California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Newsom says White House blocked him from speaking at global forum -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the California governor was denied entry into a venue at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday under pressure from the Trump administration. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag, Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 01/21/26

California Republican Party asks Supreme Court to halt new congressional map -- The California Republican Party Tuesday filed an emergency application asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the redrawing of congressional boundaries authorized by Proposition 50. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ Abbie VanSickle and Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ -- 01/21/26

Rep. Swalwell’s eligibility for governor questioned in lawsuit -- East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for governor, is facing a legal challenge that could threaten his place on California’s 2026 ballot, as a conservative filmmaker claims the congressman does not meet the state’s residency requirements. Chase Hunter in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 01/21/26

California’s Newsom hopes Trump ‘doesn’t double down on stupid’ in Davos -- California Governor Gavin Newsom predicted Wednesday that market shockwaves could force U.S. President Donald Trump to back down from his geopolitically shattering threats to seize Greenland from Denmark. Jamie Dettmer Politico -- 01/21/26

 

California’s newest ICE center has 1,400 detainees. What Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla saw there -- “The most frequent feedback we got was the inadequacy of the medical care they are receiving,” said Schiff. He described meeting a diabetic detainee who he said has not received treatment for her condition in two months. “That’s frightening,” he said. Wendy Fry Calmatters Brittny Mejia and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/21/26

Fresno’s Venezuelans tight-lipped, say family at home can be arrested for speech here -- “The reason that I don’t want to show my face is because I have relatives in Venezuela, and they have provided me information where they’re telling me that they have to be extremely careful because they can be arrested, extorted for money by the police,” said a Venezuelan American living in Fresno who asked to be identified as Carlos for fear of jeopardizing his family’s safety in Venezuela. María G. Ortiz-Briones in the Fresno Bee -- 01/21/26

Hundreds protest Trump at San Francisco’s Civic Center -- San Francisco’s Civic Center plaza was a sea of banners and protest signs Tuesday as hundreds gathered to demonstrate against President Donald Trump. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 01/21/26

 

Newsom tells world leaders their response to Trump is ‘pathetic’ -- Gov. Gavin Newsom had a stark message Monday for European leaders: “Stand tall and grow a spine,” he said, as they deal with President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland. “It’s time to buck up, it’s time to get serious and stop being complicit,” he told reporters. “It’s time to stand tall and firm, have a backbone.” David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/21/26

 

Covered California policyholders are downgrading their plans as new enrollees plummet -- The number of new Covered California enrollees has plunged about 32% compared with where it stood a year ago, and the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace is bracing for the eventual loss of 400,000 policyholders, most of whom will be priced out. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 01/21/26

Newsom touts gains against EBT theft as Trump presses blue states on benefits fraud -- Low-income Californians once lost millions of dollars a month to fraudsters who raided their accounts for food assistance and other public benefits. Gov. Gavin Newsom is highlighting security improvements as the Trump administration accuses Democratic states of tolerating welfare fraud. Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 01/21/26

Top legislator says state ‘must do better’ on housing after Newsom budget plan -- The chair of the California Assembly’s budget committee said Tuesday that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s current spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year does not go far enough on housing and homelessness. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 01/21/26

Consumers in wait-and-see mode as San Diego home prices and sales drop -- November is typically a slower month for sales, but not to this extreme. It was the second-slowest sales for that month in nearly 40 years of data. Only November 2023 was slower with 1,779 sales. Experts point to several factors limiting sales: A slight increase in mortgage rates, affordability challenges and rising insurance rates causing sticker shock. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 01/21/26

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan hosts governor candidate Republican Steve Hilton as he mulls his own bid for higher office -- The road to the Governor’s Office continues to run through San Jose, as Mayor Matt Mahan — who is seriously considering his own bid — hosted yet another candidate while pressing Sacramento leaders to take a more aggressive approach to California’s homelessness crisis. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 01/21/26

Billie Joe Armstrong slams ICE, Stephen Miller ahead of Super Bowl performances -- It may be a new year, but Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is still using his platform for pointed social commentary and political protest. Zara Irshad in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 01/21/26

Workplace

This acclaimed S.F. restaurant is offering an unusual employee benefit: Housing -- When Arnoldo Padilla started working as the daytime sous chef at Rich Table in San Francisco late last year, his days started at 5 a.m. to make the hour-plus commute — via car, BART and his own two feet — from his home in Fremont. Elena Kadvany in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 01/21/26

