California Policy and Politics

How DOGE cuts have devastated Bay Area nonprofits, schools and agencies -- Catholic Charities of Northwest California found out only eight hours before the federal government canceled a half-million dollar citizenship training grant that it had received annually for 15 years. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/28/25

Battered by ICE raids, L.A.’s Fashion District desperately needs Black Friday miracle -- Over the summer, several raids in the neighborhood sparked protests. But the mass arrests and fears of deportation turned the Fashion District into a ghost town for several weeks after, with storefronts shuttered and frightened workers staying home. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/28/25

D.C. Shooting Suspect to Be Charged With First-Degree Murder -- Prosecutors were set to charge Rahmanullah Lakanwal with first-degree murder over the death of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, who was gunned down while on duty on a corner of Washington, D.C. Gareth Vipers and Alyssa Lukpat in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/28/25

Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach could represent conservative Orange County cities if reelected -- A vocal critic of President Trump, Garcia says he'll represent all constituents. But some, including those who voted for Trump, worry their voices won't be heard. Linh Tat in the Orange County Register$ -- 11/28/25

Young California Democrats are challenging veteran House members in safe blue seats -- The recent retirements of Nancy Pelosi and other longtime House Democrats have led to more calls for aging members to pass the torch. Incumbents argue their experience is crucial as the executive branch is upending the balance of power in Washington. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 11/28/25

Here is how much San Diego home prices are outpacing wages -- San Diego County’s median home price is now nearly nine times the median income — close to its highest point in history. San Diego home prices have been more expensive than the nation since the 1990s, but the difference is now more pronounced. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 11/28/25

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‘Deliver or Die’: Inside the Drug-Boat Crews Ferrying Cocaine to the U.S. -- Three men who have manned these drug boats, known as “go fasts,” spoke to The Wall Street Journal, describing a once little-known but essential part of the narcotics trade that is now in President Trump’s sights. Juan Forero in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/28/25

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all -- As two men clung to a stricken, burning ship targeted by SEAL Team 6, the Joint Special Operations commander followed the defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors. Alex Horton and Ellen Nakashima in the Washington Post$ -- 11/28/25

 

Trump says he wants to ‘permanently pause’ migration to U.S. from poorer countries -- President Donald Trump says he wants to “permanently pause migration” from poorer nations and is promising to seek to expel millions of immigrants from the United States by revoking their legal status. He is blaming immigrants for problems from crime to housing shortages as part of “social dysfunction” in America and demanding “REVERSE MIGRATION.” Josh Boak Associated Press Elena Giordano Politico Louise Radnofsky and Michelle Hackman in the Wall Street Journal$ Jonathan Wolfe in the New York Times$ -- 11/28/25

How Trump's base could break -- A significant portion of 2024 Trump voters — more than a third — do not consider themselves to be MAGA Republicans, according to The Political Poll. Adam Wren Politico -- 11/28/25

College freshman is deported flying home for Thanksgiving surprise, despite court order -- A college freshman trying to fly from Boston to Texas to surprise her family for Thanksgiving was instead deported to Honduras in violation of a court order, according to her attorney. Holly Ramer Associated Press -- 11/28/25

How an ICE hospital incident sparked alarm about the patient rights of immigrants -- ICE agents monitored a detained Salvadoran woman 24/7 in local hospitals, and pressured her to self-discharge against doctor’s orders. While detained patients have legal rights to private medical care and attorney consultations, enforcement is unclear. Funding for civil rights oversight has been cut. Claudia Boyd-Barrett KFF News in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/28/25

Central California ICE detainee population up by 164% since June, new data shows -- The number of people detained at three Kern County ICE detention facilities has risen by 164% percent since late June, coinciding with the federal government’s escalating deportation crackdown, according to data released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Melissa Montalvo in the Fresno Bee -- 11/28/25

 

Why Southern California’s most vulnerable youths face hunger during school holidays -- The holidays are a time when people gather with loved ones and celebrate abundance, but when California’s most vulnerable young people aren’t going to school because they are on break, it means even more uncertainty over where to find food. And that leads to even greater risk. Tyrone Beason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/27/25

Macy’s in S.F.’s Union Square won’t have a Santa this year, for the first time in decades -- For as long as she can remember, 8-year-old Adriana Hernandez has walked through the holiday wonderland at Macy’s in San Francisco’s Union Square and waited in line with her family to sit on Santa’s lap to tell him what she wants for Christmas. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/27/25

 

Document raises new questions about restrictions on Jan. 1 Lachman fire mop-up -- As the Los Angeles Fire Department and California State Parks face mounting scrutiny over their handling of a small brushfire that reignited into the deadly Palisades blaze, a newly released document details the agencies’ agreement on restricting how fires were fought and mopped up in some parts of Topanga State Park. Jenny Jarvie, Alene Tchekmedyian and Noah Haggerty in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/27/25

Why Southern California’s most vulnerable youths face hunger during school holidays -- Orange County nonprofits that work with unhoused youths say about 20% lack reliable meals and that intensifies when schools go on break. When their food situation worsens, youths can be more vulnerable to exploitation by human traffickers. Tyrone Beason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/27/25

 

