Hilton Pitches Abolishing California’s DMV

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton unveiled a plan Tuesday to abolish California’s DMV as a stand-alone agency and cap annual vehicle registration at a flat $73.

Under the proposal, routine vehicle title, registration, and renewal services would shift to county offices and certified local service centers, while a smaller state operation would retain responsibility for driver’s licenses, REAL ID, and other records and safety functions. Hilton said California charges the nation’s highest registration fees for what he called the worst roads in the country.

Endorsed by President Trump, Hilton faces Democrat Xavier Becerra in the Nov. 3 election. The two will meet Sept. 30 in a CNN debate, their first one-on-one.

The pitch echoes Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful 2003 campaign, when voter anger over an increase in vehicle license fees was a factor in his victory. Hilton casts the DMV plan as part of his broader affordability campaign.

California to Ban Watering Decorative Grass

California will bar businesses, HOAs, and government agencies from watering purely decorative grass with drinking water, under a state law that starts phasing in on Jan. 1, 2027.

The law applies to “nonfunctional turf,” the mowed grass that lines sidewalks, parking lots, and buildings but serves no recreational or community use. Single-family homes, parks, cemeteries, and sports fields are exempt, and the affected lawns can still be watered with recycled water.

Government properties must comply first, in 2027, followed by commercial, industrial, and institutional sites in 2028 and HOA common areas in 2029. Converting a lawn runs about $10 a square foot, though many water districts offer rebates to offset the cost.

The 2023 law cleared the Legislature with most Republicans opposed. Landscape contractors cautioned that swapping grass for rock can create urban heat islands.

Later Start Times Lift Sleep, Scores

A new study of California’s later-school-start law found that the share of students sleeping at least eight hours a night rose 13%, alongside higher eighth-grade test scores.

The sleep gains were largest among boys, while Hispanic and lower-income students saw some of the largest gains in math and English scores. Researchers also recorded fewer reported feelings of sadness and hopelessness among boys.

The law, signed in 2019, requires most middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m., with rural counties exempt from the specified start times.

Supporters had cast the mandate as a response to a teen mental-health crisis, while opponents questioned the cost of rerouting buses and hiring drivers. The findings come from a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, and its authors called the average mental-health effects imprecise.

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➤ Bay Area: A National Weather Service heat advisory remains in effect through tonight, with excessive heat continuing across the region. Inland temperatures could reach triple digits before cooler weather arrives this weekend. (More)

➤ Daly City: Equipment problems near the Daly City BART station contributed to major delays Wednesday, just hours after a trackside fire there caused systemwide backups Tuesday night. BART said Tuesday’s service had been restored before new equipment problems emerged Wednesday morning. (More)

➤ Angel Island: Smoke over San Francisco Bay Tuesday came from a Cal Fire controlled burn at Angel Island State Park. Crews burned vegetation to reduce wildfire risk and improve habitat. Planned burning Wednesday was canceled after consultation with the Bay Area Air District. (More)

➤ Humboldt County: Three children were treated for rabies exposure after handling bats that later tested positive for the virus, health officials said. The two encounters, in Manila and Arcata, happened within the past two weeks, and the county urged residents never to touch bats. (More)

➤ Sierra Nevada: A newly finished master plan charts more than 500 miles of trails linking 16 mountain towns between the Tahoe and Lassen areas. The centerpiece Lost Sierra Route would welcome hikers, bikers, equestrians, and dirt bikers, with the full network targeted for completion by 2030. (Read Story)

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➤ Fresno: A federal judge ordered Suliana Caldwell, the former Fresno Arts Council operations manager, to repay more than $1.17 million to the city. Caldwell, who embezzled roughly $1.8 million by wiring funds to herself some 300 times, was sentenced last month to 33 months in prison. (More)

➤ Kern County: A nearly $7 million grant will fund a cluster of aerospace and defense projects across Eastern Kern County, expected to create hundreds of jobs. The funding supports projects involving Cal State Bakersfield, the Mojave Air and Space Port, and the Griffiss Institute aimed at growing the region’s space and defense industries. (More)

➤ San Luis Obispo: Mail sent across town in San Luis Obispo now takes a detour, trucked to a Santa Barbara-area processing center before it’s delivered. The practice, in place for more than a year, is tied to USPS Informed Delivery, the free service that emails customers a preview of each day’s mail. (Read Story)

➤ Fresno County: Six years after the Creek Fire tore through Fresno and Madera county mountain towns, burning nearly 380,000 acres, survivors and first responders around Shaver Lake say the memories stay vivid. Recovery continues, with the forest greening and Shaver Lake’s volunteer fire department more than doubling its staff. (See Details)

➤ Exeter: More than 80 years after his B-24 bomber was shot down over Italy in 1943, the remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. Adolph Aguirre are coming home this month. The 21-year-old airman was identified through DNA this year, and his family will lay him to rest. (Read Story)

