California Policy and Politics Thursday

California launches civil rights probe into botched evacuations in historically Black Altadena -- More than a year after the devastating Eaton fire — and following months of mounting pressure from survivors — California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta has opened a civil rights investigation into fire preparations and response, including how potential disparities may have affected west Altadena. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/26

S.F. teachers strike: No agreement after marathon talks, return to class this week unlikely -- After 16 hours of negotiations through the wee hours of Thursday morning, San Francisco labor and school district officials remained at odds over contract terms as the teachers strike moved into its fourth day. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/26

Rejecting science, Trump reverses conclusion that climate change is harming Americans -- The Trump administration has repealed the 2009 endangerment finding on greenhouse gases, eliminating the foundation of much of U.S. climate policy. Hayley Smith and Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko, Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/26

Billionaires are pouring money into San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s campaign for governor -- Google co-founder Sergey Brin, the third-richest person in the world ($255 billion) according to Forbes, is putting his money behind San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan to be California’s next governor, one of several billionaires and top tech leaders to contribute to Mahan’s fledgling run. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/12/26

OpenAI pivots its California ballot fight to Legislature -- OpenAI and Common Sense are putting their kids chatbot safety ballot campaign on hold this year, as they try their hand at negotiating with the Legislature on a solution instead. Christine Mui and Chase DiFeliciantonio Politico -- 2/12/26

Tom Steyer wants to convince Californians he’s the ultimate unicorn: A billionaire populist -- As the former San Francisco hedge fund manager introduces himself to voters, he’s making a case that could make his candidacy an even harder sell: that it’s possible to be both a billionaire and a man of the people. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/11/26

Instagram boss defends app from witness stand in trial over alleged harms to kids -- The head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, testified Wednesday in a Los Angeles civil trial over a lawsuit that alleges the company and co-defendant YouTube knew their products were harmful to children. “We’re trying to be as safe as possible but also censor as little as possible,” Mosseri said from the witness stand. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/26

Progressive lawmakers’ new tax proposal targets international corporations -- After months of behind-the-scenes meetings, progressive lawmakers in the California Assembly this week introduced what is likely to be a signature revenue raising proposal for 2026 — a bill targeting large global corporations who they say have shifted profits offshore to lower their tax bills for decades. Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/12/26

Walters: Could taxing multinational corporations erase California’s budget deficits? Not likely -- The state budget’s chronic gaps between income and outgo — $125 billion over the last few years, according to the Legislature’s fiscal advisor — have left Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators scrambling for ways to clean up the state’s finances. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 2/12/26

LA28 Olympic Committee backs embattled Casey Wasserman over Epstein files -- As Casey Wasserman faces growing fallout over ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the leaders of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics announced they reviewed his past conduct and determined he should continue to serve as chair of LA28. Jenny Jarvie, Dakota Smith and Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/26

Secrecy surrounds hiring of LAPD messaging guru with Hollywood background -- The Los Angeles City Council recently authorized $191,000 in funding to pay for the Police Department’s new director of internal communication. Police officials have tried to keep the name of their preferred candidate for the job under wraps. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/26

Bonta sues to block Trump funding threat over student ‘forced outing’ law -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing the Trump administration in an effort to preemptively block it from pulling federal funding over a state law regarding how schools notify parents about a student’s gender identity. Eric He Politico -- 2/12/26

 

Lurie wades in as teachers' strike roils San Francisco -- Mayor Daniel Lurie is inserting himself in tense negotiations between the city’s teachers’ union and district officials amid a strike that will close public schools citywide for a fourth day today. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 2/12/26

S.F. teachers strike: Schools closed again Thursday as talks continue -- With tense negotiations continuing through the third day of the San Francisco teachers strike, district officials announced schools would remain closed Thursday given the uncertainty of when a deal would be reached. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/26

On the field and stage, SFUSD kids fill in for striking staff -- Athletes are practicing and theater kids are rehearsing without their coaches and teachers. George Kelly and Kevin Truong San Francisco Standard -- 02/11/26

 

Mayor Lurie’s plan to overhaul key part of S.F. red tape is facing its most public test yet -- Mayor Daniel Lurie is about to take a big step toward realizing an ambitious and politically risky goal: trying to bring San Francisco’s archaic permitting system into the 21st century. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/26

Nithya Raman declared ‘Defund the police.’ Now she says L.A. shouldn’t lose more cops -- L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman said the city needs to maintain the size of the LAPD, which has about 8,700 officers. When Raman first ran for city council in 2020, she called for the LAPD to be much smaller, declaring “defund the police” at one point. Noah Goldberg and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/26

