Republican Steve Hilton leads California governor fundraising as large pool of Democrats lag
CALMATTERS, JEANNE KUANG: "Republican Steve Hilton is pulling in more campaign cash than nearly all other candidates in a tepid fundraising cycle for California governor in a wide-open race with no clear frontrunners, campaign finance reports filed Monday show.
Hilton, a commentator and former Fox News contributor who previously worked for conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron, brought in about $4.1 million in donations in the second half of 2025, according to campaign finance reports. He took a victory lap on social media over the figure, calling it “what momentum looks like.” But he also spent more than half that already, and started off 2026 with about $2 million on hand, only a little more than fellow Republican candidate, Riverside County sheriff Chad Bianco."
Here’s the most detailed data on how S.F. Mayor Daniel Lurie spent his first year in office
CHRONICLE, HANNA ZAKHARENKO/J.D. MORRIS: "Between his inescapable Instagram posts and his many public appearances embracing his role as San Francisco’s cheerleader in chief, how does Mayor Daniel Lurie actually spend his time?
The Chronicle tried to find out by reviewing Lurie’s calendar entries from each day of his first year in office. The calendars, obtained through public records requests, provide a close look at what Lurie was up to in his inaugural year, including who he met with most frequently and which neighborhoods he visited most often."
Newsom blasts Trump administration’s immigration crackdown; touts California’s drug enforcement efforts
CALMATTERS, DEBORAH BRENNAN: "Gov. Gavin Newsom touted California’s drug interdiction efforts, during a San Diego press conference Monday that contrasted the state’s public safety efforts with combative tactics by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Since 2021, Newsom said, National Guard troops have seized 34,357 pounds of fentanyl worth an estimated $506 million at California ports of entry."
Beyond the Governor’s Race (PODCAST)
CAPITOL WEEKLY, STAFF: "The race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom has taken up most of California’s political oxygen so far this year, but there are other statewide races coming up, including Lt. Governor, State Insurance Commissioner, and – potentially – a slew of Ballot Measures. Capitol Weekly Editor Rich Ehisen, reporter Leah O’Tarrow and podcast co-host Tim Foster take a look at the 2026 ballot. Plus – Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics."
Lawmakers demand insurers explain tough requirements for payouts to wildfire victims
LAT, LAURENCE DARMIENTO: "One of the biggest complaints from victims of the January 2025 wildfires has been demands by insurers that they provide itemized receipts for personal property losses, even if their records were destroyed in their burned homes.
Now, California Sen. Adam Schiff and 15 members of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation have asked top home insurers to explain and defend their claims policies, with 70% of fire victims still displaced."
Right-wing influencers have descended on Somali day care centers in this California community
CHRONICLE, SARA DINATALE: "Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Somali community in San Diego feels “under siege” with the arrival of right-wing provocateurs who, seeking to replicate their fraud allegations that kicked off unrest in Minnesota, have arrived at Somali-run day cares, alarming child care workers.
At least three day care centers reported being harassed by people holding cameras in the past few days, according to the United Domestic Workers union, which represents about 5,600 child care providers across San Diego. The visits follow a formula set up by Youtuber Nick Shirley, whose video about Somali-owned day cares in Minnesota went viral after a state investigation there found a billing fraud scheme."
California colleges scramble to fill gaps left by federal grant cuts to Latino students
LAT, OLIVIA SANCHEZ: "As an undergraduate studying psychology at Chico State, Gabriel Muñoz enrolled in a program that paid him to do summer research and matched him up with mentors and gave him access to career workshops.
The experience — funded by a federal grant for Hispanic Serving Institutions — sparked a love for research and he plans to enroll in a master’s program in psychology at Chico State, earn a PhD and become a college professor."
Arizona State navigates financial aid pitfalls of California expansion
EDSOURCE, AMY DIPIERRO: "Arizona State University has spent years expanding its footprint in California, with a presence in downtown Los Angeles and thousands taking online classes within the state.
