THE CAPITOL BRIEF

The Day Ahead

8:30 a.m. - Sacramento: State Board of Education second day of its November meeting canceled, California Department of Education, 1430 N Street.

9:00 a.m. - Remote: California Energy Commission staff workshop on draft Land Use Screens results, Zoom only.

9:00 a.m. - San Diego: California Council for Affordable Housing Fall Conference Policy Round Table, Bay View Room, Paradise Point Resort.

9:30 a.m. - San Diego: California Council for Affordable Housing affordable housing property tour departs, Paradise Point Resort lobby.

10:00 a.m. - Los Angeles: Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens to the public, California Science Center, 700 Exposition Park Drive.

12:00 p.m. - Sacramento: Public Policy Institute of California program on water solutions for the next governor, Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, 1230 J Street.

1:30 p.m. - Virtual: California State Library CRB Nexus workshop on briefing policymakers, online.

4:30 p.m. - Antalya: COP31 session on governors sustaining United States climate progress, America Is All In Pavilion, Antalya EXPO Center.

5:15 p.m. - Antalya: COP31 session on women climate leaders, America Is All In Pavilion, Antalya EXPO Center.

Nothing announced as of 6:13 a.m.: fundraisers, press conferences, appointments, talks, rallies, reports, campaign notes.

Inside the Legislature

Sacramento: No Senate or Assembly floor session or committee hearing is scheduled for Friday, November 13. Both houses are in final recess.

The Assembly Daily File lists one hearing ahead, on Thursday, November 19 at 10:00 a.m. in Healdsburg, in Looking Ahead below.

The 2026 session adjourns sine die at midnight on November 30. The 2027-28 Regular Session convenes at 12 noon on December 7 for its organizational session.

Source: California State Senate

Sacramento: County elections officials must report final results for state and federal contests to the Secretary of State by December 4. The Secretary of State will certify the results on December 11.

Source: Secretary of State

The Governor's Office

Antalya: Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, November 12 rallied world leaders at the COP31 climate summit, met with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and signed a new partnership with Portugal.

• Newsom joined Netherlands Climate Envoy Jan Versteeg for a Local Action, Global Partnerships fireside chat on the America Is All In Pavilion main stage, moderated by Bloomberg TV's Jennifer Zabasajja
• A memorandum with Portugal, signed by Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, covers clean energy, offshore wind, battery storage and recycling, zero-emission transport, port decarbonization, and wildfire
• Newsom met Ethiopia Foreign Minister and COP32 President-designate Dr. Gedion Timothewos
• Newsom closed the day at the invitation of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, joining Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and London Mayor Sadiq Khan
• First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom spoke on an Engendering Sustainability panel at the USA Climate Pavilion

Source: Office of the Governor

Antalya: Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom on Thursday, November 12 opened their first COP31 day with a global wildfire exchange at Turkiye's International Forestry Training Centre in Antalya.

The visit was held with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Under2 Coalition. The delegation toured with Turkiye Director General of Forestry Bekir Karacabey and met about three dozen trainee firefighters.

Source: Office of the Governor

Sacramento: Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, November 12 announced California's first Environmental Youth Advisory Council, with 14 members ages 14 to 20 selected by the California Environmental Protection Agency from more than 300 applicants.

The council holds its first official meeting in December, with periodic virtual meetings and an annual in-person meeting.

Arsenia Briones of San Joaquin County, Abby Costello of San Diego, Lauren Ferran of Alameda, Magnus Figueroa of Sonoma, Max Gomez of San Bernardino, Christopher Kricorian of Ventura, Bettina Lee of San Bernardino, and Nicholas Munkhbaatar of Sacramento.

Neha Prabhakar of Stanislaus, Ceasar Cano Ramos of Fresno, Sofia Reyes of Orange, Isabelle Shapiro of Los Angeles, Amari Sims of Santa Clara, and Precious Zaraspe of Los Angeles.

Source: Office of the Governor

Sacramento: Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom on Thursday, November 12 unveiled the 20th class of the California Hall of Fame. Formal enshrinement is set for December at the California Museum in Sacramento.

Edward Asner, Andy Beckstoffer, Barry Bonds, Betty Charbonnet Reid Soskin, Dominique Crenn, Guillermo del Toro, Shepard Fairey, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Diane Ladd.

Huey Lewis, Felicitas Mendez, Metallica, Joni Mitchell, Nancy Pelosi, Bonnie Raitt, Rob and Michele Reiner, Susie Tompkins Buell, and Robin Williams.

Source: Office of the Governor

Top Stories

Governor-elect Xavier Becerra is pledging a partnership with Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limon and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a break from Governor Gavin Newsom's approach with the Legislature.

Source: CalMatters

Governor Gavin Newsom, in Antalya for COP31, said he will decide by early January whether to run for president in 2028.

Source: Fox News

The California Federation of Teachers, which represents about 120,000 members, urged Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, November 10 to order a three-year pause on artificial intelligence technology in K-8 public schools.

Source: Palm Springs Desert Sun

People and Moves

Sacramento: Governor-elect Xavier Becerra has named the team that will oversee his transition and help build his administration before he takes office in early January. Longtime Becerra aide Liz Saldivar will lead the transition.

