L.A. Times - Politics

California's bid to outlaw 'glow-in-the-dark rabbits' and 'unicorn horses' fails

Dakota Smith — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 02:16:34 GMT

A bill that would have banned the sale of genetically-modified pets for cosmetic reasons died in committee Thursday.

Feds settle lawsuit with L.A. County Sheriff's Department over concealed firearm permits

Connor Sheets — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 22:16:43 GMT

The U.S. Department of Justice claimed "a huge win for the residents of Los Angeles County and for the Second Amendment," announcing a settlement Thursday in a lawsuit filed against the Sheriff's Department over delays in processing applications for permits to carry concealed firearms.

Commentary: Trump is sued over selling early access to his posts on Truth Social

Lorraine Ali — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 22:04:13 GMT

President Donald Trump gets sued by media organizations for selling early access to his Truth Social posts.

Those shock gloves ICE plans to buy can bring strong men to their knees in less than a second

Christopher Buchanan — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 21:35:34 GMT

The Department of Homeland Security plans to spend up to $20 million on gloves that deliver painful shocks to detainees.

Kennedy Center board votes to close venue for two years, inscribe Trump's name on building

Jessica Gelt — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:04:56 GMT

The Kennedy Center's board of trustees on Thursday voted to move forward with President Trump's plan to close the building for renovations and to inscribe his name on the building to commemorate the upgrades.

Hollywood unions split: DGA, IATSE seek settlement while WGA fights to block Paramount-Warner merger

Meg James — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:03:21 GMT

Union leaders are asking David Ellison commit to keeping Paramount's operations in Hollywood and maintaining historic levels of film production in the U.S.

How Democrats plan to rein in Trump should they win in November

Ana Ceballos — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

For Democrats, impeachment remains an option, but they are reluctant to make it a centerpiece of their agenda this time.

Becerra holds strong lead over Hilton in race for California governor, new poll shows

Nicole Nixon — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

As the campaign for California governor heads into the general election, Democrat Xavier Becerra maintains a strong lead over Republican Steve Hilton, according to a new poll.

In another key primary test, a favored progressive is upset in Wisconsin governor's race

Christopher Buchanan — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:16:24 GMT

After polling showed progressive Francesca Hong up by double digits, the establishment-backed David Crowley won the Democratic nomination for governor in Wisconsin.

Trump again asks Supreme Court to save USPS mail ballot plan after second lower court loss

Kevin Rector — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:26:54 GMT

The Trump administration again asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene to save President Trump's plan for the U.S. Postal Service to place new nationwide limits on mail voting.

State lawmakers seek tougher rules for industrial facilities after Boyle Heights fire

Dakota Smith — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:30:00 GMT

Two state lawmakers want cold storage companies to take care of local communities after industrial disasters.

As Americans bet on elections, L.A. officials weigh how to safeguard voters

Justine McDaniel — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

L.A. County could become among the first major election jurisdictions to implement guidance or policy related to prediction markets.

Inside David Ellison's desperate fight for Warner Bros.

Meg James — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Paramount's board has approved David Ellison's contingency plan to move headquarters from Hollywood as early as this fall, according to people familiar with the situation.

Senator 'deeply troubled' by utility threats

Melody Petersen — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The chair of the California Senate's utilities committee said Tuesday he was "deeply troubled" by electric company executives' recent threats to take action to protect their shareholders if they don't get legislation in Sacramento to limit their wildfire liabilities.

Becerra, Hilton offer promises on AI, gas prices, healthcare — and starkly contrasting views

Seema Mehta, Nicole Nixon — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 03:50:16 GMT

The two candidates for California governor came to Sacramento offering policy agendas that were both sweeping and vague. Both were quick to belittle the promises by their rival.

'California's coast is not for sale.' State battles Trump plan to limit coastal oversight

Rosanna Xia — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:07:28 GMT

Hundreds of Californians rallied at a federal hearing to protest a Trump administration push to wrest regulatory control over the state's coastline.

