California Policy and Politics Friday

Chinese government planted agent in SoCal with mission to influence local government, feds allege -- The Chinese government allegedly used a Chino Hills man in an effort to advance policies favorable to the People’s Republic of China in Southern California local government, according to a criminal complaint released Thursday. Hannah Fry and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ Cate Cadell in the Washington Post$ -- 12/20/24

New California voter ID ban puts conservative cities at odds with state -- A new law prohibits local governments from mandating voter identification, but Huntington Beach is fighting back. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/24

Aliso Canyon likely to stay open for years under closure plan; residents outraged -- Regulators voted Thursday to continue using the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility probably into the next decade, over the objection of local activists and residents who demanded a swifter closure of the site of the largest methane leak in U.S. history. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

California nets large population increase in 2024 — nearly returning to pre-pandemic level -- California’s population grew by almost a quarter of a million residents this year, nearly bouncing back to the record-high population levels the Golden State had reached before the pandemic, though the state is growing more slowly than the country as a whole and other large states in the South, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday. Harriet Blair Rowan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/20/24

PG&E power bills will rise after state keeps nuclear power plant open -- PG&E customers face higher bills following state approval Thursday night for money to operate California’s only nuclear plant — after a meeting punctuated by angry audience comments and heckling. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ Noah Haggerty in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

State approves higher SDG&E rates -- Customers will pay 2.6% more on their electric bills and those with natural gas hookups will pay 1.8% more after the CPUC voted to approve the rate increase. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/20/24

Garofoli: Daniel Lurie off to good start, helps end S.F. Marriott strike -- The rap on San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie during the campaign was that he was “dangerous” because of his inexperience. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/24

As Democrats rip Elon Musk, this Bay Area mayor wants to stay neutral -- While Democrats struggle with how to respond to Elon Musk’s powerful new role in the Trump administration, the mayor of the city with the most to lose by incurring Musk’s wrath is confident in his approach to dealing with the world’s richest man. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/24

How to revive California’s downtowns? This Assembly member is looking for answers -- Los Angeles was one of nine stops on Matt Haney’s tour of the state’s downtowns. From Sacramento to San Diego, he’s in search of a prescription for California’s ailing urban cores. Thomas Curwen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

Owner of sixth-largest S.F. hotel surrenders it to lenders -- The 686-room Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa was given up by owner Highgate last week, according to property records. The hotel at 50 Third St. is the city’s sixth largest. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/24

Walters: Tax loopholes cost California and its cities $107 billion but get little scrutiny -- Among the hundreds of bills introduced in every session of the California Legislature, a few deal with what state officials term “tax expenditures,” which requires some explanation. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 12/20/24

Workplace

‘I have no safety net’: Mental health patients anxious as Kaiser SoCal strike hits week 10 -- Top California Democrats are pressuring Kaiser to make a deal with the union representing Southern California therapists, while patients say they’re just holding on. Joe Garcia CalMatters -- 12/20/24

California board backs rules aimed at protecting workers from deadly silicosis -- California regulators voted to continue imposing workplace rules to protect countertop cutters from silicosis, an incurable disease that has been killing young workers. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

Amazon strike hits Southern California warehouses during holiday rush -- Workers at several Amazon warehouses across the country went on strike early Thursday morning, part of an effort by the Teamsters union to pressure the e-commerce giant to recognize burgeoning unions at its facilities. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

Starbucks Workers Begin a Strike in 3 Cities on Friday -- The walkout in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle comes after talks between the company and the workers’ union failed to produce an agreement on raises. Noam Scheiber in the New York Times$ -- 12/20/24

How far Northern California counties are creating more jobs for young people -- People living in the northernmost reaches of California refer to their community as the “Redwood Curtain,” a nod to the region’s abundance of redwoods and natural beauty — but also its remoteness. Fiona Kelliher CalMatters -- 12/20/24

Housing

How fighting affordable housing nearly bankrupted one of America’s richest towns -- The Silicon Valley town of Portola Valley faces a financial emergency and state sanction after years of attempting to block affordable housing. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

Battle over luxury Verdugo Mountains housing development spills into court -- For a year and a half, the activist group No Canyon Hills has protested a 300-acre development coming to the Verdugo Mountains. Now the developer is suing. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

