California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Trump administration sees ‘no viable path’ forward to finish high-speed rail project, moves to pull federal funding -- $4 billion in federal funding could be pulled from California’s high-speed rail project within 37 days. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

 

FBI arrests a man in New York linked to explosion at a California fertility clinic, officials say -- The FBI has arrested a man on charges linked to last month’s car bombing of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, three law enforcement officials said Wednesday. The man, Daniel Park, a 32-year-old resident of Kent, Washington, was arrested Tuesday night at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, one of the officials said. Eric Tucker and Jake Offenhartz Associated Press -- 06/04/25

Strip gay-rights icon Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship? California leaders are furious -- The Pentagon would not confirm or deny the plans, but said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is committed to having ship names reflect a ‘warrior ethos.’ California leaders said Milk is a hero who deserves the honor of having a naval ship named for him. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

Gavin Newsom, Elon Musk and Marjorie Taylor Greene agree on this one thing -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom and fellow Sacramento Democrats are finding themselves in an awkward yet convenient alliance with MAGA-world figures against President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Christine Mui Politico -- 06/04/25

Newsom takes the heat for an ‘unfair’ trans policy -- Gov. Gavin Newsom tried to take a stand on transgender kids competing in sports. Instead, he’s walked himself and the state into a national maelstrom. Jeremy B. White and Eric He Politico -- 06/04/25

Bay Area cities called out in ‘sanctuary’ list find themselves in crosshairs of immigration standoff -- The Bay Area’s largest cities are accustomed to finding themselves in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs, but even some smaller suburbs here wound up last week on a list of places accused of shielding immigrants from federal authorities. Shomik Mukherjee, Kyle Martin, Jason Green and Ryan Macasero in the San Jose Mercury -- 06/04/25

Hwy. 50 construction, already behind schedule, will last another year in Sacramento -- Caltrans expects to finish its “Fix 50” project by July 2026 — a year later than originally planned and almost $100 million over budget. Ariane Lange in the Sacramento Bee -- 06/04/25

California Senate passes bill that aims to make AI chatbots safer -- The Senate passed a bill that aims to make chatbots used for companionship safer after parents raised concerns that virtual characters harmed their childrens’ mental health. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

Feds put East Bay city council member on notice he’s under investigation for bribery -- The U.S. Attorney’s Office for California’s Northern District on May 12 sent Council Member Bryan Azevedo a letter advising him that he was the target of the corruption probe and urging him to contact prosecutors by this past Friday if he was “interested in resolving this matter short of an indictment.” Megan Cassidy, Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/04/25

LA28 adds Honda as founding level partner, bolstering push for more funding -- LA28 announced Honda as its automotive partner for the L.A. Olympics on Monday, securing a major founding-level partnership that will help the private organizing committee cover its estimated $7-billion budget. Thuc Nhi Nguyen in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass won’t be forced to testify about homeless programs -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass won’t be called as a witness in a multiday federal court hearing that could determine whether the city’s homelessness programs are placed in receivership. David Zahniser and Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

Republicans’ Spanish-language ad criticizes Democrat on tax vote. Is it fair? -- Republicans are running a Spanish-language ad in Rep. Adam Gray’s district, saying he voted for a tax increase. Gray last month voted against the “one big beautiful bill” that would keep federal income tax rates at current levels after 2025 and cut some other taxes. If the bill fails, tax rates would go up next year. David Lightman in the Fresno Bee -- 06/04/25

Walters: California’s economy is just limping along. Why is Newsom always boasting? -- Gavin Newsom loves to boast about the state he governs, claiming that California is No.1 in some category or that the state is leading in some economic or cultural activity. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 06/04/25

Workplace

Labor groups, officials push for a minimum wage of at least $25 an hour in L.A. County -- On Monday, about 150 workers, labor leaders, Democratic party officials and loyal donors gathered at private tables reserved in the back of Wally’s Wine & Spirits in Santa Monica to launch a new effort to raise the minimum hourly wage in L.A. County to $25 — or higher. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

Walmart lays off 106 tech workers in Silicon Valley -- As part of its plan to lay off approximately 1,500 corporate employees nationwide, Walmart confirmed this week that cuts will affect its technology offices in Silicon Valley. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/04/25

Bay Area tech workers endure grim 2025 as big companies reveal layoffs -- The Bay Area has lost more than 11,000 tech jobs so far in 2025, a slump in hiring punctuated by disclosures of fresh layoffs in the region by some big players such as Google, Walmart and Microsoft. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury -- 06/04/25

Oil

Investigation into East Bay refinery fire highlights role of contract workforce -- Scant supervision, inexperienced workers and even hard-to-read instructions contributed to a major fire that broke out at Martinez Refining Co., spewed cancer-causing chemicals into the air and forced nearby residents to hide in their homes, according to a new report released Tuesday. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/04/25

Environment

California freshwater fish found to be teeming with parasites. How to keep from getting sick -- More than 90% of popular freshwater fish in Southern California are carrying human-infecting parasites, researchers say. This poses a significant danger for those who like to eat freshly caught freshwater fish. But there are ways to protect yourself. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

Regulators seek to phase out gas-powered appliances in Southern California -- If adopted, the rules would phase out the sale of gas-powered furnaces and water heaters in the region. Officials say the plan is crucial for reducing air pollution and improving public health, while opponents fear higher consumer costs. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

‘Putting profit over people’: big gas is waging war on a California clean air rule -- Coalition that includes SoCalGas, country’s largest gas utility, has launched fierce campaign against transition away from gas-fired appliances. Hilary Beaumont The Guardian -- 06/04/25

