested and charged with possessing guns and destroying texting threads where he and others reportedly discussed plans to attack data centers in California, in conjunction with the alleged planned attack on the White House during this summer’s UFC 250 event in Washington, D.C. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/28/26

Jungle Primary

California bill seeks to protect voter participation, if primary proposal prevails -- A Sacramento-area Assembly member has introduced an eleventh-hour request to make sure that voters, no matter their political party, aren’t excluded from elections. The proposed constitutional amendment from Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, D-Elk Grove, is in response to the possibility that the state’s primary rules may change. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/28/26

 

Legislature passes bill making it easier for Californians to sue ICE agents -- Legislation that makes it easier for Californians to sue federal officers, including immigration agents, is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk after the Senate overwhelmingly passed it Thursday. Sara DiNatale, Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/28/26

‘Bill of rights’ for civil immigration detainees sent to Newsom’s desk -- The California Senate passed a “bill of rights” Wednesday codifying protection for immigrants in private civil detention facilities. It now goes to Newsom’s desk. Sofia Williams in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/28/26

California lawmakers push bill to ban shock gloves for federal agents -- California lawmakers are racing to pass AB 2760, a sweeping ban on electric shock gloves for all law enforcement in the state, including federal immigration agents operating in California. Christopher Buchanan in the Los Angeles Times$ Nadia Lathan Calmatters -- 8/28/26

State lawmakers pass bills to punish unethical lawyers, limit hedge funds that influence cases -- The two bills would ramp up penalties for lawyers who scout for clients at hospitals, jails and accident sites and bar lawyers from prioritizing the desires of private investors who fund lawsuits. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

California legislature passes bill to track use of ‘forever chemicals’ by farms -- The California legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would require the state to track the use of pesticides that contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS chemicals, which can be harmful to humans. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

California Legislature passes slavery disclosure bill, sends to Gavin Newsom -- The California Legislature passed a measure Wednesday that will require large corporations that do business in the state to disclose their past ties to slavery. It now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/28/26

Walters: California’s budget is so convoluted that even experts are perplexed at what it contains -- There was a time, not too many years ago, when drafting and enacting California’s budgets was a fairly transparent and straightforward process. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 8/28/26

Barabak: ‘An endless amount of corruption.’ In a Democratic House, Trump would face a reckoning -- Rep. Robert Garcia is poised to lead the investigative Oversight Committee if Democrats prevail in November. The Long Beach Democrat has a long list of Trump family members, profiteers and factotums to hold to account. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

Talarico to raise money in Los Angeles in key Texas Senate race -- More from Politico Talarico to raise money in Los Angeles in key Texas Senate race “Lost” co-creator Damon Lindelof and his wife, Heidi, will host a fundraiser for the Texas Democrat on Sept. 10, according to an invitation obtained by Politico. Daniel Miller Politico -- 8/28/26

Cash buried in L.A. politician’s backyard helped expose huge marijuana corruption scheme -- A Baldwin Park council member’s $62,000 stash of backyard cash tipped off investigators to a pay-to-play marijuana licensing racket, turning a local “green rush” into a sprawling federal corruption case. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

Wildfire

Big Sur Fire: Highway 1 closes again as firefighters use ‘dragon eggs’ to slow spread of the Timber Fire -- Five days after the CHP and Caltrans reopened Highway 1 in Big Sur as fire crews made progress battling the Timber Fire, they closed it again Thursday, this time as part of a new strategy to slow the stubborn blaze. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/28/26

California wineries want a Pickett Fire payout. Only one company, co-founded by Gavin Newsom, got a settlement so far -- Napa Valley prosecutors on Thursday filed criminal charges in the Pickett Fire investigation, siding with published reports that a worker had caused the blaze that burned 6,800 acres a year ago. Jess Lander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/28/26

Insurance executives warn that Newsom plan to shift utility wildfire liability would raise premiums -- Insurance company executives warned Gov. Gavin Newsom in a letter Wednesday that his plan to shift utility wildfire liability to property insurers would raise premiums across California. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ Andrew Graham and Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/28/26

Climate

Edison to pay climate credit cash to SoCal customers -- Edison is providing a $72 climate credit on summer electricity bills as a part of a California program that requires large facilities that produce greenhouse gas emissions to buy carbon pollution allowances. Annika Duneja in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

California Legislature passes data center water bill. Will Newsom veto again? -- After Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed her data center water disclosure bill last year, Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, returned this year with a two-bill package. Naomi Taxay in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/28/26

You may soon be able to put a solar panel on your apartment balcony in California -- A bill that allows for small-scale, portable systems you can buy from retail stores such as Home Depot or Costco heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 8/28/26

Tons of planet-warming gases are bubbling up from reservoirs. California is going to keep track -- California’s Air Resources Board will start tracking estimates of the climate-warming methane that bubbles up from the state’s dams and reservoirs. The agency decided to examine the gases that come from reservoirs in response to a petition by environmental groups. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

As winter storms loom, $220 million awarded to fix troubled bridge on sinking Bay Area highway -- The planned overhaul of Novato Creek Bridge is a key early step in a much larger modernization of Highway 37, which agencies are scrambling to fund before large stretches of freeway wash into the San Pablo Bay. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/28/26

