Sacramento’s top stories: Fiscal fight, cost of living and rare August rain

Sacramento’s top stories Thursday span a high-stakes battle over school district oversight, a look at what it costs to live comfortably in California and a rare late-summer weather shift. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s happening across the region.

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• State Superintendent Tony Thurmond urged lawmakers to reject a proposal that would require State Board of Education approval before he takes over a county office’s fiscal oversight authority, calling it “rushed and unnecessary.” The California County Superintendents and allied education groups want to amend Education Code Section 42127.6(k) after Sacramento City Unified — which faces a $222 million structural deficit — asked Thurmond to step in. Thurmond argued the local dispute does not justify rewriting California’s statewide fiscal oversight system in the final days of the legislative session.

• California ranks as the third most expensive state in the country for the income needed to live comfortably in 2026, trailing only Hawaii and Massachusetts. A single adult in the Golden State needs to earn about $126,797 a year to cover basics, save and spend on extras, while a family of four needs roughly $302,682, according to a SmartAsset report. Both figures are up sharply from 2025 levels of $119,475 and $287,456, respectively.

• Rare August rain showers will move into the Sacramento Valley on Friday, courtesy of tropical moisture left over from Tropical Storm Iselle. High temperatures will slide from the mid-to-upper 90s down into the 80s and low 80s by the weekend as showers and lower atmospheric pressure cool the region. Accumulations will be light — up to a quarter-inch in parts of the Sierra and less than a tenth of an inch across most of the Central Valley.