Kushner, Iger to Buy Lakers

Venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney chief Bob Iger have agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for more than $12 billion, the richest price ever paid for a U.S. sports franchise.

They are purchasing the team from Mark Walter, who bought a controlling stake from the Buss family last year at a roughly $10 billion valuation. Walter’s interests in the Dodgers and Sparks are not part of the deal.

Kushner, who founded the venture firm Thrive Capital, and Iger had been involved in the NBA expansion process in Las Vegas before pivoting to the Lakers. ESPN pegged the final figure at $12.5 billion.

“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers,” Kushner and Iger said, pledging to build on the Buss family’s legacy. The sale still needs approval from the NBA Board of Governors.

Niello to Lead Senate Republicans

State Sen. Roger Niello, a Fair Oaks Republican, was chosen unanimously Tuesday to lead the California Senate’s Republican caucus starting in November.

He will succeed Minority Leader Brian Jones, who is term-limited and cannot seek another Senate term after serving in the Legislature since 2010. Jones said the 10-member caucus is in “good hands for the future” under Niello.

Niello returned to the Legislature in 2022 to represent parts of Sacramento and Placer counties, and previously served in the Assembly from 2004 to 2010. A longtime budget leader, he has built a reputation for working across party lines.

“We will fight for Californians who deserve an affordable, safe state where people and families can thrive,” Niello said in a statement. Republicans hold 10 of the Senate’s 40 seats.

Timber Fire Closes Highway 1

Highway 1 through Big Sur remained closed to the public Wednesday after the Timber Fire grew to 3,774 acres and backed toward the coastal route.

Fire activity surged Wednesday near Partington Ridge and Coast Ridge Road on the southern flank, though the blaze remained at 5% containment. Crews faced steep, rugged terrain and a chance of thunderstorms and erratic winds.

The 10-mile closure runs between Fernwood Resort and the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park vista point. Evacuation orders remained in effect for five zones in the Big Sur area, and Cal Fire reported 503 structures threatened, up from earlier in the week.

More than 900 personnel were assigned to the fire, with no injuries or destroyed structures reported. State parks across Big Sur, including Pfeiffer Big Sur and Andrew Molera, remained closed.

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➤ Suisun City: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a state AI Cyber Defense Program days after malware shut down Suisun City’s IT systems, forcing 911 dispatch to shift to Solano County. City Hall remains closed as the FBI and other agencies investigate. (More)

➤ Calaveras County: The Gann Fire caused about $7.1 million in damage, Sheriff Rachelle Whiting told county supervisors as they ratified a local emergency Tuesday. The fire, which erupted Aug. 3 and burned more than 10,000 acres, is now 90% contained. (See Details)

➤ Sacramento City Unified School District faces possible state intervention as it struggles to avoid insolvency, with a new analysis projecting an $81.2 million cash shortfall by the end of June 2027 if major changes aren’t made. (More)

➤ Marin County: A judge denied diversion for the 17-year-old driver charged in a 2025 Woodacre crash that killed four teenagers, allowing the criminal case to proceed. She faces misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and two traffic infractions. (More)

➤ Northstate: Lawmakers Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and James Gallagher, R-Chico, announced applications are open for a federal program offering up to $9 million to help cling peach growers pull trees and switch crops after the Del Monte cannery closure. Growers have until Sept. 2 to apply. (See Details)

➤ Grass Valley: The Grass Valley Police Department will indefinitely suspend its use of automated license plate readers, including Flock Safety cameras, citing Fourth Amendment and privacy concerns after months of resident pushback. The city first approved the technology in 2021. (More)

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➤ Central Valley: California Resources Corporation agreed to pay $63 million for Crimson Midstream and its roughly 2,000 miles of California pipelines, with plans to revive a crude-oil network that runs from Kern to Contra Costa counties and has sat idle since December. (More)

➤ Bakersfield: Three boys, ages 16, 13, and 12, were charged with murder in the July 18 shooting that killed Eric Lancaster, 53, and wounded his father on Crane Street. The Kern County District Attorney alleges gang participation. (More)

➤ Tehachapi Unified School District personnel administrator Roxane Romero was arrested on two misdemeanor counts of failing to report suspected child abuse. Police say she received complaints about former P.E. teacher Timothy Seaman, who now faces felony charges, but did not alert authorities. (See Details)

➤ Bass Lake: Madera County health officials knocked down social media rumors of a plague case ahead of Bass Lake’s 125th “Birthday Glow Paddle,” a nighttime paddle to the dam set for Friday. No plague infections have been confirmed in the county. (More)

➤ Fresno State opened its first new housing initiative in 50 years, a 228-bed complex at Cedar and Shaw avenues that includes six units for students with families. The $33.7 million state-funded project erased the campus housing waitlist for fall. (More)

➤ Madera: A sheriff’s sergeant who happened to have his wetsuit available pulled a whimpering puppy from a canal standpipe after a passerby heard its cries. The rescued pup is now up for adoption at Madera County Animal Services. (Read Story)