Wealth Tax

California crypto startup moves to South Dakota as debate over proposed wealth tax heats up -- BitGo moved its headquarters from Palo Alto to South Dakota ahead of its initial public offering targeting a roughly $2-billion valuation. The crypto firm’s move comes as California debates a ballot measure that would tax billionaires 5% on their total wealth for healthcare funding. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/21/26

Walters: Would California voters actually support a wealth tax on billionaires? -- In a sense, California has been taxing wealth since it became a state 175 years ago. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 01/21/26

Climate

California exceeds clean car goal despite declining federal support -- More than 2.5 million electric vehicles have been sold in California since 2010, exceeding one of the state’s EV goals despite setbacks in clean energy brought on by the Trump administration. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 01/21/26

Guns

Supreme Court appears likely to strike down California law banning guns in stores and restaurants -- California is among five states with new laws that forbid carrying guns into private places open to the public without the consent of an owner or manager. The Trump administration joined gun-rights advocates in urging the Supreme Court to strike down the laws as unconstitutional under the 2nd Amendment. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/21/26

Education

White Students Hurt by L.A. Desegregation Policy, Lawsuit Says -- Schools with more white children miss out on smaller class sizes and other benefits, the lawsuit says. The policy dates back to desegregation efforts in the 1970s. Sarah Mervosh in the New York Times$ -- 01/21/26

S.F. goes all in to pay for private tutors for 1,500 more city students -- Amid a national and turbulent debate on how to boost lagging literacy skills, San Francisco is putting its money behind a simple effort that seems to be generating the kind of jaw-dropping results often promised with education reforms, but rarely seen. The solution: tutors. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 01/21/26

Why California universities are still ‘on edge’ after Newsom proposed large budget increases -- California’s university systems are entering a pivotal stretch of budget negotiations, hoping to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in new state funding that they say is needed to support enrollment growth and make up for years of less-than-promised support. Michael Burke EdSource -- 01/21/26

Also

Chess grandmaster running for CA insurance commissioner challenges voters to a game -- Patrick Wolff, a candidate for California Insurance Commissioner, is aiming to reach voters in a unique way. Hector Amezcua and Hannah Ruhoff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 01/21/26

Progressive former S.F. supervisor joins race for California Insurance Commissioner -- Former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim is joining the race for California’s Insurance Commissioner with bold proposals to get the government even more involved in making home insurance available and affordable — including becoming an insurer itself. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 01/21/26

Barabak: California is suffering truth decay. Sacramento should do something about it -- California has lost a third of its newsrooms and 70% of journalists in 25 years. A $175-million deal to fund local journalism has faltered, with Gov. Gavin Newsom zeroing out the program in his latest budget proposal. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/21/26

POTUS 47

Stocks Post Biggest Drop in Months as Tensions Over Greenland Mount -- The S&P 500 saw its biggest decline since October, and market jitters spread to Asia on Wednesday. Joe Rennison in the New York Times$ -- 01/21/26

Greenland Clash Risks Undermining America’s Place in World Economic Order -- The U.S. has long been a beacon of safety when uncertainty reigns. That is changing. Justin Lahart and Sam Goldfarb in the Wall Street Journal$ Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times$ -- 01/21/26

EU moves closer to using its trade bazooka against the US -- EU leaders have toughened their position and want the European Commission to ready its most powerful trade weapon against the U.S. if Donald Trump doesn't walk back his Greenland threats. Zoya Sheftalovich, Camille Gijs, Nette Nöstlinger, Gabriel Gavin, Jacopo Barigazzi and Clea Caulcutt Politico -- 01/21/26

The $100 Billion of U.S. Goods at Risk of Tariffs in Trump’s Greenland Push -- If President Trump follows through with a threat to put new tariffs on European allies over Greenland, some $100 billion worth of American exports—from Boeing aircraft to bourbon whiskey—could get caught in the crossfire. Kim Mackrael and Benjamin Katz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 01/21/26

China pitches itself as reliable partner amid Trump threats -- Vice Premier He Lifeng says the world shouldn’t slide back into “the law of the jungle, where the strong bully the weak.” Carlo Martuscelli Politico -- 01/21/26

Trump administration concedes DOGE team may have misused Social Security data -- Two members of Elon Musk’s DOGE team working at the Social Security Administration were secretly in touch with an advocacy group seeking to “overturn election results in certain states,” and one signed an agreement that may have involved using Social Security data to match state voter rolls, the Justice Department revealed in newly disclosed court papers. Kyle Cheney Politico Meryl Kornfield in the Washington Post$ -- 01/21/26