Latest news with #Umberg
Los Angeles Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
‘Botched' new exam format, AI controversy build pressure on California State Bar
Good morning. Here's what you need to know to start your day. California has nearly 270,000 lawyers, and they've all cleared the difficult final hurdle to securing a license to practice law: passing the bar exam. The licensing exam is administered twice a year in California, and while it is usually a source of anxiety and stress for fresh law school graduates and their families, the test is usually not a source of controversy or front-page news. Until this year. For its test in February, the State Bar of California — the agency that licenses and disciplines attorneys — opted to create its own exam as a way to save some much-needed money rather than rely on a national testing system for exam questions. The new format also allowed aspiring lawyers to take the exam remotely, as opposed to the typical in-person test. But the rollout of that test was marked by glitches and chaos that led some test takers to file a lawsuit against the State Bar. As Times national correspondent Jenny Jarvie reports, there are growing calls from law school leaders and an influential state legislator to return to the test developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which California had used since 1972. Such a move 'would be a major retreat for the embattled State Bar,' Jenny wrote. 'The Supreme Court has yet to direct the State Bar to return to the NCBE system, even though test takers complained that some of the multiple-choice questions in the new test included typos and questions with more than two correct answers and left out important facts.' Last week, deans of more than a dozen major law schools in the Golden State wrote a letter to California Supreme Court Justice Patricia Guerrero, expressing 'serious concerns about the exam's fairness and validity.' Sen. Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), chair of the state Senate Judiciary Committee, has also urged the State Bar to abandon its own test. 'Given the catastrophe of the February bar, I think that going back to the methods that have been used for the last 50 years — until we can adequately test what new methods may be employed — is the appropriate way to go,' Umberg told Jenny. Last week, the State Bar faced another round of outrage after admitting that artificial intelligence was used to develop some multiple-choice questions on its new exam. Jenny reported that neither the State Bar's Committee of Bar Examiners nor the California Supreme Court was aware that AI had some role in generating the exam questions until after the test was administered. The State Bar could soon face more scrutiny. Umberg filed legislation that would launch an independent review of the exam by the California State Auditor. 'That bill is slated to be reviewed at a May 6 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, along with Senate Bill 253, the State Bar's annual license fee authorization bill, which gives lawmakers leverage to push the State Bar to make improvements,' Jenny explained. You can read more of her reporting here. Take a rare glimpse inside the mountain tunnel that carries water to Southern California. Fear and anxiety reign as burglary soars in post-fire Altadena What else is going on Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here. Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was good in his rookie season with L.A. 'Great at times, even,' Times sportswriter Jack Harris noted. Now in Year 2, the Japanese-born star is surpassing expectations, Jack writes, thanks to 'a few simple things: more confidence in himself, more comfort in his surroundings and more conviction on the mound.' How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Staying in Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they're important to you. Today's great photo is from Times staff photograher Allen J. Schaben: Yolanda Rubio, parent and teachers aid, plays with a child in the Early Head Start program at Pacific Clinics' Early Head Start Center in Pasadena on April 18. Have a great day, from the Essential California team Ryan Fonseca, reporterMatt Hamilton, staff writer, California team Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
23andMe collapse raises questions for California's nation-leading privacy laws
