CAPITOL DAYBOOK NEWS

Newsom asks state Supreme Court to clear commutations for all 548 death sentences

Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked the California Supreme Court to recommend commuting all 548 state death sentences to life without parole. Prosecutors and victims groups oppose the request, and no commutation has taken effect.

• 382 of the 548 people need a recommendation from the court, with at least four justices concurring, because they were twice convicted of a felony
• The other 166 do not need court approval, but the governor's office says none will take effect until the legal steps are complete
• Newsom asked for a recommendation by the end of the year, before Governor-elect Xavier Becerra takes office on Jan. 4
• The commutations would not release anyone, grant parole eligibility or change any conviction

San Francisco Inquirer

Draft federal review finds California coastal program deficient and suspends future grants

A draft NOAA review finds California's coastal program deficient, citing regulatory overreach, and suspends future coastal grants until the findings are addressed. The draft directs talks with SpaceX and Sable Offshore, and state agencies must respond by Nov. 16.

• The 92-page draft calls for more than a dozen corrective actions by three state agencies
• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ordered the review in May, saying California had obstructed spaceport development
• The Coastal Commission says it has sided with the federal government in 96 percent of the federal actions it has reviewed

San Francisco Inquirer

ICE brings a person in custody to a Boyle Heights hospital, and a protest follows

Federal agents brought a person in custody to Adventist Health White Memorial in Boyle Heights for care late Friday, and a protest followed outside. The hospital says agents lined its ambulance entrance and it diverted ambulances for about two hours.

San Francisco Inquirer

Insurance commissioner-elect Kim proposes a public wildfire insurance fund

Insurance Commissioner-elect Jane Kim, who defeated Ben Allen with about 53 percent of the vote, is proposing a public nonprofit disaster fund that would offer wildfire coverage to every California homeowner. Creating the fund would require action by lawmakers.

New York Post · 11/8/26

Wiener leads Chan in latest count for the San Francisco House seat

State Sen. Scott Wiener leads Supervisor Connie Chan 53.6 percent to 46.4 percent in the latest Secretary of State count for the San Francisco House seat Nancy Pelosi is leaving. Chan conceded Wednesday, and the result stays unofficial until certification.

San Francisco Inquirer

Billionaire tax trails while a ban on new wealth taxes leads

Proposition 40, a one-time 5 percent tax on net worth above $1 billion, trails 45.4 percent to 54.6 percent in the Secretary of State count. Proposition 42, which would bar new taxes on personal property and savings, leads 53.4 percent.

• Prop 40 trails by 799,305 votes in the Nov. 5 count, and no news organization has called any of the three related measures
• Prop 42 has 663,235 more yes votes than Prop 40, which matters under the most-yes-votes rule for conflicting measures
• Counting runs to Nov. 16, and the Secretary of State certifies results on Dec. 11

California Today · 11/5/26

Fiona Ma elected lieutenant governor, a first for an Asian American in California

State Treasurer Fiona Ma has been elected lieutenant governor, defeating former state Sen. Gloria Romero. Ma will be the first Asian American elected to the office, succeeding Eleni Kounalakis, who was elected treasurer.

ChitaChatter · 11/7/26

Newsom order seeks independent AI checks and a study of agent kill switches

Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order seeking independent verification of AI models and creating an expert committee to study kill switches for AI agents. The Office of Emergency Services is to send recommendations by Nov. 15.

Al Jazeera

CalMatters and Shasta Scout sue county over a federal subpoena to its elections chief

The First Amendment Coalition, representing CalMatters and Shasta Scout, has sued Shasta County for refusing to release a federal grand jury subpoena issued to Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis. The county contends the subpoena must stay secret under federal law.

First Amendment Coalition · 11/7/26

Housing bond holds at 60.9 percent in the updated statewide count

Proposition 1, the $11.25 billion housing bond, leads with 60.9 percent in the Secretary of State count updated Nov. 8. The Legislative Analyst estimates it could subsidize up to 40,000 rental apartments, 2,500 farmworker units and 1,200 student beds.

