California
California banks to combine in $234 million 'merger of equals'
Southern California Bancorp in San Diego and Oakland-based California BanCorp said they would merge in a $233.6 million, all-stock deal that would create a combined company with $4.6 billion of assets
The $2.4 billion-asset
However, the transaction, slated to close in the third quarter, would give Southern California Bancorp shareholders 57.1% ownership of the outstanding shares of the combined company. California BanCorp investors would own the rest. The deal consideration was based on Southern California Bancorp’s Jan. 29 closing stock price.
The merged bank would be based in San Diego and also cover Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
It marked the second large bank deal to date in the West in the new year. Seattle-based HomeStreet in mid-January said it
The transactions come on the
Jon Winick, CEO of bank consultancy Clark Street Capital, said the M&A headwinds “continue to blow” early in 2024. But he also said the economy has proven resilient and in growth mode, and this could give more bank executives confidence to jump back into the deal fray as community lenders need to bulk up to compete with larger peers.
The California banks said Tuesday their merger would unite two institutions that focus on middle market lending with complementary footprints, creating scale needed to further invest in technology and better manage risk, increase efficiency and provide customers with more products and services.
“Our two companies share the same vision and values with a customer-centric focus on providing outstanding service to mid-market businesses. We believe this combination, resulting in increased size and scale, will drive improved profitability and increase shareholder value,” David Rainer, chairman and CEO of Southern California Bancorp, said in a press release announcing the deal.
“It also offers customers increased product offerings and lending limits, as well as access to branches in both Northern and Southern California. The merger will also provide employees of both companies with increased career opportunities,” he added.
Rainer would become executive chairman of the combined parent company and bank as well as the boards of both.
Steven Shelton, CEO of California BanCorp, would assume that title of the merged company and bank. He would also be a director.
“The expanded scale and capabilities we will have as a result of this merger will enhance our ability to continue adding attractive full banking relationships with commercial clients that provide operating deposit accounts and high quality lending opportunities,” Shelton said in the release. The deal also would create opportunities to “move up market and work with larger businesses.”
The combined company’s board would consist of six directors from both banks. A lead independent director would be appointed after closing.
Additionally, Richard Hernandez, president of Southern California Bancorp, would retain that title post-merger.
Thomas Sa, who is president, chief financial officer and chief operating officer of California BanCorp, will serve as COO of the combined company and bank.
Thomas Dolan, CFO and COO of Southern California Bancorp, will serve as CFO of the combined company and chief strategy officer of the bank.
The companies said they would evaluate rebranding with new names and logos at the close of the transaction. The combined company’s common stock would continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
The merged company’s Southern California footprint would include Bank of Southern California’s 13 branches that serve Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Ventura counties, as well as the Inland Empire of California. Its Northern California territory would include the California Bank of Commerce branch in Contra Costa County and its four loan production offices serving Alameda, Contra Costa, Sacramento and Santa Clara counties.
It would have $2.6 billion of loans and $3.8 billion of deposits.
The companies estimated the deal would create cost savings equal to about 15% of their combined noninterest expense base. They expect one-time, pre-tax merger expenses of $19.5 million.
They also projected 2025 earnings per share accretion of 48%. They expect to earn back tangible book value dilution of 18% in less than three years.
California
Republican governor candidate Chad Bianco says he’s the ‘antithesis to California state government’
We are counting down to the California governor’s race. Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, is one of the two biggest names running on the Republican ticket.
In a one-on-one interview with Eyewitness News political reporter Josh Haskell, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, “I am the antithesis to California state government because I am going to take a nuclear bomb into that building and absolutely destroy everything that they do to us behind closed doors.”
Although he’s been elected by the voters twice, Bianco says he’s not a politician — which is why he believes his campaign for California governor is resonating, as reflected in the polls.
“President Trump, in one year, from 2025 when he took over, until now, did absolutely nothing to harm California. What’s harming California is 30 years of Democrat one-party rule that have created an environment here that no one can live in anymore. They’ve only been successful here in California because we vote D no matter what. You vote D or die. I mean, that’s it. Charles Manson would be elected in California if he was the only Democrat on the ballot,” Bianco said.
Bianco isn’t the only conservative Republican running for governor, and according to polling, he’s neck-and-neck with former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
SEE ALSO: CA governor candidate Steve Hilton says ‘everybody supports’ Trump’s immigration policies
Leading in some polls in the wide-open California Governor’s race as the June primary creeps closer is Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
“Steve has no chance of winning in November. The Democrats know that I’m going to win in November, and so they have to do everything they can to keep me out of that,” Bianco said.
