Rough & Tumble ®
A Snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics
 
 
       
 

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California Policy and Politics Monday

Plan to sell off public land in the West nixed from ‘big, beautiful bill’ amid GOP backlash -- A controversial plan to sell hundreds of thousands of acres of public land across Western states — including California — was axed from the Republican tax and spending bill amid bipartisan backlash, prompting celebration from conservationists. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ Maxine Joselow in the New York Times$ -- 06/30/25

‘Big Ugly Bill’: California’s top officials excoriate Trump’s big bill while it is debated in Senate -- California’s top Democrats condemned President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy package Sunday, as the U.S. Senate continued to debate its version of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Cynthia Dizikes in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/30/25

Workplace

Undocumented workers power L.A.’s restaurants. Will the industry protect them? -- The restaurant industry has operated with a status quo of undocumented workers for decades. Now, owners and managers are grappling with how to protect their most vulnerable colleagues amid the ongoing ICE presence in the region. Karla Marie Sanford in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/30/25

Here’s how deportations could affect California’s economy -- Report finds deportation of California’s 2.28 million immigrants without protected legal status would cost state’s economy $278.4 billion annually. Andrew Zeng in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/30/25

‘Completely Disrupted’: Fear Upends Life for Latinos in L.A. -- Some carry passports to travel to the corner store. Others do not venture out at all, too afraid of the consequences. Bus ridership has dropped. So has business at taco trucks and fruit stands. Jesus Jiménez, Jill Cowan, Hamed Aleaziz, Ana Facio-Krajcer, Gabriela Bhaskar, Gabriela Bhaskar in the New York Times$ -- 06/30/25

ICE is arresting migrants in worksite raids. Employers are largely escaping charges -- The Washington Post was able to identify only one employer charged after the raids ICE has publicized. The Post reviewed court filings and searched for records involving individuals named in corporate records of businesses DHS has raided. Marianne LeVine, Lauren Kaori Gurley and Aaron Schaffer in the Washington Post$ -- 06/30/25

How Newsom’s new labor deals save money now by taking a break from a big debt payment -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is making benefit deals with public employee unions that save money today in part by putting off payments that were meant to bring down costs tomorrow. Adam Ashton Calmatters -- 06/30/25

AI is controversial in Hollywood. For China’s film business, it’s no holds barred -- China plans to use AI technology to modernize classic martial arts films featuring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and reintroduce them to younger viewers. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/30/25

California attorney general sues skilled nursing firm for low staffing levels -- A new lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta alleges that a multilayered group of for-profit businesses, most based in Carlsbad, intentionally siphoned millions from 19 skilled nursing facilities scattered across the state, providing too little care for residents, a practice that subjected many seniors to bed sores, falls and unsanitary conditions. Paul Sisson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/30/25

To get your next job, you may need to face an AI recruiter first -- The conversational agents, built on large language models, help recruiting firms and hiring companies respond to every applicant, conduct interviews around-the-clock and find the best candidate in increasingly large talent pools. Danielle Abril in the Washington Post$ -- 06/30/25

Climate

Controversial climate rule, which could raise gas prices, about to go into effect -- California’s revamped Low Carbon Fuel Standard takes effect on Tuesday, despite fierce Republican criticism and increasing Democratic trepidation over its potential to raise gas prices. Alejandro Lazo Calmatters -- 06/30/25

Wildfire

Riverside firefighters battle Mandalay fire; residents ordered to flee -- By about 4:30 p.m., fire officials said forward progress on the fire had slowed, according to Watch Duty. But the Riverside Police Department said a little after 5 p.m. that “the Mandalay fire remains active, with multiple resources on scene.” Amy Hubbard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/29/25

Homeless

San Diego’s invisible homeless: They’ve got a job and a car but no bed -- One mother and daughter sleeping in a Mission Bay parking lot don't make enough to cover an apartment deposit. Blake Nelson in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 06/29/25

Housing

Can’t afford an average home in S.F.? Try a mansion in Sacramento instead -- The estimated price of a mid-tier home that sold in the San Francisco area from March to May was nearly $1.5 million, according to online real estate brokerage Redfin, almost three times the typical $589,000 price tag in the Sacramento area. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/30/25