D.C. Shooting Suspect Worked With CIA in Afghanistan -- Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, suspected of shooting two National Guard members, faces charges of assault with intent to kill. Gareth Vipers, C. Ryan Barber and Sadie Gurman in the Wall Street Journal$ Julian E. Barnes, Hamed Aleaziz, Elian Peltier and Safiullah Padshah in the New York Times$ -- 11/27/25

Before the Shooting, Some Troops and Officials Worried About the Guard’s Safety -- In an internal memo, Guard commanders warned that troops were in a “heightened threat environment.” Campbell Robertson, Shawn Hubler and Chris Hippensteel in the New York Times$ -- 11/27/25

National Guard shooting comes after months of warnings that deployments would inflame tensions -- A shooting that seriously injured two National Guard members in Washington D.C. on Wednesday thrust President Donald Trump’s use of the military to police U.S. cities back into the spotlight. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/27/25

 

Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens -- The married couples filed into a federal building in San Diego last week for green card interviews that they believed would secure their future together in the United States. Half of each pair was American. Miriam Jordan, Ariana Drehsler in the New York Times$ -- 11/27/25

Tears flowed in S.F. courtroom as immigration judge was fired mid-hearing -- Shuting Chen was conducting an asylum hearing for a family of three Venezuelan siblings, listening to testimony about how they had fled persecution in their home country, when an email popped up on one of her computer screens. The subject line read “Notice of Termination.” Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/27/25

ICE ordered to stop holding immigrants in S.F. until it improves facility conditions -- The Trump administration is violating the rights of detained immigrants in San Francisco by holding them in crowded, freezing, unclean cells with no beds, blankets, soap or clean clothes, and with bright overhead lights on all night, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/27/25

 

Rep. Swalwell’s suit alleges abuse of power, adds to scrutiny of Trump official’s mortgage probes -- In a fiery rebuttal to allegations he’d criminally misrepresented facts in his mortgage documents, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) sued Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte on Tuesday — accusing him of criminally misusing government databases to baselessly target President Trump’s political opponents. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/27/25

Many Californians face huge health care premium increases. Can Congress or Trump help? -- Efforts by Reps. Kevin Kiley, R-Roseville, and Sam Liccardo, D-San Jose, to push for a two-year extension have gotten backing from bipartisan members of the House, as well as a nod from President Donald Trump. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/27/25

Chad Bianco, who’s running for governor, asks donors to help pay legal bills -- The Republican, who led Democratic frontrunner Katie Porter in a recent poll, started a legal defense fund in late October, campaign finance records show. The fund allows donors to help pay the sheriff’s legal bills — for what, it’s not clear. Jeff Horseman in the LA Daily News -- 11/27/25

Workplace

HP becomes latest Silicon Valley tech giant to lay off thousands in AI shift -- Hewlett-Packard is gearing up for another sweeping corporate overhaul that will see Silicon Valley giant shed thousands of jobs. The Silicon Valley tech giant said it plans to cut between 4,000 and 6,000 jobs worldwide under its “fiscal 2026 plan,” a multi-year restructuring effort aimed at weaving AI more deeply into its operations. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/27/25

These were the top H-1B employers in 2025. How will Trump’s $100K visa fee affect them? -- As the H-1B program for skilled foreign workers comes under fire from the Trump administration, data from the last fiscal year shows the nation’s biggest tech companies were the top employers of H-1B workers, displacing Indian consultancies that have historically hired large numbers of these foreign professionals. Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/27/25

DWP employee made assistants run personal errands, buy her Snoop Dogg tickets, ethics enforcer says -- A high-ranking employee at the Department of Water and Power made staffers run personal errands for her, including purchasing tickets to a Snoop Dogg concert, according to the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission’s director of enforcement. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/27/25

One of America’s TV pastimes is the game show. Why are so many filming overseas? -- The questions and gags may be written in Los Angeles or New York. But the cameras are rolling in countries where producers can make them for less. Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/27/25

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How Trump targeting these Democrats could backfire -- Since Trump accused the six of “sedition” and even suggested they could be executed, they’ve racked up millions of views on social media, done the cable news circuit and blasted out fundraising appeals highlighting the attacks. Nicholas Wu, Lisa Kashinsky and Samuel Benson Politico -- 11/27/25

Why voters may not buy Trump's messaging on food prices -- President Donald Trump keeps saying the cost of a Thanksgiving meal is cheaper this year. It might not be the winning message he thinks it is. Rachel Shin and Marcia Brown Politico -- 11/27/25

Appeals court upholds $1M penalty against Trump in lawsuit against Hillary Clinton -- A federal appeals court has upheld a penalty of nearly $1 million against President Donald Trump and attorney Alina Habba, concluding they committed “sanctionable conduct” by filing a frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney Politico -- 11/27/25

AI gives coal plants a lifeline as Trump makes them dirtier -- At least 15 coal-fired plants are being kept online to power artificial intelligence as the administration rolls back pollution rules. Ariel Wittenberg Politico -- 11/27/25

Leaked Transcript of Witkoff Call Shows U.S. Deference to Russia -- The White House envoy’s conversation suggests that President Trump is determined to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine, even if it is mostly on Russia’s terms. Anton Troianovski in the New York Times$ -- 11/27/25