New California law means big changes for car buyers. Here’s how it will work
Chronicle/KATHLEEN PENDER: "Consumers who buy or lease a new or used car from a California dealer will have meaningful new protections — including a first-in-the-nation right to return a used car for a refund within three days of purchase and improved pricing transparency — under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week.
SB766, which takes effect Oct. 1, 2026, was patterned and named after a regulation adopted by the Federal Trade Commission early last year under President Biden. In January, a federal appeals court in Louisiana nullified that regulation before it took effect. The FTC under President Trump has not challenged that decision or moved to readopt the rule. The California act and federal rule shared the same name: Combating Auto Retail Scams or CARS."
Does Prop. 50 divide California communities? Depends how you measure it
CALMatters/JEANNE KUANG: "There’s no question that the proponents of Proposition 50 have a partisan goal.
By seeking to adopt a map to put more Democrats in power in areas currently represented by Republicans, they are asking voters to temporarily bypass the state’s independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission, which for the past two decades has prioritized maps that keep similar communities together and provide more electoral opportunities for communities of color."
Other constitutional provisions involving the Legislature
Capitol Weekly/CHRIS MICHELI: "Most of the provisions of the California Constitution concerning the Legislature are found in Article IV, Sections 1 thru 28. Nonetheless, there are a number of provisions found in other Articles of the state constitution affecting the duties and powers of the Legislature. This article highlights the other major constitutional provisions concerning the Legislature.
Article II – Voting, Initiative and Referendum, and Recall
The Legislature defines residence and provides registration and elections laws and must prohibit improper practices that affect elections. The Legislature also provides for recall of local officers."
Newsom can protect patients and doctors by vetoing AB 1415 (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly/DR. TONY TSAI: "The California legislature just passed a bill that could make operating an independent physician practice much more difficult.
Known as AB 1415, the measure would force entities that provide financial and operational backing to independent physician practices to go through an onerous state review process for nearly every material financial transaction they enter into. That process will no doubt scare off many of these entities, called management services organizations or MSOs, from the Golden State."
SB 34 is rational policy for workers, air quality, and economic stability (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly/GARY HERRERA: "A recent opinion piece claiming that Senate Bill 34 (SB 34) represents “political overreach” that will “undermine” California’s ports is a familiar argument—one that prioritizes short-term profits for foreign ocean carriers over long-term economic stability and public accountability. Speaking on behalf of the 15,000 longshore workers who are the backbone of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, I can say this plainly: SB 34 is a rational, balanced policy that protects middle-class union jobs, prevents taxpayer dollars from being used to automate those jobs away, and ensures continued environmental progress without destabilizing California’s economic foundation. The bill earned broad, non-partisan support, including votes from Democrats and a significant number of Republican legislators—proof that protecting good jobs and responsible use of public funds transcend party lines.
The Op-Ed’s major omission: no public funds for automation
The most glaring omission in the recent op-ed is its silence on one of SB 34’s central provisions: the prohibition on using public funds for automation. The bill clearly bans the use of “public funds or grants… to require, incentivize, encourage, or otherwise promote the use of automated, remotely controlled, or remotely operated equipment.” This is not anti-innovation—it’s basic fiscal responsibility. As the ILWU has consistently argued: the state should not use taxpayer money to put taxpayers out of work for the benefit of foreign-owned ocean carriers and their subsidiaries."
This California city will feel the government shutdown more than any other. Here’s why
CALMatters/DEBORAH BRENNAN: "As soon as the federal government shutdown kicked in last week, the San Diego Food Bank jumped into action, planning food drives and ordering extra supplies. Feeding San Diego noticed an immediate surge in food demand as government agencies closed.
With the largest military population in California, and one of the highest costs of living in the country, San Diego County is bracing for missed paychecks and runs on food banks from the shutdown, now in its second week."
She lived through the L.A. riots and now is in Chicago. She says Trump is making up urban unrest
LAT/SUSANNE RUST: "The streets were quiet just a block from the ICE processing facility where the National Guard deployed Thursday to protect federal agents and property.
