THE CAPITOL BRIEF
Press Conferences and Media Briefings
Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Friday, October 23 that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit had upheld a lower court order blocking the federalization and deployment of California National Guard troops in and around Los Angeles, and Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom issued statements on the ruling the same day. The Attorney General press release list is at https://oag.ca.gov/media/news and the National Guard release is at https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-celebrates-ninth-circuit-ruling-upholding-order-against
Also on October 23, Bonta said he had joined a bipartisan coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court decision on the Texas Two-Step bankruptcy maneuver, in the case Herlihy v. DBMP, LLC. https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-us-supreme-court-texas-two-step-allows-corporations-evade
No press conference or media briefing for Monday, October 26 was announced in the sources checked this morning.
Inside the Legislature
No Senate or Assembly floor sessions are scheduled for Monday, October 26. The Senate website lists Today's Events for October 26, 2026 as: The Senate has adjourned for Final Recess. https://www.senate.ca.gov/
The Governor's Office
Governor Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation on October 25 declaring October 25, 2026 as Larry Itliong Day. The proclamation, issued during Filipino American Heritage Month, marks the 113th anniversary of Itliong's birth and recounts his work organizing farmworkers in Stockton, the Asparagus Strike of 1948, the founding of the Filipino Farm Labor Union in 1956, and the 1965 Delano grape strike that helped create the United Farm Workers of America. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/10/25/governor-newsom-proclaims-larry-itliong-day-2/
In the National Guard ruling on October 23, Governor Newsom said in a joint statement with Attorney General Bonta that the decision was a crucial day for the rule of law and that California had created legal precedent on federalization of a state National Guard. https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-celebrates-ninth-circuit-ruling-upholding-order-against
Fundraising
No campaign fundraiser for Monday, October 26 was publicly posted or announced in the sources checked this morning. Most Capitol fundraisers circulate by email invitation only and do not appear in public listings, so this section is intentionally brief rather than filled with unverified events.
New Appointments
Governor Gavin Newsom announced appointments on October 23, all to district agricultural association fair boards, none requiring Senate confirmation and none carrying compensation. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/10/23/governor-newsom-announces-appointments-10-23-2026/
Stefanie Roumeliotes of Hillsborough was appointed to the 1a District Agricultural Association, the Cow Palace Fair Board, and Tera Napier of Madera was appointed to the 21st District Agricultural Association, the Madera County Fair Board. Sam Nejabat of La Jolla, Mark Arabo of Rancho Santa Fe and Donna DeBerry of San Diego were reappointed to the 22nd District Agricultural Association, the Del Mar Fair Board, where Nejabat has served since 2019, Arabo since 2023 and DeBerry since 2025.
Jonathan Garcia of Lemoore and Venoma Bengel-Kautz were appointed to the 24A District Agricultural Association, the Kings County Fair Board. Kelsi Williams-Karschner of Jackson and Don Dowell of Volcano were appointed to the 26th District Agricultural Association, the Amador County Fair Board. Stephanie Dietz of Merced was appointed to the 35th District Agricultural Association, the Merced County Fair Board, and Michael Neilson of Lakeport and Jennifer Hanson of Lakeport were appointed to the 49th District Agricultural Association, the Lake County Fair Board.
People and Moves
No personnel move in California government or campaigns was publicly announced on October 24, 25 or 26 in the sources checked this morning, so no moves are listed today rather than repeating older announcements.
Boards and Commissions
The California Air Resources Board held its October board meeting on Thursday, October 22 at the California Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, 1001 I Street in Sacramento, with an informational update on the California Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program as its discussion item. The agenda says the program, established by Senate Bill 253, set first-year requirements for certain businesses to disclose Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions, and staff are developing concepts for a future regulation that would include Scope 3 emissions. http://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ma10222026
The California Public Utilities Commission holds its next voting meeting on Thursday, October 29 at 11 a.m. in San Francisco. https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/about-cpuc/transparency-and-reporting/cpuc-voting-meetings/2026-voting-meetings
No CalPERS board meeting falls on Monday, October 26. CalPERS lists its next board meeting for November 16-18, 2026. https://www.calpers.ca.gov/about/board/board-meetings
Reports and Studies
The Legislative Analyst's Office lists its most recent publication as The 2026-27 California Spending Plan: Health, dated October 19, 2026, which summarizes the 2026-27 health spending package, including Medi-Cal, State Hospitals, Public Health and Covered California. No LAO publication dated October 23 to 26 was listed this morning. https://lao.ca.gov/Publications
The State Auditor's October 15 high-risk assessment of the Department of Health Care Services, report 2025-605, remains in the news this week. The Auditor found the department had not researched or investigated 26,000 of about 28,000 providers its risk tool scored in the top 10 percent for inappropriate billing risk, providers that accounted for at least $12 billion in Medi-Cal services in fiscal year 2024-25. https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2025-605/
Talks and Addresses
No speech or address by a state official for Monday, October 26 was publicly announced in the sources checked this morning.
Rallies and Protests
No rally or protest at the Capitol on Monday, October 26 was announced by press release or news report in the sources checked this morning.
Odds and Ends
The Sacramento Kings lost at home on Sunday, October 25, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies 123-112 at Golden 1 Center. Zach LaVine scored 37 points for Sacramento and Darius Acuff Jr. scored 22, while Ty Jerome scored 31 for Memphis. The loss leaves the Kings at 0-3 to start the season. https://sportradar.com/?q=6341109609724790460
Campaign Notes
California's November 3 general election is eight days away. The Secretary of State's key dates page notes that Voter's Choice Act counties opened Vote Centers on October 24, that Same Day Registration is available from October 20 through November 3, and that polls on Election Day, November 3, will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by November 10 to be counted. https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/general-election-november-3-2026/key-dates-deadlines
Send news, releases, fundraiser invitations and personnel announcements for the Capitol Brief to tips@capitoldaybook.com.