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➤ Southern California: Verizon is offering a $25,000 reward after vandals cut multiple fiber-optic cables in recent days, disrupting wireless and wireline service for thousands of customers in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California. (More)

➤ Universal City: Universal Studios Hollywood will install two more sound barriers around its new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster after Toluca Lake neighbors complained about riders’ screams. A city councilmember said the work should finish by early September. (See Details)

➤ Los Angeles: Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman is being removed as chair of the City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee. The change was announced by Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, a friend of Mayor Karen Bass, whom Raman is challenging in November. (More)

➤ Carlsbad: A decades-long fight over the roughly 11-acre Ponto parcel on the south coast is nearing a key decision, with a proposed 120-townhome and commercial development headed before the California Coastal Commission. Residents have pushed instead for a 6-acre coastal community park. (More)

➤ Hemet: A Riverside County family renting a Hemet home for three months traced strange noises to a hidden basement beneath the house, where they found signs someone had been living, including cleaning supplies, a tarp, and a tap into the home’s power. (Read Story)

➤ Commerce: Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives recovered about $150,000 worth of teeth-whitening toothpaste and 22 speakers during a retail theft operation at a warehouse. Separate operations recovered nearly $40,000 in allegedly stolen merchandise and led to multiple arrests. (More)

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➤ The Los Angeles Rams ranked second among NFL teams in Sportico’s annual franchise valuations at $12.7 billion, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys. The 49ers were eighth at $10.21 billion, and the Chargers 19th at $8.65 billion. (More)

➤ The Los Angeles Chargers open their preseason tonight against Houston, while the 49ers host the Tennessee Titans on NFL Network. (How to Watch)

➤ MLB owners are scheduled to hold a final vote next week on the record $3.9 billion sale of the San Diego Padres to Kwanza Jones and Jose Feliciano. (More)

➤ Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson nearly saw his major-league-record errorless streak end Tuesday night when an eighth-inning throw was ruled an error, but the call was overturned and the streak reached 113 games. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Tennis | Soccer

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➤ Attorney General Rob Bonta called Paramount’s reported threat to move its combined studio operation out of California “blackmail,” vowing to press ahead with a 12-state antitrust suit challenging the Warner Bros. merger. Paramount CEO David Ellison reportedly said a relocation could begin as soon as Oct. 1. (More)

➤ Northrop Grumman will quadruple production of ballistic missile-defense components at its San Diego plant under a $3 billion Pentagon agreement involving Lockheed Martin, investing millions to boost output. The defense contractor employs roughly 30,000 people across California. (More)

➤ California’s FAIR Plan, the state’s fire insurer of last resort, will raise rates an average of 29.1% starting Oct. 15 for new and renewing policies. Regulators approved the increase as more homeowners have turned to the plan amid rising wildfire risk and limited private insurance options. (More)

➤ Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village shopping center reopens Saturday, 19 months after the Palisades Fire, following more than $100 million in restoration. About 70% of its businesses will open Saturday, with 99% of the businesses now leased. (More)

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➤ Del Mar’s forgotten airport once welcomed private pilots and race fans flying in from Los Angeles. The state bought the former Navy blimp site in the late 1950s for Interstate 5, which was later built through the property. (Read Story)

➤ A 12-year-old dancer from Rancho Cucamonga, Morgan Lopez, walked out of the hospital on her own after a rare spinal cord stroke during practice left doctors unsure she would walk again. Three months of daily therapy brought her mobility back. (Read Story)

➤ California ranked No. 31 of 50 in WalletHub’s latest Best States to Live In study, held back by affordability and safety scores even as it ranked No. 2 for quality of life. Idaho topped the list. (See Report)

➤ A Rialto toddler who stopped breathing was reunited Tuesday with the two police officers who saved him. Officers Joshua Colorado and Juan Villasenor used back blows and a suction device to clear the choking 3-year-old’s airway on Aug. 5. Six days later, he was happy and running around. (Watch)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ These seven moments burned themselves into nearly every American’s memory. (See List)

➤ Party leaders spent weeks pressuring their own Senate nominee to quit ahead of a ballot deadline that could reshape a key race. (Hear Details)

➤ Video gamers are being hired by the thousands to guide real planes amid a deepening air traffic controller shortage. (Listen Now)

Police departments around California are rethinking their use of automated license-plate reading cameras. How do you feel about them in your community?

1. Keep or expand them
2. Allow them, with strict limits
3. Not worth the privacy risk
4. Not sure
5. Other (reply to tell us)

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s the best thing you’ve ever found by accident?

1. Still waiting on that: 24%
2. Cash or valuables: 23%
3. An old keepsake: 20%
4. Something historic: 17%
5. Other: 16%

Before relocating to Los Angeles for the 1960-61 season, the Lakers played in what city, whose home state nickname gave the team its name?

Show me the answer