California Today: Newsom’s Latest Statewide Campaign Is About Redistricting. And Donald Trump.

August 15, 2025, 6:30 a.m. Pacific time

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

Today’s Top Story

Mike Blake/Reuters

Newsom’s Latest Statewide Campaign Is About Redistricting. And Donald Trump.

The governor kicked off his campaign for a proposition asking California voters to approve a new congressional map, a move that comes with both opportunity and risk.

Is California Really More Gerrymandered Than Texas? It’s Complicated.

Republicans claim California is more gerrymandered than Texas, based on a simple partisan calculation. Experts say such a comparison is one of many useful but imperfect measures to quantify gerrymandering.

How Ambitious Democratic Governors Are Navigating Trump’s Redistricting War

Some have emerged as a front line against Trump’s push to grab more seats in Congress, putting the issue at the center of their party’s politics. Others are ceding the spotlight.

In L.A., Fear of ICE Raids Created a Tense First Day of School

Officials and volunteers patrolled areas around schools, part of an effort to warn families about potential raids and reassure them that their children were safe at school.

Man Fleeing an Immigration Raid Dies After Running Onto an L.A. Freeway

The man was hit by a vehicle. It happened about a month after an immigrant fell from a greenhouse and later died following a raid in Ventura County.

Big Tech’s A.I. Data Centers Are Driving Up Electricity Bills for Everyone

Electricity rates for individuals and small businesses could rise sharply as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other technology companies build data centers and expand into the energy business.

The Battle to Define Luigi Mangione Takes Center Stage

In “Luigi: The Musical” and across the internet, artists, journalists and supporters vie to shape the murder suspect’s symbolic reputation: villain, hero, terrorist, martyr, fantasy, enigma.