Exhibition game

SEIU Local 1000, representing more than 100,000 California state workers including auditors, nurses and counselors, held a one-day statewide strike after its contract expired June 30 without a new deal. The union accuses Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration of bad-faith bargaining, pointing to a four-day return-to-office mandate, limited raises capped near 3%, and inadequate healthcare contributions, while seeking a 20% pay increase over three years. Members picketed in cities including Sacramento, arguing remote work saves the state money and improves work-life balance. Newsom, once backed heavily by the union, has pushed wage reductions amid budget deficits. CalHR says it remains open to negotiating a "fair and responsible agreement."

Backlash against Flock Safety license-plate cameras continues to grow nationwide. In Texas, Hood County Constable John Shirley shut down and covered the county's Flock cameras, citing "warrantless tracking" of residents; county commissioners had already let his contract with Flock lapse. Elsewhere in Ohio, Michigan and South Carolina, officials face similar pressure: Dayton schools are drafting a use policy, Kalamazoo now requires public votes on contract renewals, and Horry County, South Carolina, plans an October policy review after a Greenville County officer misused camera data to track a former partner.

In Ohio, state senator Al Cutrona is introducing a bill making personal misuse of Flock data a fourth-degree felony, requiring deletion after 10 days and barring third-party sharing — following reports that Cleveland's cameras logged nearly 2,000 immigration-related searches. The moves follow a Washington Post investigation finding dozens of officers nationally misused license-plate readers to stalk women. Flock CEO Garrett Langley has acknowledged the potential for misuse and announced new measures, including cutting default data retention from 30 to seven days and requiring a case code before each search. The ACLU called the changes "a step in the right direction" but said they fall short of legally binding protections like those Cutrona's bill would impose.