Homeless

Elected leaders implore San Jose to invest in homelessness prevention as more families become unhoused -- District 2 Councilmember Pamela Campos said 30% of people living along city waterways were single mothers with children. Devan Patel in the San Jose Mercury -- 06/04/25

Sacramento County will now use drones to find homeless encampments -- The goal of the drones is to access areas vehicles can’t, such as remote parts of the American River Parkway. Emma Hall in the Sacramento Bee -- 06/04/25

Street

DA to seek death penalty against Half Moon Bay mass shooting suspect -- Chunli Zhao is accused of killing seven people in a January 2023 rampage at two Half Moon Bay mushroom farms. Jakob Rodgers in the San Jose Mercury -- 06/04/25

Education

It’s expensive to become a teacher in California. This bill would pay those who try -- To earn a teaching credential, students are required to complete a one-year program combining coursework and 600 hours of classroom experience. A new bill would provide money to pay them for that work. Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 06/04/25

Also

Elderly man builds tree house to protest eviction from state-owned home -- Benito Flores, a 70-year-old man who illegally seized a state-owned home more than five years ago in El Sereno, is protesting his eviction and holing up in a tree house he built in the backyard. Liam Dillon, Myung J. Chun in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

Bed bugs in Ventura hotel lead to $2-million jury ruling for bitten guests -- A bed bug-ridden stay at a Ventura hotel turned into a multimillion-dollar jury payout for two guests who were “massacre[d] from bed bug bites” during their visit, according to court records. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/04/25

5 AI bots took our tough reading test. One was smartest — and it wasn’t ChatGPT -- We challenged AI helpers to decode legal contracts, simplify medical research, speed-read a novel and make sense of Trump speeches. Some of the AI analysis was impressive — and some was downright dumb. Geoffrey A. Fowler in the New York Times -- 06/04/25

POTUS 47

Trump Administration Live Updates: President’s Policy Bill Could Add $2.4 Trillion to Debt, Analysis Shows -- The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that the broad Republican bill to cut taxes and slash some federal programs would add $2.4 trillion to the existing debt over the next decade, in an analysis that was all but certain to inflame concerns that President Trump’s domestic agenda would lead to excessive government borrowing. Andrew Duehren in the New York Times -- 06/04/25

Electricity Prices Are Surging. The G.O.P. Megabill Could Push Them Higher -- The combination of a data center boom, rising gas exports and cuts to clean energy tax breaks could spike American energy bills, analysts say. Brad Plumer and Rebecca F. Elliott in the New York Times -- 06/04/25

After Muscling Their Bill Through the House, Some Republicans Have Regrets -- The sprawling legislation carrying President Trump’s domestic agenda squeaked through the House with one vote to spare, but some Republicans now say they didn’t realize what they voted for. Michael Gold in the New York Times -- 06/04/25

‘Abomination’: Musk targets Trump’s massive spending bill, as it faces hurdles in Senate -- It was Musk’s latest, sharpest critique of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” making its way through Congress. The bill would also cut clean energy tax credits passed during the Biden administration, which have benefited Musk’s electric vehicle company, Tesla. Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times Jacob Bogage and Theodoric Meyer in the Washington Post Siobhan Hughes and Jasmine Li in the Wall Street Journal -- 06/04/25

Some of Trump’s Biggest Inaugural Donors Benefit From Early Government Actions -- The biggest contributor to President Trump’s inauguration was chicken processor Pilgrim’s Pride, which gave $5 million. In April, its Brazilian parent company, JBS, received government approval for a U.S. stock listing that it had long sought. The second largest donor was the cryptocurrency company Ripple, which gave about $4.9 million. In May it reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve a long-running lawsuit, sending its coin soaring. Josh Dawsey and Patrick Thomas in the Wall Street Journal -- 06/04/25

Higher Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Imports Go Into Effect -- U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports doubled on Wednesday, as President Trump continued to ratchet up levies on foreign metals that he claims will help revitalize American steel mills and aluminum smelters. Ana Swanson and Ian Austen in the New York Times -- 06/04/25

U.S. to Have Slower Growth, Higher Inflation Due to Tariffs, OECD Says -- President Trump’s tariff regime threatens to significantly crimp U.S. economic growth this year while boosting inflation, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said in a new forecast that sharply cut its outlook. Harriet Torry and Joshua Kirby in the Wall Street Journal Mikhail Klimentov in the Washington Post -- 06/04/25

Trump administration lays groundwork to make CEO perks easier to hide -- The focus of a Securities and Exchange Commission roundtable set for later this month — invitees still TBD — is changing rules on what companies have to tell shareholders about CEO perks, people briefed on its agenda said. The SEC declined to comment. Liz Hoffman Semafor -- 06/04/25

Judges in Deportation Cases Face Evasion and Delay From Trump Administration -- Administration officials have either violated orders or used an array of obfuscations and delays to prevent federal judges from deciding whether violations took place. Alan Feuer and Glenn Thrush in the New York Times -- 06/04/25

Millions of legal immigrants’ lives upended after social security freeze -- Millions of legal immigrants may be left unable to work after the US Social Security Administration quietly instituted a rule change to stop automatically issuing them social security numbers. Michael Sainato The Guardian -- 06/04/25

The White House Gutted Science Funding. Now It Wants to ‘Correct’ Research -- Thousands of scientists, academics, physicians and researchers have responded to the administration’s executive order about “restoring a gold standard for science.” Somini Sengupta in the New York Times -- 06/04/25

Trump Asks Congress to Claw Back $9 Billion for Foreign Aid, NPR and PBS -- The White House formally asked Congress on Tuesday to claw back more than $9 billion in federal funds that lawmakers had already approved for foreign aid and public broadcasting, seeking to codify spending cuts put forward by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Catie Edmondson and Benjamin Mullin in the New York Times -- 06/04/25