Local:
- Dana Williamson, former chief of staff to California Governor Gavin Newsom and a former political adviser to Xavier Becerra, pleaded guilty to three felonies on Thursday, in a scheme to divert funds from a dormant account from Becerra’s campaign. [New York Times]
- The California State University system is trying out new three-year degree programs for its undergraduate Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Professional Studies, and Bachelor of Applied Studies degrees as part of a pilot program, which would only require 90 credits to complete. [KPIX]
- Four people are suspected of pepper spraying an employee in a targeted smash-and-grab robbery at the Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord Wednesday, and they were last seen heading toward Sunvalley Boulevard. [Bay Area News Group]
National:
- The popularity former reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the Los Angeles mayoral race has risen after a recent viral AI-generated video campaign was launched portraying him as a superhero, which Pratt claims were fan-made. [NBC News]
- President Donald Trump boasted on social media that Chinese leader Xi Jinping “congratulated me on so many tremendous successes” on the last day of Trump’s visit to China despite differences of opinion on major issues, including Iran and Taiwan. [Associated Press]
- FBI director Kash Patel took a “VIP snorkel” excursion through a sunken battleship coordinated by the military while on a working trip in Hawaii last summer. [Associated Press]
Video of the Day:
- Local Gov Guy explains how the California government was designed to prevent politicians who are too extreme in either direction, left or right, which is why we’ll likely never have a Zohran Mamdani in office — all thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist
