Who is running for California governor in 2026? Meet the potential candidates
LAT's PHIL WILLON: "Welcome to your guide to the 2026 California governor’s race. The election may be a long way off, but campaigns for the state’s most coveted political prize already are underway.
The race is wide open since Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is serving his second term as California governor and by law cannot run again."
Republicans target Kamala Harris’ ‘California-ness.’ Do swing-state voters care?
CALMatters's YUE STELLA YU: "A pair of ceiling fans spun lazily inside the jam-packed hangar as the sun blazed down on thousands of supporters outside. As the crowd of 15,000 — the largest of the 2024 Democratic presidential campaign — waited for Vice President Kamala Harris, some began to faint.
That didn’t stop the supporters from bursting into waves of deafening cheers that lasted two minutes as Harris took the stage. It was what her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, called a “warm Midwestern welcome.”"
Newsom threatens to take money from counties that don’t reduce homelessness
LAT's TARYN LUNA: "cameras rolling and traffic on a busy San Fernando Valley freeway humming in the background, Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened on Thursday to take away state funding from counties that don’t show improvement on homelessness.
“If we don’t see demonstrable results, I’ll start to redirect money,” Newsom said."
Aaron Peskin trails in S.F. mayor’s race as he seeks progressive support. Here’s why
The Chronicle's JD MORRIS: "Supervisor Aaron Peskin entered the race for San Francisco mayor in April hoping to be the standard bearer for progressive voters seeking a clear contrast to moderate incumbent London Breed.
Four months later, Peskin does not yet have nearly enough support to unseat Breed, though his campaign insists he is proceeding on a viable path to victory. A new poll commissioned by the Chronicle found he was the No. 1 choice of just 12% of likely voters, coming in fourth behind Breed, former interim mayor Mark Farrell and nonprofit founder Daniel Lurie."
Willie Brown says Trump claims of helicopter trip, Kamala Harris confessions are false
LAT's SANDRA MCDONALD: "Former President Trump said that he and Willie Brown almost crashed in a helicopter and that the former San Francisco mayor told him “terrible things” about Trump’s Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.
False and false, Brown says."
READ MORE -- Trump says he ‘went down in a helicopter’ with Willie Brown. Former S.F. mayor says it never happened -- LAT's JOE GAROFOLI
LAT's RONG-GONG LIN II: "Most Californians know that sinking feeling.
The ground shakes, jolting you to attention. For a split second, your mind considers the possibilities: A truck driving by? Someone dropping a heavy object on the ground?"
Could ‘world’s smallest mountain range’ get new name? What Sutter Buttes could be called
Sacramento Bee's HANNAH POUKISH: "A request to change the name of the Sutter Buttes has led to an outburst of opinions from the public on whether a colonizer’s racist past should define the cluster of volcanic hills colloquially called the “world’s smallest mountain range.”
In March, a petition was filed to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to change the name of the Sutter Buttes to the Sacred Buttes."
Pressure from education advocates ends effort to eliminate teacher assessment
EdSource's DIANA LAMBERT: "A controversial bill that would have eliminated teaching performance assessments — the last licensure test California teacher candidates are required to take — has been dramatically revised under pressure from education advocacy groups.
Senate Bill 1263, sponsored by the California Teachers Association (CTA), would have ended the requirement that teacher candidates take video clips of classroom instruction, submit lesson plans, student work and written reflections on their practice to prove they are prepared to become teachers."
FAFSA delayed for second year in a row
EdSource's ZAIDEE STAVELY: "The release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will again be delayed this year. The form is usually released on Oct. 1, but U.S. Department of Education officials announced Wednesday that the form will not be available to students and families until Dec. 1.
According to the news release, the Department of Education will test the system in October with a small group of students, colleges and universities, so officials can fix any issues before releasing the form nationwide."
Sac State temporarily removes CapRadio audit as firm makes ‘corrections and clarifications’
Sacramento Bee's ISHANI DESAI, MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "Sacramento State on Thursday evening removed from its website an audit into Capital Public Radio’s finances, stating that one of several former board members described as having a “possible conflict of interest” was not a board member at the time of the transaction that was flagged. The university said it would post a corrected version of the audit “as soon as possible.”
The university hired accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen to conduct the independent forensic examination into CapRadio, which is an auxiliary of Sacramento State. That report was released publicly Monday, posted by Sacramento State to the school’s website."
Mortgage rates have hit a 15-month low — but will they go anywhere near 3%?
The Chronicle's JESSICA ROY: "Potential California homebuyers have been disheartened by the meteoric rise in interest rates over the past two years.
But as of Thursday, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was available at 6.47% — nowhere near the low 2s and high 3s seen during the height of the pandemic, but down substantially from a high of 7.79% in October 2023. The last time mortgage rates were this low was in May 2023."
LAT's HANNAH FRY: "Brittany West had planned to put down roots and build a life with her fiancé and their new baby in Orange County, a place that’s lauded as ideal for raising children.
But it’s become more difficult to make ends meet, even though West and her fiancé, Ben, both have solid incomes. Modest rent hikes on their Irvine condominium, higher prices for basic goods and costly child care for their 9-month-old son have pushed the couple to start planning to abandon Orange County for more affordable digs in the Sacramento area."
Developers call it S.F.’s ‘newest neighborhood.’ Does it live up to the hype?
The Chronicle's JOHN KING: "Whenever developers proclaim that they’re creating a neighborhood, it’s a fair bet the rhetoric will include doses of hubris and hype.
Remember this when you visit the first phase of Mission Rock, with its four big buildings and one big park hugging the rim of China Basin across from Oracle Park. Now complete, it’s hardly the “shared dream of what neighborhood can mean” touted by co-developers Tishman Speyer and the San Francisco Giants on their website for “the city’s newest waterfront neighborhood.”"
Classic movie fans will recognize this San Francisco property. Renting chapel part of deal
Sacramento Bee's DAVID CARACCIO: "A top-floor corner condominium in San Francisco, with panoramic city and bay views, is for sale in a historic pink building that was originally built in the 1920s as a convent and hospital.
The price is right, but the unit is small. The one-bedroom, one-bathroom, 719-square-foot condo is listed for $899,000."