• Senior advisers to the transition are Lindsey Cobia, a veteran of the Newsom administration who now runs his Campaign for Democracy PAC, and Kyle Layman, a Democratic operative who joined Becerra's campaign early on
• Arsenio Mataka, a former Becerra aide, will direct policy for the transition
• Nicole Elliott, who advised the campaign on policy, will serve as agency review director
• External affairs for the transition are led by Courtni Pugh, a Democratic strategist close to Newsom, and Kenneth Maxey II, president of the Urban League of San Francisco Bay Area
• Becerra defeated Republican Steve Hilton in the November 3 election and will be sworn in on January 4, 2027

Source: Los Angeles Times

Boards and Commissions

CANCELED: Sacramento: The State Board of Education's second day of its November meeting, set for Friday, November 13 at 8:30 a.m., is canceled. The board met on Thursday, November 12 at the California Department of Education, 1430 N Street, Room 1101, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Contact: State Board of Education, SBE@sbe.ca.gov, 916-319-0827.

Source: California Department of Education

Remote: The California Energy Commission holds a staff workshop on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., remote access only, on draft results from updates to the Land Use Screens for Electric System Planning, Docket 26-LUEP-01.

Staff will describe how the screens are used in state planning, give their development history, and present draft results based on new data and methods. Access is by Zoom, Webinar ID 837 2371 3745, passcode 526841, or by phone at (888) 475-4499 or (669) 219-2599.

Contacts: Public Advisor, publicadvisor@energy.ca.gov, (916) 269-9595, and Media, mediaoffice@energy.ca.gov, (916) 654-4989. Written comments on Docket 26-LUEP-01 are due by 5:00 p.m. on December 16, 2026.

Source: California Energy Commission

Sacramento: The California Air Resources Board holds its next board meeting on Thursday and Friday, November 19 and 20, 2026, in Sacramento, with a remote participation option for the public. Contact: Clerk of the Board, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 322-5594.

Source: California Air Resources Board

Conferences and Events

Sacramento: The Public Policy Institute of California presents Buckle Up: A Roadmap to Water Solutions for California's New Governor on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, Grand Nave Ballroom, 1230 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Kurt Schwabe gives the welcome at 12:00 p.m., Caitlin Peterson presents at 12:05 p.m., and Letitia Grenier moderates a conversation at 12:20 p.m. Panelists are Dan Dooley, Jennifer Harder, Karla Nemeth, and Deven Upadhyay. Audience questions follow at 1:15 p.m.

Source: Public Policy Institute of California

Los Angeles: The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens to the public on Friday, November 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the California Science Center, 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. A celebratory program and ribbon-cutting feature approximately 30 astronauts, including all six crew members from Endeavour's final mission, STS-134, commanded by United States Senator Mark Kelly.

General admission is free. Timed reservations for the Air and Space Center are available in advance for a $4 service fee at CaliforniaScienceCenter.org. Press contact: Kristina Kurasz Cutting, Communications Director, California Science Center Foundation, 213-744-7446.

Astronaut and space-related talks run every half hour on Friday, November 13 from 11:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., with speakers from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. The Endeavour's Long Journey photo exhibition also premieres on November 13.

Source: California Science Center

San Diego: The California Council for Affordable Housing Fall Conference holds its third day on Friday, November 13, 2026, at Paradise Point Resort, San Diego. A breakfast buffet runs from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on the Sunset Terrace.

A Policy Round Table runs from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Bay View Room, with CCAH staff, legislative advocates, and policy committee members, on the policies shaping affordable housing development across California.

An affordable housing property tour departs by coach at 9:30 a.m. from the Paradise Point lobby. Pre-purchase of a tour ticket is required.

Source: California Council for Affordable Housing

Virtual: The California State Library holds a CRB Nexus workshop, Briefing Local Policymakers, on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. online. The workshop is held in collaboration with the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs and will be recorded.

The instructor is Mike Bonin, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles, and a former Los Angeles City Council and LA Metro Board member from 2013 to 2022.

Source: California State Library

Lobbying and Campaign Filings

Sacramento: The Secretary of State's Cal-Access daily lobbying filings page for Friday, November 13, 2026 lists no filings found. No new lobbyist registrations, lobbyist terminations, or lobbying client deletions are listed for the day.

Source: Secretary of State

Looking Ahead

Tuesday, November 17, 8:30 a.m. - San Francisco: University of California Regents open their two-day meeting, UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center.

Tuesday, November 17, 9:00 a.m. - Sacramento: State Water Resources Control Board meets to consider adopting the Fiscal Year 2026-27 Fund Expenditure Plan for the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund, Joe Serna Jr. CalEPA Building, 1001 I Street.

Tuesday, November 17, 9:00 a.m. - West Sacramento: Delta Independent Science Board meets, United States Geological Survey West Sacramento Projects Office Facility, 3115 Ramco Street, Suite 180.

Tuesday, November 17, 10:45 a.m. - Long Beach: California State University Board of Trustees opens its two-day meeting with public comment, Glenn S. Dumke Conference Center, 401 Golden Shore.

Wednesday, November 18, 10:00 a.m. - Remote and Sacramento: California Energy Commission business meeting, by Zoom and in person.

Thursday, November 19, 9:30 a.m. - Sacramento: Delta Stewardship Council meets, California Natural Resources Agency, 715 P Street, Room 221.

Thursday, November 19, 10:00 a.m. - Healdsburg: Assembly Select Committee on Climate Innovation and Infrastructure holds an informational hearing on emerging climate and clean energy technologies in the food and beverage industry, Healdsburg City Hall, 401 Grove Street.

Thursday, November 19, 11:00 a.m. - Sacramento: California Public Utilities Commission voting meeting, California State Personnel Board Auditorium, 801 Capitol Mall.

Thursday, November 19, 1:00 p.m. - San Francisco: San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission meeting canceled, Metro Center, 375 Beale Street.