Electric heavy-duty trucks will be able to run from Baja to Canada, West Coast leaders pledge -- Officials from California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Baja California launched a plan for a zero-emission truck corridor along Interstate 5 from Canada to Mexico. The route averages 10,000 trucks a day, making cleaner technologies crucial for cutting diesel pollution in West Coast port communities and urban neighborhoods. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

Is Long Beach ready for a floating nuclear power plant? Here’s what to know -- Worried about all the demand from artificial intelligence making power too expensive? The Port of Long Beach has an answer: little, floating nuclear power plants. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

Education

California lawmakers reject caps on abuse payouts, but deal could still give schools relief -- Lawmakers spent two years negotiating a compromise that would protect sexual assault survivors’ path to justice without bankrupting cash-strapped school districts, cities and counties. Maya C. Miller Calmatters Thomas Peele EdSource -- 8/28/26

Culture and ethics meets tech: UCLA debuts country’s first bachelor’s in digital humanities -- UCLA’s new major fuses technological tools for statistical analysis, coding, 3D mapping and data visualization with traditional humanities in subjects like history, literature and global cultures. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 8/28/26

Homeless

Reducing drug penalties likely increased homelessness in California, new report says -- It found that while the measure succeeded in reducing prison overcrowding as intended, it also appears to have contributed to an increase in people living on the street, a rise in overdoses and a drop in the number of people getting drug treatment. Marisa Kendall Calmatters -- 8/28/26

Far off the grid in the Antelope Valley, RVers make a mess — and elude the homeless count -- In the remote Antelope Valley desert, rundown RVs, illegal dumps and makeshift compounds create some of L.A. County’s bleakest landscapes, far from services and public attention. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

Housing

As A.I. Money Floods the Market, San Francisco Renters Weigh Buyouts -- Landlords are offering renters in rent-controlled apartments tens of thousands of dollars to leave their homes. For many, it’s not enough. Kami Rieck in the New York Times$ -- 8/28/26

E-Bikes

Orange County is now treating e-bikes like guns. Can the crackdown make streets safer? -- You’ve heard of gun buyback programs across the country, but in Orange County, they’ve taken it one step further to get another item that authorities say can be a deadly weapon off the streets — the e-bike. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/26

Autism

UCSF gets $46 million autism research grant from Sergey Brin-backed foundation -- UCSF has received a $46 million grant from a foundation backed by Google cofounder Sergey Brin to advance autism research and potential therapies, one of the largest single grants the university has gotten for basic research. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/28/26

COVID

COVID is spreading again in the Bay Area. Here’s who should take precautions -- It’s that time of year again in the Bay Area: Kids are back at school, dreams of a Giants postseason run are long gone, and COVID-19 is on the rise. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/28/26

AI

OpenAI, Anthropic issue dire cyber threat warning -- OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and more than 100 other companies warned Thursday that the organizations now only have months to prepare for AI-enabled cyberattacks. Hospitals, water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure will face a swarm of hacking threats as AI makes sophisticated cyber capabilities cheaper and more accessible to attackers, the group write in an open letter. Sam Sabin Axios -- 8/28/26

Meta’s blockbuster child safety settlement is a warning sign for AI companies, experts say -- Meta’s blockbuster settlement of up to $17 billion over allegations of child safety failures could influence the regulation of another tech product drawing regulator scrutiny: artificial intelligence chatbots. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/28/26

Also

Bay Area tech worker among 90 Americans missing after Nepal floods -- The list includes Prabhath Sajeepa, 48, a San Jose-area resident whose LinkedIn profile lists him as a Pure Storage employee. Sajeepa has been involved with the Isha Foundation for several years, according to his niece, who spoke with the BBC. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/28/26

Huge, historic Northern California cattle ranch to become preserve with trails -- One of the oldest cattle ranches in Northern California, recently on the market for $16.9 million with the promise of delivering a stunning “piece of the American West,” is set to be purchased and permanently protected by the nonprofit Wildlands Conservancy. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/28/26

POTUS 47

US Patriot missile stocks in Europe are ‘beyond critical’ due to Iran war, officials say -- The U.S. military is experiencing a “beyond critical” shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe largely driven by President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, a U.S. defense official in Europe and a NATO official told The Associated Press, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in NATO countries to a potential Russian attack. Emma Burrows, Ben Finley Associated Press -- 8/28/26

Judge again blocks Trump mail ballot executive order in ruling that’s likely to be swiftly appealed -- A federal judge on Thursday halted — at least for now — attempts to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting. Nicholas Riccardi Associated Press -- 8/28/26

Trump signs executive order renaming Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ -- The text of the executive order directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to ensure all federal agencies and the Geographic Names Information System, which records official names of U.S. geographic features, refer to the lake using its new name. Ashley Ahn Politico Marianne LeVine, Natalie Andrews and Amanda Coletta in the Wall Street Journal$ Erica L. Green in the New York Times$ Natalie Allison in the Washington Post$ -- 8/28/26

Where Trump's tariffs hit hardest -- States bear wildly different estimated tariff burdens from President Trump's trade actions since the start of 2025, from California's $62.8 billion share to Wyoming's $107 million. Brad Jennings Axios -- 8/28/26

$900 million from a canceled wind deal will benefit a Trump donor -- The Trump administration’s latest deal to cancel offshore wind projects and boost fossil fuel energy development instead is generating a huge payday for one of the president’s million-dollar donors. Evan Halper in the Washington Post$ -- 8/28/26