Blue Shield

Insurer Blue Shield of California’s new parent company alarms consumer advocates -- Whistleblower demands California regulators rescind restructuring of Blue Shield of California, which established a new corporate parent in Delaware. He claims the move could make it harder to regulate the medical insurer. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/30/25

Education

Aid at risk for California students receiving Pell Grants -- The University of California said it enrolled a higher percentage of Pell Grant recipients among all its undergraduate students — 33% — than any other top research university in the country for the 2022-23 school year. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/30/25

Street

Mold, rats and neglect: a year of inspections at Men’s Central Jail reveals ‘horrific’ conditions -- ‘People have gotten numb to the horrors and I don’t know what its going to take to jolt the county out of their paralysis,’ said an ACLU attorney. Jason Henry in the LA Daily News -- 06/30/25

Also

Skelton: Lake Tahoe tragedy provides a life-or-death lesson -- Normally I write about California government and politics. But this time I’m writing about boating because I’ve been wincing after reading and watching news reports of the horrific accident on Tahoe that killed eight people June 21. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/30/25

Supreme Court will hear challenge to limits on political party spending -- The Republicans who sued are asking the Supreme Court to lift restrictions on how much political parties can spend on candidates, saying they violate free-speech protections. Justin Jouvenal and Ann E. Marimow in the Washington Post$ -- 06/30/25

POTUS 47

Surprise Tax in G.O.P. Bill Could Cripple Wind and Solar Power -- Senate Republicans have quietly inserted provisions in President Trump’s domestic policy bill that would not only end federal support for wind and solar energy but would impose an entirely new tax on future projects, a move that industry groups say could devastate the renewable power industry. Brad Plumer in the New York Times$ -- 06/29/25

• A List of Nearly Everything in the Senate G.O.P. Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save -- Below is a table that lists how nearly every provision would affect the federal budget over 10 years, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office in an analysis published Sunday. Alicia Parlapiano, Margot Sanger-Katz, Aatish Bhatia and Josh Katz in the New York Times$ -- 06/30/25

How the G.O.P. Bill Saves Money: Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork -- Instead of directly reducing benefits for the poor, Republicans are making them harder to get and to keep. Margot Sanger-Katz and Emily Badger in the New York Times$ -- 06/29/25

Senate GOP tax bill includes largest cut to U.S. safety net in decades -- The legislation would enact historic, possibly unprecedented, reductions in Medicaid and food stamps spending. Jeff Stein in the Washington Post$ -- 06/30/25

GOP Declares Tax-Cut Extensions ‘Free’ to Obscure Megabill’s Cost -- Senate Republicans deploy unprecedented maneuver to continue 2017 tax cuts as budget experts and Democrats cry foul. Richard Rubin in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 06/29/25

Senate Bill Would Add at Least $3.3 Trillion to Debt, Budget Office Says -- A new analysis showing the legislation would be far more expensive than the House version could complicate its chances of final passage in that chamber, where fiscal hawks have said the cost must not grow. Andrew Duehren in the New York Times$ -- 06/29/25

Trump’s tax bill conflicts with Trump’s trade goals -- President Donald Trump says chronic U.S. trade deficits are a national emergency. His tax bill will make them worse. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 06/29/25

Trump considers forcing journalists to reveal sources who leaked Iran report -- Donald Trump said he is weighing forcing journalists who published leaked details from a US intelligence report assessing the impact of the recent American military strikes on Iran to reveal their sources – and the president also claimed his administration may prosecute those reporters and sources if they don’t comply. Marina Dunbar The Guardian -- 06/29/25

U.N. Inspector Says Iran Could Be Enriching Fuel Again in a ‘Matter of Months’ -- The assessment widens the divide with President Trump, who has claimed that Tehran has given up its nuclear ambitions after a U.S. attack. David E. Sanger and Tyler Pager in the New York Times$ -- 06/30/25

Trump threatens to cut off New York City funds if Mamdani ‘doesn’t behave’ -- Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to cut New York City off from federal funds if favored mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, “doesn’t behave himself” should he be elected. Edward Helmore The Guardian -- 06/30/25

Canada Will Scrap Tax That Prompted Trump to Suspend Trade Talks -- The government said on Sunday night that it would cancel its tax on American technology companies, handing a victory to the Trump administration. Matina Stevis-Gridneff in the New York Times$ Vipal Monga and Paul Vieira in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 06/29/25

