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Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Sept. 30.

  • Gov. Gavin Newsom signs landmark AI safety law.
  • YouTube settles lawsuit with President Trump for $24.5 million.
  • And Architectural Digest picks the best Airbnbs in L.A.

Statewide

1.
Jason Brian Gavidia, an American citizen, was detained by ICE agents in June. (Carlin Stiehl/L.A. Times via Getty Images)

Homeland Security has called its deportation sweeps at car washes, Home Depots, and farmworker hangouts “highly targeted.” But at least 15 U.S. citizens have been taken into custody, according to a review of public sources. Many of those detainees professed their U.S. citizenship during their arrests, including two owners of an auto body shop in heavily Latino Montebello who were handcuffed by Border Patrol agents in June. According to witnesses and video, the men shouted “I’m a U.S. citizen!” “I was born here!” and “I’m an American!” N.Y. Times

2.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is making President Trump’s mass deportations a centerpiece of his campaign to gerrymander California’s congressional districts, Politico wrote:

“The governor and his allies are banking on it driving voters to the polls in defiance of Trump’s agenda — in much the same way the issue transformed California politics decades ago when Latino voters revolted against an anti-immigration ballot initiative.”

3.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a novel safety law regulating artificial intelligence that is expected to be a model for other states. The Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act will require companies like OpenAI and Google to disclose their safety protocols and report critical risks posed by their technologies. Newsom vetoed a broader bill last year after fierce resistance from Silicon Valley, which has warned that too many rules will stifle the AI revolution. The response this time was mixed, with Anthropic conceding that the law has “practical safeguards.” N.Y. Times | A.P.

4.

Toni Atkins, a former Democratic leader of the state Senate, announced on Monday that she is quitting the race for governor. Atkins, 63, enjoyed a strong base of support in San Diego, her home, and she had more money in her campaign account this summer — $4.2 million — than any other Democratic candidate. But her name recognition was weak and just 4% of voters backed her among Democrats in an August poll. Katie Porter led with 21%. In a letter to supporters, Atkins said she has “no viable path to victory.” CalMatters | S.D. Union-Tribune

5.
(Blair Morris)

California shined in a pair of recent higher education rankings.

Last week, U.S. News & World Report ranked UC Berkeley and UCLA as the nation’s top two public universities, while all nine UCs placed among the top 45 public universities. This week, the WSJ/College Pulse rankings, which gives special attention to graduate earnings, named the best U.S. college overall: Stanford University. Among public schools, the WSJ ranking also named Berkeley No. 1. Wall Street Journal | S.F. Chronicle

Northern California

6.

YouTube agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit that President Trump filed over its suspension of his account in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. According to court papers filed Monday, $22 million of that will fund Trump’s new White House ballroom. YouTube is the latest in a spree of settlements by powerful firms in academia, law, media, and tech that have opted to pay rather than fight. The law was on YouTube’s side, said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. Companies, he suggested, were “buying influence.” N.Y. Times | Wall Street Journal

7.

Mychal Threets, a Solano County librarian so dedicated to his work that he has a library card tattooed on his arm, has been named the new host of “Reading Rainbow,” the classic PBS series that will return to the air after nearly 20 years. Threets became a social media sensation with his infectious videos on the joys of the library in which he often repeated his mantra: “You belong.” More than a few fans gushed over the mashup of one of their favorite people and one of their favorite shows. KQED | S.F. Chronicle

8.
(via Djerassi Resident Artists Program)

In 1978, the renowned Stanford scientist Carl Djerassi lost his 28-year-old daughter to suicide. She was an artist. Djerassi sought solace by turning his cattle ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains into an artists colony, which he funded with the fortune he earned pioneering the birth control pill. The 580-acre grounds of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program are today dotted with more than 60 sculptures, and each fall the public are invited to come and explore. The travel journalist John Bartell had a look. ABC10

  • See the calendar of public tours.

Southern California

9.

President Trump said on Monday that he would impose a 100% tariff on films produced outside the U.S., repeating a threat made in May that would upend Hollywood’s business model. Companies often make films overseas to take advantage of tax incentives and lower labor costs. Trump did not specify when the tariffs would take effect, what goods they would apply to, or what legal authority would impose them. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office called it “100% stupid.” Reuters | Hollywood Reporter

10.
(via @vjaybombs)

An anonymous group of artists is beaming giant projections satirizing President Trump and his allies on outdoor walls across Los Angeles. In one, Trump clasps the mouth of Jimmy Kimmel; in another, an ICE agent appears to detain Jesus Christ; in a third, the Statue of Liberty slowly sinks into water. Known as Vjaybombs, the collective said their aim is to “inspire thought, and to remind our community that these problems matter and that you’re not alone if you feel the same way.” Hyperallergic

11.

Once a year, people dressed in chains, spikes, and gas masks gather to live out their “Mad Max” fantasies in the Mojave Desert. The 2025 Wasteland Weekend festival, which wrapped up on Sunday, included burlesque shows, dancing Warboys, tricked out vehicles, “jugger” matches involving a skull-shaped ball, and a post-apocalyptic swimsuit contest. See photos of the mayhem. 👉 @wastelandweekend

12.
(via Airbnb)

A Spanish-style villa in the Hollywood Hills; a midcentury modern home with Danish furniture in Pasadena; and a minimalist home with a garage door-style wall in Venice, pictured above.

Architectural Digest offered its picks for 21 of the best Airbnbs in Los Angeles.

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