CAPITOL DAYBOOK NEWS

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang resigns as board investigation and stock slide widen

Nvidia said Jensen Huang resigned on November 12 and Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will serve as interim chief executive while the board searches for a successor. The company said independent directors are investigating whether Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.

• Nvidia shares fell more than 13 percent after the resignation news on November 12
• The roughly $4 trillion chipmaker has shed about $600 billion in market value this week, according to the report
• Huang cofounded Nvidia in 1993 and owns about 3.6 percent of its stock

USA Today · 11/12/26

Newsom says he will decide by early January whether to run for president in 2028

Governor Gavin Newsom told Anadolu at the COP31 climate conference in Turkey that he will spend the next few weeks with his family and make a decision in early January. He called the midterm results a rebuke of President Donald Trump.

New York Post · 11/12/26

Eric Jones projected to defeat 14 term Representative Mike Thompson in the 4th District

Decision Desk HQ projected on November 12 that Democrat Eric Jones, a 35 year old businessman making his first run, defeated Representative Mike Thompson in the Democrat versus Democrat general election. Jones led by more than 4 percentage points when the race was called.

• Jones led Thompson by 8,189 votes, 105,129 to 96,940, in the tally posted November 11
• Jones put about $14.8 million of his own money into the race, described as a California record for self funding a congressional campaign
• Thompson is the only House Democrat to lose in the general election this cycle, according to Decision Desk HQ

Political.org South Bay Chronicle · 11/12/26

Orange County district attorney vows court fight over Newsom death row commutations

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Thursday his office will file a brief with the California Supreme Court on Monday challenging Governor Gavin Newsom commutations of death sentences to life without parole. He spoke at a news conference with relatives of murder victims.

MyNewsLA · 11/12/26

Randy Villegas defeats Representative David Valadao in the Central Valley 22nd District

Democrat Randy Villegas, an educator from Bakersfield and the son of Mexican immigrants, defeated Republican Representative David Valadao in California 22nd Congressional District. Villegas campaigned on cost of living, health care cuts and immigration raids, with support from Senator Bernie Sanders.

Al Jazeera

Voters approve Proposition 5, splitting recall elections into two separate votes

California voters approved Proposition 5, which changes recall elections so voters first decide whether an official should be removed and then vote in a follow up election on a replacement. About 52 percent voted yes with about 91 percent of the vote counted.

CalMatters · 11/12/26

Proposition 38 passes, authorizing $8.4 billion in bonds for immunology research

The Associated Press reported Proposition 38 passed with more than 54 percent support and 83 percent of the vote counted. The measure authorizes $8.4 billion in bonds, with half directed to a University of California affiliated immunology institute at UCLA.

• Half of the bond money goes to a single nonprofit institute, with the rest distributed through competitive grants
• Legislative analysis put repayment at $500 million to $600 million annually for 20 years
• Backer Gary Michelson contributed more than $65 million to the campaign, the Sacramento Bee reported

New York Post · 11/10/26

Four nonprofits sue five AI labs in San Francisco court seeking a freeze on frontier models

Four nonprofit groups filed suit November 12 in San Francisco Superior Court asking a judge to bar Anthropic, Google, Meta, OpenAI and SpaceX AI division from building systems more capable than their current systems. No freeze has been ordered.

AI Agent Update · 11/12/26

Newsom unveils final California Hall of Fame class, to be inducted in December

Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced their 20th and final California Hall of Fame class on November 12. The honorees, including Nancy Pelosi, Robin Williams, Metallica and Joni Mitchell, will be inducted in December at the California Museum in Sacramento.

California Museum · 11/12/26

Lawmakers weigh limiting insurer recoveries from utilities in wildfire cases

A joint Assembly hearing examined limiting subrogation, the practice by which insurers recover payments from utilities whose equipment started a fire. An actuary estimated ending the practice could raise statewide homeowners premiums about 10 percent, while electric bill savings were described as modest and uncertain.

• California utilities paid about $38 billion in wildfire compensation from 2017 through 2024, a RAND analysis cited in the hearing paper found
• Insurer subrogation accounted for about 40 percent of that total, roughly $15 billion
• A 50 cents on the dollar cap on insurer recoveries was estimated to raise premiums from zero to 6 percent

San Francisco Inquirer · 11/1/26

California Republican Party chair Corrin Rankin will not seek reelection

California Republican Party Chair Corrin Rankin announced she will not seek reelection when her term expires early next year, following midterm losses that flipped congressional seats and expanded Democratic supermajorities. She urged Republicans to resist recrimination and undertake an operational overhaul before the spring convention.

Newstro · 11/12/26

Ken Calvert defeats Young Kim in incumbent versus incumbent race for the 40th District

Representative Ken Calvert defeated fellow Republican Representative Young Kim in the general election for California 40th Congressional District. The two incumbents were drawn into the same district by Proposition 50, with Calvert having represented 51 percent of the new district and Kim 35 percent.

Ballotpedia News · 11/11/26

Bay Area voters approve Measure RTM transit tax and reject Proposition 45 on CEQA

Bay Area voters approved Measure RTM with 63 percent, a sales tax expected to generate about $1 billion a year for 14 years for BART and other transit agencies. Voters also defeated Proposition 45, which would have changed the California Environmental Quality Act.

