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California Policy and Politics Saturday
Admit It. Gavin Newsom Is the 2028 Front-runner -- For years, Democrats and pundits have rolled their eyes at Gavin Newsom. But he’s positioned better than anyone else for the future of politics. Jonathan Martin Politico -- 11/15/25
‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules -- The judge has previously sided with UC scholars several times since June in halting Trump’s termination of science and health research funding. The latest ruling is arguably the most sweeping yet. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters Sudhin Thanawala Associated Press Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/15/25
California secures $200 million in threatened pandemic recovery education funds -- The recovery funds had been previously approved and awarded to the states from the department and were supposed to be available until March 2026, but the Department of Education abruptly changed course, a lawsuit from the 17 impacted states alleged. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/15/25
‘A flood on steroids’: What to know as storm, debris flows threaten LA -- An unusually strong storm system has reached Southern California, raising fears that the rain could unleash a threat that has been lingering in the burn scars of wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles communities in recent years. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 11/15/25
Foul-mouthed, brash and savvy: What to know about ex-Newsom aide tangled in a corruption probe -- Dana Williamson, Newsom’s former chief of staff, made friends and enemies in Sacramento with her abrasive style and passion for policy. Dakota Smith and Katie King in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/15/25
How California’s ultimate power broker went down -- Gavin Newsom's former chief of staff scaled the heights of California politics with a take-no-prisoners style. This week, it came crashing down. Jeremy B. White and Melanie Mason Politico -- 11/15/25
The seven-day supervisor: Why S.F. Mayor Daniel Lurie’s first big fumble is a crucial one -- From the moment San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that he’d picked an untested political novice to represent the Sunset District on the Board of Supervisors, City Hall insiders and neighborhood activists were taken aback. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/15/25
LAX approved $1.5 billion to relieve traffic. Opponents say it won’t work -- The countdown to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games has sent Los Angeles International Airport into a $1.5-billion sprint to rebuild its roads, drawing ire from critics who argue the plan leaves the airport’s most infamous bottleneck — the “horseshoe” — largely untouched. Gavin J. Quinton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/15/25
Homeless
The mayor lifted a homeless emergency declaration. South L.A. merchants and residents aren’t so sure -- Despite more than 20 city cleanups this year, encampments persist or relocate to residential streets, leaving residents frustrated with the repeated cycle. Jasmine Mendez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/15/25
Truckers
California to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses issued to immigrants -- California will cancel 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses that had been issued to immigrants after officials said they extended beyond the date the drivers were allowed to work in the country — a violation of state law. 1/15/25
CA 101
A major California highway is sliding toward the sea. There is no quick fix -- In California’s far north, an audacious feat of highway engineering is crumbling toward the ocean. The fix is expected to cost upward of $3 billion. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/15/25
Wildfire
In Altadena, a woman is racing to buy land for her business that burned, before developers get it -- Altadena business owner Shelene Hearring has until Nov. 25 to raise $600,000 via GoFundMe to buy property where her martial arts studio stood prior to the Eaton Fire. Private equity firms are aggressively buying Altadena properties, prompting protests from residents, including one group called “Altadena Not for Sale.” Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/15/25
John Beam
John Beam gave Oakland hope. The ‘Last Chance U’ coach’s death is a ‘gut punch’ to the city -- John Beam’s death Friday after an on-campus shooting at Laney College left an unmistakable void in Oakland. For the first time in 43 years, a generation of the city’s young athletes couldn’t seek out the legendary coach’s advice. But if you called his cell phone and waited for his voicemail greeting, you could still hear his raspy voice deliver one of his signature credos: “Remember that I believe in you, so that you can believe in yourself.” Connor Letourneau, Mitch Stephens in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/15/25
Street
Officials question sheriff’s report of no ‘substantiated’ sex abuse by L.A. jail staff -- But a broad array of local oversight officials and advocacy groups are raising eyebrows over the claim, and bringing new scrutiny to how the Sheriff’s Department investigates allegations of sexual abuse made by inmates against their jailers. Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/15/25
