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Tech News
Charter's Spectrum brand has finished absorbing Cox, with former Cox customers now billed by Spectrum starting Wednesday. The deal, agreed in May 2025, cleared its last regulatory hurdle after the California Public Utilities Commission approved it last month, giving Charter over 35 million customers nationwide.
California avoided rolling power outages through the hottest August on record, a streak dating back to 2020. The state's grid operator has grown battery storage capacity from under 100 megawatts in 2020 to over 17,000 megawatts today, allowing solar energy captured during the day to be dispatched during peak evening demand.
California's Public Employment Relations Board has officially certified the California Gig Workers Union as the bargaining representative for Uber and Lyft drivers, after at least 30% of active drivers showed support. The certification was enabled by Assembly Bill 1340, which grants independent contractor drivers the right to collectively bargain, making California the third state after Washington and Massachusetts to allow such unionization.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation requiring AI companies to build crisis protocols for suicidal ideation, parental controls, and alerts when children disable safety settings. One measure, dubbed 'Adam's Law' after 16-year-old Adam Raine who died by suicide following prolonged ChatGPT conversations, is part of a broader package that also bars social media platforms from using addictive features like autoplay and algorithmic feeds for users under 16.
California still requires drivers to carry only $15,000 per person and $30,000 per crash in liability insurance, a threshold set in 1967 and never updated for inflation. By contrast, actuarial estimates now put the cost of a fatal traffic death at roughly $1.6 million, meaning the mandated coverage covers a small fraction of the real financial harm a driver can cause. Massachusetts, which pioneered mandatory insurance in 1927 with a $5,000 minimum (about $96,000 today), only recently raised its own outdated cap to $25,000.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed multiple bills targeting tech risks to children, including fines up to $1 million per child for negligent social media platforms, a ban on addictive feeds for users under 16, mandatory risk assessments for AI chatbot operators, and an opt-out option for school-issued laptops. Separately, Newsom signed AI oversight measures backed by Anthropic that establish rules for independent safety evaluations of AI models and create a registry of financially independent auditors.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills, including AB 1709 and SB 1119 (Adam's Law), that ban addictive social media features like autoplay and algorithmic feeds for users under 16 and impose new safety requirements on AI companion chatbots. Large platforms could face penalties up to $1 million per child for negligent harm, and companies must conduct independent audits, risk assessments, and provide crisis support and parental notification for at-risk minors.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen bills into law on Thursday aimed at protecting minors online. The measures target addictive design features on social media platforms and impose new restrictions on AI-driven chatbots that interact with children.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills regulating how minors interact with social media platforms and AI chatbots in California. The chatbot rules impose time limits, mandate mental health safeguards and self-harm protocols, require parental notifications, and mandate independent child safety audits with legal liability for noncompliant companies. Separately, social media platforms must block users under 16 from accessing features deemed 'addictive,' including autoplay, notifications and personalized algorithmic feeds.
Forecasters say the current El Niño event, already projected to be one of the strongest on record, may drive extreme weather patterns lasting into 2027. New analysis suggests it could also raise sea levels along the California coast by roughly a foot, a previously underreported consequence of the phenomenon.
Business owners who assign registered-agent duties to a friend, relative or themselves risk missing critical legal and government deadlines. States like Florida and California impose penalties of $250 to $400 for late reports or outdated company information, and repeated violations can result in a business being forcibly dissolved. A compliance firm founder explains the recurring damage caused by informal or unqualified registered agent choices.
Three climbers used Google Gemini alongside YouTube and AllTrails to plan a Mount Shasta ascent, and the chatbot told them the trip would take about eight hours. The climb actually took 16 hours, well past the noon turnaround time rangers recommend, leaving them short on water, food and battery power. A phone died mid-descent, one climber fell and injured a knee in the dark, and the group had to call 911 before rangers reached them roughly 30 hours after they set out.