California lawmakers deliver major Democratic climate, housing and labor wins to Newsom
CALMATTERS, YUE STELLA YU/JEANNE KUANG: "Three days before the scheduled end of the legislative session this week, Sen. Lena Gonzalez introduced legislation to limit Los Angeles’ controversial recent “mansion tax” on high-value real estate deals. She backed down just a day later.
“We wanted more time,” she said. “We wanted to do more due diligence … There were so many other issues on the docket.”"
California lawmakers push through controversial CEQA changes in early-morning vote
SacBee, STEPHEN HOBBS: "A bill to change a key environmental law was approved by the California Legislature early Saturday morning, just days after the measure received sharp criticism from environmental advocates, other close observers and several lawmakers.
Legislators this summer voted to increase exemptions under the California Environmental Quality Act, also known as CEQA, a watershed law that is sometimes used as an impediment to slow down or stop housing projects."
READ MORE -- Lawmakers send Newsom a high-stakes energy overhaul tied to wildfires, utilities and oil -- CALMATTERS, ALEJANDRO LAZO/JEANNE KUANG
Social media, ICE, antisemitism bills head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk
SACBEE, KATE WOLFFE: "Lawmakers charged through dozens of bills as the legislative session neared a close late Friday night, and had to reconvene Saturday to pass a wide-ranging climate and energy deal that came through late in the week.
The deadline to pass the legislation forced action on bills to regulate artificial intelligence, reign in immigration enforcement and require housing near transit. The final frenzy brought scores of lobbyists to the Capitol, and in the Assembly lawmakers walked the aisles with “vote cards” to be sure they had enough support to pass their bills."
California Legislature passes bill to increase housing near transit stations
SACBEE, STEPHEN HOBBS: "The California Legislature Friday passed a controversial measure that could bypass local zoning laws to require communities to approve more housing developments near train and bus stations in many counties across the state.
Senate Bill 79 will make it harder for cities to block projects on properties within one-half mile of transit stops. It now goes to Gov. Gavin Newsom."
Why California backed off again from ambitious AI regulation
CALMATTERS, KHARI JOHNSON: "After three years of trying to give Californians the right to know when AI is making a consequential decision about their lives and to appeal when things go wrong, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan said she and her supporters will have to wait again, until next year.
The San Ramon Democrat announced Friday that Assembly Bill 1018, which cleared the Assembly and two Senate committees, has been designated a two-year bill, meaning it can return as part of the legislative session next year. That move will allow more time for conversations with Gov. Gavin Newsom and more than 70 opponents. The decision came in the final hours of the California Legislative session, which ends today."
Are Sacramento institutions flying flags at half-staff to follow Trump’s order?
SacBee Staff: "Flags in front of public institutions around California’s capital were flown at half-staff on Friday — the final workday of a week when Americans commemorated the 24th anniversary of 9/11 and when conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated at an event in Utah.
President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on Wednesday, the day Kirk was fatally shot while at Utah Valley University, ordering that the American flag be flown at half-staff on all public buildings and grounds across the U.S., it’s territories and embassies “(a)s a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk.” Trump stated that the order would be in effect until sunset Sunday."
After Charlie Kirk’s slaying, workers learn the limits of free speech in and out of their jobs
LA Times, CATHY BUSSEWITZ and WYATE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS: "In the days since the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, workers in a variety of industries have been fired for their comments on his death.
It’s hardly the first time workers have lost their jobs over things they say publicly — including in social media posts. In the U.S., laws can vary across states, but overall, there’s very few legal protections for employees who are punished for speech made in or out of private workplaces."
A major Democratic group says 2026 candidates should have this one quality
CHRONICLE, JOE GAROFOLI: "One clear message Democrats have heard since their electoral debacle in November is that voters want candidates who are fighters. But leaders at Emily’s List, the 40-year-old fundraising powerhouse that has helped elect nearly 2,000 abortion-rights-supporting women to office, said there’s another big factor voters want in their candidates: people who know what it is like to struggle economically.
That is one of many new findings Emily’s List President Jessica Mackler found through extensive research the organization commissioned to understand how Democrats can take back power as they struggle to regain voters’ trust and shape a coherent message in time for the 2026 midterm elections, which could be the party’s last chance to check President Donald Trump’s power."
Here’s how national vaccine chaos could put California health at risk
CHRONICLE, ERIN ALLDAY: "The chaotic national dialogue around immunizations could cause widespread and lasting damage to public health, even in places like the Bay Area where vaccine support remains robust, say experts in infectious diseases.
As national leaders, including the United States’ own health secretary, argue about and frequently dismiss the value of vaccines across all ages, public health experts say the fallout could be as immediate as this winter: A decline in immunizations for the flu, COVID and RSV could result in an uptick in respiratory illnesses and deaths. Or the damage may be felt years or even decades from now, when vaccine-preventible diseases manifest in infants born to unvaccinated mothers."
As RFK pushes MAHA, federal cuts shut down California health and nutrition programs
CALMATTERS, KRISTEN HWANG: "Earlier this year, Selena Peña spent her days helping Kern County residents learn how to lead healthier lives through nutrition and fitness classes. She was part of a public health team focused on reducing high rates of obesity and heart disease.
But in July the county eliminated the program, citing the loss of $12.5 million in federal public health funding. It was early in a series of cascading cuts to Kern’s health programs this year. Other counties are making similar decisions."
California says it can no longer trust Washington on COVID vaccines. A major battle is looming
LAT, RONG-GONG LIN II: "California’s late summer COVID surge is showing signs of peaking, but the state’s war with the Trump administration over vaccines is just beginning.
Coronavirus levels in California’s wastewater remain “very high,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as they are in much of the country. But some other COVID-19 indicators are starting to fall in the Golden State."