Gov. Gavin Newsom approves $90 million for Planned Parenthood -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Wednesday to provide $90 million to Planned Parenthood, a move intended to help offset the losses from recent federal cuts targeting abortion providers. Katie King in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/26

L.A. County labor coalition backs Karen Bass, slams Raman as a ‘political opportunist’ -- The head of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, blasted Nithya Raman on Wednesday, calling the City Council member an “opportunist” for launching a campaign to unseat Mayor Karen Bass after previously signaling her support for Bass. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/26

Barabak: There’s nothing phony about California elections. The same can’t be said for Trump and his enablers -- House Speaker Mike Johnson continues to perpetuate falsehoods about California elections, though he should know better. False claims further President Trump’s aim to sow doubts about the midterm election. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/26

Workplace

Salesforce reportedly lays off hundreds as Benioff jokes about ICE -- Salesforce employees are outraged after CEO Marc Benioff joked about ICE at a company event. Meanwhile, the company laid off employees for the second time in several months. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/11/26

San Francisco’s new film incentives land Netflix’s ‘A Man on the Inside’ Season 3 -- The ink from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s pen wasn’t even dry on the legislation that dramatically strengthened San Francisco’s film incentive program when it began paying off. G. Allen Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/11/26

Healthcare Jobs Have Become the Engine of America’s Labor Market -- Demand for healthcare workers outstrips all other sectors. That means big changes in a labor market where retail and white-collar hiring have stalled. Harriet Torry and Konrad Putzier in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/12/26

ICE

Department of Homeland Security must provide ‘constitutionally adequate healthcare’ at ICE detention center, judge rules -- In her Tuesday ruling, U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney also required an external monitor be appointed to ensure compliance, including through review of medical records and on-site inspection and interviews with patients and staff at the California City Detention Facility in the Mojave Desert. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/26

Wildfire

New bill asks California to craft standard for cleaning wildfire smoke-tainted homes -- AB1795, or the Smoke Damage Recovery Act, would direct state regulators to create public health standards for testing and cleaning wildfire smoke-tainted homes. Megan Fan Munce, Susie Neilson, Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/11/26

Subsidence

These maps show where California sank the most over the past decade -- The San Joaquin Valley saw the biggest drops, with parts of the Tulare Basin sinking more than seven feet between 2015 and 2025. Jack Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/26

Street

Officer’s criminal record a factor in dismissed charges against L.A. anti-ICE protesters -- Prosecutors dropped assault charges against two protesters after defense attorneys said an officer named as the victim in both cases failed to disclose prior criminal convictions. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/26

California man serving prison time is awarded $27.3 million for 2021 shooting by deputy -- A federal jury awarded more than $27 million in damages to an Adelanto man who now uses a wheelchair after being shot multiple times by a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy in 2021. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/26

9 inmate deaths already this year bring renewed scrutiny of L.A. County jail conditions -- Nine people have died inside L.A. County jails so far this year, an alarming number for the Sheriff’s Department as it continues to face a lawsuit from the state over the conditions in local lockups. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/26

Also

He was flying from L.A. to Houston. So how did he end up in Tokyo? -- When Víctor Calderón got to the main cabin of a United Airlines flight at L.A. International Airport, he plugged in his headphones and settled into his economy seat for what he thought was a Houston-bound flight. Andrea Flores in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/26

POTUS 47

In rebuke, House votes to roll back Trump’s tariffs on Canada -- The president could veto the measure if it reaches his desk, but the action underscores some Republican frustrations with his trade policies. Riley Beggin and David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ Robert Jimison in the New York Times$ -- 2/12/26

Trump’s Director of Election Security Is an Election Denier -- Even in a government full of conspiracists, Kurt Olsen stands out. He made a key referral in the Fulton County, Ga., election case. Shawn McCreesh, Alexandra Berzon and Nick Corasaniti in the New York Times$ -- 2/12/26

Trump orders Pentagon to buy coal power as the polluting fuel struggles to survive -- The president’s directive aims to boost the fading energy source, potentially at a big cost to tax and rate payers. Evan Halper in the Washington Post$ Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/26

IRS improperly disclosed confidential immigrant tax data to DHS -- The Internal Revenue Service improperly shared confidential tax information of thousands of individuals with immigration enforcement officials, according to three people familiar with the situation, appearing to breach a legal fire wall intended to protect taxpayer data. Jacob Bogage, Jeff Stein and Perry Stein in the Washington Post$ -- 2/11/26