Good morning, it’s Monday, September 14. It will be less miserably hot out at long last, with temperatures in the low to mid 80s.
1. Here’s a look at what Gov. Newsom has decided so far — and more of the bills still awaiting a verdict.
Earlier this month, we told you about the pile of bills awaiting judgment on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk — and how his presidential ambitions might factor into some of his decisions.
We’re now nearly halfway through the monthlong decision season. Here’s an update on some of what’s been signed so far and a few more significant bills still awaiting a verdict. (Newsom has until Sept. 30 to act on the hundreds of bills approved by the Legislature.)
ALREADY SIGNED
Sweeping new rules for child safety online
In what was arguably the most newsworthy stroke of Newsom’s pen so far, the governor signed a set of bills into law that offer strong protections for kids online, including a law barring certain online platforms from providing “addictive” features like autoplay to users under 16.
Some frameworks for AI safeguards
He also signed two relatively technical proposals for artificial intelligence safeguards into law last week, including a bill that will create a state registry for AI auditors. Both Anthropic and OpenAI had come out in support of the legislation in recent weeks.
STILL PENDING
AI in the workplace
A number of consequential tech-related bills remain on Newsom’s docket, including most of a package of labor-backed proposals to restrict the use of AI in the workplace. As Politico has reported, some state labor leaders have warned Newsom that they’ll withhold support for a potential 2028 presidential run if he doesn’t sign the bills.
The fate of Forest Lawn Drive
Governor Gavin Newsom (left) and a map of the proposed Forest Lawn Drive project. (L.A. Material photo illustration. Base images: Los Angeles Department of Transportation and Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
A last-minute change to an existing bill added highly specific language that effectively targets a single, controversial L.A.-area street safety project — a project that also happens to be a topic of debate in the L.A. mayoral election.
The provision in SB 194 would prohibit cities with more than 2 million people from reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes on “a street that provides the only access to 2 or more adjacent cemeteries” without a public hearing, “prior approval of the governing body” and the concurrence of the mayor. L.A. is the only city in California with a population over 2 million, and the provision would create new hurdles for lane reductions on Forest Lawn Drive near Griffith Park.
The proposed traffic-calming measure, which would cut down the number of traffic lanes and add a protected bike lane on a roughly 1-mile stretch of the road, was backed by Councilmember Nithya Raman, while Mayor Karen Bass paused the project in late spring for a redesign that would maintain existing traffic lanes, citing community opposition. Street safety advocates have urged Newsom to veto the bill.
It’s unusual — but by no means unheard of — for the Legislature to weigh in on something so granular. To wit: A proposed bill carveout that would have effectively exempted a single, Frank Gehry-designed Santa Monica mixed-use project from regulations for coastal development drew scrutiny last month, before it was ultimately nixed.
A possible lifeline for local journalism
Backed by a wide swath of journalism organizations, AB 2222 would create refundable tax credits for qualifying news organizations that employ local journalists in California. The L.A. Times characterized the bill as the “largest relief plan” of its kind in the country to date, but also noted that getting the governor’s signature could be a tall order, given that Newsom “typically spurns laws that make changes to the state budget after those fiscal discussions conclude in the first half of the calendar year.”
Have questions about other specific bills on Newsom’s desk and what the proposals might mean for L.A.? Feel free to send them our way.
2. Here’s a quick look at the week ahead.
MONDAY: Mariska Hargitay will host the 2026 Emmy Awards tonight at downtown’s Peacock Theater. The telecast will air live on NBC at 5 p.m., and stream on Peacock.
TUESDAY: The L.A. County Board of Supervisors will take up a proposal that would push the Sheriff’s Department to identify “deputy gangs, cliques, and secret subgroups” within its ranks. Law enforcement gangs, which are officially banned, have been documented within the department for decades.
This year’s El Grito event will mark Mexican Independence Day at L.A. City Hall on Tuesday night. And several thousand miles east on Capitol Hill, a House subcommittee hearing will examine alleged “fraud and failure” in federally-funded homelessness services, with a focus on Los Angeles.
WEDNESDAY: Universal Studios’ Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift — the amusement park’s first high-speed outdoor roller coaster, whose screaming riders seriously annoyed the neighbors while the ride was in “technical rehearsals” — will officially open to the public.
SATURDAY: The Central Avenue Jazz Festival will pay homage to Historic South Central’s musical history. Across town, the biennial Frogtown Art Walk will open studios near the banks of the L.A. River.
SUNDAY: Your last chance to see the MOCA Grand Avenue show that features eight stunning Mark Rothko paintings from the collection, rarely on display at once. (Tickets are free, but booking timed reservations in advance is recommended.)
READING MATERIAL
OUR CRUMBLING COASTLINE: The city of Laguna Beach declared a local state of emergency last week due to coastal erosion brought on by the effects of Hurricane Marie, the Daily Pilot reported. Meanwhile, storm-driven erosion has raised concerns about the nuclear waste stored at the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant, the L.A. Times reports.
WHITHER THE PRATT VOTERS? Nearly 218,000 Angelenos voted for Spencer Pratt in the June primary. The L.A. Times looks at how both Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman might target those voters.
“LOST IN MARGARITAVILLE.” The Wall Street Journal goes deep on the messy battle over Jimmy Buffett’s $275 million trust.
BLINK-182’S FULLERTON MUSIC VIDEO SHOOT: It was summer in Orange County in 2001 when the hottest pop-punk band in the world came to town to shoot their next music video. Needless to say, the neighborhood teens went wild.
RAW MATERIAL
For today’s peek inside our member-only forum, @AriC has a micro-review of Beulah Kitchen in the #i-was-here channel:
AND FINALLY… A poem to pair with your morning coffee: "The Birthday of the World" by Marge Piercy.