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➤ San Diego: A stifling, humid heat wave will keep San Diego County under a heat advisory through this evening after extreme heat warnings expired Wednesday night. Temperatures have been running as much as 10 to 15 degrees above average, with some relief expected today and Friday. (More)

➤ Malibu: A massive sinkhole opened Tuesday at an oceanfront home reportedly owned by Nicolas Cage, prompting a local emergency declaration and evacuations along Sea Level Drive. Several homes were red-tagged as erosion damaged water and gas lines and cut off access, with high tides and rain threatening further damage. (More)

➤ La Habra: An orange smoke plume rose over a La Habra neighborhood Tuesday after a chemical reaction at Shepard Bros., an industrial cleaner maker on South Cypress Street. Residents were told to shelter in place until crews contained the leak by afternoon. Three workers were checked out but uninjured. (More)

➤ Catalina Island: The Catalina Island Conservancy is banning drones over 88% of the island, the 42,000 acres it manages, after a small plane narrowly dodged one near the island’s airport in May. Approved research, filming, and public-safety flights still qualify, and private-property flights are largely unaffected. (More)

➤ Redlands: Several students and staff were injured in a fight at Citrus Valley High School on Tuesday, where several students were pepper-sprayed, Redlands police said. All were treated and released at the scene. An investigation is underway, and the cause of the fight has not been released. (More)

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➤ The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers open their seasons tonight at Melbourne Cricket Ground in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia. Los Angeles is a 3.5-point favorite. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, the 49ers lost starting defensive tackle Alfred Collins for the season after he tore his patellar tendon during Tuesday’s practice in Australia and will require surgery. (More)

➤ The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Phil Jackson on April 9, 2027, honoring the Hall of Famer who led the franchise to five championships and seven NBA Finals appearances. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | US Open | MLB | Soccer | FIBA Basketball

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➤ The Truth About Tylenol Is All Over the News. You’ve seen the headlines—Tylenol’s warning labels keep growing and the risks aren’t small. It doesn’t fix the problem, just masks pain temporarily. Now researchers point to a natural, gentler option that supports comfort without the harsh side effects. Learn More

➤ Apple unveiled its latest iPhones Wednesday at its Cupertino headquarters in the first launch led by new CEO John Ternus, who succeeded Tim Cook on Sept. 1. The lineup includes the $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo, while the new iPhone 18 models cost about $100 more than their predecessors. (More)

➤ Terminix agreed to pay $3.15 million to settle a California lawsuit alleging improper disposal of pesticides and customer records. Twenty-nine counties and Los Angeles brought the case, and Terminix must undergo waste audits for seven years. (More)

➤ The Transportation Security Administration is letting vetted non-travelers walk loved ones to the gate under a new program at 13 airports, including Los Angeles and San Diego. Approved visitors must apply in advance and pass through airport security. (More)

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One Cup of This Morning Drink Floods Your Body with Stem Cells.  Harvard Researchers found that people who drank this hot morning drink had a 47% improvement in blood vessel function, a sharp drop in blood pressure, and a 220% increase in stem cells. See which drink here.

➤ A mastodon tooth turned up in a San Mateo County creek bed, where a geomorphologist initially thought the fossil looked like an oddly shaped rock. Paleontologists confirmed the find, announced Wednesday by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and the tooth was donated to Stanford for carbon dating. (Read Story)

➤ Anh Phoong, the personal-injury lawyer whose “Something Wrong? Call Anh Phoong” billboards are familiar across Northern California, is offering $10,000 for a new jingle. Aspiring songwriters have until Oct. 2 to submit an entry and post their original jingle on Instagram, tagging @phoonglaw. (Read Story)

➤ Lake McClure, a 7,000-acre reservoir fed by Merced River snowmelt from Yosemite’s high country, is drawing praise as an alternative to Lake Tahoe for boaters. Travel outlet Islands touts the Mariposa and Merced county foothills lake for its year-round access and water warm enough for comfortable swimming. (Read Story)

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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. 

➤ Jurors from the Lindsay Clancy trial are breaking their silence about what really derailed a verdict. (Hear Breakdown)

➤ Today marks one year since Charlie Kirk’s assassination, as his wife Erika reflects on a year of grief. (Hear Details)

➤ Newly released disclosures show that President Trump gave tens of thousands of dollars in holiday cash gifts to four White House aides. (Listen Now)

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Yesterday’s Results:

Could you spend a winter as a live-in lighthouse keeper?

1. Sign me up: 28%
2. Too isolated for me: 26%
3. Only with fast Wi-Fi: 25%
4. Just for the free rent: 11%
5. Other: 10%

From 1910 to 1940, Angel Island in San Francisco Bay was home to a facility that processed roughly a million new arrivals. What nickname did it earn as a result?

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