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California Policy and Politics Friday
Trump’s off-shore drilling plan blasted by California politicians -- President Donald Trump’s order for new oil drilling off the coasts of California and Florida drew a quick pushback Thursday from congressional Democrats, who said it would endanger offshore waters, the coast and its population while benefiting only petroleum companies. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Chaewon Chung in the Sacramento Bee$ Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/21/25
No signs California won’t move forward with redistricting despite a court blocking similar plan in Texas -- Language saying California would only go ahead with redistricting if Texas does was removed before legislature voted for a bill on redistricting. Linh Tat in the Orange County Register$ -- 11/21/25
The 2028 Olympics goes MAGA -- LA28, the organizing committee for the upcoming Summer Games and Paralympics in Los Angeles, posted new members of the board of directors to its website Thursday. The common thread among nearly all of the new additions is ties to President Donald Trump. Melanie Mason and Sophia Cai Politico Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/21/25
Former top aide to Becerra pleads guilty to conspiracy in corruption case -- Sean McCluskie, 56, admitted in federal court in Sacramento that he participated in a conspiracy to create a “no work” job for his wife, ultimately funneling about $225,000 from Becerra’s dormant campaign account. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Sharon Bernstein in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/21/25
Workplace
Tech titan Anthropic in discussions to take over entire building in downtown S.F. -- For months, rumors have been swirling that artificial intelligence industry pioneer Anthropic has its sights set on an empty office building in the shadow of San Francisco’s Salesforce Park that is slated for a major makeover. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/21/25
Looming affordability crisis set to hit Americans with health insurance through work -- Rising Obamacare premiums are a political problem for Republicans. Rising premiums for workers who get health insurance from their employers could be an even bigger one. Kelly Hooper Politico -- 11/21/25
Wildfire
Fire marched toward west Altadena hours before official accounts, new report shows -- The Eaton fire was marching toward west Altadena even earlier than previously believed, a state-commissioned report confirmed this week, raising further questions about why it took L.A. County officials so long to order evacuations in the neighborhood where 18 people died. Grace Toohey, Terry Castleman and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/21/25
Another judge rejects ex-Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s lawsuit over L.A. County’s ‘do not rehire’ label -- A state judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva that alleged the county defamed him, violated his rights and unfairly flagged his personnel file with a “do not rehire” tag. Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/21/25
Develop
Developer may face hefty fines for tearing apart S.F. quake shacks and must restore them, city says -- A developer who all but demolished two historic earthquake shacks in Noe Valley must reconstruct the buildings under close supervision from the city and could face hefty fines, city officials said Thursday. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/21/25
Oil
Trump administration plans to open Pacific Coast to oil drilling for first time in more than 4 decades -- California has about two dozen oil platforms in state and federal waters off the coast, but most are considered at or near the end of their productive life. The state has not seen new oil leases in federal waters since 1984, largely due to public opposition following a disastrous oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/21/25
State Farm
State Farm seeks rate decrease for California car insurance -- State Farm is asking California regulators to approve a 6.2% rate decrease on car insurance, citing a trend of decreasing auto claims costs, the company announced Thursday. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/21/25
HSR
High-Speed Rail delays in Merced, Central Valley cost some as agency pushes to Gilroy -- Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto told The Bee the family’s situation is “emblematic” of what businesses in the area are going through. He said several businesses that will have to move have begun looking for new locations. But it’s difficult for them to plan for the future because they are uncertain when the train will arrive. Erik Galicia in the Fresno Bee -- 11/21/25
Education
In-state college tuition for California’s undocumented students is illegal, Trump suit alleges -- The Trump administration filed a federal suit Thursday against California and its public university systems, alleging the practice of offering in-state college tuition rates to undocumented immigrants who graduate from California high schools is illegal. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Qasim Nauman in the New York Times$ -- 11/21/25
Also
A fire-scarred Volkswagen bus was a viral ‘beacon of hope.’ Now you can see its glow-up -- A blue-and-white 1977 Volkswagen T2 bus that survived the January Palisades wildfires made its debut Wednesday night after an extensive restoration by Volkswagen. The viral image of the miraculously preserved bus became a beacon of hope, prompting owner Megan Weinraub to reimagine her life post-fire. Lindzi Scharf in the Los Angeles Times$ Sharon Bernstein in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/21/25
