Decision-making

California's Legislature closed its session this week by sending Gov. Gavin Newsom a wave of bills spanning data centers, artificial intelligence, immigration enforcement, wildfires and local news. Newsom signed measures requiring tracking of data centers' energy and water use and protecting consumers from rising electricity costs, alongside more than 10 bills restricting how social media, AI and autoplay features can target young users.

More than 20 new laws curb immigration enforcement, banning electric shock gloves and face coverings for law enforcement while easing lawsuits against federal officials. Other legislation sets first-in-the-nation standards for testing and remediating wildfire-smoke-damaged homes and requiring insurers to cover related costs, two years after the Los Angeles firestorms. New AI-related employment rules bar employers from relying solely on automated systems for discipline or firing and mandate 60-day notice before AI-driven layoffs. California also created the nation's largest journalism relief program, offering tax credits to local news outlets based on journalist headcount. The laws test whether California still sets the national policy agenda.

Candidates running for Colorado's 1st Congressional District responded to a Denver Post questionnaire covering cost of living, energy policy, congressional oversight of the Trump administration, and immigration. Responses revealed sharp divides: some candidates called for Medicare for All, a moratorium on new fossil fuel leasing on federal lands, a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and stronger congressional oversight of executive power, spending, and military actions. Others backed the Trump administration's agenda, supporting expanded oil and gas extraction on public lands, cooperation between local jurisdictions and federal immigration enforcement, and opposition to "sanctuary" policies.

A libertarian-leaning candidate called for auditing the Federal Reserve, ending corporate bailouts, returning land-use decisions to state control, and reclaiming congressional war powers, while criticizing both major parties for enabling executive overreach. A physician-candidate emphasized healthcare affordability, housing supply increases, protection of public lands for recreation and conservation, and a secure border paired with fast-tracked legal status for long-term residents. One candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.