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California’s US Senate candidates agree AI should be regulated — but they differ on why

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California’s US Senate candidates agree AI should be regulated — but they differ on why


Artificial intelligence made its way onto the third and final debate of California’s U.S. Senate race Tuesday evening, where the four leading candidates met ahead of the March 5 primary.

All four candidates — Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff of Burbank, Katie Porter of Irvine and Barbara Lee of Oakland as well as Republican ex-Dodger Steve Garvey — concurred that AI should be regulated, but they differed on the reasons why.

AI, “technology that enables computers and digital devices to learn, read, write, talk, see, create, play, analyze, make recommendations and do other things humans do,” according to tech company IBM, has California voters worried this election cycle. Just over five in 10 said they are concerned about their jobs being replaced by AI, according to a December survey by Politico and Morning Consult.

Schiff, during Tuesday’s debate, focused on how AI should be regulated to protect workers. He pointed to the Hollywood strikes over the summer, when Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Writers’ Guild of America members walked out over a number of concerns, including a lack of guardrails against AI taking over writers’ work.

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“I was proud to be out there on the picket lines making sure that in these contracts for so many of the workers in the entertainment industry … had protections against AI, potential threat to their jobs,” said Schiff. “We need to also address these changes in the workplace in the light of these new technologies to make sure workers are protected.”

Schiff, when asked in the Register’s Voter Guide questionnaire what he sees as the federal government’s role in creating and enforcing a regulatory framework, said he supports “a high-level agency that is able to act nimbly and put adequate safeguards in place as the technology evolves.”

Lee, who is positioning herself as the more progressive candidate in the race, focused on the nasty side of AI: the potential for the technology to discriminate.

She pointed to studies that have shown how AI can stereotype based on race and gender. Last year, Stable Diffusion, a text-to-image generative AI model created by the startup Stability AI, was found to be amplifying certain stereotypes, like depicting men with lighter skin tones as holding the majority of high-paying jobs, including politicians, lawyers, judges and CEOs, according to Bloomberg. Low-paying jobs, like housekeeper and cashier, however, were depicted as darker-skinned women. A spokesperson for Stability AI told Bloomberg the company is working to develop open-source AI models that are trained to understand different countries and cultures, which they say will “mitigate biases.”

A 2023 study led by the Stanford School of Medicine found that popular chatbots like ChatGPT, GPT-4 and Claude, “appeared to reinforce long-held false beliefs about biological differences between Black and White people,” according to the Associated Press.

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“We have to be careful that (artificial intelligence) is not used to discriminate against people because there are some real issues around racial justice that we have to address with AI,” Lee said from the debate stage. “Now’s the time to do it.”

“These are biases that target Black and Brown people,” she said in her Voter Guide questionnaire. “We must work to eliminate the biases within AI algorithms, and that starts by ensuring the way AI is designed and trained is more fair and equitable.”

But Lee also sees positives with AI, saying artificial intelligence can help with the climate crisis, education and healthcare and that a regulatory environment must be developed right away so that the technology can be used for good.

AI tools are already being used in these sectors, by detecting methane and forest fires, locating critical minerals for green technology used in solar panels and electric vehicles, diagnosing and treating illnesses and fostering immersive learning in schools.

Garvey, meanwhile, wants Congress to work with technological innovators, who are mostly based in California to adopt regulations governing the use of AI.

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“Because once it starts affecting you and I, and once it starts affecting Californians, that’s when we have to have regulation,” he said.

Like Lee, Garvey said AI has the potential to help with challenges, including in the medical field and climate change.

“However, we must adopt reasonable regulations that ensure the disruption caused by AI is not catastrophic to the livelihoods and security of our residents,” he said in his Voter Guide questionnaire.

And Porter, who sought to position herself during the debate as an outsider unbeholden to special interests, pointed to the “powerful interests that are backing AI” as a reason to regulate the technology, referencing a recent ad from crypto-sponsored super PAC, Fairshake.

While the ad, which accuses Porter of taking money from major banks and pharmaceutical and oil companies, does not mention AI, the Irvine congresswoman alleged that the PAC — major donors to which include venture capital firm AH Capital Management, crypto giant Coinbase and tech company Ripple Labs — is part of the “powerful interests that are backing AI.”

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“These are the same handful of ultra-wealthy billionaires who are backing ads that spread false truths about me,” Porter alleged.

In her questionnaire, Porter said: “AI has the potential to be a democratizing force — but it also poses dangerous risks like spreading misinformation online, endangering national security, reinforcing stereotypes and discrimination, automating jobs and more. Washington must take urgent action to protect against these potential risks — not slow walk until it’s too late to take meaningful action.”

While only Garvey, Lee, Porter and Schiff have participated in the three debates held thus far, there are more than 20 other candidates on the primary ballot for the U.S. Senate race, including Republican attorney Eric Early and former local TV journalist Christina Pascucci, a Democrat.

On AI, Early said that while he believes in small government, “the threat of AI run amok is so severe” that the federal government must actively regulate the industry.

Pascucci, too, called for regulation, saying her career as a journalist taught her “the value of truth and the danger of disinformation.” Like Garvey, Pascucci said while AI may cure cancer one day, it poses challenges and risks. Innovators in California’s Silicon Valley should be tapped to push forward the regulation of AI technology, she said.

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Mark Ruzon, a software engineer who resides in Mountain View, said an area of particular concern is the use of AI in weapons.

“We should work with the nations of the world to outlaw weapons that use AI to attack civilians indiscriminately or to assassinate specific individuals,” he said.



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Republican governor candidate Chad Bianco says he’s the ‘antithesis to California state government’

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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.

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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.”

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“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.

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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.

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PlayOn Sports fined $1.1 million by California watchdog over student data violations

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PlayOn Sports fined .1 million by California watchdog over student data violations


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.

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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.

[RELATED] X faces possible fines as EU probes Grok nonconsensual, sexualized deepfakes

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.

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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.”

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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.



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California bill to bar police from taking second job with ICE advances in state Assembly

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California bill to bar police from taking second job with ICE advances in state Assembly


Wednesday, March 4, 2026 4:43AM

CA bill to keep police from moonlighting with ICE advances

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.

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The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, whose district includes Mar Vista, Ladera Heights, Mid-Wilshire and parts of South Los Angeles.

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