Here are the details of Trump’s $1.2-billion call to remake UCLA in a conservative image
LAT, JAWEED KALEEM: "The Trump administration’s settlement proposal to UCLA — which includes a nearly $1.2-billion fine over allegations of antisemitism and civil rights violations — seeks to drastically overhaul campus practices on hiring, admissions, sports, scholarships, discrimination and gender identity, a Times review of the document shows.
The 28-page letter — whose full contents have not been made public — also lays out in sweeping detail how it wants the university to enforce new policies that adhere to the president’s conservative agenda."
‘Zone zero’ rule could be California’s wildfire savior — or its environmental undoing
LAT, JEANETTE MARANTOS: "Depending on whom you talk to, the proposed new defensible space rules for “zone zero” will help save homes in very high fire hazard severity zones, or decimate much of Southern California’s urban tree canopy without really deterring the types of wildland fires that destroyed much of Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu earlier this year.
Either way, the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Zone 0 Advisory Committee will likely get an earful of comments during its public meeting Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center. The committee will be presenting its proposed rules for creating “fire defensible spaces” or “ember-resistant zones” within five feet of buildings in very high fire hazard severity zones protected by city and county firefighters as well as all areas protected by state firefighters. These five-foot-wide buffers are now widely known as “zone zero.”"
San Francisco is about to get very hot. Here’s a timeline
CHRONICLE, GREG PORTER: "San Francisco is about to close out summer with one of its hottest stretches of the season and a twist that could bring thunderstorms before fall officially begins. A complex pattern of building high pressure, offshore winds and incoming tropical moisture will drive a three-day warm spell from Monday through Wednesday, with daytime highs climbing into the 80s and a few neighborhoods pushing toward 90 degrees.
September heat in San Francisco isn’t unusual, but it takes a specific atmospheric setup to get there. A combination of building high pressure and downslope winds will hold off the ocean influence just long enough for the city’s eastern half, along with Oakland, San Jose and much of the East Bay, to heat up more like the inland valleys."
These California desert communities are seeing a gold rush as wealthy residents move in
LAT, TERRY CASTLEMAN: "Jessica Bond, 31, owns a roofing company servicing the Coachella Valley with her husband. They live in a small unincorporated town called Thousand Palms.
They bought their home in 2018. Things have changed a lot in the seven years since, thanks to a housing market that is almost as hot as a September day in the valley."
Exclusive: How much money could you lose due to Trump’s tariffs? San Francisco has done the math
CHRONICLE, ROLAND LI: "President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs could pummel San Francisco’s economy, leading to a loss of 18,000 jobs, or 1.8%, and reducing the average resident’s income by $5,600 per year between 2025 and 2045, according to a new city study.
Every major job sector aside from manufacturing would suffer job losses. The forecast finds that the number of workers in the construction sector would plunge 8.4% in the next 20 years. The tech-heavy business and professional services and information sectors would also see over 8,000 lost jobs combined, according to a San Francisco Controller’s Office study reviewed by the Chronicle."
They were repeatedly ticketed because of their homelessness. What did it change?
CALMATTERS, MARISA KENDALL/AARON SCHRANK/LISA HALVERSTADT: "Deadra Walicki has lived in the same spot for more than a decade: a cracked patch of asphalt in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, squeezed between a boarded-up grocery store and Amtrak tracks so close that passing trains shake the ground beneath her tent.
The air carries the scent of diesel fumes from busy Van Nuys Boulevard below and rotten food from the dozens of garbage bags piled up near her mattress, baking in the summer sun."
This Bay Area commute is so bad that people are quitting jobs to escape it
CHRONICLE, CONNOR LETOURNEAU: "For 12 years, Chris Moyer lived the harsh calculus of commuting from Brentwood: leave at 4:30 a.m. for Oakland and nap in his office parking lot, or steal a few extra minutes of sleep and risk being late for his 7 a.m. shift.
“That’s how much the traffic would stack up,” he said."
Tourists are paying hundreds of dollars to go on Waymo rides around San Francisco
CHRONICLE, RACHEL SWAN: "Dara Mihaly has led tours of major U.S. cities using just about every imaginable mode of transportation: a black SUV, a vintage fishing boat, a cable car, her own two feet, a Segway scooter.
So when Waymo launched its commercial robotaxis in San Francisco last year, the veteran guide was eager to incorporate them into her business. From February to August, Mihaly booked 10 Waymo tours in which clients would ride the autonomous vehicles to such prominent landmarks as Alamo Square, Twin Peaks and the Golden Gate Bridge."
2025 Emmy Awards: The complete list of winners
LA Times, KEVIN CRUST: "The 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards have wrapped and the drama category, not surprisingly, provided the most drama with HBO Max’s first-year medical drama “The Pitt” collecting the top prize along with lead actor for Noah Wylie and supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa. Apple TV+’s sci fi thriller “Severance” won lead actress for Britt Lower and supporting actor for Trammell Tillman.
“Adolescence,” Netflix’s intense British drama about the case of a teenage boy accused of murder, dominated the limited series category, winning the top award as well as earning Emmys for Stephen Graham for lead actor and writing (with Jack Thorne), Owen Cooper for supporting actor, Erin Doherty for supporting actress and Philip Barantini for directing. The series also won for directing and writing."
Retro movies are hitting big at the box office. Why cinephiles and theaters are going back in time
LAT, CERYS DAVIES: "Ahead of a 50th anniversary screening of “Jaws” this month at the AMC Theatres in Century City, even the trailers were nostalgic.
Moviegoers saw previews of Marty McFly taking flight in a DeLorean in 1985’s “Back to the Future,” the Von Trapp family sharing a musical picnic in the Austrian hills in 1965’s “The Sound of Music” and Tom Hanks launching into space in 1995’s “Apollo 13.”"
