State Bar of California admits it used AI to develop exam questions, triggering new furor
LAT, JENNY JARVIE: "Nearly two months after hundreds of prospective California lawyers complained that their bar exams were plagued with technical problems and irregularities, the state’s legal licensing body has caused fresh outrage by admitting that some multiple-choice questions were developed with the aid of artificial intelligence.
The State Bar of California said in a news release Monday that it will ask the California Supreme Court to adjust test scores for those who took its February bar exam."
Amid Tesla blowback, Elon Musk says he’ll be stepping back from DOGE in May
The Chronicle, ANNIE VAINSHTEIN: "Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Tuesday he would be stepping back from his work leading President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, amid sinking Tesla profits.
In an earnings call Tuesday, Musk said there had been “blowback” for the time he had been spending on governmental matters, so he would be allocating “significantly” less time to DOGE starting in May, at a commitment of just one or two days a week for the duration of the president’s term. Tesla and Musk have been the target of numerous protests across the country in recent weeks, led by people incensed by his far-reaching directives."
‘It is time for you to leave’: DHS mistakenly sends notices to U.S. citizens
LAT, ANDREA CASTILLO: "One night this month, Los Angeles immigration attorney Harriet Steele opened her email to a notice from the Department of Homeland Security.
“It is time for you to leave the United States,” it read."
Steve Hilton — like most California Republicans — has a MAGA problem
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "Steve Hilton believes he’s looking at a rare shot in California: a chance for a Republican to be elected governor in 2026. Who says California no longer is the place of dreamers?
The Atherton resident and UK native is dreaming if he thinks a MAGA-friendly Republican will win in a state with twice as many Democrats as Republicans. But he’s boundlessly optimistic, and you’ve got to be since Californians haven’t elected a Republican governor in 20 years — and that guy had universal name recognition and ultimately no love for Trump: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hilton, no relation to the hotel chain or its money, does not have much name ID."
Exclusive: Mayor Lurie asks panel to remove embattled S.F. official
The Chronicle, MICHAEL BARBA: "Mayor Daniel Lurie is seeking to remove a beleaguered San Francisco official from her post after she came under investigation for secretly working a side job for a political group and directing city money to her friends, the Chronicle has learned.
Kimberly Ellis, director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, is scheduled to face a vote Wednesday evening on her potential dismissal, according to two sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly."
Social media warning label bill moves forward in California legislature
Sacramento Bee, KATE WOLFFE: "A bill that would add a black box warning to social media home screens moved forward in the California Legislature Tuesday, after emotional testimony from witnesses and Assembly members.
AB 56, authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, would show users of all ages a black box warning for 10 seconds when the home screen is first opened for the day, a larger warning box for at least 90 seconds after 3 hours of active use, and once an hour after that. The bill initially suggested a 90 second warning when users first access the sites or apps, but was watered down over the course of negotiations."
Trump stopped federal funding to Maine over transgender athletes. Could California follow?
LAT, HOWARD BLUME: "President Trump was welcoming governors to the White House in February when he sought out Maine Gov. Janet Mills, demanding to know whether she would comply with his ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports.
“I’m complying with state and federal laws,” Mills replied."
How to manage your student loan before the Trump administration sends it to collections
The Chronicle, JESSICA ROY: "The Biden administration tried to get a lot of student loans forgiven. The Trump administration is going in a different direction.
On Monday, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled “Accountability Returns to Student Loans.” In it, she announced she was ending the “dishonest and irresponsible policy” of zero-interest student loan deferment."
Independent study charter schools are a soft spot in California’s vaccine laws, data show
LAT, LAURA J. NELSON/HANNAH WILEY: "Heartland Charter School in Kern County has several dream field trips on the calendar this spring, including tours of In-N-Out Burger, an Amtrak train ride along the Central Coast and a matinee performance of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” at the Hollywood Pantages.
The outings may not seem unusual, but Heartland’s student body differs from other California schools in one major way."
Federal database of historical education documents ceasing operations
EdSource, ADAM EISENBERG: "A Department of Education database that hosts more than 2 million education documents dating back to the 1960s is set to shut down Wednesday due to DOGE funding cuts, according to The Hechinger Report.
ERIC, the Education Resources Information Center, is an open access online library where anyone can search, read and download millions of documents related to education going back roughly six decades. While the database is meant to continue operating through 2028 under the terms of a five-year contract, Erin Pollard, the Department of Education employee tasked with managing ERIC until her job was cut in March, says the Department of Government Efficiency has refused to disburse previously approved funds."
UC faculty to consider its own high school ethnic studies mandate
EdSource, JOHN FENSTERWALD: "School districts are looking to the May revision of the state budget to learn if Gov. Gavin Newsom will press ahead with a mandate to offer a high school ethnic studies course whose implementation is contingent on state funding. That will be unlikely.
