California Policy and Politics Tuesday

San Francisco lawmakers announce plan to ‘break up’ with PG&E -- San Francisco lawmakers introduced legislation that would allow it to end its 120-year relationship with Pacific Gas & Electric and form a publicly owned utility. San Francisco residents pay some of the nation’s highest electricity rates and have experienced widespread blackouts linked to PG&E’s aging infrastructure. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26

Newsom pushes back on ‘fake’ outrage and racism allegations from the right -- Gov. Newsom sharply criticized conservative commentators’ accusations that his comments about his low SAT score disparaged Black Americans, calling the the response “fake MAGA-manufactured outrage.” Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26

Cartel leader ‘El Mencho’ was first caught dealing drugs in San Francisco at age 19 -- More than two decades before Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes built the violent cartel that made him one of the most wanted fugitives in Mexico, he was a young man selling drugs on the streets of San Francisco. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Keegan Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26

QAnon darling, perennial GOP L.A. congressional candidate sentenced to 4 years for fraud -- A Republican from the South Bay who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars running unsuccessfully against Rep. Maxine Waters four times while promoting QAnon conspiracy theories was sentenced to four years in federal prison for misusing campaign funds, the Department of Justice announced Monday. Omar Navarro, 37, pleaded guilty in June to a single count of wire fraud for defrauding his own election campaign. Cierra Morgan and Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26

California Democrats back establishment candidates despite progressive pushback -- The California Democratic Party is betting that a tried-and-true playbook and standard-bearer candidates offer their best chance to take back the U.S. House in November’s midterms rather than fresh faces and more populist policy planks. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 2/23/26

Fired Yosemite ranger who hung trans flag sues federal government -- A Yosemite National Park ranger who was fired by Trump administration officials after helping attach a Transgender Pride flag to the face of El Capitan last year sued the National Park Service on Monday, saying they were punished for exercising their constitutional right to free speech. Bob Egelko, Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26

Democratic candidates for insurance commissioner fail to win party backing -- None of the Democratic candidates running for California insurance commissioner won the party’s endorsement at its convention over the weekend, but two surged far ahead of the field in votes. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26

Workplace

California’s highest paid state workers see salaries grow even larger -- According to the latest payroll data, the top 10 highest-paid investment officers and executives of CalPERS and CalSTRS collectively took home $15 million in 2025 — nearly double what the public pension systems paid its most well-paid employees seven years ago. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/26

Hollywood studios escalate dispute over ByteDance’s ‘pervasive copyright infringement’ with its AI tools -- The Motion Picture Assn. is now weighing in after several major studios, including Disney, Warner Bros., and Netflix threatened ByteDance with legal action over its AI video generator Seedance 2.0 over allegations of copyright infringement. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26

San Francisco courts could be crippled this week if clerks strike -- San Francisco Superior Court clerks said Monday they’re prepared to strike over alleged unfair labor practices as soon as Thursday, a move that would effectively cripple court operations. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26

Kaiser nurses end historic strike, return to work Tuesday -- The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals announced Monday that it had sent Kaiser an unconditional notice of return after what it described as “significant movement at the bargaining table.” Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 2/23/26

Kaiser mental health therapists authorize strike in Northern California -- Kaiser Permanente mental health therapists across Northern California and the Central Valley have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a one-day unfair labor practice strike, just as the health system’s largest union ended a historic four-week walkout. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26

Jelly Belly to cut 69 jobs at Bay Area headquarters -- Ferrara Candy Co., the owner of Jelly Belly, plans to permanently cut dozens of corporate and administrative jobs at the iconic candymaker’s Bay Area headquarters, according to a notice filed with state and local officials. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26

ICE

As ICE scales up hiring, whistleblower documents reveal deep cuts to training program -- Among the cuts are the elimination of practical exams, use of force and legal training courses, and an overall reduction in training time, contrary to an official’s testimony to Congress earlier this month. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26

Fresno sues over lost money due to Trump’s anti-DEI guidelines for federal grants -- The City of Fresno is joining 10 other local cities and counties in a lawsuit alleging the federal government is imposing unconstitutional restrictions on millions of dollars in grant funding. Robert Rodriguez in the Fresno Bee -- 2/23/26

California mother with legal permission to live in US deported in under 24 hours -- Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez confidently walked to her green card appointment in downtown Sacramento on Wednesday morning. She had seen the reports of other immigrants arrested at similar check-ins. Estrada Juarez believed her case would be different. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/26

Ex-ICE instructor testifies that agency slashed officer training, lied to Congress -- A former instructor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement told congressional Democrats the agency has cut “vital classes” from mandatory training for recruits. David Nakamura and Sarah Blaskey in the Washington Post$ -- 2/23/26

Breathe

Bay Area refinery to pay one of the largest penalties ever issued by regional air regulators -- An East Bay refinery will pay $10 million to settle allegations stemming from more than 100 notices of environmental violations over four years, including multiple releases of harmful dust that blanketed nearby properties, local officials announced last week. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26

Avalanche

New avalanche details show three skiers were unburied, dug out three companions -- When the avalanche struck a party of skiers traveling out of Tahoe-area backcountry last week, three people in the party who weren’t buried dug out three companions who survived, according to new information from the Sierra Avalanche Center. Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/26

Street

Nick Reiner pleads not guilty to murder in killings of parents, Rob and Michele Reiner -- Appearing in a brown jail jumpsuit, Reiner barely spoke other than to say “yes” to some perfunctory questions from Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Teresa McGonigle. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26

Former S.F. homelessness nonprofit CEO charged with misappropriating $1.2 million -- Gwendolyn Westbrook, former CEO of the United Council of Human Services, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on nine felony charges of misappropriation of public funds, grand theft, presenting a false invoice and filing false state tax returns, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Michael Barba in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26

POTUS 47

Trump’s top general foresees acute risks in an attack on Iran -- Gen. Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, has cautioned that a lack of munitions and support from allies could mean greater danger for U.S. troops, people familiar with the discussions say. John Hudson and Tara Copp in the Washington Post$ -- 2/23/26

Politics take center stage as Paramount submits new offer for Warner Bros. Discovery -- Paramount has strategically deployed former Trump administration officials and cultivated ties with Republican lawmakers to derail Netflix’s $82.7-billion deal for the studios. Paramount faces a deadline Monday night to improve its financial offer to sway Warner Bros.’ board; shareholders will vote on the Netflix deal March 20. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26

‘Not a political deal’: Netflix boss rejects Trump’s call to fire Susan Rice -- Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is brushing off President Donald Trump’s demand to remove former U.S. national security advisor Susan Rice from its board of directors, even as the streaming giant seeks federal approval of its bid to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery. G. Allen Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26

FedEx Files Lawsuit Against U.S. Seeking Refund of Tariffs -- FedEx filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, seeking a full refund plus interest for what it paid in trade duties stemming from President Trump’s tariffs enacted last year. Esther Fung and Katherine Hamilton in the Wall Street Journal$ Peter Eavis in the New York Times$ -- 2/23/26

Trump to Sell the Economy During State of the Union Address -- President Trump will use his State of the Union address to sell the public on the economy and unveil new measures meant to lower costs, as Republicans try to address voters’ concerns ahead of the midterm elections later this year. Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/23/26