L.A'.s first ethics chief, Benjamin Bycel, dies at 84

Jenny Jarvie — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:03:20 GMT

Benjamin Bycel worked as an attorney for the ACLU and later as a civil rights lawyer in Santa Barbara, successfully arguing a landmark California Supreme Court case. In 1991, he took on his most high-profile role: founding director of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission.

Race to replace Pelosi enters the AI group chat

Iris Kwok — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Scott Wiener's congressional campaign launched a chatbot parodying rival Connie Chan, sparking a rebuke from Pelosi and illustrating the minefield politicians navigate when using AI.

Your guide to the California governor's race: Xavier Becerra vs. Steve Hilton

Nicole Nixon — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton are competing in the race for California governor. Here's what you need to know about the candidates.

For L.A. college students, the GOP's $20-burrito debate is about more than lunch

Melody Xu — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Conservatives debate online whether college students should be more frugal on food, or if the younger generation is contending with a larger affordability issue.

Judge rejects challenge to California attorney general's description of voter ID measure

Kevin Rector — Fri, 7 Aug 2026 20:16:49 GMT

A state judge Thursday rejected a challenge to how California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta's office summarized a strict new voter ID measure on November ballots.

Cassidy says he supports Blanche for attorney general, likely paving way for confirmation

Ana Ceballos — Fri, 7 Aug 2026 14:18:59 GMT

Blanche's path to confirmation has been complicated over a settlement of Trump's lawsuit against the IRS that has drawn intense scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats alike.

After Supreme Court loss, Trump again targets birthright citizenship with new orders

Kevin Rector — Fri, 7 Aug 2026 02:13:45 GMT

Trump called the Supreme Court decision 'very unfair,' and said the new orders were an attempt to end birthright citizenship by other means.

Tight vote on Blanche exposes deep skepticism of Trump's Justice Department

Michael Wilner, Ben Wieder — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 19:19:13 GMT

The confirmation of Todd Blanche hangs on the support of two Republicans who have repeatedly criticized President Trump's stewardship of the department.

Granderson: Don't let Abdul El-Sayed's identity eclipse his actual politics

LZ Granderson — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 17:19:39 GMT

Questions about his electability have little to do with his résumé and more to do with him being the son of Egyptian immigrants who prays five times a day.

Warner Bros. Discovery earnings tumble amid film studio struggles

Meg James — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 16:21:23 GMT

Box office duds weighed down the company's gains in streaming as the industry waits to see whether Paramount will succeed in buying Warner Bros.

FCC votes in favor of lifting limits on TV station ownership

Stephen Battaglio — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 16:01:35 GMT

The 2-1 vote allows station ownership groups to expand their coverage beyond 39% of the U.S.

British authorities approve Paramount's Warner Bros. deal

Meg James — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 12:50:24 GMT

Paramount now has clearances from around the world, but David Ellison's company still faces an antitrust trial in California in its battle with state attorneys general

ICE's healthcare payment system collapsed. Are detainees still getting off-site care?

Andrea Castillo, Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

With a new payment system still not in place, advocates for immigrant detainees fear some are going without necessary treatment as medical providers near a year without compensation.

Michigan Senate victory boosts progressives as Democrats wrestle with party's direction

Christopher Buchanan, Justine McDaniel — Wed, 5 Aug 2026 21:53:07 GMT

El-Sayed's victory will put to the test in a swing state the broader strength of the progressive movement, which has found success in deep-blue places like New York City and Los Angeles.

Primaries on the West Coast are complete. Here are November races to watch

Justine McDaniel — Wed, 5 Aug 2026 17:40:57 GMT

The Western states hold four of the nation's 18 toss-up races as rated by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

L.A. County weighs a grant fund to keep indie films from leaving

Cerys Davies — Wed, 5 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Indie filmmakers say California's tax credit skips them. L.A. County's proposed Evergreen Fund would offer grants instead — if it survives the budget.