Also
Waymo Was Thriving in San Francisco. Then One of Its Driverless Cars Killed a Cat -- At Delirium, a dive bar in San Francisco’s Mission District, the décor is dark, the drinks are strong, and the emotions are raw. The punk rockers and old-school city natives here look tough, but they are in mourning. Heather Knight in the New York Times$ -- 11/15/25
POTUS 47
Trump weighs Venezuela strikes as U.S. forces prepare for attack order -- President Donald Trump said Friday night that he has “sort of made up my mind” about how he will proceed with the possibility of military action in Venezuela, following a second consecutive day of deliberations at the White House that included top national security advisers. Dan Lamothe, Tara Copp, Michael Birnbaum and Noah Robertson in the Washington Post$ -- 11/15/25
Secret U.S. Memo Authorizing Drug-Boat Strikes Cites Chemical Weapon Threat -- A classified Justice Department brief authorizing strikes on drug-smuggling boats describes fentanyl as a potential chemical weapons threat, according to a House member and another person familiar with the memo. Alexander Ward, Lara Seligman and Michael R. Gordon in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/15/25
Justice Department to Investigate Epstein Ties, but Not to Trump -- When a trove of Jeffrey Epstein’s emails were made public this week, Donald J. Trump’s name was all over them. But on Friday, when Mr. Trump demanded that the Justice Department investigate a list of powerful men mentioned in the emails, his own name was nowhere to be seen — he had singled out only Democrats. Erica L. Green, Glenn Thrush and Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ -- 11/15/25
U.S. Attorney Under Pressure After Order to Investigate Democrats -- Jay Clayton, who heads the Southern District of New York, has so far managed to keep clear of President Trump’s most politically charged directives. Now, come the hard choices. Jonah E. Bromwich, Benjamin Weiser and William K. Rashbaum in the New York Times$ -- 11/15/25
Trump scraps tariffs on beef, coffee and tropical fruit in a push to lower grocery store prices -- President Donald Trump announced Friday that he was scrapping U.S. tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a broad swath of other commodities — a dramatic move that comes amid mounting pressure on his administration to better combat high consumer prices. Will Weissert Associated Press Alec Dent and David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 11/15/25
Trump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefits -- Food aid recipients are already required to recertify their information regularly. But the move is part of USDA chief Brooke Rollins’ effort to overhaul the program. Grace Yarrow Politico -- 11/15/25
The cheap health insurance promoted by Trump officials has this catch -- Unlike most insurance, these plans are not required to cover preexisting conditions or even basic needs such as maternity care and mental health. Their coverage is so full of holes that five states have banned their sale, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group. Peter Whoriskey in the Washington Post$ -- 11/15/25
Fired Scholars and Big Grants to Favored Projects: Inside Trump’s N.E.H. -- Some Democrats and supporters of the National Endowment for the Humanities are questioning what they see as gutted procedures and a tilt toward handpicked projects. Jennifer Schuessler in the New York Times$ -- 11/15/25
California Policy and Politics Friday
John Beam, ‘Last Chance U’ coach and Oakland football legend, dies after Laney College shooting -- John Beam, the revered Laney College football coach and athletic director whose leadership and mentorship transformed generations of Oakland athletes and inspired the Netflix series “Last Chance U,” died Friday morning after being shot on campus a day earlier. Aidin Vaziri, Megan Cassidy, Rachel Swan, St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Chuck Schilken in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
Federal judge orders government to stop blocking immigrant detainees from having access to lawyers -- A federal judge on Friday ruled that the government is “partially blocking access to lawyers” for immigrant detainees held in a downtown Los Angeles processing center and ordered it to stop. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
Supreme Court urged to block California laws requiring companies to disclose climate impacts -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups urged the Supreme Court on Friday to block new California laws that will require thousands of companies to disclose their emissions and their impacts on climate change. David G. Savage and Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
Prop. 50’s passage means Huntington Beach’s MAGA council could clash with Rep. Robert Garcia -- Specifically, new district lines drawn to boost Democratic representation in Congress mean that Garcia, if reelected, would represent the conservative cities of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. Matt Szabo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
