Is AI a threat to our elections? California lawmakers warn public is ‘ill-prepared’

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IS AI AN ELECTION THREAT? CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS DEBATE THE ISSUE

Via Stephen Hobbs...

The general election is exactly five months away and state lawmakers have November on their minds.

On Tuesday, several were focused on the threat artificial intelligence could have on American voters, during a joint hearing held by the election committees in the Senate and Assembly.

Much of the concern was grave.

“Easy to access tools empower campaigns, conspiracy theorists, foreign entities, and online trolls, to deceive and destabilize our information networks,” said Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, chair of the Assembly Elections Committee.

She added: “The American public remains ill-prepared for this evolving threat.”

Michael Somers, a cyber security coordinator at the Secretary of State’s Office, told the lawmakers that new AI tools make it easier for people to make false information, do so rapidly and at a higher quality. One area of particular concern is the use of “deepfake technology” which can be used to manipulate images, audio or video in a way that spreads false information from what appears to be a trusted source, such as an election official.

“As artificial intelligence technology becomes more widely available, we know that AI will create additional challenges for communicating with the public about elections,” Somers said.

The agency has an office of elections cybersecurity, which monitors false or misleading information about elections that is published online or elsewhere.

“We can’t afford to not get this right in California,” Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, who authored the 2018 bill that created the office, said during the meeting.

Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Corona, was the only Republican who took part in the hearing. He feared that efforts to weed out fake information could infringe people’s First Amendment rights.

“There has to be breathing room for open debate and discourse that may include false ideas,” Essayli said.

The hearing was only informational and lawmakers took no action.

REP. FONG GETS HIS COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

Via Gillian Brassil...

New U.S. Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, will serve on House of Representatives committees that cover wide ranging transportation and technology issues while he serves the remainder of retired Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s term.

Fong, 44, was appointed to the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Science, Space and Technology.

“Having served on the California Assembly Transportation Committee, I look forward to working with T&I Chairman Sam Graves and the entire committee to make needed investments in our communities’ roads, airports, and infrastructure to strengthen our critical supply chain to support farmers, ranchers, and local businesses,” Fong said in a statement Tuesday.

“In addition, given the technology advancements throughout our district, and especially in East Kern with NASA Armstrong and Mojave Air and Space Port, I am eager to advance legislative priorities with SST Chairman Frank Lucas and the committee to advance aerospace, commercial spaceflight, and STEM-related advances and opportunities throughout our region and across the nation,” he added.

Fong, McCarthy’s chosen successor, was sworn in to the House on Monday night after beating Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, also a Republican, in a May special election. Fong will represent California’s 20th Congressional District for at least the next seven months, when McCarthy’s term was slated to expire.

He will likely secure a two-year term of his own to start in January 2025 after the November election for California’s 20th, a deeply red stretch of San Joaquin Valley.

Before becoming a congressman, Fong served his hometown in the California State Assembly since 2016.

STATE WILL AUDIT HOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS HANDLE SEX ED

Via Vik Jolly...

The California State Auditor will examine how school districts across the state are integrating comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education into their curricula, as required by law.

The Joint Legislative Audit Committee last month approved the request by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, D-West Hollywood, who sought the audit related to the California Healthy Youth Act.

Gender identity and rights become contentious issues. After an emotional Senate Education Committee hearing last week, the panel voted to approve AB 1955, San Diego Democratic Assemblyman Chris Ward’s bill to ban school districts from passing blanket parental notification policies.

Ward characterized them as “forced outing” policies that add to the “suffering and the challenges that LGBTQ youth are feeling.”

Zbur wrote in his audit request that the California Healthy Youth Act calls for teaching about unhealthy behaviors, such as sexual harassment, and that instruction “must also affirmatively recognize different sexual orientations, be inclusive of same-sex relationships when examples of relationships and couples are discussed, and teach students about gender, gender expression, and gender identity.”

“However, there is unfortunately significant evidence that many districts across the state have not fully implemented key provisions of the law,” the assemblyman noted in his request, saying an audit is needed to “obtain neutral recommendations and strategies to ensure districts implement the law and effectively teach sexual and reproductive health education.”

Among other studies, Zbur cited a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of school administrators analyzing sexual health instruction in California schools which revealed, in part, that 24% of middle schools did not teach how to get information and services related to HIV, STIs and pregnancy, and 30% of secondary schools did not provide curriculum that addressed concerns specific to LGBTQ youth.

Zbur noted that news reports have “also highlighted resistance to implementing aspects of CHYA, particularly its mandate that sexual health education incorporate discussion of LGBTQ+ people.”

An audit will help identify actions that can be taken to support districts that have struggled to implement the law and hold districts that are “intentionally noncompliant” accountable, he wrote.

“It is the state’s responsibility to ensure that all students, regardless of where they are educated, receive the instruction they need to live healthy and productive lives,” Zbur said in his audit request letter.

Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signed “legislation strengthening protections” for LGBTQ Californians. The measures included AB 5 by Zbur, which requires the California Department of Education by July 1, 2025, “to finalize the development of an online training delivery platform and an online training curriculum to support LGBTQ cultural competency training for teachers and other certificated employees.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“As we remember the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre and honor their memory, we must reaffirm our commitment to the values of democracy, human rights, and freedom. We stand in solidarity with the people of China, Hong Kong, and all those around the world who continue to courageously resist oppression and dream of a better future.”

- Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, in a statement observing the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Best of The Bee:

• Biden signs order restricting asylum-seeking at border. Here’s how it affects California, via Gillian Brassil and Michael Wilner.

• California lawmakers want $1 billion to fight homelessness. But Gov. Newsom has a new focus, via Vik Jolly.

• Vince Fong sworn in to Kevin McCarthy’s congressional seat. What it means for California, via Gillian Brassil.