SACRAMENTO, California — Mounting concerns about genetic data privacy in the wake of 23andMe's dramatic collapse are stress-testing California's uniquely tough privacy laws, demonstrating the real-world challenges of actually implementing the protections outlined on paper. California has some of the strongest privacy laws in the country — and the only dedicated privacy agency — but 23andMe has revealed the limits of legislation when the worst happens, with even the state attorney general admitting he struggled to delete his own data from the company. 'This is the nightmare scenario,' California state Democratic Sen. Tom Umberg, author of California's Genetic Privacy Rights Act, told POLITICO's California Decoded newsletter. Umberg's 2021 law is coming in clutch right now for Californians scrambling to scrub their saliva from 23andMe's database after the South San Francisco-based company filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, leaving the fate of more than 15 million users' data up for grabs. Unlike in states with weaker laws, the company is legally required in California to safeguard genetic privacy and delete people's information upon request as it navigates bankruptcy filings. Those obligations live on — at least on paper — after 23andMe sells, Umberg said. But enforcing the law is a whole different beast, and it's spawning hard-to-answer questions about how California ensures genetic data stays secure when disaster strikes. Here's what we're wondering as the 23andMe fallout continues: It's not as automatic as you might think, even under California's robust privacy regime. According to 23andMe's privacy policy, customers need to provide additional verification in a follow-up email after pressing the 'delete' button to wipe their data. Even then, the company retains some basic information, including email addresses. The office of Democratic state Sen. Josh Becker, who authored California's 2023 Delete Act bolstering data protections, pointed out that someone has to physically destroy the customer saliva samples stored by 23andMe. 'If 23andMe is completely dissolved and there are no more employees because of this bankruptcy request procedure, then there's nobody to press the delete button,' Becker spokesperson Charlie Lawlor told POLITICO. That's assuming the company can handle the swarm of customers accessing the site while it navigates bankruptcy. 23andMe users have already reported issues accessing the platform to delete their data. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who had 'urgently' warned customers to delete their data before the bankruptcy filing, told ABC News this week that the website was down when he first attempted to shutter his account. 'We can try to access the protections that the law gives us, but it might or might not work,' Tracy Rosenberg, advocacy director for the nonprofit Oakland Privacy, told POLITICO. The short answer: Whatever that buyer wants to do with it. 'There are a lot of buyers for tens of thousands — or hundreds of thousands — of DNA profiles, and [for] most of them, the reasons are probably malignant or pretty close to that,' Rosenberg said. 23andMe is searching for a buyer that 'shares in its commitment to customer data privacy,' the company said Sunday in an open letter to customers. But whoever buys the genetic data could rework 23andMe's privacy policies before trying to sell the information off to data brokers and the lot, making it difficult for customers to track down and delete their information. 'You've got a zombie business that has incredibly important information,' Umberg said. 'If 23andMe becomes something else, how does a consumer know what that something else is?' Becker authored the Delete Act to solve this problem by creating a one-stop shop to wipe your info from all data brokers, but the feature likely won't be available until January 2026. And even then, the Delete Act won't cover genetic data unless the Legislature approves the follow-up bill, SB 361, that Becker is pushing this year. Neither Umberg nor Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener, who co-sponsored the Delete Act, said they're mulling new legislation as a result of 23andMe's bankruptcy. Instead, both lawmakers said it's up to Bonta's office to enforce the laws they wrote. They suggested his office should involve itself in the company's bankruptcy proceedings to ensure 23andMe's successor follows the rules, with Umberg telling POLITICO he planned to spell that out in a letter to the attorney general. 'If a company is violating the law by making it difficult for you to get your data deleted,' Wiener told POLITICO, 'they can be sued.' The state Department of Justice declined to say whether it planned to intervene in the company's bankruptcy proceedings, though spokesperson Elissa Perez told POLITICO in a text message that the department 'expect[s] all companies operating in California to follow the law' and is 'paying close attention to this issue.' But California has no shortage of willing enforcers: Bonta already demonstrated his willingness to go after privacy violators after announcing an investigative sweep of the location data industry earlier this month, and California's Privacy Protection Agency said they're ready to step in if the company slips up. 'If businesses don't hold their end of the bargain by honoring Californians' rights, we'll take appropriate action,' Michael Macko, the CPPA's head of enforcement, told POLITICO in a statement. Chase DiFeliciantonio contributed to this report. Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO's California Decoded newsletter.
