California Policy and Politics Tuesday

California, other states file suit to prevent shutdown of federal consumer agency -- California joined 20 other states and the District of Columbia on Monday in a lawsuit that seeks to prevent the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from being defunded and closed by the Trump administration. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/25

Immigration to California plummets under Trump. Map details greatest population impacts -- The flow of immigrants to California was halved this year compared to last year, new estimates show, throttling the state’s post-pandemic population recovery. Christian Leonard, Hanna Zakharenko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/23/25

After catastrophic flooding, Redding fears another deluge -- A day after a torrential downpour flooded roads and homes in Redding — a deluge that turned deadly after a driver got trapped in a truck — city officials and residents were bracing for another round of heavy rain. David Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/23/25

PG&E fully restores power in S.F. after massive outage, offers bill credits to customers -- Residential customers and businesses that were impacted will automatically receive a $200 and $2,500 bill credit, respectively, the utility said. The cause of the outage was under investigation. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/23/25

S.F. Mayor Lurie says PG&E power outage cost city ‘tens of millions of dollars’ -- San Francisco restaurants and retail businesses were in the midst of one of the busiest weekends of the year when the PG&E power outage struck Saturday, causing some to lose tens of thousands of dollars in revenue and, often, thousands more on food gone bad. Tara Duggan, Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/22/25

‘We need PG&E to do better’: S.F. leaders blast utility over mass outages -- San Francisco leaders slammed PG&E after disruptive power outages roiled the city over the weekend, prompting open questioning about whether the episode was a harbinger of worse problems during a future disaster. J.D. Morris, Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/22/25

This isn’t the first S.F. holiday season power outage. A blackout 22 years ago was eerily similar -- Twenty two years before Saturday’s fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. substation cut power for tens of thousands of San Franciscans, flames erupted in the same building at Mission and 8th streets housing critical equipment for the city’s electric grid. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/23/25

As health care premiums soar, Democrats are eager to blame Republicans -- California’s endangered House Republicans have spent December trying to show how they understand, and are trying to ease, the pain constituents feel as they confront skyrocketing health care costs. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/25

A California National Guard warned about Trump for years. Now she’s being forced out -- Brynn Tannehill is a Navy-trained helicopter pilot who joined the California Air National Guard in 2023. She says she’s being kicked out for being transgender. Rachel Leibrock in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/23/25

Wildfire

The fire took his sister and his lifelong home. He’s been fighting to get back ever since -- Zaire Calvin grew up in Altadena. For nearly a year since the Eaton fire destroyed his town, he has become a voice for his community. His mom bought his childhood home in the 1970s when Altadena was one of the few places Black families could own properties. Years ago, he bought the house next door. Both homes are gone now. Colleen Shalby, Jason Armond in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/25

Lopez: For Bass and LAFD, there’s no watering down how bad 2025 has been -- The year was already a debacle for the Los Angeles Fire Department and Mayor Karen Bass, with multiple stumbles before and after the epic January blaze that obliterated Pacific Palisades, so it was hard to imagine that things could get worse in the closing days of 2025. But they have. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/25

Marketplace

A tale of two Ralphs — Lauren and the supermarket — shows the reality of a K-shaped economy -- Wealthy shoppers browse Ralph Lauren on Rodeo Drive while struggling consumers hunt for bargains at Ralphs grocery, revealing America’s stark wealth divide this holiday season. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/25

L.A. restaurants thought it couldn’t get any worse. Then 2025 happened -- Last year restaurants reported drastic revenue drops and closures due to slow economic recovery from the pandemic and a stalled entertainment industry. This year their difficulties intensified with countywide fires, immigration raids, tariffs and more. Stephanie Breijo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/25

Workplace

CSU offered one-time bonuses instead of raises. These employees plan to strike -- California State University employees are preparing to strike over the university’s proposal to replace raises with one-time bonuses due to the university system’s precarious budget situation. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/25