Brooks Allen, executive director of the State Board of Education and a Newsom adviser, confirmed Tuesday that, given current revenue forecasts, Newsom will not propose funding the mandate. He conveyed that message to a representative of the UC Academic Senate, he said."
A better deal on the power we need (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, NEIL MATOUKA: "In an era of skyrocketing living costs and soaring energy bills, it’s more important than ever to seize opportunities that reduce unnecessary expenses for consumers and lay the groundwork for a more affordable future. Fortunately, California legislators have the chance to do just that—by reducing the costs of expanding vital infrastructure to meet our growing energy needs and climate goals.
The California Independent System Operator, which runs most of the state’s high-voltage electric transmission grid, has identified over $50 billion of new transmission needed to meet growing electricity demand, connect new clean energy resources, and decarbonize the electric system. This new transmission infrastructure isn’t optional—it is necessary to connect new solar, wind, batteries, geothermal, and other clean energy resources that keep our lights on. However, as we make these critical investments, we must prioritize keeping costs low for ratepayers."
CALMatters, ALEJANDRA REYES-VELARDE: "In a quiet Compton neighborhood near the 710 freeway, children on a recent afternoon chased each other at Kelly Park after school. Parents watched their kids play, unaware of a potential threat to their health.
On the other side of the freeway, just blocks from the park and Kelly Elementary School, a fumigation company uses a highly toxic pesticide to spray fruits and vegetables."
How Trump tariffs could upend California farms, wine businesses and ports
CALMatters, LEVI SUMAGAYSAY: "President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs are putting many California businesses, jobs and the state budget at risk. They’re affecting not only long-term relationships with trading partners, but an intricate web of ecosystems and supply chains.
The California business owners and groups grappling with the tariffs — wine shop owners, winery founders, farmers — say the precise effects on their industries are unclear so far. They hope there will be an upside."
YouTube turns 20 years old. How it changed TV as we know it
LAT, WENDY LEE: "The grainy 19-second YouTube video that started it all hardly had the makings of a viral sensation.
Shot at the San Diego Zoo, the primitive video clip showed Jawed Karim, the platform’s co-founder, complimenting the elephants in the frame behind him. “The cool thing about these guys is they have really, really, really long trunks,” Karim said."
New taxes will soon dwarf the billions spent on homelessness in last decade. Who’s watching over it?
LAT, DOUG SMITH: "After nearly a decade of unprecedented taxpayer spending on homelessness with little to show in improvement on the streets, the giant nonprofits behind the measures that secured that funding asked voters to double down.
To assuage concerns that past funds may have been dispensed rashly, leading to waste and abuse, the authors of two new tax measures wove into them a complex system of oversight to increase transparency and accountability."
Abundance meets resistance: Are Democrats finally ready to go all in on building housing?
CALMatters, JEANNE KUANG: "Amid a post-2024 wave of Democratic interest in the burgeoning pro-development “abundance” movement, this seemed to be an easy year for California’s yes-in-my-backyard housing development activists.
Democratic leaders in the state Legislature declared their intention to tackle affordability this year. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other politicians have since embraced the “abundance” platform, which argues that Democrats must do more to quickly deliver housing, transportation and other infrastructure projects to their constituents."
Insurer of last resort kept growing. Then L.A. fire victims paid the price
LAT, LAURENCE DARMIENTO/SANDHYA KAMBHAMPATI: "When Diane Hvolka’s home burned down in January, the real estate attorney didn’t lose just her Pacific Palisades residence but a link to her teenage daughter, who died two years ago.
The tragic loss of her only child — whose room she had left untouched — has left her determined to rebuild on her Glenhaven Drive property. But so far, Hvolka said, she’s been stymied by the California FAIR Plan, from which she bought coverage last year after her insurer of more than a decade suddenly dropped her."
Here’s how the size of homes built in the Bay Area has changed over the past 120 years
The Chronicle, CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "For decades, newly constructed homes in California were getting bigger and bigger.
Not anymore. Statewide, homes built in the 2020s are about 2,150 square feet, down slightly from a peak of 2,340 in the 2000s, according to data provided by real estate company Zillow."
Inside LA’s mental health court: Meth, homelessness and the judge who wants to help
CALMatters, JOE GARCIA: "In a Hollywood courtroom, prosecutor and defense attorney both asserted their positions on how to best administer justice to the man appearing before them in shackled restraints. Judge Ronald Owen Kaye surveyed documents on his computer, then looked over his eyeglasses from person to person.
“We’ve got quite a lot going on here,” Kaye said that day in February. He then turned his focus squarely to the defendant. With a state-appointed psychiatrist’s evaluation now on file, the judge wanted to discuss next steps. “I’d like to hear where you stand on all this, sir. Let’s talk turkey.”"