Politico
27-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
23andMe collapse raises questions for California's nation-leading privacy laws
SACRAMENTO, California — Mounting concerns about genetic data privacy in the wake of 23andMe's dramatic collapse are stress-testing California's uniquely tough privacy laws, demonstrating the real-world challenges of actually implementing the protections outlined on paper. California has some of the strongest privacy laws in the country — and the only dedicated privacy agency — but 23andMe has revealed the limits of legislation when the worst happens, with even the state attorney general admitting he struggled to delete his own data from the company. 'This is the nightmare scenario,' California state Democratic Sen. Tom Umberg, author of California's Genetic Privacy Rights Act , told POLITICO's California Decoded newsletter . Umberg's 2021 law is coming in clutch right now for Californians scrambling to scrub their saliva from 23andMe's database after the South San Francisco-based company filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, leaving the fate of more than 15 million users' data up for grabs. Unlike in states with weaker laws, the company is legally required in California to safeguard genetic privacy and delete people's information upon request as it navigates bankruptcy filings. Those obligations live on — at least on paper — after 23andMe sells, Umberg said. But enforcing the law is a whole different beast, and it's spawning hard-to-answer questions about how California ensures genetic data stays secure when disaster strikes. Here's what we're wondering as the 23andMe fallout continues: It's not as automatic as you might think, even under California's robust privacy regime. According to 23andMe's privacy policy , customers need to provide additional verification in a follow-up email after pressing the 'delete' button to wipe their data. Even then, the company retains some basic information, including email addresses. The office of Democratic state Sen. Josh Becker, who authored California's 2023 Delete Act bolstering data protections, pointed out that someone has to physically destroy the customer saliva samples stored by 23andMe. 'If 23andMe is completely dissolved and there are no more employees because of this bankruptcy request procedure, then there's nobody to press the delete button,' Becker spokesperson Charlie Lawlor told POLITICO. That's assuming the company can handle the swarm of customers accessing the site while it navigates bankruptcy. 23andMe users have already reported issues accessing the platform to delete their data. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who had 'urgently' warned customers to delete their data before the bankruptcy filing, told ABC News this week that the website was down when he first attempted to shutter his account. 'We can try to access the protections that the law gives us, but it might or might not work,' Tracy Rosenberg, advocacy director for the nonprofit Oakland Privacy, told POLITICO. The short answer: Whatever that buyer wants to do with it. 'There are a lot of buyers for tens of thousands — or hundreds of thousands — of DNA profiles, and [for] most of them, the reasons are probably malignant or pretty close to that,' Rosenberg said. 23andMe is searching for a buyer that 'shares in its commitment to customer data privacy,' the company said Sunday in an open letter to customers . But whoever buys the genetic data could rework 23andMe's privacy policies before trying to sell the information off to data brokers and the lot, making it difficult for customers to track down and delete their information. 'You've got a zombie business that has incredibly important information,' Umberg said. 'If 23andMe becomes something else, how does a consumer know what that something else is?' Becker authored the Delete Act to solve this problem by creating a one-stop shop to wipe your info from all data brokers, but the feature likely won't be available until January 2026. And even then, the Delete Act won't cover genetic data unless the Legislature approves the follow-up bill, SB 361 , that Becker is pushing this year. Neither Umberg nor Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener, who co-sponsored the Delete Act, said they're mulling new legislation as a result of 23andMe's bankruptcy. Instead, both lawmakers said it's up to Bonta's office to enforce the laws they wrote. They suggested his office should involve itself in the company's bankruptcy proceedings to ensure 23andMe's successor follows the rules, with Umberg telling POLITICO he planned to spell that out in a letter to the attorney general. 'If a company is violating the law by making it difficult for you to get your data deleted,' Wiener told POLITICO, 'they can be sued.' The state Department of Justice declined to say whether it planned to intervene in the company's bankruptcy proceedings, though spokesperson Elissa Perez told POLITICO in a text message that the department 'expect[s] all companies operating in California to follow the law' and is 'paying close attention to this issue.' But California has no shortage of willing enforcers: Bonta already demonstrated his willingness to go after privacy violators after announcing an investigative sweep of the location data industry earlier this month, and California's Privacy Protection Agency said they're ready to step in if the company slips up. 'If businesses don't hold their end of the bargain by honoring Californians' rights, we'll take appropriate action,' Michael Macko, the CPPA's head of enforcement, told POLITICO in a statement. Chase DiFeliciantonio contributed to this report. Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO's California Decoded newsletter .
Politico
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Look away, Mike McGuire!
