Good morning. It’s Monday, Sept. 14.
- AI rivals agree on the need to slow technology.
- Sonoma County politician found liable for sex assaults.
- And a rare whale shark is filmed off Malibu coast.
Statewide
1.
The U.S. Justice Department has escalated an investigation into Gov. Gavin Newsom, seeking six years of records on his international travel and the funding that paid for it, according to subpoenas obtained by the San Francisco Standard. Newsom has dismissed the probe as a partisan “fishing expedition” aimed at a potential Democratic candidate for president. “There is just a sick man in the White House weaponizing the federal government to settle personal scores,” a spokesperson said. S.F. Standard | L.A. Times
2.
Dave Regan, the union leader behind California’s proposed billionaire tax, engaged in a pattern of harassment and intimidation as he sought to build support for the measure, according to an investigation commissioned by Service Employees International Union. In one case, Regan was accused of telling a labor official he was “coming for” her if an endorsement was not offered. The threat carried weight, the report said, because he had assaulted another official years earlier. Regan said the report contained “exaggeration” and “flat out lies.” L.A. Times | Politico
3.
In California’s most competitive House district, located in the lower San Joaquin Valley, working-class residents are struggling to meet basic needs. Yet few who recently spoke to a journalist had decided on which party to support in November — “or whether to vote at all,” the Los Angeles Times reported: “Such undecided voters will likely decide the election outcome, and persuading them is the key challenge for both parties as November nears.”
Northern California
4.
Mounting fears over the risks posed by artificial intelligence led to a rare show of unity over the weekend as the leaders of four major AI companies called for slowing development of the technology. In a 3,800-word open letter published on Saturday, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei warned that we are months away from AI “capable of taking over the entire internet.” We “owe it to humanity” to apply the brakes, he wrote. Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Demis Hassabis all responded in agreement. “Dario is right,” Musk wrote. Wall Street Journal | The Atlantic
5.
Other developments on the AI panic:
- Some tech executives pushed back on the calls for restraint, accusing the dominant AI companies of self-interest. “These oligopolies are now requesting to bend competition rules and be permitted to dictate the terms for everyone else,” said Aidan Gomez of the AI startup Cohere. N.Y. Times
- Several California lawmakers urged penalties for AI companies that cause harm. “If you’re creating an AI that is doing illegal things, you should either face liability or criminal sanction,” said Silicon Valley congressman Ro Khanna. L.A. Times
- President Trump, meanwhile, downplayed the risks of AI advancements, attributing the warnings to unspecified “negative forces.” “They’re bringing up things that won’t happen,” he said. Washington Post | A.P.
6.
A civil jury on Friday found that Dominic Foppoli, a once-rising Wine Country politician, sexually assaulted seven women in a series of encounters dating back to 2001, ordering him to pay more than $13 million in damages. The unanimous verdict was a resounding legal vindication for the victims after Foppoli dismissed the accusations as “political” machinations and even moved to run again for mayor of Windsor. He remained unrepentant on Friday. “We all saw what their motivations were today — it’s $13 million,” he said. Press Democrat | S.F. Chronicle
7.
San Francisco Opera canceled its opening night shortly before the performance was scheduled to begin on Saturday as the orchestra went on strike. Outside the War Memorial Opera House, picketers held signs that read, “World Class Orchestra/World Class Contract” and “Austerity is off-key.” A free performance in Golden Gate Park on Sunday, a popular annual tradition, was also called off. But three French hornists played for fans who showed up. N.Y. Times | S.F. Chronicle
8.
“Today is monumental.”
Seven California tribes signed an agreement with state agencies and local governments on Friday that grants them authority to co-manage Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake within the state. About 100 miles north of San Francisco, Clear Lake has suffered ecological decline for decades in the form of mercury contamination, toxic algal blooms, and predatory invasive fish. For tribal people surrounding the troubled body of water, the deal marked a formal recognition of a stewardship role they held for millennia. Press Democrat | L.A. Times
Southern California
9.
UCLA’s chancellor, Julio Frenk, delivered a rare rebuke of his own law school after it hosted a symposium on the 9/11 terrorist attacks that included a lawyer for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was accused of plotting the attacks. In a statement, Frenk said UCLA “does not endorse” the event. “We reject antisemitism and terrorism in all their forms,” he said. Law school faculty pushed back, reminding Frenk that a just legal system demands that even the most vile defendants are provided a robust defense. L.A. Times | Inside Higher Ed
10.
Sibling lawmakers Clarissa and Sabrina Cervantes have emerged as chief nemeses of Chad Bianco, California’s most MAGA sheriff. In May, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law by Sabrina, a state senator, prohibiting law enforcement officials from taking ballots during active elections. The measure was a response to Bianco’s seizure of local ballots on apparently flimsy grounds. For her part, Clarissa, a Riverside City Council member, dragged Bianco into court over the ballot seizure. Bianco hasn’t taken the moves well. The Cervantes sisters, he said, are “a disgusting example of partisan politics.” S.F. Chronicle
11.
Los Angeles police corralled a group of young people on motorized minibikes who had blocked the 6th Street Bridge on Sunday afternoon to perform doughnuts and wheelies. Scores of people were arrested and 78 bikes were impounded, the authorities said. Notably, some parents participated along with their children. Marvin Deleon, who was cited along with his 13-year-old daughter, insisted they did nothing wrong. “You don’t have a law,” he told a reporter. “Police don’t even have nothing.” ABC7
12.
A rare whale shark was filmed cruising through waters off the coast of Malibu last week. It was the latest exotic marine life to show up off the coast of California in recent months, drawn by unusually warm waters, scientists say. Other sightings have included hammerhead sharks, mahi-mahi, yellowtail, and spinetail devil rays. Juan-Carlos Aguilar was spearfishing off Catalina when he encountered a school of sicklefin devil rays, he told Fox 11. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and that 10 seconds was something that’ll live in my mind forever,” he said. ABC7 | Surfer magazine
- See video of the whale shark.
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