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California Policy and Politics Monday

California lawmakers urge criminal penalties, emergency legislation to rein in unchecked AI -- California lawmakers are calling for emergency legislation and criminal penalties for creators of rogue AI systems after top AI executives publicly claimed that their technology poses existential threats to humanity. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/26

Newsom brushes aside escalating federal probe into travel expenses as Trump retribution -- Gov. Gavin Newsom dismissed an escalating federal investigation into his administration, including the donations that paid for his travel, saying it was retribution for his criticism of President Trump and his policies. Alene Tchekmedyian and Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/26

Pratt voters could play pivotal role in deciding L.A.’s next mayor -- Nearly 218,000 Angelenos cast ballots for Republican Spencer Pratt in the June 2 mayoral primary, representing a huge potential bloc of voters for either Karen Bass or Nithya Raman in the Nov. 3 runoff. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/26

Skelton: California provides tax breaks to Hollywood. Why not struggling news outlets? -- President Trump and the Republican Congress have unintentionally provided California state government with the financial means to subsidize — help save — endangered local news reporting. Now it’s up to Gov. Gavin Newsom to capitalize on the unanticipated gift. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/26

Union power vs. MAGA politics in California’s schools superintendent race -- California’s nominally nonpartisan race for public schools superintendent has become a hyper-partisan showdown between union-backed Democrat Richard Barrera and MAGA-aligned Republican Sonja Shaw. Kevin Rector and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/26

Billionaires shake up L.A. sports as Lakers, Angels, Dodgers, Clippers feel the heat -- The upheaval underscores how L.A. franchises have become billion-dollar assets in a high-stakes arms race, in which owners chase media money, luxury arenas and global clout as fiercely as championships. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/26

Steve Ballmer apologizes to fans, says Clippers will comply with NBA sanctions -- Clippers owner Steve Ballmer released a lengthy statement Sunday night apologizing to fans and accepting the findings of an NBA investigation of salary cap violations. Iliana Limón Romero in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/26

Bay Area homeowners still get huge Prop 13 savings. But in some places, that is shrinking -- California’s Proposition 13 cuts Bay Area homeowners’ property tax bills by up to tens of thousands of dollars a year. But in some parts of the region, the average homeowner isn’t benefiting quite as much as they once did. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/26

Workplace

Paramount’s possible Hollywood exit puts Los Angeles on edge -- David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance has floated the idea of moving Paramount and Warner Bros.’ operations out of Los Angeles if regulators keep blocking his $111-billion Hollywood mega-merger. The showdown has put L.A. on edge, with economists warning of thousands of lost jobs. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/26

CalMatters sues UC Berkeley to force university to disclose student-athlete pay data -- This is CalMatters’ second open records lawsuit against a UC campus in two months. The news outlet is seeking more information about how Cal in the ACC and UCLA in the Big Ten are paying student athletes. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 9/14/26

After strike cancels S.F.’s Opera in the Park, musicians entertain fans who show up -- With picket signs and instruments, members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra gathered Sunday morning in the grassy field at Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/26

Wildfire

Crews slow growth of 4,000-acre Lucas Fire in Northern California -- Crews working in hot, windy and smoky conditions over the weekend help slow the growth of a Northern California wildfire that prompted expanded evacuations, road closures and a red flag warning. Aidin Vaziri, Sarah Brager, Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/26

AI

Sam Altman says OpenAI will not go public this year as AI fears grow -- OpenAI will not go public this year, CEO Sam Altman said in an interview released Saturday, delaying one of the most anticipated stock market debuts in Silicon Valley as the artificial intelligence industry faces growing scrutiny over safety. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/26

How the Clash Between Money and Safety Created a Monumental Crisis for AI -- Leaders of four major AI companies, including Sam Altman and Dario Amodei, agreed to slow development and allow third-party safety evaluations. President Trump defended his administration’s light-touch regulation of AI, citing the importance of U.S. dominance over China. Robert McMillan, Amrith Ramkumar, Keach Hagey and Erin Woo in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/14/26

King Charles Will Convene A.I. Leaders Amid Calls to Slow Development -- The king will convene leaders from companies including Nvidia, Google, DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as government officials and others, “to discuss how A.I. can be developed and deployed in ways that benefit society,” according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. Ephrat Livni in the New York Times$ -- 9/14/26

Some in Silicon Valley Are Questioning the Calls for an A.I. Slowdown -- The criticism of the calls for a slowdown highlighted a deep divide between people who believe the government should police A.I. and others who believe regulatory intervention would crush competition. Kalley Huang and Mike Isaac in the New York Times$ -- 9/14/26

Trump resists AI slowdown as the political tide turns -- Democrats are increasingly attacking the administration’s hands-off approach to artificial intelligence regulation as midterms approach. Cat Zakrzewski, Violet Jira and Nitasha Tiku in the Washington Post$ -- 9/14/26