Cannabis

Cannabis conundrum: Legal doesn’t mean clean; illicit isn’t always dirty -- California cannabis regulators and industry defenders argue that despite the proliferation of pesticides found in legal weed, licensed products are still safer and purer than those sold on the underground market. Paige St. John in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

Water

Drought deepens in the Southwest, driven by little rain and extreme heat -- The parched conditions are most pronounced in Arizona, Nevada and southeastern California. Las Vegas has not had measurable rain in 158 days. Diana Leonard in the Washington Post$ -- 12/20/24

Covid for Cows

Avian Flu Has Hit Dairies So Hard That They’re Calling It ‘Covid for Cows’ -- The virus has spread rapidly in California, the nation’s largest producer of milk. Farmers are frustrated that their herds are getting infected despite various precautions. Soumya KarlamanglaOrlando Mayorquín and Jesus Jiménez in the New York Times$ -- 12/20/24

Street

California man linked to Madison school shooter may have plotted own attack -- On Tuesday evening, a San Diego County Superior Court judge granted a gun violence emergency protective order that the Carlsbad Police Department filed against local resident Alexander Paffendorf, according to online records reviewed by The Times. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ Patrick Marley, Hannah Natanson and Sarah Blaskey in the Washington Post$ -- 12/20/24

How a California prisoner allegedly took over Alaska’s fentanyl trade from inside his cell -- Imprisoned in California since 1998, Heraclio Sanchez Rodriguez is now accused of leading one of the largest drug trafficking networks in Alaska’s history. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

Can California change a dark culture at Chowchilla women’s prison? -- Efforts to reform life inside the walls of the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla are making headway. But most female prisoners have experienced levels of trauma that make it hard to build trust. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

POTUS 47

Government shutdown looms as House rejects GOP funding bill -- A day after a bipartisan proposal fell apart, lawmakers are racing to pass legislation to fund federal operations past the deadline of 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Jacob Bogage and Marianna Sotomayor in the Washington Post$ Catie Edmondson in the New York Times$ -- 12/20/24

Trump says any shutdown ‘is a Biden problem to solve’ -- President-elect Donald Trump worked Friday morning to foist the blame for any potential government shutdown onto the current White House, insisting that the funding fight on Capitol Hill “is a Biden problem to solve.” Andrew Howard Politico -- 12/20/24

‘Co-president’ Elon Musk? Trump ally tests influence in spending fight -- The unelected tech billionaire’s outsize role in sending the federal government careening toward a potential shutdown alarmed Democrats, academics and watchdog groups. Cat Zakrzewski, Jacqueline Alemany, Marianne LeVine, Liz Goodwin and Colby Itkowitz in the Washington Post$ -- 12/20/24

Elon Musk Shook Up U.S. Politics. Will the U.K. Be Next? -- Musk’s “bromance” with pro-Trump politician Nigel Farage is causing a stir among Britain’s political class. Max Colchester in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/20/24

Trump stuns Washington with push to repeal debt ceiling -- With time running out to avert a government shutdown, the president-elect demanded that lawmakers lift the borrowing limit as well. Jeff Stein and Liz Goodwin in the Washington Post$ -- 12/20/24

Here’s What Could Happen in a Government Shutdown -- During Donald J. Trump’s first term as president, roughly 800,000 of the federal government’s more than two million employees were sidelined for over a month starting in December 2018. The economy took a major hit. Noah Weiland in the New York Times$ -- 12/20/24

Trump Tossed a Debt Limit Grenade Into Spending Talks. Here’s Why -- President-elect Donald J. Trump was forced to negotiate with Democrats over the borrowing cap during his first term. Alan Rappeport in the New York Times$ -- 12/20/24

Also

Dozens of people get sick after L.A. Times 101 Best Restaurants event; health officials investigating -- More than 80 people became ill after eating raw oysters at the L.A. Times 101 Best Restaurants event earlier this month. County health officials are investigating a possible norovirus outbreak from oysters that were later recalled. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/24

This nonprofit helps Californians get back on their feet with bikes -- People who have spent time in jail can learn how to repair and sell bikes if they get into a cohort program for Community Cycles of California, a San Jose-based non-profit that helps people who typically face barriers to employment develop business skills. Zayna Syed CalMatters -- 12/20/24