CityHallPass · 11/8/26

Insurers say Zone 0 compliance may not change coverage or pricing

California's Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has approved the first Zone 0 rules, requiring an ember-resistant area within five feet of structures in high fire hazard areas. Insurers say local variation in the rules may keep compliance from changing coverage or pricing.

Insurance Business

House takes up six bipartisan nuclear licensing bills on Monday

The House takes up six bipartisan nuclear bills Monday under a fast-track procedure requiring a two-thirds vote. The bills would ease Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearing and licensing rules, and none changes the licenses of Diablo Canyon, California's only operating nuclear plant.

San Francisco Inquirer

Bipartisan permitting deal faces a Senate procedural vote Monday

A bipartisan Senate permitting deal that would speed federal approval of power lines, mines and energy projects faces a procedural vote Monday evening. Supporters want it passed before the new Congress, where Democrats will control the energy committees, takes over in January.

Daily Caller · 11/8/26

New California laws tighten rules for children online and for AI chatbots

California's 2026 session added new limits on children's online use, including a ban on personalized feeds for users under 16 and a law capping AI companion chatbot sessions for children at one hour. Another measure bans toys containing companion chatbots until 2031.

Reason · 11/3/26

State says the touted $233 million for rural health care is not new money

A federal announcement touting $233 million for rural health care in California repeats the state's fiscal 2026 award from last December, state officials say. California says it has received no additional funding, and first-year money must be spent by Sept. 30, 2027.

Medical Daily · 11/3/26

Lower Medi-Cal asset limit set for seniors and people with disabilities in 2027

A June budget decision lowers the Medi-Cal asset limit for low-income seniors and people with disabilities to $21,000 starting in July 2027. Advocates say the cap, reinstated at $130,000 this year after being eliminated in 2024, will push people off coverage.

CHCF · 11/6/26

Vallejo closes a quarter of its schools as enrollment keeps falling

Vallejo has closed five campuses since 2025, a quarter of its schools, as enrollment fell from nearly 18,000 in 2006 to about 9,300. Nationally, 1,156 schools closed last year, the most since the pandemic, according to a Stanford analysis of federal data.

Associated Press

Shaw concedes the state superintendent race to Barrera

Sonja Shaw has conceded the state superintendent race to Richard Barrera, a San Diego Unified board member who won about 58 percent of the vote. Barrera takes the office as a new law shifts management of the Education Department to a governor-appointed commissioner.

Q Voice News · 11/5/26

Study finds immigration raids reduced employment beyond the workers arrested

A University of Colorado Boulder study found immigration raids reduced employment for unauthorized immigrants and for U.S.-born men without a college degree. Researchers estimate about six male unauthorized workers stopped working for every ICE arrest in the areas studied.

CalMatters

Oakland Coliseum and Arena operator to lay off all 1,605 workers on Dec. 31

Legends Global will lay off all 1,605 workers at the Oakland Coliseum and Arena on Dec. 31, when its operating contract ends and the complex is sold. The buyers say they plan to rehire union workers, who must reapply.

Workers Rights News · 11/8/26

East Bay protesters rally at Fruitvale Plaza as detentions continue

Protesters gathered at Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland on Sunday as immigration enforcement continued in the East Bay. ICE confirmed at least five detentions Thursday, a rapid response group reported four more in Oakland Saturday, and the sheriff restated a policy of not assisting ICE.

KION Central Coast · 11/8/26

Congress returns with 16 House session days before funding runs out Dec. 11

Congress returns Monday with federal funding set to expire Dec. 11 and only 16 House session days before the deadline. The stopgap also extends highway, transit and Defense Production Act authorities that affect California, and no spending bill is scheduled this week.

San Francisco Inquirer

California farm, port and chip interests ride on the Trump and Xi meeting at APEC

President Trump and President Xi Jinping are expected to meet Nov. 18 and 19 at the APEC summit in Shenzhen. California farm exports to China fell 64 percent to $554 million in 2025, and ports and chip firms have a stake in the trade truce.

San Francisco Inquirer