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California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Trump suggests letting Iran ‘take out’ Los Angeles, San Diego during campaign rally -- President Trump, speaking at a campaign rally Monday, suggested Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego — a comment that was possibly in jest but brought a quick reaction from leaders in California. Iris Kwok, Richard Winton and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ Laura Chung in the New York Times$ Aoife Walsh in the Washington Post$ -- 10/6/26

Kamala Harris has a 2028 opening — and a 2024 problem -- The former Democratic standard bearer retains considerable respect in the party, but there’s an undercurrent of anxiety about her return to the political conversation. Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Praveena Somasundaram and Dan Merica in the Washington Post$ -- 10/6/26

Republican Hilton’s ‘Just try it’ ad courts liberals — and angers his own base -- The room is dim, the background music crooning, the vibe suggestive. Two young women (hair dyed, faces pierced) sit in front of a rainbow Pride flag, one of them cajoling the other to try something she’s never done before. Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 10/6/26

Luxury-car buyers who use ‘Montana loophole’ to dodge California taxes are target of new law -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law aimed at stopping California buyers from using out-of-state shell companies to dodge taxes on luxury cars. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

Democrats want to change the rules for recall elections. Voters get their say with Prop. 5 -- Following the failed 2021 recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrats had the political will and momentum to call for changes to the recall process. What emerged was Proposition 5 on the November ballot, a measure to change the recall process. Kate Wolffe Calmatters -- 10/6/26

Bernie Sanders boosts wealth tax while labor argues it would devastate California’s economy -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, a hero among the nation’s progressive voters, stumped in Southern California on Monday for a wealth tax on the California ballot in November that has drawn hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending. Seema Mehta and Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

Marketplace

David Ellison names Skydance team that includes prominent Warner executives -- HBO Chairman Casey Bloys, CNN Chairman Mark Thompson, Discovery streaming executive J.B. Perrette and DC Comics managers James Gunn and Peter Safran will join Ellison at Skydance. Paramount executives will fill out the rest of Ellison’s leadership team. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

Workplace

Kaiser to pay millions in back wages to more than 1,000 nurses after payroll error, union says -- It’s not yet clear how much Kaiser must pay the nurses, but the wages date back to at least 2021 and could total tens of millions of dollars, said CNA, which represents about 25,000 registered nurses in 22 Kaiser locations around California. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/6/26

Restaurant workers face hidden dangers from gas stoves, including pollution and extreme heat -- Restaurants with gas stoves and ovens are exposing workers to harmful air pollution and unsafe levels of heat, according to a new study led by California researchers. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

5 Challenges David Ellison Faces as He Snags His Hollywood Prize -- The tech scion has given his combination of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount a new name: Skydance. Now he must make tough decisions about news, movies, streaming, sports and debt. The item is in the New York Times$ -- 10/6/26

Oil

Supreme Court sounds wary of state-based climate change suits against oil producers -- Several justices suggested that local and state claims against oil companies may be blocked by the federal Clean Air Act. California and nearly three dozen states and municipalities have filed such claims. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ James Romoser in the Wall Street Journal$ Justin Jouvenal in the Washington Post$ -- 10/6/26

Education

Overspent and under-enrolled: State fiscal crisis experts issue severe warning to LAUSD -- Los Angeles Unified is at high risk of insolvency, California’s fiscal watchdog says, citing declining enrollment, rising staff and labor costs, and growing expenses for special education. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

Embattled Northern California charter school files for bankruptcy -- A beleaguered Sacramento charter school, which the state last year accused of misspending $180 million, has filed for bankruptcy after the school said negotiations broke down over its repayment of the debt. Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 10/6/26

First priority for California’s next state superintendent: Negotiate a job description -- What’s unclear is what the next state superintendent will actually do. Whoever wins next month’s election for the job — either Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified school board, or Richard Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified’s school board — will spend the next four years creating a new job template for future state superintendents. John Fensterwald and Emma Gallegos EdSource -- 10/6/26

AI

‘Evaluators’ are supposed to keep AI from killing us all. No pressure -- California and dozens of countries want mandatory AI audits, conducted by AI evaluators. Lawmakers are still learning about the job — and its pitfalls. Khari Johnson Calmatters -- 10/6/26

