California Policy and Politics Sunday

Stockton shooting at birthday party leaves 4 dead. Here's what we know -- Sheriff's spokesperson Heather Brent said the shooting happened at a banquet hall where a family was celebrating inside the building. During the celebration, gunshots erupted and 14 victims were shot, four of those people died. The victims' ages range from children to adults, according to Brent. Sheyanne Romero, Victoria Franco in the Stockton Record Daniel Lempres and Graham Womack in the Sacramento Bee$ Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jessica Garrison, Jack Flemming and Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/30/25

Hard lives in California’s fields: ‘The American dream eats us alive’ -- Undocumented farmworkers have formed the backbone of California agriculture for more than a century, yet they face mounting fears of ICE raids under the Trump administration. Workers spend six-day weeks picking fruit in scorching heat, a job many Americans aren’t willing to do. Brittny Mejia, Robert Gauthier in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/30/25

Robert Garcia leads Democrats’ strategy on Epstein probe, to GOP’s dismay -- After six tedious days combing through the records, Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and four staff members identified three emails that would go on to ignite a political firestorm. Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/30/25

Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends -- David Sacks, the Trump administration’s A.I. and crypto czar, has helped formulate policies that aid his Silicon Valley friends and many of his own tech investments. Cecilia Kang, Tripp Mickle Ryan Mac, David Yaffe-Bellany and Theodore Schleifer in the New York Times$ -- 11/30/25

‘Tech wealth effect’: Most Bay Area homes have lost value — except for one type -- For much of 2025, the Bay Area housing market has been fairly cool. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/30/25

Barabak: What a scandal! (Or not.) How things have changed -- A few weeks ago, Katie Porter’s campaign for California governor was reeling. A day after an irritable TV interview went viral, an old video surfaced of the former Orange County congresswoman cursing and berating one of her aides. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/30/25

After Prop. 50, San Diego may lose its only Republican in Congress as Democrats target Issa -- Eleven Democrats are vying to unseat Rep. Darrell Issa, a San Diego Republican, after California’s redistricting measure turned his reliably red district into a slightly blue one that will be a key swing race in next year’s midterm elections. Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/30/25

California immunization leader blasts FDA vaccine chief’s unsupported claim of child deaths -- The Food and Drug Administration’s director of vaccines, Vinay Prasad, proposed new regulations for vaccine approvals in an internal memo Friday after claiming, without evidence, that ten children died “after and because of” receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/30/25

Cal State faculty criticize presidents’ hefty pay boost amid layoffs, budget shortfall -- Top administrators across the California State University system will receive more than half a million dollars in pay raises in what trustees said is an effort to improve recruiting for executive-level candidates — but the policy change sparked outrage from faculty and staff who said it comes as they face “tsunamis” of layoffs. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/30/25

Something big is blocking California’s winter storms — here’s what that means -- Effects of a stratospheric disruption and hints of La Niña’s influence on the jet stream are likely to steer storms away from the West Coast for at least the first half of December. Anthony Edwards in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/30/25

Workplace

A warning sign? Tourism in San Diego slows with hotels seeing fewer guests -- More recently, though, growing uncertainty around the economy, on-again off-again tariffs, and rising expenses have dampened enthusiasm among businesses as well as the general public for dipping into their discretionary funds to pay for flights, hotels and dining out. Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 11/30/25

San Diego universities forge ahead with optimism and anxiety to shape new AI-literate workforce -- San Diego's colleges and universities are offering programs in artificial intelligence to make graduates competitive in the new workforce. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 11/30/25

Classroom

Fresno Unified restructures Black student achievement department to protect federal funding -- The Trump administration’s threat to cut federal funds to schools with race-based programs and a discrimination lawsuit prompted the Fresno Unified School District to restructure its academic support department for Black students. Lasherica Thornton EdSource in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/30/25

Kids on super-fast e-bikes are alarming California. One Bay Area school district is cracking down -- Menlo Park’s school district will soon begin enforcing a sweeping ban on ultra-fast e-bikes, citing recent crashes and concerns that a more serious collision is inevitable, the latest move by authorities across California to address what they view as a growing safety hazard. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/30/25