Presented by THE BUZZ: PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT — If you're the leader of the California Senate, please avert your eyes. Playbook was chatting with state Sen. Tom Umberg about the Legislature's new bill limit, and he had some thoughts, but he really, really didn't want Mike McGuire to read them. Because, after McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas in December capped legislators at 35 bills a piece over the two-year session, Umberg has already introduced 33 — and it's only week 12 of year one. That gives Umberg the ignominious — or, for fans of the Santa Ana Democrat — glorious distinction of carrying the most bills of any legislator after last week's introduction deadline. How productive is Umberg, really? For starters, he's been so busy introducing new bills that he only recently became aware of his vaunted status. 'My staff does a good job of reminding me that we can't do all things at all times, notwithstanding that I can't say no to stuff,' said Umberg, who did manage to sneak away for a few minutes of chit-chat. Even then, he was clearly in on the joke. Umberg pleaded with your Playbook author to 'talk fast' because he 'knew the subject' of this edition. Umberg's patient staffer who joined us on the line didn't seem as amused, though we're confident her boss will be so pleased with how he's portrayed here that he'll give her a big raise. But it wasn't all in jest. After all, the man means business. The Judiciary Committee chair said the complex challenges of implementing tough-on-crime Proposition 36, the CARE Court program and other judicial issues have led him to a 'vigorous' streak of legislating during his final session in office. 'I think the combination of all those things' got him to the high-water mark, Umberg said, before returning to his usual candid self, 'and then, attention-deficit disorder.' Umberg isn't the only one bumping up against the lower cap in year one of the two-year session. Already, 16 other senators and 22 assemblymembers have burned through 20 or more bills of their reduced allowance, by the count of veteran lobbyist Chris Micheli. The overall flow of legislation hasn't gotten much lighter since the Assembly and Senate dropped their ceilings from 50 and 40 bills, respectively. The 2,350 introduced this year is up more than 250 from last year, according to Micheli, a noted fan of the limits. However, members typically introduce more proposals in the first year of the session — mostly to avoid drawing out controversial debates in election years in which there is a shorter calendar and higher electoral stakes. This year's bill load is the smallest in year one of a session since 2015, when the Assembly's bill limit was 30. The real effect of the new restrictions will be seen and felt next year. 'While we didn't see it really impact the 2025 introductions because they were about the same as previously, we will see the impact in the second year of the two-year session,' Micheli said, adding the new limits will dictate that around 500 fewer bills will emerge next year. That's assuming rules committees don't waive the limit for anyone, though Micheli predicted leadership will be reluctant to give people a pass after they touted the reductions at the beginning of the legislative year. Rivas' stated aim was to draw more focus to affordability issues after an election in which Democrats suffered setbacks on the heels of a rough inflationary stretch. He and McGuire are still piecing together their policy agendas on that issue, and time will tell how much they're able to accomplish in reining in the state's stubbornly high cost of living. OK, Honorable Senate President Pro Tempore, you can start reading again! GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. THE SCOOP WORKING THE PHONES — Assemblymember Mia Bonta is calling Democratic Party insiders and asking for their support to run for state superintendent of public instruction in 2026, three people familiar with her outreach said. Bonta's campaign did not respond to requests for comment. If Bonta does enter the race, she would appear on the statewide ballot in the same election cycle as her husband, state Attorney General Rob Bonta, who's running for reelection in 2026. Rumblings about Mia Bonta's interest in the gig have amplified in recent weeks, shortly after Rob Bonta opted not to run for governor in 2026 and seek another term as AG. That's likely no accident. Having two Bontas vying for new statewide offices on the same ballot could have been a difficult lift, as well as a strain for their donors and labor allies. But Rob is likely to cruise to reelection, freeing up resources for Mia to take a bigger swing. The assemblywoman's interest in California's top education post harkens to her background. Prior to being elected to the Assembly, Mia Bonta was president of the Alameda School Board and ran a nonprofit that supports low-income students. HOMELESSNESS CRISIS LOCALS BUCK BACK — Gov. Gavin Newsom has repeatedly put counties and local governments across California on blast in recent months over their handling of the homelessness crisis. Now, those locals are increasingly venting their frustration with his 'finger pointing.' The tension comes after Newsom unveiled an online accountability tool earlier this week that tracks how quickly counties move homeless people into shelters or addiction treatment and build new housing. After the state has invested billions in housing projects over the last six years, Newsom's office argues that 'Californians deserve results from their local governments.' But the governor's pressure tactic drew terse replies from the major associations representing