These California Democrats are key to the push to release the Epstein files -- With the longest shutdown in federal government history finally resolved, Congress is poised to shift its attention to a fight over the investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — due in large part to two California Democrats, who have keyed into the case as one of their party’s most effective political attacks against President Donald Trump. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/14/25
Justice Department sues to block California’s new House map in clash that could tip control of Congress -- But the complaint, filed by the Department of Justice in a Central California federal district court, claims the new congressional map that was approved by California voters last week uses race as a proxy for politics, manipulating district lines “in the name of bolstering the voting power of Hispanic Californians because of their race.“ Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
Who are the co-conspirators and businesses in Dana Williamson’s indictment? -- The 34-page indictment, which The Sacramento Bee obtained shortly after her arrest, names multiple banks and businesses through which five co-conspirators, including Williamson, stole and funneled money from a dormant campaign account belonging to Xavier Becerra, a former California congressman, Attorney General and Cabinet secretary who is now running for governor in the 2026 election. Becerra is not charged with any wrongdoing. Lia Russell and Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/14/25
Newsom touts California’s record battery energy gains at U.N. climate conference -- California added 1,200 megawatts of battery energy storage to its electrical grid over the last six months, further building on its nation-leading capacity and pushing the state closer to its clean energy goals, officials said Thursday. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
As Gavin Newsom’s national profile grows, his rhetoric is getting more biblical -- Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom quoted Corinthians on his podcast. Earlier this fall, when talking about climate change, he cited the Pope’s words on the issue. While announcing a lawsuit over food stamps benefits, he lectured Republicans in Washington on Christian values. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/14/25
Data centers are putting new strain on California’s grid. A new report estimates the impacts -- A new report estimates that California’s data centers are driving increases in electricity use, water demand and pollution even as lawmakers stall on oversight. Alejandro Lazo Calmatters -- 11/14/25
How will One Big Beautiful Bill hit Orange County? Experts aren’t upbeat -- The long lines and anxious faces seen at Orange County food pantries this month, as federal food assistance went dark during the federal shutdown and demand for free food surged, could be the new normal in the near, non-shutdown future. Andre Mouchard in the Orange County Register$ -- 11/14/25
Trump official refers East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell to DOJ for mortgage fraud investigation -- “As the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade and as the only person who still has a surviving lawsuit against him, the only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me,” he said in a statement, adding that he will not withdraw his 2021 lawsuit alleging President Trump incited the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. Ryan Macasero in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/14/25
Wildfire
Sorrow and outrage mark Senate field hearing into deadly Palisades fire -- In an emotional congressional hearing punctuated by immense frustration, six Pacific Palisades residents on Thursday spoke of family memories lost, an inadequate city response and a burdensome rebuilding process after the deadly inferno that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people. Hailey Branson-Potts, Ana Ceballos and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
The deep bonds on an Altadena street driving neighbors to rebuild -- On one street in Altadena where roughly 30 homes burned down and less than 20 remain standing, neighbors have vowed to return. During regular Zoom meetings and in-person gatherings, they counsel each other on rebuilding and remediation efforts. Colleen Shalby, Jason Armond in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
Builders launch portal to make fire rebuilds faster and more affordable -- Fire survivors can now access a portal with vetted residential templates designed to speed rebuilding and reduce costs, with homes potentially ready by 2026. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
State Farm
State Farm faces second government investigation into Los Angeles wildfire response -- After months of consumer complaints and lawsuits over its response to the Los Angeles wildfires, State Farm General is now being investigated by the county where the fires took place. Megan Fan Munce, Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/14/25
Workplace
Software companies reveal plans to slash hundreds of Bay Area tech jobs -- Software companies Synopsys and Clari have disclosed plans for layoffs that affect a combined 271 Bay Area tech jobs, in a sign that staffing reductions for the sector could continue to haunt the region’s economy. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/14/25
