• 9th Circuit revives California law banning forced outing of transgender students

    San Francisco Chronicle
    January 6, 2026

    A federal appeals court says a judge who ordered schools in California to let teachers inform parents that their child has identified as transgender misunderstood both the facts and the law. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez has been put on hold, but a conservative group says it’s planning an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Related: Los Angeles Times

  • Does AI belong in the exam room? Lawsuit alleges Sharp violated patient privacy.

    The San Diego Union-Tribune
    January 5, 2026

    A recent lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court alleges that Sharp HealthCare recorded conversations between doctors and their patients without written consent, using the information to document visits with an artificial intelligence program developed by a private company in Pittsburgh.

  • US sues two California cities over limits on gas in new buildings

    Reuters
    January 5, 2026

    The Trump administration sued two California cities on Monday, seeking to block local laws that restrict natural gas infrastructure and appliances in new construction. The lawsuit is the administration's latest attack on energy policies that seek to rein in the use of fossil fuels to combat climate change. California, a Democratic stronghold, has among the most aggressive climate change policies in the world.

  • Midway District’s 30-foot height limit will be restored following California Supreme Court ruling

    The San Diego Union-Tribune
    January 5, 2026

    The state’s highest court has rejected San Diego’s plea to keep intact the 2022 voter-approved ballot measure that removed the 30-foot height limit from the Midway District. Last week, the justices of the Supreme Court of California formally denied the city of San Diego’s petition for review of the appellate court’s ruling, which found that the city illegally put the ordinance before voters without adequately informing them about the environmental impacts associated with taller builders, as required by California’s Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.

    Related: Peninsula Beacon, Voice of San Diego