California Policy and Politics Wednesday

California voters deeply frustrated by length of November ballot, state and nation’s direction -- Californians are deeply pessimistic about the direction of the state and nation, expecting tough economic times and are sour on both major political parties, according to a new poll. Nearly 80% of likely voters say 14 statewide propositions and dense wording make the ballot overwhelming, shortly before mail-in voting begins for more than 23 million Californians. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

Poll: California wealth tax holds narrow lead -- A slight majority — 52 percent — of voters support Proposition 40, which would impose a one-time, 5% tax on billionaires’ assets, according to the Public Policy Institute of California survey. But that is a fragile lead as opponents prepare to spend tens of millions of dollars on an ad blitz. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 9/16/26

Gavin Newsom: Knee-deep in political theater? -- Knee-deep in a Montana stream, leisurely casting for trout, two fellas in their late 50s did what guys their age do in such moments: chewed the fat about politics. Jack Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

Garofoli: Why Gavin Newsom is paying faux deference to Kamala Harris on his 2028 decision -- Here’s the thing. He’s running. All the signs continue to point to it. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/26

Barabak: As Newsom winds down in California, things heat up in Nevada -- Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is running for reelection against Democratic Atty. Gen. Aaron Ford. Lombardo is treating Gavin Newsom as Ford’s running mate, a page from an old political playbook. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

Karen Bass’ allies are starting to worry: ‘The energy is with Nithya -- Karen Bass is in trouble. For months, the Los Angeles mayor’s allies had expressed confidence that Bass, despite her low public approval ratings, was likely to hold off her progressive rival, Nithya Raman, and win anyway. Melanie Mason Politico -- 9/16/26

Walters: California’s high cost of living places state near — but not at — the top in poverty rates -- California politicians — Gov. Gavin Newsom in particular — are fond of portraying their state as an economic powerhouse of global stature. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/16/26

 

NBC4 helicopter crashes in Chatsworth, killing 3, after deadly Metro bus crash: ‘A deeply traumatic day’ -- Three people were killed when an NBC4 news helicopter crashed and burst into flames Tuesday night in Chatsworth not far from a serious accident involving a Metro bus that also left three people dead. The area was already swarming with police, fire officials and the news media because of the bus crash when there was a fireball and people heard a loud explosion a few blocks away. Iris Kwok, Terry Castleman and Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

California high-speed rail consultants flew first-class, visited bars and a nightclub on taxpayers’ money -- California’s High-Speed Rail Authority paid nearly $600,000 in unallowable travel reimbursements to outside consultants while keeping a poor record to justify them, a state investigation found. Yue Stella Yu and Juliet Williams Calmatters Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/26

 

Fewer than half of Americans expect midterm elections to be ‘free and fair,’ poll finds -- A UC San Diego national survey finds trust in accurate vote counting has fallen sharply across parties. The polling reflects an American electorate that has grown increasingly concerned about U.S. elections. A UC San Diego national survey finds trust in accurate vote counting has fallen sharply across parties. The polling reflects an American electorate that has grown increasingly concerned about U.S. elections. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

Caruso and Bass appear together at Palisades groundbreaking. But will he endorse her? -- Caruso demurred when pressed by reporters on whether he would endorse Bass for reelection, calling both her and challenger Raman “tough choices.” Bass sidestepped the question when asked if she would welcome Caruso’s endorsement. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

Bass skips hearing on L.A. homelessness spending, calling probe politically motivated -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declined to testify Tuesday before a House subcommittee investigating alleged fraud and mismanagement in the region’s homelessness system, but that did not stop her from going after Republican leaders on the panel. Ana Ceballos and Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

How the most powerful woman in California government is making her mark on the Legislature -- While Sen. Monique Limón doesn’t have a blockbuster legislative victory to show for her first year as pro tem, her biggest win so far is her popularity with Senate colleagues. Unlike her predecessor, who was known as a micromanager, Limón’s egalitarian, “govern by consensus” approach has kept her caucus in lockstep. Kate Wolffe and Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 9/16/26

49ers owner Jed York’s arrest looms over Santa Clara election as team contributions near $1M -- The San Francisco 49ers are nearing $10 million in local political contributions over the past six years, after they poured almost $1 million more last month into the upcoming Santa Clara elections, prompting outgoing Mayor Lisa Gillmor to denounce team owner Jed York. Lance Williams, Ron Kroichick in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/26

Wildfire

Newsom signs mortgage relief bills for L.A. County and California wildfire victims -- Legislation that will extend mortgage relief to victims of the January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires and establish a similar permanent program for disaster victims statewide was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

Workplace

Uber discloses details of first Bay Area layoffs after announcing 3,300 job cuts -- Uber’s massive restructuring is starting to hit the Bay Area. Two California employment filings show Uber plans to eliminate 137 jobs at two offices in Sunnyvale, the first public indication of how the company’s planned 3,300 layoffs could affect the region. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/26