When asked about the affordability crisis in the state, Bianco said, “Almost the entire issue of affordability in California is because of regulation, excessive regulation imposed by government. Every single regulation can be signed away with the governor’s signature.”
“It is a drug and alcohol addiction problem that, and a mental health problem,” he said about the homelessness crisis. “Every single bit of money that is going to these nonprofits that say ‘homeless,’ zero money. You’re getting absolutely nothing. I can’t tell you that we would end what we see in the homeless situation within a year, but I guarantee you we would never see it again after two years.”
When challenged on that prediction, pointing to how the state doesn’t have the facilities to treat the number of people living on our streets, Bianco responded, “We have been conditioned to believe that buildings take five years to build. It takes 90 days or less to build a house, but in California, it takes three to five years because the government won’t allow it. The regulations that are destroying this state are going to be removed with me as the governor.”
Bianco also said California jails shouldn’t have to play the role of treatment facilities.
Although he says he supports the Trump administration and wants the president’s endorsement, Bianco has been traveling the state — meeting not just with Republicans, but Democrats and independents as well. He says all of our state government officials have failed.
The primary election is June 2.
No clear front-runner in race for California governor, new poll shows
A new poll shows there’s still no clear front-runner in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
California
PlayOn Sports fined $1.1 million by California watchdog over student data violations
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (FOX26) — California’s privacy watchdog has ordered PlayOn Sports to pay a $1.10 million fine and change how it handles consumer data after finding the company’s practices violated state law in ways that affected students and schools in the state.
The California Privacy Protection Agency Board issued the decision following a settlement reached by CalPrivacy’s Enforcement Division.
The decision is the first by the board to address privacy violations involving students and California schools.
Schools across the country use PlayOn Sports’ GoFan platform to sell digital tickets to high school sporting events, theater performances, and homecoming and prom dances, with attendees presenting tickets at the door on their mobile phones.
Schools also use PlayOn Sports’ platforms for other sports-related activities, including attending games, streaming them online, and looking up statistics about teams and players.
In California, about 1,400 schools contract with PlayOn Sports for these services.
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GoFan is also the official ticketing platform for the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports.
According to the board’s decision, PlayOn Sports used tracking technologies to collect personal information and deliver targeted advertisements to ticketholders and others using its services.
The company allegedly required Californians to click “agree” to tracking technologies before they could use their tickets or view PlayOn Sports websites, without providing a sufficient opt-out option.
“Students trying to go to prom or a high school football game shouldn’t have to leave their privacy rights at the door,” said Michael Macko, CalPrivacy’s head of enforcement. “You couldn’t attend these events without showing your ticket, and you couldn’t show your ticket without being tracked for advertising. California’s privacy law does not work that way. Businesses must ensure they offer lawful ways for Californians to opt-out, particularly with captive audiences.”
The decision also describes students as a uniquely vulnerable population and warns that targeted advertising systems can subject students to profiling that can follow them for years, expose them to manipulative or harmful content, and develop sensitive inferences about their lives.
Instead of providing its own opt-out method, PlayOn Sports directed students and other users to opt out through the Network Advertising Initiative and the Digital Advertising Alliance, which the decision said violated the company’s responsibility to provide its own way for consumers to opt out. The company also allegedly failed to recognize opt-out preference signals and did not provide Californians with sufficient notice of its privacy practices.
“We are committed to making it as easy as possible for all Californians — from high school students to older adults, and everyone in between — to make the choice of whether they want to be tracked or not,” said Tom Kemp, CalPrivacy’s executive director. “Californians can opt-out with covered businesses, and they can sign up for the newly launched DROP system to request that data brokers delete their personal information.”
Beyond the $1.10 million fine, the board’s order requires PlayOn Sports to conduct risk assessments, provide disclosures that are easy to read and understand, and implement proper opt-out methods.
The order also requires the company to comply with California’s privacy law prohibiting the selling or sharing of personal information of consumers between 13 and 16 without their affirmative opt-in consent.
California
California bill to bar police from taking second job with ICE advances in state Assembly
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 4:43AM
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) — A bill that would prevent police officers from moonlighting with federal immigration enforcement agencies, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is advancing through the California State Assembly.
AB 1537 passed the State Assembly’s committee on public safety on Tuesday.
The bill also requires that officers report any offers for secondary employment related to immigration enforcement to their place of work.
Those failing to comply could face decertification as a peace officer in California.
The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, whose district includes Mar Vista, Ladera Heights, Mid-Wilshire and parts of South Los Angeles.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
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