Hackers Use Chinese AI Tool to Hit South Korean Banks, Exposing New Risk -- Hackers used a Chinese artificial-intelligence agent to attack South Korea’s biggest banks and steal the personal information of 68,000 people, officials said, marking one of the first such AI-powered intrusions into the global financial system. Sooyoung Rhee and Raffaele Huang in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/6/26

Also

‘Go back to Mexico!’ Woman’s racist rant disrupting Laguna Beach proposal goes viral -- The video of the encounter at Crescent Bay Point Park has drawn more than 10 million Instagram views and prompted the city to condemn hateful behavior while noting permit rules for planned setups and professional photography. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/26

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Trump says he’ll pay for taxpayer-funded ads praising him after backlash -- After more than a week of bipartisan criticism over ads promoting his presidency with taxpayer money, Trump said he or his MAGA Inc. super PAC would cover the cost. Scott Waldman Politico Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal$ Shane Goldmacher, Theodore Schleifer and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ Natalie Allison in the Washington Post$ Will Weissert Associated Press -- 10/5/26

 

California Policy and Politics Monday

Department of Homeland Security buys two more detention centers in California for $950 million -- The facilities sold by the GEO Group, a for-profit prison company, are all located in Adelanto, north of San Bernardino. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/26

A little-known provision in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill has created a major dilemma for California -- At issue is a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that forbids states from taxing public health plans at a higher rate than private health plans. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/5/26

How real estate investors are profiting off a California tax break for affordable housing -- California’s welfare exemption has become a strategy for landlords to save money on taxes without necessarily giving tenants a discount on rent, a Chronicle investigation found. Kate Talerico in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/5/26

OpenAI and Anthropic execs donate millions to political causes. One billionaire stands apart -- Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI, and his wife Anna have given far more to political causes than the combined donations of other top executives of the research lab and its rival Anthropic. Hanna Zakharenko, Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/5/26

 

Bernie Sanders makes a late push for California billionaire tax -- Bernie Sanders calls the proposed tax on California billionaires the most important ballot measure in America. Now, with the initiative sliding in polls and vastly outspent by the opposition, the Vermont senator is trying to give it new life. Jeremy B. White Politico Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/5/26

Will Democrats’ midterm wave reach California’s Central Valley? Bernie Sanders rallies the vote -- Even in Bakersfield, the heart of conservative California, insurgent populism is having a moment. Exhibit A: The hundreds of sweaty Californians who braved 105-degree heat on Sunday to hear from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, progressive Democrats’ modern-day Moses. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 10/5/26

 

‘Creepy, Weird’ Steve Hilton Ad Denounced by California Republicans -- It’s the stuff of bad romance novels, not a modern political ad. But the new digital spot from the California Republican gubernatorial candidate, Steve Hilton, is at least drawing attention — and condemnation, much of it from fellow Republicans. Anna Griffin in the New York Times$ -- 10/5/26

Skelton: Becerra on cruise control, Hilton offers contrived fixes for California’s problems -- Look, Xavier Becerra could cruise to a South Pacific island and bask on the beach until election day and Californians would still choose him as their next governor. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/26

 

Democrats want to change the rules for recall elections. Voters get their say with Prop. 5 -- Following the failed 2021 recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrats had the political will and momentum to call for changes to the recall process. What emerged was Proposition 5 on the November ballot, a measure to change the recall process. Kate Wolffe Calmatters -- 10/5/26

What’s with all the taxes on the California ballot? -- Five of the 14 statewide ballot measures are related to taxes, and if that sounds like a lot, you’re not imagining things: It’s the most tax measures voters have been presented with during a general election since 1994. Lynn La Calmatters -- 10/5/26

Bay Area transit tax divides residents by age and homeownership, poll finds -- Younger adults and renters are more supportive of November’s Regional Transit Measure, while opponents question agency spending and paying for services they rarely use. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/5/26

Nithya Raman lays out how she’d spend first 100 days as LA mayor -- The mayoral candidate said she would begin shifting homelessness funding away from LAHSA, speed housing permits and overhaul how City Hall manages services and spending. Teresa Liu in the LA Daily News -- 10/5/26