Also

‘Money on the table’: San Diego’s record of negotiating leases, managing real estate is costing millions -- A history of lopsided deals and below-market leases dogs the city as officials try to address a budget shortfall. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 9/14/26

Orange County’s first e-bike buyback event draws huge crowd, hundreds of vehicles -- On Sunday morning, Hayes was the first among hundreds of people to turn in their electric vehicles at a buyback event at Angel Stadium. Accompanied by his family, Hayes said he wants to share his story so that other young people can be aware of the dangers of e-bike riding. Claire Wang in the Orange County Register$ -- 9/14/26

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E.P.A. Expected to Erase Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants -- Generation of electricity is the second largest source of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases in the United States. Maxine Joselow in the New York Times$ -- 9/14/26

Widening Mideast Instability Squeezes Global Oil Supplies -- Yemen is the latest domino to fall in the chain of instability set off by the U.S. war with Iran, a development that deepens the risk to global energy supplies and complicates efforts to find a diplomatic off-ramp to the conflict. Summer Said and Saleh al-Batati in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/14/26

Kennedy Center could close as early as Tuesday, warns of bankruptcy, documents show -- Officials said the center is facing “certain fiscal collapse” within weeks, insist that adding President Donald Trump’s name may be the only way to avoid bankruptcy. Jonathan Edwards and Travis M. Andrews in the Washington Post$ Julia Jacobs in the New York Times$ -- 9/14/26

Trump Pledges to Rescind 10% Tariff on Irish Whiskey -- The president closes out his weekend visit to Ireland by making the announcement at the Irish Open golf tournament. Ashlea Ebeling in the Wall Street Journal$ Luke Broadwater and Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times$ -- 9/14/26

How Iran’s Hard-Liners Prevailed and Sabotaged U.S. Peace Deal -- Opponents derailed the agreement with a clandestine effort to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, regime insiders say. Iran’s president was furious when he found out. Farnaz Fassihi in the New York Times$ -- 9/14/26

Democrats Have Midterm Momentum. Here’s What Risks Tripping Them Up -- The party is seeking to capitalize on Trump’s unpopularity but has a fundraising shortfall and internal divisions. Eliza Collins in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/14/26

 

California Policy and Politics Sunday

Lucas Fire surpasses 4,000 acres in Northern California -- A wildfire burning in Northern California grew to just over 4,000 acres Saturday, prompting expanded evacuations, road closures and a red flag warning as crews worked through hot, windy and smoky conditions. The Lucas Fire near the Lake-Mendocino county line was 15% contained as of around 4:20 p.m. Saturday, according to Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit. Aidin Vaziri, Sarah Brager in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/26

California gas prices are high. Historic diesel prices could also hit your wallet -- Your typical car owner might be able to choose to carpool or cut down on trips to save gas. But you can’t get around purchasing goods that got to the store or your house in the back of a truck. Jessica Roy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/26

Will the economy motivate voters? This Central Valley swing district could be a test -- Undecided voters will likely determine the election results, and persuading them is the key challenge for both parties as November nears. In the nation’s third-youngest district, uncertainty among Gen Z and millennial voters in particular could affect turnout or results. Justine McDaniel, Gary Kazanjian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/26

Chabria, Barabak: Gavin Newsom is a lame duck. Can his presidential hopes still take flight? -- California’s Democratic governor leaves office in just a few months, allowing him to devote full time to a 2028 presidential run. Can he sell, outside the comfortable confines of California, the progressive agenda he’s lately embraced? Anita Chabria and Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/26

Workplace

California prison towns grasp for new jobs after closures: ‘No one is coming to save us’ -- California prison towns made a grim bargain decades ago. They built their economies around an industry that relied on an ever-growing prison population, mostly from California’s major metropolitan areas. Nigel Duara CalMatters in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/26

San Francisco Opera orchestra strikes, throwing opening night into crisis -- The musicians of the San Francisco Opera went on strike Saturday evening, saying they would not perform for the company’s opening-night production of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” without a new contract. Tony Bravo, Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/26

USC cuts 65 workers at Viterbi School of Engineering -- The layoffs mentioned in Gerdes-Leonard’s letter include programmer analysts, software engineers, program directors, web developers, computer services consultants, network engineers and distance education operations engineers. Pat Maio in the LA Daily News -- 9/13/26

Education

Conservative group files federal civil rights complaint against East Bay school district -- An Oakland Unified program offering mentorship and academic support to Latino male teenagers is the latest target of a conservative national parental rights group that has filed multiple complaints which led to civil rights investigations at schools across the country. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/12/26

Stanford, UC Berkeley again make Forbes’ top 10 — but slip -- In the competitive world of college rankings, applicants looking for schools that “deliver results” will find Stanford and UC Berkeley again in the top 10 on Forbes’ 2027 list of top American colleges — although both slipped in the annual lineup. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/26