Verizon to cut up to 20,000 jobs in one of the largest tech layoffs ever -- Verizon is preparing to eliminate as many as 20,000 jobs and convert about 180 to 200 stores into franchises, marking one of the largest workforce reductions in its history, according to multiple sources. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/14/25
Trump’s defense of H-1B visa reverberates, while Bay Area business group lauds recognition of immigrants’ value -- President Donald Trump’ defense this week of the controversial H-1B visa, intended for skilled foreign workers and heavily used by Silicon Valley’s technology industry continues to divide the Make America Great Again movement, as a Bay Area business group expressed approval of the President’s recognition of immigrants’ contributions. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/14/25
Jury awards $16.8 million to California prison doctor who complained about inmate’s threat -- The case centered on a high-security prison unit that housed incarcerated people who were considered unsafe to live with the general population because of the nature of their offenses, as well as some who had diagnoses for severe mental illnesses. Adam Ashton CalMatters in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
A lawyer went to court one morning, unaware that an alleged Aryan Brotherhood assassin was out looking for him -- The attorney, Todd Leras, said in court Wednesday that law enforcement has warned him several times of risks to his life brought about by an alleged murder plot hatched behind bars, including an allegation that a hitman working for the Aryan Brotherhood was assigned to travel to Sacramento on the same day Leras was presenting closing arguments for his client in a racketeering case. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/14/25
Companies Predict 2026 Will Be the Worst College Grad Job Market in Five Years -- Hires from the Class of 2026 will stay largely flat, employers project, as layoffs rise and AI is able to do more entry-level tasks. Lindsay Ellis in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/14/25
Marketplace
Report: World Cup will bring economic benefits but Bay Area trails other host cities -- At the same time, company officials said in a webinar with reporters, the impact on local tourism, and specifically hotel revenue, will vary among host cities — and the Bay Area ranks well back in the pack. Ron Kroichick in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/14/25
ICE
ACLU lawsuit alleges appalling conditions at California’s largest immigration detention facility -- A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges appalling conditions at California’s largest immigration detention facility, a formerly mothballed prison in the desert where sewage bubbles up from shower drains and detainees are forced to use dirty bandages to wrap open sores. Janie Har Associated Press Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
Education
In California, high school graduation rates soar faster than student learning -- State officials on Thursday celebrated new heights in just-released high school graduation rates, though similar achievement levels were not seen in other measures of student learning. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 11/14/25
Oakland charter schools join forces to lure families amid district chaos -- As Oakland’s school district faces threats of both fiscal insolvency and another teachers strike, 30 city charter schools have stepped up efforts to woo frustrated families, offering a one-stop shopping website with an easy application process. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/14/25
HSR
High-Speed Rail wants change to law that requires priority on Merced-Bakersfield line -- Despite opposition from Merced leaders, the head of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority says he will “of course” try to change state law so he can use money to build more profitable routes outside the required Merced-to-Bakersfield connection. Erik Galicia in the Fresno Bee -- 11/14/25
Homeless
L.A. city told the court there were 88 beds at a homeless shelter, but 44 of them were missing -- When the special master overseeing a city court-ordered agreement to provide thousands of homeless shelter beds made a spot check at a South Los Angeles shelter she was disappointed in what she found. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
Feds call Sacramento’s new homeless parking idea ‘ridiculous.’ Is it doomed? -- Sacramento’s yearslong struggle to open sites for homeless people living in vehicles will likely continue after the federal government dismissed the city’s latest idea as “reprehensible” and “dystopian.” Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/14/25
Street
John Beam, coach from ‘Last Chance U,’ shot in head at Oakland’s Laney College -- John Beam, the legendary football coach who brought streaming-era relevance and championship trophies to Oakland’s Laney College after success at Skyline High School, was shot in the college campus fieldhouse Thursday. The suspect remained at large as former players from Beam’s past congregated at Highland Hospital to commune over the grave news about their former coach. Aidin Vaziri, Anna Bauman, St. John Barned-Smith, Ron Kroichick in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/14/25
