THE BUZZ: The tech industry won a reprieve from Sacramento and the US Supreme Court on Thursday, but you don’t need an algorithm to predict more political pressure ahead.
In Washington, the supreme court deflected a challenge to a core content liability shield by refuses to take up business accused social media giants of culpability for terrorism. In Sacramento, a bill to limit artificial intelligence faltered in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The tech industry group Net Choice took the “huge win” from SCOTUS. “Did the industry win today? I think so,” Assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan said of her bill to business opposition.
But we’re sure we’ll see more legal and political battles over the harms of social media and the scope of AI, including in a California Legislature where both Republicans and Bay Area Democrats are showing an increasing willingness to rein in Silicon Valley.
Prosecutors could sue social media companies for harming children under an account that cleared Senate Appropriations Thursday and goes to a floor vote. The measure has already been scaled back as tech lobbyists rallied against it, with state Sen. Nancy Skinner scrapping a fee for lawsuits. But the proposal is moving despite formidable opposition. The industry is in court against a new law passed last year that regulates online products used by children.
Bipartisan fear of algorithms has built political momentum for stronger protections on social media for years. The apparent ubiquity of AI tools like ChatGPT is a more recent development that has lawmakers racing to catch up. OpenAI founder Sam Altman warned senators in Washington this week that the technology he has pioneered could “go terribly wrong” and “cause significant damage to the world” without appropriate regulation.
Legislators in OpenAI’s home state would like to get ahead of these dire forecasts, Bauer-Kahan said, to ensure “we get the positive benefits and not the scary parts that Sam Altman warned about.” Her bill isn’t the first time California has grappled with the downsides of potentially discriminatory algorithms — those concerned helped torpedo a cash deposit ban that would have relied on risk assessments – but it probably won’t be the last.
ONE MORE – Airbnb is not embroiled in California clashes over worker classification or social media ills like its Silicon Valley brethren. But the company is facing a fight about an account, sponsored by the Trades, imposing an occupancy tax on short-term rentals and channeling the funds to low- and middle-income housing. The measure is also set to hit the Senate floor in the next few weeks.
BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to unveil its promised licensing reform today. And Vice President Kamala Harris will return to Los Angeles to showcase the administration’s mental health efforts.
Have a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at (email protected) and (email protected) or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.
Where is GAVIN? In Stanislaus County, talking about his plans for “the most ambitious streamlining and consent and judicial reforms in our state in half a century.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “So many of my friends say, ‘What happened to California?’ I’m like, ‘I know, it’s great, right? Elon’s coming back — we’re growing great.'” Newsom on old friend Elon Musk.
TWEET OF THE DAY:
WE HIRE – POLITICO is embarking on an exciting expansion in the Golden State and is looking for another journalist to join our growing team as a California Playbook author. More in the job description here.
DIFI DRAMA: Sen. Dianne FeinsteinThe Senate return did little to dispel concerns about her health and its implications for California’s Senate race. POLITICS Rachael Bade wrote Thursday about how Feinstein has been accompanied by Rep. Nancy Pelosidaughter, Nancy Corinne Prowda — leading to conclusions about Pelosi’s motives, because Feinstein’s departure could be Pelosi-endorsed Rep. Adam SchiffSenate bid (A Pelosi-spox told the San Francisco Chronicle that her friendship with Feinstein was “personal, not political.).
And The New York Times detailed the medical complications that plagued Feinstein’s recovery. One notable detail: Per The Times, a recovering Feinstein did not take a call from Newsom or from the senator. Alex Padilla. They also had a San Francisco-based megadonor Susie Tomkins Buell calls again for Feinstein’s resignation, as she did in the Los Angeles Times. Read the story here.
– Feinstein’s return sharpens her partyby POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus and Nicholas Wu: As relieved as Democrats have been to break the logjam over party-line judicial nominees that her absence has created, they are nonetheless more open to discussing her condition than generic welfare. Fellow senators say they don’t hear much from her at all.
—“She had multiple abortions as a child. She confronted her abuser years later“, by Raheem Hosseini of the San Francisco Chronicle: “It was a 15-minute drive from the police station to the apartment complex where Ruth was staying with her brother. Battaglia scanned the buildings until she saw Ruth emerge from a second story, then parked under a carport. Ruth met her at the older, unmarked Ford sedan, with searchlights attached to the side mirrors.
APPROPRIATIONS ICYMI: A few key takeaways from Thursday’s rapid-fire suspense file battle: It was the end of the line for an account make oil companies liable for diseases contracted by people living near wells — this as a 2022 law barring new wells near schools and homes, carried by the same senator, faces a referendum — and for an account pushing utilities to connect new buildings. A major housing streamlining bill would now require projects to seek the skilled and trained workforce that the Trades insist on, but they don’t have to use it if they don’t get enough bids.
—“Walt Disney Company is canceling the move of thousands of California workers to Orlando’s Lake Nona” by Fox 35 Orlando: “In an email to their team members obtained by FOX 35, Disney said they have decided not to move forward with construction of their Lake Nona Campus. The company said they will speak individually with employees who have already made the move have to Florida – where they have the ability to return to California.
—“This law should reveal who pays for California legislators’ travel. It has only been used twice” by CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff and Jeremia Kimelman: Yet in the seven years since the law took effect, disclosure forms have been filed for only two events — despite lawmakers reporting millions of dollars in sponsored trips and dozens of trips during that period.
—“200 people could be left homeless after Sacramento County closes two emergency shelters,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Ariane Lange: “The Board of Supervisors said that when Project Roomkey “winds down,” new housing navigators would take a more hands-on approach to helping residents find permanent housing. More than a month after the supervisors passed the new funding, Field said, however, these navigators did not begin to make contact with residents.
—“California prison closings hurt students, collegesby Adam Echelman of CalMatters: “The Department of Corrections said in a statement that it is committed to preventing incarceration during the semester, but that it does happen. The Department of Corrections also said that the special credits that are awarded for classes – those that people can giving who are imprisoned for years from their sentence – will also transfer to the new prison.
—“I attended a secretive anti-trans dinner in San Francisco. And then I screamed“, says Soleil Ho for the San Francisco Chronicle: “In the coda of her presentation, meanwhile, Friday showed a photo of a trans person’s bare chest, healed after top surgery, and pointed out the self-inflicted scars on the person’s arms.”
– Twitter, Google wins big at Supreme Courtby POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Rebecca Kern: The two decisions mark a major win for the tech industry, which has argued that narrowing Section 230 could be disastrous for the internet if platforms could be sued over content moderation decisions. But the resolution leaves the door open for future showdowns — possibly in Congress — over the breadth of legal protections that Internet companies enjoy.
—“PG&E to pay $150 million for Zogg Fire,” by Jaxon Van Derbeken of NBC Bay Area.
—“The 101 Best Experiences in California“, by Christopher Reynolds of the Los Angeles Times.
—“Threatened to kill a former 49er Rep. Swalwell?“, by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shira Stein.
—“Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy accused of beating 5-year-old son in Lancaster“, by the Los Angeles Times’ James Queally and Keri Blakinger.
—“Sam Zell, business tycoon whose purchase of the LA Times led to financial disaster, dies“, by Elaine Woo of the Los Angeles Times.
CALIFORNIA POLICIES ARE ALWAYS CHANGING: Know Your Next Move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro offers policy professionals the in-depth reporting and tools they need to anticipate policy trends and political developments that are shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here.
Do you want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available to partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you’d like to sign? A cause you promote? Looking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to drive engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: (email protected)
0 Comments