An election chief lost. Then he padlocked the ballots and called the FBI -- Shasta County, California, where election doubts run so deep that some don’t trust results even when their choice prevails, offers a glimpse of what happens when distrust in voting systems takes root. Patrick Marley in the Washington Post$ -- 10/5/26

ICE

Adelanto ICE medical staff repeatedly failed detainee who died, internal report says -- Medical staff at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center repeatedly failed 39-year-old Ismael Ayala-Uribe before he died in custody, according to a mortality review by investigators with ICE’s Health Services Corp. Ryanne Mena in the Orange County Register$ -- 10/5/26

Education

These 8 new California laws will have a big impact on schools and students -- Young children will now be assessed on their math skills. English learners will have an easier path toward reclassifying as fluent and proficient. Schools may feel more encouraged to spend billions in funds for arts education. And schools may deploy long-term emergency substitutes in classrooms for longer periods with fewer onboarding requirements. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 10/5/26

El Niño’s impact on aging California schools may be severe, experts warn -- A winter of potentially devastating weather driven by what scientists predict to be a massive El Niño event could strain many of California’s TK-12 public schools, experts say, likely damaging aging structures and forcing school closures. Thomas Peele EdSource -- 10/5/26

Transit

Sticker shock comes for Metrolink riders with new fare increase: ‘Everyone is struggling’ -- Metrolink is raising its fares Monday by as much as 27%. On Sunday at Union Station, several riders expressed disappointment with the news; many did not know about the change. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/26

Street

As robotaxi accidents increase in L.A., the data reveal the safer driver -- The vehicles still had relatively few incidents, and most were fender benders, according to a Times review of autonomous vehicle crash data filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/26

Marketplace

Why It’s Taking Nine Months to Get Back $164,000 in Tariff Refunds -- When the Supreme Court struck down some of President Trump’s tariffs in February, Asher Rapkin was so happy he jumped up and down in his kitchen with his kids. But the owner of a California watch retailer has spent a frustrating nine months trying to get his $164,000 back. He blames FedEx. Esther Fung in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/5/26

5 Challenges David Ellison Faces as He Snags His Hollywood Prize -- The tech scion has given his combination of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount a new name: Skydance. Now he must make tough decisions about news, movies, streaming, sports and debt. Michael M. Grynbaum in the New York Times$ -- 10/5/26

AI

Sam Altman to Decoded: ‘The world should accept some bad things happening’ for the benefits of AI -- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said there remains a fundamental difference in worldview between his company and rival Anthropic on artificial intelligence regulation, arguing in an exclusive interview with Decoded by Politico that the technology’s benefits justify accepting some risks — and that AI should remain broadly accessible to the public. Christine Mui and Brendan Bordelon Politico -- 10/5/26

Also

Questions linger as San Diego’s battle-tested carrier USS Abraham Lincoln nears home -- A joyous homecoming awaits the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is about to return to San Diego after one of the longest and most grueling deployments since naval guns fell quiet at the end of World War II. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 10/5/26

California families are running out of time to use $120 per kid benefit on groceries -- The federal program sends the money to low-income families whose children are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches or who receive MediCal. The benefits are expiring on a rolling basis this fall. Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 10/5/26

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Trump’s gains among Latino voters slip ahead of midterms -- New polls show Democrats ahead among Latino voters as Trump draws low marks on the economy and immigration enforcement. Jalen Beckford Politico -- 10/5/26

At Trump’s Rallies, a Familiar Mix of Rituals and a Plea to ‘Please Pretend’ -- President Trump is doggedly lending his support to Republican candidates facing a rough midterm season. He is the same campaigner he has always been, but his crowds have changed. Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 10/5/26

Democrats add six more targets, two in districts Trump carried by 20 points -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s political director told Politico the party could end up with as many as 240 House seats after Election Day. Andrew Howard Politico -- 10/5/26

Democrats Project a Party Milestone in Congress: 100 Women in the House -- Democrats are increasingly confident they will have a record number of women serving in the House next year, after backing women in competitive districts they are now positioned to win. Annie Karni in the New York Times$ -- 10/5/26

Trump’s opponents are planning efforts to reverse his changes to presidency -- As the midterms approach, Democrats are working to ensure his aggressive approach to executive power doesn’t outlast him. Naftali Bendavid in the Washington Post$ -- 10/5/26