Lopez: On RFK’s 100th birthday, the Koreatown memorial honoring his legacy is a neglected mess -- The memorial sits on the edge of the K-12 RFK Community Schools at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel, where an assassin shot and mortally wounded Kennedy on the night of June 5, 1968, after he’d won California’s Democratic presidential primary. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/21/25
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Congressional Republicans Begin to Look Beyond Trump -- The willingness of congressional Republicans to defy Mr. Trump and back legislation requiring the disclosure of federal files on Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender and one-time Trump friend, was the clearest evidence yet that G.O.P. lawmakers are starting to look beyond Mr. Trump’s tenure to their self-preservation in midterm elections next year. Carl Hulse in the New York Times$ -- 11/21/25
Trump calls Democrats ‘traitors’ for urging military to ‘refuse illegal orders -- President Trump on Thursday said he believed Democratic lawmakers who publicly urged active service members to “refuse illegal orders” amounted to seditious behavior, which he said should be punishable by death. Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ Brian Schwartz and Natalie Andrews in the Wall Street Journal$ Maegan Vazquez, Dan Lamothe and Jeremy Roebuck in the Washington Post$ -- 11/21/25
Prosecutors quiz witness on Ed Martin, Bill Pulte moves in Schiff case -- The interview with Christine Bish — a GOP activist and real estate agent in California who is running for Congress — appeared to focus on whether Justice Department official Ed Martin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte used inappropriate tactics to launch probes of President Donald Trump’s political foes, including Schiff. Perry Stein, Rachel Siegel and Katie Mettler in the Washington Post$ -- 11/21/25
The Middle Class Is Buckling Under Almost Five Years of Persistent Inflation -- After nearly five years of high prices, many middle-class earners thought life would be more affordable by now. Costs for goods and services are 25% above where they were in 2020. Even though the inflation rate is below its recent 2022 high, certain essentials like coffee, ground beef and car repairs are up markedly this year. Rachel Louise Ensign and Rachel Wolfe in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/21/25
U.S. Banks Shelve $20 Billion Bailout Plan for Argentina -- A planned $20 billion bailout to Argentina from JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup has been shelved as bankers pivot instead to a smaller, short-term loan package to support the financially distressed government, people familiar with the matter said. Alexander Saeedy and Justin Baer in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/21/25
Trump admin backs off idea to force SNAP users to reapply -- Officials will rely on state standards that are already in place to ensure eligibility, despite USDA chief Brooke Rollins’ comments last week. Rachel Shin and Grace Yarrow Politico -- 11/21/25
Trump Peace Plan Demands Major Concessions From Ukraine -- The Trump administration’s peace plan for Ukraine demands sweeping territorial and security concessions from Kyiv while offering Moscow major economic and political incentives, including U.S. recognition of its claims to parts of Ukraine, to halt the nearly four-year-old war. Alexander Ward, Lara Seligman and Laurence Norman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/21/25
Zelensky Says Ukraine Ready to ‘Honestly’ Engage With U.S. Peace Plan -- The proposal, which the White House confirmed on Thursday without providing details, echoes many long-held Russian demands. Andrew E. Kramer and Lara Jakes in the New York Times$ -- 11/21/25
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols -- The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.” Tara Copp and Michelle Boorstein in the Washington Post$ -- 11/21/25
Trump administration kills plan to pay passengers up to $775 for flight delays -- The decision, announced last Friday by the Trump administration’s Department of Transportation, reverses a Biden-era initiative that sought to align U.S. travel protections with Europe’s stricter passenger-rights standards. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/21/25
California Policy and Politics Thursday
ICE chased down Oakland parent at school drop-off in attempted arrest, city council member says -- A parent dropping their child off at a West Oakland elementary school was apparently targeted by federal immigration officers Wednesday morning, resulting in a car chase that ended in a crash, according to Oakland City Council Member Carroll Fife. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/20/25
Up to 61,000 truck drivers in California could soon lose their licenses -- The Trump administration is cracking down on immigrants who drive trucks in California, creating new regulations and threatening to withhold millions in federal highway funding over alleged violations by the state’s DMV. Newsom says those allegations are a lie. Adam Echelman Calmatters -- 11/20/25
California is still in the red with another big budget deficit projected for next year -- California’s independent legislative analyst is warning that the state faces a nearly $18 billion deficit. It is “critical” for lawmakers to rein in spending and increase revenues long term, he said. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/20/25
Atty. Gen. Bonta spent nearly half a million on attorneys. His political consultant explains why -- California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta spent nearly half a million dollars in campaign funds last year on personal attorneys to represent him as he spoke to federal investigators about alleged corruption in Oakland. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