Save Mount Diablo · 11/12/26

Sites Reservoir clears final water right permit, the largest new reservoir in more than 50 years

The State Water Resources Control Board approved the final water right permit for Sites Reservoir on November 5. The off stream project in Glenn and Colusa counties would store up to 1.5 million acre feet, with financing and federal partnership agreements still being negotiated.

• The draft permit described diversions of up to 986,000 acre feet per year from the Sacramento River
• Federal contributions reported to date total $780.15 million, and eligible state funding totals about $1.36 billion
• A federal negotiation session on partnership and water transport agreements is scheduled for November 17

Western Water · 11/6/26

Analysis projects California could lose up to $225 million a year in federal homelessness funding

A Cicero Institute analysis released November 12 projects California could lose $160 million to $225 million a year under the federal fiscal 2026 homelessness funding overhaul, as state Housing First law conflicts with new federal priorities. Los Angeles alone faces a projected $74.7 million loss.

• The projected loss is roughly a third of California $671.5 million in annual homelessness assistance funding
• The federal department must announce fiscal 2026 awards by December 1, 2026
• California has 44 regional Continuums of Care that compete for the funding

American Business Times · 11/12/26

Los Angeles opens $72 million Homekey project converting a North Hills motel into 111 units

Mayor Karen Bass cut the ribbon Thursday on a converted Motel 6 in North Hills providing 111 units of homeless housing. The property was purchased in 2023 for about $40 million, with about $32 million more spent on conversion.

New York Post · 11/12/26

Five communities receive $115 million in Homekey+ awards for 329 supportive homes

Five California communities were awarded $115.2 million through the Homekey+ program to create 329 affordable homes for people experiencing homelessness and behavioral health challenges, including veterans. Yuba City received just under $40.6 million for 138 homes, the largest single award in the round.

California County News · 11/8/26

San Francisco report warns data centers could strain power capacity as supervisors weigh moratorium

A San Francisco Planning Department report released Tuesday warns large data centers could compete with housing and other development for electricity, noting a 50 megawatt center could use as much power as 25,000 homes. Supervisors will consider extending a moratorium on new facilities next week.

San Francisco Chronicle $ · 11/12/26

Medi-Cal work requirement starts January 1, with a medically frail exemption now clarified by a court ruling

The federal Medi-Cal work requirement for expansion adults starts January 1, 2027, requiring 80 hours a month of work or $580 in earnings. A federal judge on October 29 struck a condition narrowing the medically frail exemption, and the agency says it will appeal.

• The expansion group had 4,561,673 members in June, a third of Medi-Cal 13,675,721 members
• Federal law exempts people with a substance use disorder and people with a disabling mental disorder as medically frail
• Governor elect Xavier Becerra, who takes office January 4, has promised a Day One executive order to maintain coverage continuity

California Today

California Federation of Teachers asks Newsom for a three year pause on AI in K-8 schools

The California Federation of Teachers, representing about 120,000 members, urged Governor Gavin Newsom on November 10 to order a three year pause on student facing generative AI tools in K-8 public schools. The governor office said November 12 it was reviewing the letter.

Desert Sun · 11/12/26

Sacramento City Unified parcel tax measure appears headed toward defeat

Sacramento City Unified Measure M, a $95 annual parcel tax to raise about $10 million a year for special education, held a slim majority with 30 percent counted but remained far short of the two thirds needed to pass.

EdSource · 11/5/26

Bass attributes Los Angeles mayoral defeat to a national wave for change

Outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Thursday her loss to Mayor elect Nithya Raman was part of a national wave for change, speaking at a housing ribbon cutting. Raman won nearly 55 percent to about 45 percent and takes office December 14.

New York Post · 11/12/26

Marissa Roy elected Los Angeles city attorney, completing an all Asian American citywide slate

Deputy Attorney General Marissa Roy defeated Deputy District Attorney John McKinney in the runoff for Los Angeles city attorney. Together with Mayor elect Nithya Raman and Controller Kenneth Mejia, Asian Americans will hold all three citywide elected posts in Los Angeles for the first time.

India ENGINE

Former Nvidia chief Jensen Huang agrees to closed door testimony before House committees

Former Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang agreed Thursday to testify before House committees about his relationship with a suspected Chinese asset. Lawmakers said they hope to hold the closed door hearing within about a week, before Thanksgiving.

Daily Caller · 11/12/26

Jeffries backs return of proxy voting for new parents in the next Congress

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday he supports restoring proxy voting for expectant mothers and new parents when Democrats take control in January. He credited Representatives Brittany Pettersen and Sara Jacobs, who led a bipartisan effort in 2025.

Washington Examiner · 11/12/26

Deceased Calaveras County candidate leads supervisor race, leaving the seat to a gubernatorial appointment

Bruce Giudici, who died August 31 after a fall while campaigning, led Clyde Clapp 57.09 percent to 42.91 percent in unofficial Calaveras County results, with about 500 votes left to count. If the result stands, the governor will fill the vacancy.

The Mary Sue · 11/12/26

Robot dog spotted walking a real dog on a San Francisco street

A robotic dog was filmed guiding a small real dog on a walk in San Francisco, in footage captured by Stephanie Lin. Lin told Storyful the sight was surprising but increasingly familiar given the city proximity to Silicon Valley technology companies.

USA Today · 11/12/26