Residents walked their dogs. Kids went to and from school. An Amazon delivery driver parked his van on the side of South 24th Street, turned on his hazard lights and dropped off a few packages — seemingly unhurried or concerned about the dozen people chanting and carrying signs outside the facility on South 25th street."
Mass firings, unpaid furloughs? The Trump loyalist who picked up where Musk left off
LAT/DOYLE MCMANUS: "It has been four months since Elon Musk, President Trump’s bureaucratic demolition man, abandoned Washington in a flurry of recriminations and chaos.
But the Trump administration’s crusade to dismantle much of the federal government never ended. It’s merely under new management: the less colorful but more methodical Russell Vought, director of Trump’s Office of Management and Budget."
No application required: Cal State to automatically admit qualified students under new law
Chronicle/NANETTE ASIMOV: "High school students hoping to attend California State University will soon be admitted automatically under a new law — as long as their grades are good enough to get in.
The “CSU Direct Admission Program,” established by SB640, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week."
Student test scores surge, but still lag behind pre-pandemic levels
CALMatters/CAROLYN JONES: "California’s K-12 students are emerging from the pandemic malaise, posting the most significant academic improvements in years, according to state test scores released today.
The Smarter Balanced standardized test results show increases for almost every student group and every grade, in every subject. Some of the biggest improvements were among students who have struggled the most."
Yosemite BASE jumpers are illegally leaping off El Capitan during government shutdown
Chronicle/GREGORY THOMAS: "Charles Winstead was scaling the 3,000-foot granite wall of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley this week when an unfamiliar flapping sound erupted overhead and startled him.
A small group of BASE jumpers had leaped from the cliff’s ledge and was wingsuit-flying high above the treetops toward the valley floor. As air inflated the jumpers' body suits, the sound echoed down the giant slab."
Fleet Week will see fair flying weather before Bay Area is hit by first storm of season
Chronicle/ANTHONY EDWARDS: "San Francisco’s premier civic celebration, Fleet Week, is anticipated to be accompanied by fairly tranquil weather this weekend.
Cloud ceilings will be lowest during Friday’s scaled-down air show, with gradually clearing skies expected throughout the weekend. People out late Friday may want to bring a jacket as there is a chance of a passing rain shower. Saturday will start with a mix of sun and clouds before a sunny Sunday. Highs will be in the mid-60s to low 70s Friday through Sunday."
Edison’s Eaton Fire compensation plan isn’t enough, residents say
CALMatters/MALENA CAROLLO: "Weeks after Southern California Edison announced initial details of its compensation program for survivors of the deadly Eaton Fire, residents are pushing back. In an open letter to the company released this week, a group representing thousands of people from Altadena and the surrounding areas laid out their concerns with the program.
In the letter and at a press conference today, they said they are most frustrated that the maps Edison uses to determine eligibility exclude some impacted residents from the program and that the company’s payout offers incorrectly assume that residents will receive the full value of their property insurance policies. They are also worried about the fact that children will receive less compensation than adults and that the company is not offering to pay for testing in local schools for toxins released by the fire."
LAFD thought the Jan. 1 Palisades fire was out. It didn’t use thermal imaging to confirm
LAT/ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN, HANNAH FRY, RICHARD WINTON: "Los Angeles firefighters did not use thermal imaging technology to detect lingering embers underground after a New Year’s Day fire in Pacific Palisades that flared up days later to become one of the most destructive infernos in the city’s history.
Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva said in an interview Wednesday that fire officials decided against employing the technology, which would have pinpointed heat underground, because of the fire’s 8-acre size."
In parts of California, every new home is in the path of wildfires. Is it really safe?
Chronicle/KURTIS ALEXANDER, HARSHA DEVULAPALLI: "In California, 1 of every 5 new homes is built in an area prone to wildfire, according to a Chronicle analysis.
In Nevada County, it’s every home."
LAPD spokesperson resigns after U.S. attorney complains about alleged leak, sources say
LAT/LIBOR JANY: "The chief spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department has resigned amid accusations from the region’s top federal prosecutor that her office was leaking information, according to three sources familiar with the matter but not cleared to speak publicly.
Jennifer Forkish, the LAPD’s public information director, said she left the department Thursday at the request of Chief Jim McDonnell but vehemently denied making any unauthorized disclosures."