Gov. Gavin Newsom reacts to ex-aide’s arrest — ‘real surprise and shock’ -- In an exclusive interview with The Sacramento Bee, Newsom said his first reaction was “real surprise and shock,” as well as concern for Williamson’s four children when he learned about her arrest while in Brazil at a United Nations climate summit. Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/20/25
Connie Chan, progressive S.F. supervisor, will run to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress -- A twice-elected city supervisor, Chan is not a household name in the city, but she has long been a fixture of its political scene. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/25
DoorDash’s airborne drone delivery project survives S.F. Board of Appeals hearing -- DoorDash’s bid to expand its San Francisco food delivery service with airborne drones survived its first major challenge Wednesday when the city’s Board of Appeals upheld a ruling that confirms current zoning allows DoorDash to test delivery drones. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/25
1 in 3 Californians have cut back on food to save money, survey finds -- As grocery prices continue to rise and millions of Californians saw their food benefits disrupted this month, nearly one in three residents statewide says they or someone in their home has spent less on food to save money over the past year, according to a new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/20/25
Workplace
California’s child farmworkers: Exhausted, underpaid and toiling in toxic fields -- California allows children as young as 12 to work in agriculture, but many face punishing conditions, including extreme heat and exposure to toxic pesticides. State enforcement of child labor laws is negligible. Over eight years, regulators issued just 27 citations and collected barely 8% of fines imposed. Robert J. Lopez Capital & Main Barbara Davidson, Lorena Iñiguez Elebee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
Paramount Skydance cutting nearly 200 jobs in Hollywood -- Paramount, which just completed an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, is laying off 197 workers at studios in the Hollywood area — part of larger job cuts already underway in the region and elsewhere. Pat Maio in the LA Daily News -- 11/20/25
ICE raids may stunt economies of states with large Latino populations -- A UCLA study documents that Latino immigrants comprise 16% of California’s workforce and 14% in Texas, dominating construction, agriculture and service-sector jobs nationwide. ICE raids are forcing Latino immigrant workers into hiding across the country, threatening economies in both red and blue states that depend heavily on their labor. Carlos De Loera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
Marketplace
Is there an AI bubble and has it started to burst? -- Nvidia’s better-than-expected earnings bolstered confidence, but questions persist about whether sky-high valuations are justified across the broader AI sector. The AI industry’s massive spending and limited profits raise questions about whether the AI race can continue at this pace. Queenie Wong and Nilesh Christopher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
Campus
UC continues annual tuition hikes despite student appeals. Here’s how much it will increase -- The model regents approved allows the system to increase undergraduate tuition and systemwide fees by as much as 5% annually, depending on inflation, and locks in that rate for students enrolling that year for up to six years. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/25
Wildfire
Palisades fire victims claim a state park official restricted efforts to fight earlier blaze -- Lawyers representing victims of the Palisades fire are seeking to depose Los Angeles firefighters to shed light on allegations that a California State Parks official restricted how the Los Angeles Fire Department handled an earlier blaze that reignited into the deadly firestorm that destroyed thousands of homes. Jenny Jarvie and Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
Housing
The first home has been rebuilt after the Los Angeles wildfires. It’s an ADU -- Ten months and 10 days after January’s wildfires devastated parts of Los Angeles, the first new home has been completed. A two-bedroom, 630-square-foot accessory dwelling unit in Altadena received a certificate of occupancy on Monday, Los Angeles County records show. Liam Dillon Politico -- 11/20/25
The Housing Strategy That Has California NIMBYs in a Corner -- For years, the state has been nudging its cities to build housing to address a severe shortage. Maybe what they needed was a shove. Conor Dougherty, Gabriela Bhaskar in the New York Times$ -- 11/20/25
Solar
Meet the Republicans who killed solar subsidies — after using them -- California Rep. Ken Calvert, a long-serving Republican who was thrust into a race next year with a member of his own party when the state redrew his conservative district, defended voting to end the solar credit that he used about 15 years ago to offset the cost of putting two rows of panels on the back roof of his ranch-style house in Southern California. Timothy Cama and Corbin Hiar Politico -- 11/20/25
Environment
Some California landfills are on fire and leaking methane. Newly proposed rules could make them safer -- A vast canyon of buried garbage has been smoldering inside a landfill in the Santa Clarita Valley, inducing geysers of liquid waste onto the surface and noxious fumes into the air. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
Education
First look at 2026-27 state budget: Schools and community colleges are fine — for the moment -- Surging tax revenue from Silicon Valley’s big bet on artificial intelligence will produce greater-than-expected funding for schools and community colleges in California in the short run. But how long will the AI investment boom last? John Fensterwald EdSource -- 11/20/25