local governments. California State Association of Counties CEO Graham Knaus said Newsom's announcement was 'just spin' without substance; and League of California Cities lobbyist Caroline Grinder said the approach 'ignores real solutions.' That clapback foreshadows what's likely to be a central dynamic of budget negotiations this session as the governor navigates a tight fiscal outlook: Newsom wants results on what the state has already spent to combat homelessness, but counties and cities say it's not enough. They don't just want one-time funding; they want a dedicated, ongoing stream of money to expand shelters and build affordable housing. The organizations followed up with a letter to Newsom and legislative leaders, demanding the state continue to provide at least $1 billion per year in homeless/housing assistance for local governments. The letter states that 'ongoing funding provides a critical accountability tool for all levels of government' — a not-so-subtle retort to the premise behind Newsom's new website. 'We're playing roulette on who is responsible for solving homelessness in California,' Knaus told Playbook. 'And that is absolutely the wrong way to make progress.' Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Newsom, said the governor isn't backing down from the tracking website. She noted that counties and cities have received $3.3 billion to address homelessness, including $760 million coming later this year.'The governor is done with excuses,' she said. 'Their numbers are their numbers — we just made it easier for their constituents to see.' IN THE COURTS FIRE AWAY — San Francisco-based federal Judge William Alsup ruled Thursday that the Office of Personnel Management broke the law when it ordered other federal agencies to terminate thousands of 'probationary' employees. But his ruling does not appear to immediately help any of the federal workers who have already lost their jobs, report POLITICO's resident legal eagles Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney. Alsup also stopped short of ordering the agencies to reinstate the fired workers or to halt looming firings, saying he doesn't currently have the authority to do that. Still, the ruling is 'a setback for the Trump administration's ongoing effort to dramatically shrink the federal workforce,' Josh and Kyle write. Alsup ordered OPM to rescind any directives it has issued requiring the mass terminations and said OPM must inform several agencies that it has no power to dictate firings across the federal bureaucracy. CLIMATE AND ENERGY CALIFORNIA UNPLUGGED — Federal EV charger grants are just a drop in the bucket for California's overall funding pool. Read last night's California Climate to find out why Trump's attempt to claw dollars back could still have a major impact. TOP TALKERS HE'S JUST KEN — California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert has become Newsom's ally in trying to secure almost $40 billion for wildfire aid, Bloomberg reports. 'He certainly believes that California and these Los Angeles residents deserve the same federal aid that anyone else in the country deserves,' said Jason Gagnon, a Calvert spokesperson. HERE TO HELP — Amador County Sheriff Gary Redman says he would work with ICE in certain situations, the Sacramento Bee reports. He said he would not round up people for the federal agency, but would consider calling authorities if someone was being released from jail. 'I just feel it's my duty as sheriff,' he said. BE MY GUEST — Sen. Alex Padilla hopes to send a message next week with his choice of guest to President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress. California's senior senator will be joined by Frank Lima, a longtime LA fire captain and union leader. 'As President Trump outlines his priorities for our country, we want to make clear that Los Angeles County cannot be forgotten,' Padilla said in a statement. 'The community faces a long road to recovery and we need a fully staffed and supported firefighting workforce and federal support without conditions.' AROUND THE STATE — A San Jose school district will close three elementary schools amid its $23 million budget shortfall. (San Jose Mercury News) — The Fresno Police Department says it arrested two men for impersonating ICE officers and harassing customers in local businesses. (GV Wire) — Mattie Scott is San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie's choice to replace Max Carter-Oberstone as police commissioner. (San Francisco Chronicle) — compiled by Nicole Norman PLAYBOOKERS SPOTTED: FARMER MIKE — McGuire is awful proud of his roots with the Future Farmers of America. ICYMI: He busted out his FFA pride — and dance moves — when a gaggle of high schoolers with the group visited the Capitol this week. 'You can take the dude out of FFA, but you can't take the FFA out of the dude,' McGuire posted on X, along with a video of him doing a traditional FFA dance. PEOPLE MOVES — Arie Dana is joining the Republican Jewish Coalition as deputy director of government affairs/director of executive branch relations. He most recently was chief of staff for Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.). — Chris Masami Myers has been promoted to director of governmental relations at the California School Employees Association. He was previously assistant director of governmental relations. — Anastasia Baskerville and Ashley Hong have joined the law firm White Brenner LLP in its government affairs practice. BIRTHDAYS — Cara Hewitt at Amazon … Adam Sieff … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Thursday): Noah Emmerich ... Eleanor Antin WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