Arellano: What gets me so angry about California's proposed billionaire tax

Gustavo Arellano — Wed, 5 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

What Prop. 40 supporters don't get is that you can only smack a goose so much to give more until it bites back, which is what California billionaires are increasingly doing by throwing their cash around to defeat any political candidate exuding a whiff of progressivism.

Utilities threaten action if lawmakers fail to cut their wildfire liability risk

Melody Petersen — Wed, 5 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Top executives of California's two biggest utilities warned they would take action to protect their shareholders if Sacramento lawmakers fail to pass legislation limiting their companies' liabilities for wildfires sparked by their equipment

Trump arrives in Los Angeles for GOP fundraiser. Newsom bemoans 'overdue' wildfire relief

Clara Harter, Ana Ceballos, Seamus Bozeman — Wed, 5 Aug 2026 00:29:08 GMT

President Trump touched down in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening and headed directly to his Rancho Palos Verdes golf course to headline a fundraiser for the Republican Party.

Paramount quarterly profit falls amid bruising merger battle

Meg James — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:32:03 GMT

A federal judge has set a March 2 trial to determine whether David Ellison's Warner Bros. takeover can move forward.

$207 billion saved for California from 82 lawsuits against Trump administration, Bonta says

Kevin Rector — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 19:21:59 GMT

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta credited his lawsuits against the Trump administration for protecting more than $200 billion in funding, defending core civil rights and removing military forces from Los Angeles streets.

Paramount's David Ellison says critics don't get his politics

Meg James — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 16:14:19 GMT

In an op-ed, Ellison tries to allay worries that he can be trusted to run CNN

Blanche's attorney general nomination passes first test, now faces full Senate vote

Ben Wieder — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 15:14:51 GMT

Acting Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche has a cleared critical hurdle in his bid to be confirmed to the post after swaying Republican holdouts on a Senate committee to advance his nomination for a floor vote.

News Analysis: Gianni Infantino's Kushner-linked World Cup scheme jeopardizes his FIFA reign

Kevin Baxter — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 11:00:00 GMT

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is losing the support of international soccer's top federations after a scheme to sell a stake in the World Cup is exposed.

California sues Trump to block latest tariffs, sharing of needy families' data with ICE

Kevin Rector — Mon, 3 Aug 2026 20:33:30 GMT

California sued the Trump administration twice Monday, to block President Trump's latest round of tariffs and to block his administration from sharing needy families' personal data with immigration officials.

Trump set to visit L.A. for fundraiser. Attacking Newsom is on the agenda

Ana Ceballos — Mon, 3 Aug 2026 19:55:16 GMT

The president is scheduled to attend a Republican National Committee dinner Tuesday night at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Democratic states urge Supreme Court to block Trump's new limits on mail ballots

David G. Savage — Mon, 3 Aug 2026 19:43:09 GMT

President Trump's executive order required the U.S. Postal Service to use state-by-state lists of eligible voters who may send a ballot by mail.

Proposed Trump overhaul of Head Start raises anxiety for California providers and families

Moriah Balingit, Kate Sequeira — Mon, 3 Aug 2026 14:38:27 GMT

President Trump's administration is planning a major overhaul of the Head Start program.

Holdout GOP senators now back Blanche after he signs an order killing $1.8-billion fund

Ben Wieder — Mon, 3 Aug 2026 14:17:07 GMT

Acting Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche issued a formal order terminating President Trump's $1.8-billion "anti-weaponization fund" to compensate his political allies.

Will California voters 'orphaned' in top-two primary be strategic in November House races?

Kevin Rector — Mon, 3 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

California voters left without a candidate from their own party after the top-two primary could still hold strategic sway in key congressional contests.

Billionaire tax is endorsed by California Democrats, deepening party divisions over Prop. 40

Nicole Nixon — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 22:41:33 GMT

The California Democratic Party backed Prop. 40, a 5% billionaire tax for healthcare, despite heavy pushback from Newsom and labor leaders.