Street
Treatment for fentanyl addiction is easier than ever to get in S.F. Why are so few sticking with it? -- Slumped over in a wheelchair in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, Johnny White said he finally felt ready to quit fentanyl and try to rebuild the life he’d lost. Maggie Angst in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/25
D.A. to investigate claims of fraud in L.A. County’s $4-billion sex abuse settlement -- Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said his office will investigate claims that plaintiffs made up stories of sexual abuse in order to sue L.A. County. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
Smashed windows, threats and $800 a month: Witness details L.A. County gang extortion -- Prosecutors allege members of the Pomona 12th Street gang extorted a businessman with threats and vandalism, forcing him to make monthly payments. Earlier this year, a reputed Mexican Mafia member from Pomona was convicted of racketeering. Authorities said he oversaw gangs in his hometown from a state prison cell. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
18 prisoners seek reduced sentences under California’s rarely used Racial Justice Act -- When California lawmakers approved the Racial Justice Act in August 2020 — just months after a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd — many backers had high hopes it would help undo years of disproportionately lengthy sentences handed down to people of color. Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
Also
Two of Tahoe’s biggest ski resorts won’t open on time -- On Wednesday, Vail Resorts announced that both Heavenly, in South Lake Tahoe, and Northstar, near Truckee, “will not hit our originally targeted openings” on Nov. 21. The reason: persistent warm air that has made it tough for some Northern California ski resorts to keep snow on their slopes. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/25
California kills program that offered up to $2,000 for new e-bikes despite huge popularity -- Widely celebrated as a strategy to lure people out of cars and make micro-mobility more affordable to people, the voucher program nonetheless stumbled after its rollout in December 2024. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/25
Aliens? Submarines? Gassy whales? Mystery bubbles off California coast spark intrigue, theories -- Residents have been stumped over a patch of bubbles rising out of the ocean off the coast of Hermosa Beach this week, prompting several beachgoers to speculate at what exactly is under the surface and causing the water to spume. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
He built a nursing home empire despite state investigations. Now, lawsuits are piling up -- California nursing homes affiliated with Shlomo Rechnitz are facing lawsuits alleging that patients were raped, ignored and unnecessarily exposed to COVID-19. His companies deny the allegations. Jocelyn Wiener Calmatters -- 11/20/25
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Trump calls for Democratic lawmakers to face trial for ‘seditious behavior’ -- President Donald Trump on Thursday called for six Democratic lawmakers to face arrest and trial after they made a video encouraging U.S. service members and members of the intelligence community to refrain from following orders if they broke the law. Gregory Svirnovskiy Politico -- 11/20/25
Trump Approves the Release of the Epstein Files, but Loopholes Remain -- The president sought to take credit for the legislation, despite months of pressure to kill it. The bill has significant exceptions that could mean many documents would stay confidential. Luke Broadwater in the New York Times$ Perry Stein, Jeremy Roebuck, Theodoric Meyer and Kelly Kasulis Cho in the Washington Post$ -- 11/20/25
‘My poll numbers just went down’: Trump defends skilled immigration, breaking with MAGA base -- The president's insistence that legal immigration is not only tolerable but an economic necessity continues to roil hardliners on the right. Myah Ward and Eric Bazail-Eimil Politico -- 11/20/25
Trump faces a ticking clock on healthcare costs -- The White House response is a political Hail Mary for an increasingly divided party entering an election year: a second megabill. The plan is causing anxiety across a wide ideological range of Republican lawmakers. Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/25
Trump Loyalist Admits Grand Jury Never Saw Final Comey Indictment -- Grand jurors have to vote on indictments to approve them, but a prosecutor told the judge in the case that only the foreperson formally approved the second charging document, a move that could cripple the case. Alan Feuer and Devlin Barrett in the New York Times$ -- 11/20/25
White House drafts order directing Justice Department to sue states that pass AI regulations -- The order aims to challenge state AI laws as interfering with interstate commerce. Critics argue it would not be lawful. Trump this week suggested a single federal AI standard, but GOP figures oppose federal preemption. Gerrit De Vynck and Nitasha Tiku in the Washington Post$ -- 11/20/25
GOP Lawmakers Appear Skeptical of Trump’s $2,000 Tariff Rebate Checks -- President Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of $2,000 payments to low- and middle-income households, funded by revenue from his tariffs. His own party isn’t into the idea. Richard Rubin, Gavin Bade and Natalie Andrews in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/20/25
As Trump plans backfire, Democrats are ahead in House redistricting fight -- After early redistricting wins, Trump faces setbacks over maps for Texas, Indiana and other Republican-led states, frustrating his allies. Patrick Marley and Emily Davies in the Washington Post$ -- 11/20/25