* Action required: validation rule on metadata.initializers.pending[x].name is tightened. The initializer name needs to contain at least three segments separated by dots. If you create objects with pending initializers, (i.e., not relying on apiserver adding pending initializers according to initializerconfiguration), you need to update the initializer name in existing objects and in configuration files to comply to the new validation rule. ([#512...

Kubernetes with a different admission-control flag on API server. ([#58080](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/58080), [@simonferquel](https://github.com/simonferquel))

* Alpha Initializers have been removed from kubeadm admission control.  Kubeadm users who still want to use Initializers can use apiServerExtraArgs through the kubeadm config file to enable it when booting up the cluster. ([#58428](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/58428), [@dixudx](https://github.com/dixudx))...

- Fixed incorrect watch events when a watch is initialized simultanously with a reinitializing watchcache. ([#116436](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/116436), [@wojtek-t](https://github.com/wojtek-t))

* Action required: validation rule on metadata.initializers.pending[x].name is tightened. The initializer name needs to contain at least three segments separated by dots. If you create objects with pending initializers, (i.e., not relying on apiserver adding pending initializers according to initializerconfiguration), you need to update the initializer name in existing objects and in configuration files to comply to the new validation rule. ([#512...

## Changelog since v1.18.2

## Changes by Kind

### Bug or Regression
 - An issue preventing GCP cloud-controller-manager running out-of-cluster to initialize new Nodes is now fixed. ([#90057](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/90057), [@ialidzhikov](https://github.com/ialidzhikov)) [SIG Apps and Cloud Provider]

- The alpha `Initializers` admission plugin is no longer enabled by default. This matches the off-by-default behavior of the alpha API which drives initializer behavior. ([#66039](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/66039), [@liggitt](https://github.com/liggitt))

## Changelog since v1.17.0-beta.2

### Other notable changes

* kubeadm: fix a panic in case the KubeProxyConfiguration feature gates were not initialized. ([#85524](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/85524), [@Arvinderpal](https://github.com/Arvinderpal))

* Add a new option "--local" to the `kubectl label` ([#33990](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/33990), [@asalkeld](https://github.com/asalkeld))
* Initialize podsWithAffinity to avoid scheduler panic ([#33967](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/33967), [@xiang90](https://github.com/xiang90))

- An issue preventing GCP cloud-controller-manager running out-of-cluster to initialize new Nodes is now fixed. ([#90057](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/90057), [@ialidzhikov](https://github.com/ialidzhikov)) [SIG Apps and Cloud Provider]

  - The alpha `metadata.initializers` field, deprecated in 1.13, has been removed. ([#79504](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/79504), [@yue9944882](https://github.com/yue9944882))