At Alcatraz, Native advocates criticize Newsom’s vetoes of tribal bills

Aztec dancers perform in front of a crowd at the Indigenous Peoples Day Sunrise Gathering on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Melanie Henshaw, CalMatters/ICT

Roughly a mile north of San Francisco, on Alcatraz Island, thousands gathered in the early hours of Monday to celebrate Native American resilience , reports CalMatters’ Melanie Henshaw.

The event, which took place on Indigenous Peoples Day, commemorates the 19-month occupation of Alcatraz from 1969 to 1971 by the Indigenous advocacy group, Indians of All Tribes. At one point, as many as 400 people lived on the island and ran their own basic services to protest federal policies targeting Native American communities and religions.

During the observance, organizers and attendees highlighted the challenges facing California Native people. Several criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent vetoes of bills that would have required state agencies to address tribal water shortages, and strengthened protections for tribal religious practices and sacred sites.

Morning Star Gali , executive director of the advocacy group Indigenous Justice and a citizen of the Pit River Tribe: “I’ve gone into state parks with all of our relatives to go in to be able to gather medicine and to be able to pray, to be able to pray at the sacred waters — I’ve been kicked out of those spaces.”

Sixty-two tribes in California lack federal recognition, which among other things would provide protections for sacred sites. Tribal leaders have argued that without additional protections, they are limited in their ability to safeguard sacred sites that could be damaged as a result of state and federal policies.

Attendees also criticized Newsom’s veto of a bill that would have established a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Justice Program within the California Department of Justice. In his veto message, Newsom said existing efforts rendered the proposal “unnecessary.”

Teyana Viscarra , co-founder of Way of the Sacred Mountain, an advocacy group focused on missing and murdered Indigenous women: “It’s ridiculous, our sisters continue to be ignored even as they go missing and die.”

Read more .

CalMatters and the UC Student and Policy Center are hosting a lunchtime conversation today in Sacramento on the ballot propositions shaping California’s future. We will break down what each measure would do and what’s at stake before you vote. Register here .

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Grappling with ICE in Central Valley and college campuses

Detention officers escort a handcuffed person from a white van into a federal immigration office in downtown Fresno on Oct. 7, 2026. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

As federal agents continue to crack down on immigrants, CalMatters’ reporters examine how Immigration and Customs Enforcement is rattling two different California communities:

Central Valley: In California’s agricultural heartland, residents are reporting a surge of ICE arrests. Unconfirmed social media videos in recent days appear to show uniformed agents in Madera and Chowchilla, as well as cars with missing drivers and smashed windows parked alongside the region’s farmlands. Workers in Mendota are carrying immigration documents in case they’re stopped. Democratic Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, whose district covers Fresno and Madera, said her office heard about a family whose parent was detained on his way to cash his work check, leaving them unable to pay their rent. Said Soria: “They’re out there terrorizing our families.” Read more from Wendy Fry.

Community colleges: ICE agents have been making arrests near community college campuses, including at parking lots and public streets, inciting panic among students. Though college presidents say they’re doing everything to keep students safe, they admit that they have limited power. Some colleges have installed or plan to install signs outside building entrances telling agents they need approval to enter. In Santa Barbara, one college has partnered with a local immigration advocacy organization to help alert the college of ICE agents. Read more from Adam Echelman.

Where do CA gubernatorial hopefuls stand on water?

Birds flock over the San Luis Canal, part of the State Water Project, in Kettleman City on March 8, 2025. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

California’s next governor will have to grapple with the state’s thirst for water, including groundwater overuse, lack of access to safe drinking water and ongoing water usage conflicts involving farmers, tribes, water districts and environmentalists.

So what would the candidates, Republican Steve Hilton or Democrat Xavier Becerra, do to address these challenges ?

As CalMatters’ Rachel Becker explains, Hilton is outspoken about his plans to build more ways to store and move water to farms and cities. He supports the Sites Reservoir to store Sacramento River water and the Trump administration’s controversial proposal to build Shasta Dam higher.

Meanwhile, Becerra offers no specific proposals, but his record as former California attorney general can be telling: His lawsuits halted an effort to raise Shasta Dam, and he contested President Donald Trump’s proposal affecting water delivery systems that state officials feared would harm salmon and other species.

Read more .

And lastly: Fallout from $600K travel scandal

Ian Choudri, chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, at a board meeting at the California Natural Resources Agency in Sacramento on Oct. 9, 2026. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

The board that oversees the California High-Speed Rail Authority voted to restrict the spending power of the agency’s chief executive, after a state investigation found that consultants billed the agency $600,000 in travel expenses that were unauthorized or poorly justified. Some consultants flew first class, hailed luxury rides and traveled to night clubs. Read more from CalMatters’ Yue Stella Yu.

California Voices

Proposition 2 is about fiscal responsibility , and would double the size of the state’s rainy day fund so we’re not caught flat-footed when the next economic downturn hits, write Jesse Gabriel and Josh Hoover , Democratic and Republican California assemblymembers, respectively.

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