The nomination window opened July 13 for Palo Alto’s Nov. 3 election. Local hopefuls are filing while a half‑cent Cubberley sales‑tax measure heads to the ballot.

Startups are using AI to answer campaign texts; vendors say millions of messages have already been sent as the 2026 midterms approach. Regulators and voters are weighing consent and disclosure.

The CPUC will consider a $22M settlement with PG&E over the 2022 Mosquito Fire. The deal would send $21M to the state and require a $1M inspection review.

A new state bill would speed certifications and give hiring preference to formerly incarcerated firefighters, aiming to turn trained hand‑crew members into career Cal Fire hires.

After AB 1 became operative on July 1, 2026, legislative staff across California quietly began organizing around comp time, promotions and pay.

Supervisors voted July 7 to drop a jail‑focused plan and push a proposed $135M behavioral‑health campus, accepting a conditional $54.6M state award and facing a nearly $50M gap.

AB 2344 would let animals seized in cruelty cases go to foster homes or rescues while criminal cases proceed, easing shelter crowding and speeding recovery.

Lawmakers want to lock more AI‑era gains into California’s rainy‑day fund and exempt those deposits from the state spending cap. The Save for California’s Future Act will appear on the November 3 ballot.

After a 9–2 Board vote, San Francisco will vote Nov. 3 on a charter change that sets rules for a potential city-run public bank. The measure lays governance but not startup funding.

Two Assembly Republicans joined Democrats to pass SB 762, a bill that would let named cities and counties ask voters to exceed California’s 2% local sales‑tax cap. The vote has stirred GOP critics and taxpayer groups.

San José and SJPD will hold in-person and Zoom sessions next week to explain plans for AI‑assisted police report writing and to take community questions.

St. Helena’s City Council voted to put a half-cent sales tax on the Nov. 3 ballot to shore up services amid rising costs. Polling shows wide support even as some officials object to the speed of the move.

Sonoma County supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution affirming nondiscriminatory access to medically necessary care, including gender‑affirming services, and asked county staff to notify state leaders and local providers.