Barabak: Democrats are at each other's throats — this time over the 2028 calendar

Mark Z. Barabak — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The choice of which state begins the presidential balloting turned into a needlessly divisive conflict over race and ethnicity. Nevada didn't take South Carolina's selection well.

Though California could be key to House control, it now has few battlegrounds

Justine McDaniel — Sat, 1 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

California's redistricting has helped drive a decrease in the number of competitive congressional districts nationwide, a new analysis found. The battlegrounds that are left could have national consequences.

Newsom boasts of California's upcoming minimum wage increase, criticizes Trump for ignoring workers

Iris Kwok — Sat, 1 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

California's statewide minimum wage is set to rise next year.

News Analysis: Why Gianni Infantino's secret attempt to sell World Cup stake backfired so spectacularly

Kevin Baxter — Sat, 1 Aug 2026 02:23:24 GMT

Gianni Infantino's FIFA presidency is on life support after his abandoned attempt to sell a stake of the World Cup to private equity draws international outrage.

Paramount, state attorneys general spar over antitrust trial date

Meg James — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 22:40:00 GMT

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta would like Paramount-Warner antitrust trial to unfold in April. Paramount is pushing for November.

Steve Hilton challenges Xavier Becerra to agree to a series of debates in California's governor's race

Nicole Nixon — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 21:43:38 GMT

Hilton, a Republican, claims his Democratic rival Xavier Becerra has not committed to six debates in the race for California governor.

Trump touts Hamas disarmament deal, but uncertainties remain

Ana Ceballos, Nabih Bulos — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:32:00 GMT

Hamas confirmed it would begin disarmament, but said it was contingent on Israel halting all attacks in Gaza and fulfilling provisions of the first phase of a ceasefire deal signed in 2025.

Judges nix Trump's mandatory immigrant detention policy, teeing up Supreme Court fight

Sonja Sharp — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 19:20:49 GMT

The 9th Circuit was one of two appellate courts to issue rulings this week against the Trump administration, finding that immigrants who are detained away from the border are entitled to a bond hearing to decide whether they should be freed or remain in detention while their case proceeds

Newsoms release tax returns. See how much the couple earned since he became governor

Phil Willon, Taryn Luna — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

The annual income of Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, place the couple in the upper echelon of American households.

Arellano: The banality of evil in the Border Patrol's secret anti-immigrant slur

Gustavo Arellano — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

For at least half a century, Border Patrol workers have used the onomatopoeic word "tonk," referring to the sound of someone getting hit, as slang for undocumented immigrants.

Trump might pause Blanche nomination as GOP senators object to IRS lawsuit settlement

Ben Wieder — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 20:08:18 GMT

A delayed vote on Trump's pick for attorney general led the president to suggest he might pull Todd Blanche's nomination for now rather than meet Senate demands.

California's proposed billionaire tax exposes rifts among labor unions

Nicole Nixon — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 19:25:04 GMT

The tax, which will appear on the ballot as Proposition 40, drew opposition from unions such as the California State Council of Laborers and United Domestic Workers, while the executive board for Service Employees International Union California voted to take a neutral position on it.

Trump running out of options to fix inflation, economic woes before election, experts say

Kevin Rector, Justine McDaniel, Ana Ceballos — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:50:00 GMT

The economic pain many Americans feel after years of stagnant wages and steep inflation is unlikely to lift before the November elections, and could be a major liability for Republicans, according to experts.

ABC fires back at FCC, alleging 'retaliation' campaign on behalf of Trump

Meg James — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:19:31 GMT

Disney is defending its stewardship of its eight owned stations, including KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles and KGO-TV in San Francisco.

Proposed ban of forever chemicals for California farms nixed by state lawmakers

Dakota Smith — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Regulators and environmentalists are divided over the PFAS chemicals, which are widely used in agriculture.

Feds targeted Latinos more after Supreme Court's racial profiling decision, report says

Ruben Vives — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:13:49 GMT

The report comes as recent court filings allege federal immigration agents in L.A. used racial slurs in body camera footage and text messages when referring to Latinos.