Methane

These very hungry microbes devour a powerful pollutant -- The cows had to be deterred from messing with the experiment. Researchers from a Bay Area technology company had come to the sprawling dairy farm north of San Francisco to test an emerging solution to planet-warming emissions: microscopic pink organisms that eat methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Allyson Chiu in the New York Times$ -- 11/30/25

Plastic

New California law means a big change for grocery shoppers in 2026 -- Plastic grocery bags will start vanishing from California grocery stores after Jan. 1, when restrictions are set to tighten as part of the state’s campaign to keep the bags from clogging waterways and landfills. Lucy Hodgman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/30/25

Street

The Shocking Crash That Led One County to Reckon With the Dangers of E-Bikes -- Unregulated e-bikes are a growing danger on American streets. In one Bay Area town, a terrible accident finally led to reform. David Darlington in the New York Times$ -- 11/30/25

Why did the 2015 San Bernardino mass shooting happen? -- Childhood abuse, terrorism, workplace conflict and semi-automatic weapons combined in murders of 14 people. Beau Yarbrough in the Orange County Register$ -- 11/30/25

POTUS 47

Lawmakers Suggest Follow-Up Boat Strike Could Be a War Crime -- Top Republicans have joined Democrats in demanding answers about the escalating military campaign the Trump administration says is aimed at targeting drug traffickers. Michael Gold in the New York Times$ Victoria Bisset, Alex Horton, Ellen Nakashima and Noah Robertson in the Washington Post$ -- 11/30/25

Hegseth conscripts the Pentagon for Trump’s ‘retribution campaign’ -- In threatening to deploy the military justice system against Democrats, Hegseth has joined Trump’s norm-shattering bid to punish political foes. Noah Robertson, Tara Copp and Sarah Ellison in the Washington Post$ -- 11/30/25

The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine -- Juan Orlando Hernández, whom Mr. Trump called a victim of persecution, helped orchestrate a decades-long trafficking conspiracy. It ravaged his Central American country. Santul Nerkar, Annie Correal and Colin Moynihan in the New York Times$ -- 11/30/25

Trump orders the closure of Venezuelan airspace -- President Donald Trump abruptly ordered the airspace closed above and around Venezuela on Saturday, further escalating tensions between the U.S. president and Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, whom the White House accuses of working with narco-terrorist organizations to facilitate drug trafficking. Ben Johansen and Gregory Svirnovskiy Politico -- 11/30/25

In Announcing Pardon of Drug Trafficker While Threatening Venezuela, Trump Displays Contradictions -- President Trump’s statements on social media less than 24 hours apart showed the dissonance in his campaign against drug trafficking. Tyler Pager in the New York Times$ -- 11/30/25

Inside Trump’s Push to Make the White House Ballroom as Big as Possible -- President Trump’s ever-growing vision has caused tension with contractors. His architect has taken a step back as the president personally manages the project. Luke Broadwater in the New York Times$ -- 11/30/25

Trump’s Focus on Drug War Means Big Business for Defense Startups -- Drones, sensors and AI platforms developed for other theaters are being rebranded as tools for the fight against ‘narco-terror’ Heather Somerville and Vera Bergengruen in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/30/25

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all -- As two men clung to a stricken, burning ship targeted by SEAL Team 6, the Joint Special Operations commander followed the defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors. Alex Horton and Ellen Nakashima in the Washington Post$ -- 11/30/25

Congressional committees to scrutinize U.S. killing of boat strike survivors -- In a rare split with the Trump administration, GOP-led panels in the House and Senate say they want a full accounting in the September military attack. Victoria Bisset, Alex Horton, Ellen Nakashima and Noah Robertson in the Washington Post$ -- 11/30/25

Trump cut tariffs on these five foods. It’s too late to stop price hikes -- “Once prices increase, especially for a broad category like groceries, very rarely do they come down,” said David Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University. And retailers are hesitant to adjust prices too much with things up in the air. “ There’s so much uncertainty with tariff announcements coming on and off.” Rachel Lerman in the Washington Post$ -- 11/30/25