Sound Familiar? Democrats Lay Groundwork for a ‘Project 2029’ -- The plan to write a policy agenda for the next Democratic president is at the center of a raging debate within the party: whether its biggest problem is its ideas or its difficulty in selling them. Shane Goldmacher in the New York Times$ -- 06/30/25

 

California Policy and Politics Sunday

Democrats Cheer Hollywood Tax Breaks They Once Called ‘Corporate Welfare’ -- California politicians once derided a $50 million proposal by Arnold Schwarzenegger. With the support of unions, they’re now strongly backing a $750 million subsidy. Laurel Rosenhall and Matt Stevens in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/29/25

How 5 States Are Trying to Lure Hollywood Productions -- States have spent at least $25 billion to attract movie and TV filming. Texas and New York are increasing their subsidies, while Georgia and Louisiana are broadening their programs. Derrick Bryson Taylor in the New York Times$ -- 06/29/25

Gavin Newsom hopes to save more on state worker costs with short-term tactics -- Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom set a goal of saving California $767 million, in part, by freezing state workers’ salaries. But now, the administration hopes to save slightly more — $800 million — through several compensation-related reductions, according to the latest numbers from the Finance Department. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 06/29/25

Here’s how the state budget will impact Southern Californians -- But the governor also made clear that adoption of the budget would be contingent on legislators sending him a plan that would make it easier to build housing in the state. The legislature has until Monday to send along the housing construction bill to the governor, with the new fiscal year starting on Tuesday. Linh Tat in the Orange County Register$ -- 06/29/25

Barabak: By stooping to conquer, Sacramento Democrats show their pettiness and arrogance -- There are plenty of reasons to dislike Carl DeMaio, if you so choose. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/29/25

 

A farmworker had broken no laws. A California sheriff and ICE took him anyway -- A legal asylum seeker found work in the Central Valley fields. A Fresno County sheriff labeled him a “dangerous” member of Tren de Aragua without evidence. The Trump administration took him away. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/29/25

Mother arrested at LA court alongside six-year-old son with cancer sues ICE -- A Honduran woman who sought asylum in the US is suing the Trump administration after immigration agents arrested her and her children, including her six-year-old son who was diagnosed with leukemia, at a Los Angeles immigration court. Dani Anguiano The Guardian -- 06/29/25

L.A. County leaders to weigh legal action following violent ICE arrests -- L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said she intends to introduce a motion to explore the county’s legal options ‘against unconstitutional immigration enforcement actions.’ Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/29/25

Axios Explains: Inside ICE's superpowers -- The images of masked, heavily armed immigration agents snatching people off the streets and taking them away in unmarked cars have shocked many Americans — and led to a simple question: Is all of this legal? It is — at least for now. Russell Contreras Axios -- 06/29/25

Immigration enforcement sparks outrage, protests in L.A. — but how many arrests -- For all the attention they created and fear they induced, Homeland Security averaged more than 90 immigration-related arrests per day in mid-June. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/29/25

US sees spate of arrests of civilians impersonating Ice officers -- Police in southern California arrested a man suspected of posing as a federal immigration officer this week, the latest in a series of such arrests, as masked, plainclothes immigration agents are deployed nationwide to meet the Trump administration’s mass deportation targets. José Olivares The Guardian -- 06/29/25

His parents taught him to ‘speak out’ and ‘take action’ when he saw injustice. He’s spent more than 20 years advocating for immigrant rights -- Pedro Rios was a student at the University of San Diego in the 1990s when Californians voted in favor of Proposition 187, a ballot measure denying access to public services, including public education and health care, to anyone “suspected” of being undocumented. The bill also instructed people in public service positions (teachers, medical professionals) to report anyone “suspected” of being undocumented. Lisa Deaderick in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 06/29/25

Catholic Bishops Try to Rally Opposition to Trump’s Immigration Agenda -- Leading prelates are expressing outrage at the drive toward mass deportation. Elizabeth Dias in the New York Times$ -- 06/29/25

 

Stanford University announces $140 million in budget cuts, possible layoffs amid federal policy shifts -- While it has a $37.6 billion endowment, Stanford spends only about 5% annually — most of it restricted to specific purposes. Ryan Macasero in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/29/25