Education

Her dwarfism once scared her away from teaching — now it’s her strength -- When Heather Povinelli was in teacher training while in college, there was a moment she believed her dwarfism would thwart her dream of becoming a teacher — a kindergartner grabbed her on the playground. Emma Gallegos EdScource -- 12/22/25

Street

An amateur codebreaker may have just solved the Black Dahlia and Zodiac killings -- Two retired LAPD homicide detectives say that both notorious cases are solved -- with a single culprit -- thanks to the work of a novice sleuth. Christopher Goffard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/25

Also

Ehisen: Lou Cannon: A personal remembrance -- I’ve been writing words for a living for many decades now, and I can’t think of any I have hated to write more than those in this next sentence. Rich Ehisen Capitol Weekly -- 12/22/25

Fight between Waymo and Santa Monica goes to court -- Waymo has filed suit against the city of Santa Monica, arguing that the city’s attempt to have them stop using two charging stations overnight for its fleet of self-driving cars is unfair. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/25

POTUS 47

Consumers Power Strongest U.S. Economic Growth in Two Years -- The U.S. economy grew at an unexpectedly robust pace in the third quarter, powered by strong consumer spending. Chao Deng and Harriet Torry in the Wall Street Journal$ Talmon Joseph Smith in the New York Times$ Abha Bhattarai in the Washington Post$ -- 12/23/25

‘Incredibly reckless’: Trump’s wind halt stuns even some allies -- Republican worries about energy affordability didn’t deter the administration from halting five major projects that had already begun construction. Benjamin Storrow and Kelsey Tamborrino Politico Jennifer Hiller in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/23/25

Poll: Major allies see US as unreliable and destabilizing -- Unreliable. Creating more problems than solving them. A negative force on the world stage. This is how large shares of America’s closest allies view the U.S., according to new polling, as President Donald Trump pursues a sweeping foreign policy overhaul. Erin Doherty Politico -- 12/23/25

Trump Announces New Class of Warships Named for Himself -- The president said development of the vessels would help maintain military superiority and improve the industrial base, but analysts suggested they were the wrong approach to current threats. Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Eric Schmitt and John Ismay in the New York Times$ Dan Lamothe and Tara Copp in the Washington Post$ -- 12/23/25

Second big batch of Epstein files includes many mentions of Trump -- The Justice Department says the files contain “untrue and sensationalist claims” against Trump. A previous release of files had been heavily criticized on Capitol Hill for including few Trump-related documents. Matt Viser and Aaron Schaffer in the Washington Post$ -- 12/23/25

Judge orders Trump admin to offer relief to men deported under Alien Enemies Act -- A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to provide legal relief to 137 Venezuelan men who were abruptly deported to El Salvador in March despite a court order that they remain in U.S. custody. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein Politico -- 12/23/25

More stumbles by feds mar Kilmar Abrego Garcia deportation case -- During a hearing in federal court in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis zeroed in on the foul-ups as she extended an order barring immigration authorities from re-arresting Kilmar Abrego Garcia into next month. Josh Gerstein Politico -- 12/23/25

Second big batch of Epstein files includes many mentions of Trump -- Three days after releasing a large tranche of Jeffrey Epstein documents that contained few mentions of President Donald Trump, the Justice Department on Monday disclosed thousands more files that included wide-ranging references to the president. Matt Viser and Aaron Schaffer in the Washington Post$ -- 12/23/25

White House Invitees Are Asked About Donations to Trump’s Ballroom -- Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut wants to know who is funding President Trump’s White House ballroom project, how much it is going to cost and what it is going to look like. Kenneth P. Vogel in the New York Times$ -- 12/23/25

After Power Outage, San Francisco Wonders: Can Robot Taxis Handle a Big Earthquake? -- The meltdown, which led Waymo to temporarily shut down its entire fleet in San Francisco, raised alarms about whether the vehicles might impede evacuations or emergency services during a bigger disaster, such as a major earthquake. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 12/23/25

F.D.A. Approves New Weight-Loss Pill -- The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss injectable drug Wegovy, offering patients who fear or are uncomfortable with needles a more palatable option. Dani Blum in the New York Times$ -- 12/23/25