Voter ID backers sue California attorney general over ballot description

Dakota Smith — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:06:31 GMT

The lawsuit seeks to change the ballot's summary.

New York Times writer Ross Douthat named '60 Minutes' correspondent

Stephen Battaglio — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 22:11:16 GMT

Veteran journalist Sebastian Junger, former Vice correspondent Gianna Toboni and Trevor Phillips are named contributors.

Trump meets with Ukraine, Israel leaders amid broadening conflicts

Ana Ceballos, Nabih Bulos — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:26:52 GMT

Trump's meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came as the wars in Ukraine and Iran have recently expanded.

Aide involved in affair with Gavin Newsom in 2005 speaks out: 'Resentment is a luxury I can't afford'

Hannah Fry — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 20:14:46 GMT

'Resentment is a luxury I can't afford,' writes Ruby Rippey in Vanity Fair. Her first-person essay offers the most intimate description yet of the affair with the then-mayor of San Francisco.

Trump administration targeted California and other blue states for clean energy cuts

Hayley Smith — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Trump administration agreed in court documents that it targeted California and other blue states when it slashed clean energy projects last year

No matter who wins, this City Council district in South L.A. will see a historic change

Melissa Gomez — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Estuardo Mazariegos and Jose Ugarte both said they are committed to representing all their constituents equally, including Black residents who have expressed concerns about the change.

Jordan faces a dilemma in its growing role in the U.S.-Iran war

Nabih Bulos — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Iran fired missiles into Jordan last week, killing three American service members. Jordan's growing role in the war is prompting uncomfortable conversations for the desert nation's leaders.

Trump lawyer urges Supreme Court to allow order targeting mail-in voting before midterms

David G. Savage — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 21:10:24 GMT

Lawyers for California and 22 other Democratic-led states sued, arguing that the states, not the federal government, have the constitutional authority to set the rules for voting and elections.

New federal rule sends asylum cases to immigration courts, pushing migrants toward deportation

Andrea Castillo — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:42:36 GMT

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services estimates that up to 444,000 of the more than 1.4 million asylum cases in its backlog could be affected by the rule.

Barabak: His nickname was 'Satan.' His political influence was immense

Mark Z. Barabak — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Clint Reilly helped elect a who's who of California Democrats and trained generations of political consultants. He was a genius in the business of campaigns.

Justice Kennedy reflects on his time deciding the Constitution's promise of liberty and equality

David G. Savage — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

While Kennedy has refrained from commenting on the current court or President Trump, he has written a memoir that explains the reasoning behind the major decisions of his era.

Why Paramount's Warner Bros. deal suddenly looks less certain

Meg James — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 17:39:19 GMT

State attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta, plan to ask for a trial in 2027 -- after the midterm elections.

Paramount agrees to months-long delay of Warner Bros. merger

Meg James — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:57:57 GMT

The concessions come as Paramount Skydance already was facing the prospect of a lengthy moratorium. The latest delay could extend to next summer.

Lopez: 5 reasons the Dodgers should not go back to the White House again next year

Steve Lopez — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 16:51:25 GMT

A World Series victory comes at a stiff price: the annual White House photo op.

Trump wages court battle over rules for detaining migrant children

Sonja Sharp — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The Trump administration has pressed the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to 'thumbs-up, thumbs-down' the Flores settlement agreement, a decades-old case in Los Angeles federal court that sets the rules for how the government can detain migrant children.

War escalates, oil prices surge as Iran-backed Houthis strike Saudi tankers in Red Sea

Kevin Rector, Nabih Bulos, Ana Ceballos — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:41:33 GMT

The U.S. war with Iran escalated and global oil prices surged again Thursday as Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

California, other states sue Trump administration for 'unlawful' conditions on disaster grants

Iris Kwok — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:35:28 GMT

California, other states sue Trump administration for making disaster aid conditional.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton pleads case to anti-Trump voters

Iris Kwok — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 23:23:08 GMT

At a campaign stop in Boyle Heights, Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton sought to appeal to voters frustrated with California while distancing the race from national politics

Standoff with Iran prompts a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia

Michael Wilner, Ana Ceballos — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:46:10 GMT

The Saudi deal stoked surprise and immediate concern across Washington, as well as in Israel, itself a nuclear power that has long feared an atomic arms race could grip the region.