Europe Is Recruiting Academics Disenchanted With America -- U.K., France, among others have set up funds to help U.S. researchers relocate to the continent -- Noemie Bisserbe and Nidhi Subbaraman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 06/29/25

Water

In Silicon Valley’s backyard, Pescadero struggles with unclean water, rising rates -- Many residents still rely on rain and creek water decades after instillation of clean water system. Ryan Macasero, Luis Melecio-Zambrano in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/29/25

Wildfire

She lost her home in the Palisades fire. She’s trying to adapt to a new life. She is 100-- Lee Calvert’s new bedroom glowed with the dappled sunlight of a late-spring afternoon. Just outside her window, she could see hot-pink rhododendron flowers and the stately redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Despite the beauty, it was a view — and a life — she was still adjusting to. Hailey Branson-Potts, Jason Armond in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/29/25

Earthquake

An earthquake devastated Santa Barbara 100 years ago. What it can teach us ahead of the next ‘Big One’ -- In California, where the next “Big One” is an always-looming threat, some lessons learned from the 1925 Santa Barbara quake resonate even 100 years later, experts say. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/29/25

Street

In San Diego’s largest jail, some detainees spend out-of-cell time in small, cage-like enclosures -- Critics say the enclosures constitute a form of solitary confinement that exacerbates mental illness and makes the jail less safe overall. Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 06/29/25

Also

New L.A. Trader Joe’s opens across the street from ... another Trader Joe’s -- Earlier this month, Trader Joe’s celebrated the grand opening of a new store located on the ground floor of an apartment complex in Sherman Oaks. The chain isn’t new to the neighborhood, however. Just across the street is another Trader Joe’s — a “legend” that has served customers since 1973, store representatives said. Annie Goodykoontz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/29/25

POTUS 47

Intercepted call of Iranian officials downplays damage of U.S. attack -- The United States obtained intercepted communication between senior Iranian officials discussing this month’s military strikes on Iran’s nuclear program and remarking that the attack was less devastating than they had expected, said four people familiar with the classified intelligence circulating within the U.S. government. John Hudson and Warren P. Strobel in the Washington Post$ -- 06/29/25

The first rule in Trump’s Washington: Don’t write anything down -- No one wants to put anything in writing anymore, federal workers said: Meetings are conducted in-person behind closed doors, even on anodyne topics. Workers prefer to talk outdoors, as long as the weather cooperates. And communication among colleagues — whether work-related or personal — has increasingly shifted to the encrypted messaging app Signal, with messages set to auto-delete. Hannah Natanson in the Washington Post$ -- 06/29/25

G.O.P. Bill Has $1.1 Trillion in Health Cuts and 11.8 Million Losing Care, C.B.O. Says -- Analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that Republicans’ new version of the legislation would make far deeper cuts and lead to more people becoming uninsured than previous proposals. Margot Sanger-Katz in the New York Times$ -- 06/29/25

Senate GOP tax bill includes largest cut to U.S. safety net in decades -- The legislation would enact historic, possibly unprecedented, reductions in Medicaid and food stamps spending. Jeff Stein in the Washington Post$ -- 06/29/25

Trump's pro-Bibi pressure campaign -- President Trump is pressuring Israel to halt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial, dangling an implicit threat to suspend military assistance if the "witch hunt" continues. Barak Ravid Axios -- 06/29/25

Musk Wades Back Into Politics, Slamming Trump’s Domestic Policy Bill -- Weeks after ending his war of words with President Trump, Elon Musk called the president’s bill “utterly insane and destructive.” Ashley Ahn in the New York Times$ -- 06/29/25

At Supreme Court, steady wins for conservative states and Trump’s claims of executive power -- The Supreme Court term that ended Friday will not be remembered for blockbuster rulings like those recent years that struck down the right to abortion and college affirmative action. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/29/25

Job Corps shutdown would displace thousands of young trainees -- The Trump administration's move to shutter the nation's largest job training program for low-income youth has been blocked — at least for now — by a federal judge. Delano Massey Axios -- 06/29/25

Should (or Could) Trump Be Added to Mount Rushmore? -- During his first term, Mr. Trump told Kristi Noem — then a U.S. representative from South Dakota, now Mr. Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security — that his “dream” was to be on Mount Rushmore. She later gave Mr. Trump a model of Mount Rushmore with his face on it. John Branch and Jeremy White in the New York Times$ -- 06/29/25