Universal Music Group accuses music distributor of spreading AI ‘slop’ in lawsuit -- Universal Music Group is suing digital music distributor DistroKid, alleging the company spreads “AI-generated ‘slop’ that siphons revenue and listeners from the legitimate artists and rightsholders.” Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

Marketplace

Hollywood presses Congress on Trump-backed film tax incentive -- An industry-backed report projects the measure would generate $125.3 billion in additional U.S. production spending. Daniel Miller Politico -- 9/16/26

LA Olympics organizers project huge economic boost from 2028 Games -- The study, conducted by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., estimates that the years of lead-up and four weeks hosting the Olympic and Paralympic games will generate between $20 billion and $40 billion in economic output — a measure of the total value of goods and services produced. Alex Nieves Politico James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/26

AI

At Dreamforce, Nvidia CEO backs Trump’s hands-off approach to AI regulation -- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang rejected calls on Tuesday for more government regulation of artificial intelligence at San Francisco’s massive Dreamforce conference, siding with President Donald Trump’s hands-off stance on the issue. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/26

How A.I. Risks Are Splitting Silicon Valley and Washington -- The people building and governing A.I. increasingly fall into camps: Those who want to slow down and regulate the technology’s development, those racing to speed it up and those in between or with shifting stances. Emmy Martin and Rebecca Lieberman in the New York Times$ -- 9/16/26

How a Chinese Hacking Firm Tapped AI to Supercharge Cyber-Spying -- Internal data from Chinese cybersecurity firm ZRON shows hackers-for-hire are using AI to organize and analyze stolen foreign government secrets. ZRON’s materials offer sensitive data from rivals and allies, including Russia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the Vatican. Josh Chin, Gabriele Steinhauser and Tripti Lahiri in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/16/26

Education

Educators union sues California, alleging billions missing from public school funding -- A union for hundreds of thousands of educators in California accused the state in a lawsuit Tuesday of depriving public schools of billions of dollars in the last two years, in violation of state constitutional requirements approved by voters in 1988. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/26

Schools don’t have to tell parents about student gender identity — unless they ask, judge rules -- The ruling navigates new state and federal law, affirming parents’ constitutional right to information while leaving California’s ban on policies that force teachers to automatically tell parents about a student’s gender. Howard Blume in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/26

Also

Newsom signs law to let these Californians get out of jury duty — for good -- Californians over age 80 will be able to get a permanent exemption from jury duty under a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed. Lynn La Calmatters -- 9/16/26

Free speech or false advertising? California judge to rule on ‘abortion pill reversal’ claims -- Attorney General Rob Bonta is seeking $20 million in penalties from two anti-abortion groups over their claims about an experimental treatment. Rachel Bluth and Alice Miranda Ollstein Politico -- 9/16/26

POTUS 47

Saudi Pipeline Attack Risks ‘Disastrous’ Loss of Oil as Fighting Escalates -- Prolonged restrictions on exports could push oil prices even higher. Lisa Friedman in the New York Times$ -- 9/16/26

Battle with Trump is sending Canada into the arms of the E.U. -- The unprecedented offer drew a standing ovation from lawmakers at the European Parliament and from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, a guest of honor at the session. Ellen Francis in the Washington Post$ -- 9/16/26

Americans Have Spent $100 Billion More on Fuel During the Iran War -- U.S. consumers have spent about $107 billion more on gasoline and diesel during the Iran war than they would have without the conflict, according to estimates by a lab at Brown University. The additional fuel costs are forcing some lower- and middle-income families to save less or curb spending elsewhere. David Uberti in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/16/26

Iran war cost $38 billion through July, report says -- The U.S. is expected to spend $2 billion to $3 billion per month as the war continues, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Riley Beggin in the Washington Post$ -- 9/16/26

House bucks Iran war before midterms -- The House voted to halt the nearly seven month war against Iran on Tuesday, a final slap at President Donald Trump as lawmakers head into a midterm campaign dominated by the conflict. The 220-204 vote — a record seven Republicans broke ranks — is an important, if largely symbolic, political snapshot ahead of the elections. Connor O'Brien and Mark Satter Politico Robert Jimison in the New York Times$ -- 9/16/26

Kennedy Center Closes Its Doors Despite a Judge’s Order -- Simmering turmoil over the future of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts boiled over on Tuesday as the center abruptly closed to the public and President Trump threatened to cancel a planned $257 million renovation if his name was not returned to the front of the building. Julia Jacobs and Zach Montague in the New York Times$ -- 9/16/26

Rising Fuel Prices Set Off Anger and Protests Around the World -- Since the latest surge pushed oil above $100 a barrel, protesters have burned tires and cars in Guatemala and Syria to express their rage. Portugal’s roads have featured cars crawling in protest with honking horns after diesel reached a record high of more than $9 a gallon. Damien Cave in the New York Times$ -- 9/16/26