Paramount wins European regulators' blessing to buy Warner Bros. Discovery

Meg James — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:38:31 GMT

Paramount has now secured most of its regulatory approvals but it still must battle a coalition of state attorneys general who allege the deal violates U.S. antitrust laws.

Clint Reilly, influential California political consultant, dies at 79

Iris Kwok — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:16:54 GMT

Reilly ran successful campaigns for California's most recognizable politicians, including Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi. He later turned his attention to real estate and local media

California Democrats blast FCC in KABC, KGO license reviews

Meg James — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Walt Disney Co.-owned TV stations risk losing their licenses, part of an effort by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to challenge media outlets that President Trump views as foes

Pentagon seeks billions from Congress as concerns grow over prolonged Iran war

Ana Ceballos, Michael Wilner — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:37:38 GMT

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the war with Iran is now expected to cost Americans $37.5 billion, up from a $29-billion estimate in early May.

Trump says U.S. will bomb Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected hub of Iranian nuclear activity

Kevin Rector — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:45:54 GMT

Pickaxe is a heavily fortified facility deep underground that would be difficult to penetrate even with powerful 'bunker buster' bombs.

HHS withholds $867 million in Medicaid payments to California as part of 'crackdown on fraud'

Ben Wieder, Dakota Smith — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:41:48 GMT

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday that his agency will withhold $867.5 million in Medicaid payments to California over concerns about fraud.

Wildfire survivors angered as utility-funded group claims to represent them

Melody Petersen — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:40:47 GMT

A group claiming to represent California fire survivors began paying for social media ads this spring, calling on lawmakers to take action to reduce the rising cost of wildfires. The group was created by utilities that have ignited six of the state's most destructive fires.

Chabria: Newsom pushes California to crack down on sex trafficking — fast

Anita Chabria — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order calling major state agencies to come up with a plan within 60 days to work together to curb trafficking and help survivors.

News Analysis: Trump, long a critic of 'forever wars,' may be stumbling into one with Iran

Nabih Bulos — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

President Trump railed against "forever wars," but with hostilities increasing and negotiations at a standstill, there appears no easy exit from the war he launched on Iran.

More water pipes burst in Venice, Hollywood as Sunset Strip repairs enter Day 4

Melody Petersen — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 21:14:23 GMT

A section of Sunset Boulevard remained closed Sunday because of last week's destructive water main break. Officials said they didn't know when repairs would be completed or the street reopened.

'Complete 180': How the DOJ has redefined its civil rights mission and targeted California

Ben Wieder — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

California has been the target of more civil rights actions than any other state. The civil rights division is led by California-native Harmeet Dhillon.

Barabak: Voodoo, exorcism and a killer at age 7. Meet Colorado's Republican nominee for governor

Mark Z. Barabak — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Victor Marx barely won, but his victory delivers a strong statement about the nature of today's politics. It shows what happens when a party stops seriously competing and instead indulges its fever dreams.

California's push to ban technology used for 'ghost guns' finds unlikely foe in Hollywood

Gavin J. Quinton — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Movie prop makers are among the groups pushing back against a proposed California bill that would require 3-D printers to block the making of gun parts, citing concerns about unintentional consequences from overly broad restrictions.

Trump escalates election attacks, threatens California over voter data

Ana Ceballos, Justine McDaniel, Andrea Castillo — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 21:55:51 GMT

Trump delivered a prime-time address on Thursday night about vulnerabilities in the election system, claims that largely were not backed up by the evidence he provided.

Chabria: Trump's voter fraud speech was bait. Stop biting

Anita Chabria — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 21:08:54 GMT

Trump falsely claimed that he was revealing 'an election system so broken and so vulnerable that no one can possibly defend it.'