But ASU faces an obstacle: access to state aid. The university’s latest bid for Cal Grants, a marquee financial aid program that awarded almost $2.5 billion to California students last year, was denied by the California Student Aid Commission in September. Officials say state law does not open the Cal Grant program to out-of-state public universities — and have firmly maintained that stance despite repeated pushback from ASU as recently as January."
Yet another judge rejects Trump effort to block offshore wind, saying N.Y. project can resume
LAT, JENNIFER MCDERMOTT/ALEXA ST. JOHN: "A federal judge has ruled that an offshore wind project aimed at powering 600,000 New York homes may resume construction, the fifth such project put back on track after the Trump administration halted them in December.
In clearing the way for Sunrise Wind to proceed, Judge Royce Lamberth found that the government had not shown that offshore wind is such an imminent national security risk that it must halt in the United States."
Gold satin jackets and $999 VCRs: Remembering the Bay Area’s first Super Bowl
CHRONICLE, PETER HARTLAUB: "In the 1980s we didn’t dress like our heroes.
Fan fashion is the first thing I notice in photos from the Bay Area’s first Super Bowl four decade c cs ago. While modern football lovers wear back-problem-inducing chains and cosplay as Drake Maye in replica uniforms, we bought our 49ers T-shirts from random department stores or made them at home."
A Bay Area suburb lost its steel mill — and its sense of identity. Can it rebuild?
CHRONICLE, CONNOR LETOURNEAU: "Mike Orlando stood outside the shuttered steel mill where he’d worked for decades, gazing at chipped paint, faded signage and rust-covered fencing.
“It’s eerie being back here,” he said."
Disney names theme parks head Josh D’Amaro as new CEO
LAT, MEG JAMES/SAMANTHA MASUNAGA: "Walt Disney Co. selected theme parks chief Josh D’Amaro to be the company’s next chief executive, culminating the most closely-watched succession drama in Hollywood.
D’Amaro, who has run the company’s pivotal parks and experiences division for six years, will be charged with steering the Burbank entertainment giant through increasingly turbulent times."
Some California high-speed rail records could remain secret under proposed law
CALMATTERS, YUE STELLA YU: "The auditor of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority wants the power to keep certain records confidential, drawing concerns from transparency advocates that the agency could shield vital information about a controversial and costly public infrastructure project from the public.
Assembly Bill 1608, authored by Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Lori Wilson, would allow the inspector general overseeing the high-speed rail authority to withhold records that the official believes would “reveal weaknesses” that could harm the state or benefit someone inappropriately."
California has a dangerous driver problem. A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to fix that
CALMATTERS, ROBERT LEWIS/LAUREN HEPLER: "A bipartisan group of state Assembly members today announced a package of bills to crack down on dangerous drivers and address some of the roadway safety issues CalMatters uncovered as part of its ongoing License to Kill series.
The proposals take aim at laws and practices that have allowed dangerous drivers to stay on California’s roads and contributed to a spike in traffic deaths. The bills would: require first-time DUI offenders to install in-car breathalyzers, lengthen many license suspensions and revocations, increase DUI training for law enforcement and close a loophole that allows people who’ve killed with their car to avoid consequences through a diversion program."
These California trucking schools broke state laws. Regulators couldn’t do anything about it
CALMATTERS, ADAM ECHELMAN; ERICA YEE: "When commercial truck drivers are speeding down California’s highways and interstates with thousands of pounds of cargo in tow, a single mistake can be catastrophic.
Yet California fails to regulate most of the schools that train truck drivers, allowing nearly 200 unlicensed schools to operate with effectively no oversight, according to a CalMatters analysis of state and federal records. And when the state has tried to use its limited authority to discipline schools for shortchanging students or flouting the law, its regulators are often powerless, according to the analysis."
Is S.F. catching drivers parked in bike lanes? Here’s what the data shows
CHRONICLE, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "San Francisco said it would crack down on motorists parking in bike lanes — and it did, for a while. But the change didn’t stick.
In the fall of 2024, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, under Mayor London Breed, began what it called “intensive” neighborhood-based parking enforcement. That plan directed parking control officers to look out for and cite parking in bike lanes, as well as other violations like blocking sidewalks or in daylighting zones, in an effort to improve street safety."