AI

Biggest AI Rivals Agree They Need to Slow It Down -- Elon Musk and Sam Altman support Anthropic boss’s plea to reduce risks that ‘something goes seriously wrong’ Robert McMillan in the Wall Street Journal$ Mike Isaac in the New York Times$ Ted Hesson, Ian Duncan and Gerrit De Vynck in the Washington Post$ Ben Johansen, Owen Dahlkamp Politico -- 9/13/26

Trump dismisses AI leaders’ calls to slow down, citing Chinese competition -- President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to dismiss calls from top artificial intelligence leaders to slow down development of AI models, saying that the United States needed to maintain its competitive edge over China. Cat Zakrzewski in the Washington Post$ -- 9/13/26

As Fears of A.I. Catastrophe Magnify, Washington Stirs, but Mostly Slumbers -- President Trump has been at the forefront of the “what-me-worry?” crowd, refusing to engage on how to balance the risks and rewards of A.I. David E. Sanger and Dustin Volz in the New York Times$ -- 9/13/26

Top Lawmakers Agree A.I.’s Risks Are Rising but Say They Have No Quick Fix --House Speaker Mike Johnson warned on Sunday of competitive risks from China, and Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, said Congress should start regulatory talks this week. Michael Gold and Tony Romm in the New York Times$ Cheyanne M. Daniels Politico -- 9/13/26

Obama calls for Dems to focus on AI -- Creating a robust AI agenda should be a top focus for Congress and presidential candidates, he said at a private fundraiser. Adam Wren Politico Evan Gorelick in the New York Times$ -- 9/13/26

San Francisco, heartland of AI, to weigh moratorium on new data centers -- Supervisor Shamann Walton plans to introduce a proposal Tuesday to put a 45-day moratorium on new data center construction, according to his aide Natalie Gee, who said a temporary moratorium is the first legislative step toward a permanent citywide ban. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/26

A Dead Father, Reincarnated With AI: Is This How We Will Remember Loved Ones Now? -- Brian Dema routinely turns to his father for business advice. His father died four years ago, but Dema created an AI version of him. Julie Jargon in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/12/26

Also

Why San Francisco has embraced the ‘pedestrian scramble’ — and more cities are following -- Imagine a bright X on the pavement at Montgomery and Bush streets in San Francisco’s Financial District. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/26

Why a pro-MAGA think tank is cheering a new S.F. homelessness policy -- A new effort by San Francisco officials to fund homelessness service providers based on measurable results drew support this month from an unlikely source. The Cicero Institute, a Trump-aligned policy organization founded by tech billionaire and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, called Mayor Daniel Lurie’s new policy “exactly right.” Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/13/26

The NFL brought an anti-trafficking campaign to the Bay Area. Then the 49ers owner was caught in a sex-buying sting -- The league has not disciplined the San Francisco 49ers owner after he was arrested in a prostitution sting last month. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/13/26

Lopez: Abandoned properties, fire hazards. Are L.A. mayor candidates part of the fix, or the problem? -- Labor Day is behind us, election day is less than two months away, and the question before Los Angeles voters is this: Can anyone run this city? Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/13/26

San Francisco sues alleged squatters for ‘trying to steal’ a luxury Sea Cliff home -- San Francisco’s city attorney is suing two alleged squatters accused of trying to take over a multimillion-dollar Sea Cliff home with forged and altered deeds, then sell it for profit. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/26

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The new threat election officials fear: Trump’s federal government -- With seven weeks until Election Day, officials are preparing for seized ballots, ICE agents at the polls and a postal system that could reject ballots by the batch. Patrick Marley and Laura Meckler in the Washington Post$ -- 9/13/26

Trump Demands Smithsonian Install ‘Colossus’ George Washington Statue -- In his latest salvo against the Smithsonian Institution, President Trump called on the organization to honor George Washington with a 30-foot “Colossus statue” outside its National Museum of American History, along with a five-year exhibition about Washington’s legacy “beginning now.” Jennifer Schuessler in the New York Times$ Victoria Craw in the Washington Post$ -- 9/12/26

As Iran proxies activate in Yemen and Iraq, Trump’s Mideast morass deepens -- Two of the most important corridors for international energy shipments are blocked by Iran and its proxies, oil prices are up and the global economy is reeling. Rachel Chason in the Washington Post$ -- 9/12/26

Trump calls on Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries -- The U.S. president denied that his war on Iran was responsible for surging diesel prices, but a senior European official said Trump was using Kyiv as a scapegoat. Shawn Pogatchnik Politico -- 9/13/26

Federal judge rules Trump plan to cut FEMA by 50 percent was unlawful -- The judge said the plan, put together by DHS, appeared as if it was “pulled from thin air” and would impede FEMA’s ability to fulfill its legal obligations to respond to natural disasters. Sammy Westfall and Brianna Sacks in the Washington Post$ -- 9/12/26

Trump endorses Irish reunification, breaking with decades of U.S. policy -- The United States had maintained a position of neutrality on the question of reuniting the Republic of Ireland with Northern Ireland, perhaps the most sensitive issue in U.K. politics. Cat Zakrzewski in the Washington Post$ -- 9/12/26