L.A. jails scale back opioid addiction treatment as fatal overdoses continue -- Hundreds of people are on a waitlist for opioid addiction treatment in Los Angeles County jails as the state presses the system to reduce overdoses and in-custody deaths. Cayla Mihalovich Calmatters -- 11/14/25
Also
Walters: Newsom’s gas price crusade morphs into bid to keep refiners open -- While California’s gas prices are among the nation’s highest, thanks largely to the state’s hefty taxes and regulatory costs, they vary widely from station to station, even among those under the same ownership. This variance complicates the obsession that California’s motorists and politicians have with gas prices. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 11/14/25
Westminster will rename street in honor of Charlie Kirk -- A street will be partially renamed after slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Westminster City Council has decided despite strong community pushback. Councilmembers voted 4-1 on Wednesday, Nov. 12, to augment All American Way street signs between Westminster Boulevard and 13th Street with Charlie Kirk Way. Claire Wang in the Orange County Register$ -- 11/14/25
Delivery bots can now bring you groceries in these L.A. neighborhoods -- The bots are already a common sight in L.A., where they have been delivering hot meals from restaurants since April through a partnership with DoorDash. The pink and orange machines, about the size of a large cooler, roam sidewalks from Santa Monica to Silver Lake. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
POTUS 47
President Wants Federal Inquiry Into Epstein’s Ties to Prominent Democrats -- President Trump said Friday that he was requesting that the Justice Department investigate high-profile Democrats — including former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and the venture capitalist Reid Hoffman — who he alleged had ties to the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Erica L. Green in the New York Times$ -- 11/14/25
Trickle of revelations fuels scandal over Trump’s ties to Epstein -- A slow drip of revelations detailing President Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein that have burdened the White House all year has turned into a deluge after House lawmakers released reams of documents that imply the president may have intimate knowledge of his friend’s criminal activity. Michael Wilner and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
The 9 most shocking revelations in the Epstein docs -- One email shows Epstein communicating with a former White House counsel. Some showed offensive emails between Epstein and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. Another offers insight into Epstein’s offer to help Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon. Jacob Wendler Politico -- 11/14/25
Republicans Tried to Squelch the Epstein Furor. Instead, They Fed It -- In September, when Democrats were threatening to jam up Congress by forcing votes on releasing the Epstein files, House G.O.P. leaders devised a strategy to insulate themselves and deliver on President Trump’s demand to shut the issue down. Michael Gold in the New York Times$ -- 11/14/25
Trump Turns to Affordability Message Amid Economic Frustration -- The Trump administration has begun floating a series of ideas over the past several weeks as it confronts the cold reality that its economic policies are not helping many Americans who continue to struggle with elevated prices and a sense of economic pessimism. Alan Rappeport in the New York Times$ -- 11/14/25
Trump Administration Prepares Tariff Exemptions in Bid to Lower Food Prices -- If the proposal goes into effect, it would be the latest rollback of one of President Trump’s key economic policies over concerns about affordability. Ana Swanson, Maggie Haberman and Tyler Pager in the New York Times$ -- 11/14/25
Nevada Supreme Court revives criminal case over Trump elector gambit -- A unanimous Nevada Supreme Court on Thursday revived the criminal case against six prominent allies of President Donald Trump who falsely claimed to be legitimate presidential electors amid Trump’s effort to subvert the 2020 election. Kyle Cheney Politico -- 11/14/25
Family of Fisherman Killed in U.S. Military Strike Says It Wants Justice -- Colombia was a top U.S. ally in Latin America until the Trump administration began deadly strikes in international waters. Now, one family wants justice. Simon Romero, Federico Rios in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/14/25
Memo Blessing Boat Strikes Is Said to Rely on Trump’s Claims About Cartels -- Accounts of a secret Justice Department memo offer a window into how administration lawyers approved the president’s desired course of action. Charlie Savage and Julian E. Barnes in the New York Times$ -- 11/14/25
Trump faces heat from MAGA base on ‘America First’ agenda, Epstein -- MAGA leaders erupted this week over President Donald Trump’s assertion that the United States needs foreign workers because it does not have enough “talented people,” questioning the president’s commitment to the “America First” politics he popularized. Hannah Knowles in the Washington Post$ Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Tyler Pager in the New York Times$ -- 11/14/25