California Policy and Politics Monday

Trump administration sues Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. City Council over sanctuary policy -- The U.S. Department of Justice sued the city of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass and City Council members Monday, calling L.A.’s sanctuary city law “illegal” and asking that it be blocked from being enforced. Brittny Mejia, David Zahniser and Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/30/25

Stinson Beach gets its first-ever price tag for coping with sea level rise – and it’s gigantic -- By 2060, a third of Stinson Beach’s fabled sandy beach could be permanently underwater. By 2085, when sea levels are expected to rise by 3.3 feet, nearly all seaside homes could flood in a major storm. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/30/25

Supreme Court turns down claim from L.A. landlords over COVID evictions ban -- With two conservatives in dissent, the Supreme Court on Monday turned down a property-rights claim from Los Angeles landlords who say they lost millions from unpaid rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. David G. Savage Calmatters -- 06/30/25

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