California Today: California’s Environmental Past Confronts Economic Worries of the Present

September 16, 2025, 6:31 a.m. Pacific time

Good morning. Here are the top stories from across California.

Today’s Top Story

Loren Elliott for The New York Times

California’s Environmental Past Confronts Economic Worries of the Present

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic state lawmakers have focused on pocketbook concerns this year, seeing their party’s national losses as a reckoning.

Schwarzenegger Urges Voters to Reject California Redistricting Measure

Arnold Schwarzenegger issued his first public rebuke since Gov. Gavin Newsom placed a gerrymander plan on the ballot.

California’s High Gas Prices Could Climb Further as Refineries Close

The state has led the country in adopting electric cars and reducing gas use, but it now faces much higher gas prices as oil companies plan to shut down refineries.

At a Wildfire With a Notebook — and a Mask

A reporter’s questions pulled her into the subculture of wildland firefighting. Policy changes followed.

California’s $23 Billion Plan to Restore Federal Cuts to Scientific Research

Democrats are calling for the creation of a state equivalent of the National Institutes of Health, but first state lawmakers and then voters would need to approve it.

$2 Million Homes in California

A midcentury modern home in Santa Paula, a Craftsman in Pasadena and a Mediterranean-style house in Sacramento.

What We Saw as Stars Arrived at the Emmys

Candid moments with Walton Goggins, Pedro Pascal, Jean Smart and more.

Inside the Most Valuable Team in Women’s Sports

Expectations were low for the Golden State Valkyries, the W.N.B.A.’s first expansion team in 17 years, but they captivated Bay Area sports fans and surprised the league by securing a playoff spot in their first season.