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California Policy and Politics Tuesday
ICE explains why a 6-year-old deaf boy from Hayward was deported to Colombia -- Federal immigration officials say a Hayward mother and her two young children, including a 6-year-old boy who is deaf, were deported to Colombia last week because an immigration judge ordered their removal two years ago. Jessica Flores, Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/10/26
Some State Farm customers could see refunds while homeowner rate hikes stay put -- The Los Angeles County fires last year drove up insurance costs for many Californians. Now, a proposed settlement means some State Farm policyholders whose premiums rose won’t see additional increases, and others should even get refunds. Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 3/10/26
California cut health care for undocumented immigrants. One lawmaker wants it back -- California Democrats introduced legislation to restore Medi-Cal for all income-qualifying residents of any age, including undocumented immigrants. Gov. Newsom scaled back that program because of state budget deficits. Kristen Hwang Calmatters -- 3/10/26
Hailing rides to and from LAX could get more expensive under new proposal -- LAX officials propose tripling ride app access fees to encourage use of the upcoming Automated People Mover and reduce airport congestion. The increase would make LAX rides among the world’s most expensive, sparking opposition from Uber, Lyft, travelers, and state lawmakers. Karen Garcia and Cierra Morgan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/10/26
HMPV
A little-known virus is spreading in Northern California -- In offices and classrooms across the Bay Area, sick days are piling up again. But many people testing negative for COVID-19 and the flu may be dealing with something else: a respiratory virus many Americans have likely never heard of — human metapneumovirus, or HMPV. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/10/26
Education
San Jose State University sues to keep students from being barred from federal financial aid -- With federal financial aid for two-thirds of its students and nearly $200 million in research grants at stake, San Jose State University sued the U.S. Department of Education on Friday, accusing the agency of unlawfully threatening to cut off funding over the school’s decision to allow a transgender volleyball player to compete. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/10/26
Also
Casey Wasserman’s Name Is Erased From the Company He Founded -- Casey Wasserman’s name was dropped on Monday from the sports and marketing agency he founded as company officials sought to distance it from Mr. Wasserman after his appearance in the Jeffrey Epstein files. The company is continuing to seek a buyer for the business Shawn Hubler and Nicole Stock in the New York Times$ -- 3/10/26
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Trump Advisers Urge Him to Find Iran Exit Ramp, Fearing Political Backlash -- President Trump said he was eyeing a quick end to the war in Iran, as some of his advisers privately urged him to look for an exit plan amid spiking oil prices and concerns that a lengthy conflict could spark political backlash. Alexander Ward, Josh Dawsey and Alex Leary in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/10/26
U.S. and Israeli war in Iran, which Trump says will be ‘short term,’ has global reach -- The war has sent oil prices soaring around the world as U.S., Israeli and Iranian strikes have disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and destroyed oil and gas facilities. The conflict has impacted and drawn in nations from around the world, which experts said creates more pressure, but could also make the war more difficult to end. Kevin Rector and Gavin J. Quinton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/10/26
Short of Ending Iran Conflict, Trump Has Limited Tools to Lower Oil Prices -- While officials look for ways to ease oil shocks, experts say higher prices will likely persist until traffic through the Strait of Hormuz returns. Brad Plumer in the New York Times$ -- 3/10/26
Trump wants a war on cartels. Mexico’s president says he should start by combatting guns and addiction -- President Claudia Sheinbaum says the U.S. should address drug demand and stop illegal arms trafficking, noting 75% of Mexican cartel guns originate in the United States. Kate Linthicum and Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/10/26
California Policy and Politics Monday
They made a delivery to Camp Pendleton, or maybe a wrong turn. Then they were arrested by ICE -- Federal court records show that in recent months, at least 22 foreign-born individuals living lawfully in the United States have been detained for hours by Marine Corps personnel at Camp Pendleton, and then arrested by immigration officers and held for weeks or longer, for trying to access the military base inadvertently or for work purposes. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 3/9/26
For UCI professor, sharing data about immigrants and crime is risky -- Immigrants, authorized and otherwise, are less likely to commit serious crime or be sent to prison than are native-born Americans. That’s according to numerous studies from groups as politically diverse as the Cato Institute, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Migration Policy Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the National Bureau of Economic Research and the American Sociological Association, among others. Andre Mouchard in the Orange County Register$ -- 3/9/26
ICE arrests of immigrants without criminal records surge in Northern California -- Agents arrested about five times as many people who did not appear to have criminal records in the first nine months of 2025 as in the entire year prior. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/9/26
‘What is the mission?’ With Iran, California military families fear another ‘forever war’ -- The escalating Iran conflict has sent a chill through military communities across California, which is home to more than 157,000 active-duty military personnel. Alex Wigglesworth, Hailey Branson-Potts and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
What is Trump’s true objective in the Iran war? U.S. targets provide a clue -- Strikes have increasingly targeted Iran’s internal security forces, used by the Islamic Republic to suppress public dissent. By all accounts, the campaign against Iran’s military assets has achieved success. Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
Eight Democrats and no frontrunner: California’s governor race is a mess -- It’s a highly unusual situation for a state where governor races have been dominated by figures like Gavin Newsom, Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 3/9/26
Newsom railed against Medicaid work requirements — until he didn't -- Medicaid work requirements forced the California governor into an awkward spot. Rachel Bluth Politico -- 3/9/26
Newsom’s fight with Trump and RFK Jr. on public health -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has positioned himself as a national public health leader by staking out science-backed policies in contrast with the Trump administration. Angela Hart KFF Health News in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
Candidates scramble, one quits, after redistricting shakes up California’s congressional races -- California’s rejiggered congressional districts will force voters to educate themselves on the shifting field of candidates in the June primary. One GOP congressman decided to retire, and another is running as an independent. Nicole Nixon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
Newsom changed California prisons. What will the justice system look like after he leaves? -- California’s criminal justice system looks different in a very tangible way compared to when Gov. Gavin Newsom took office seven years ago. Adam Ashton Calmatters in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
Newsom planning $19-million push to polish California’s national image -- Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to spend $19 million promoting California and dispelling “myths driven by misinformation and political rhetoric” in a marketing campaign that would run through the final months of his administration as he weighs a potential run for president. Melody Gutierrez and Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/26
Lopez: Horrified by the state of the union, he’s an angry protester. But he’s also optimistic -- Some brave souls are stepping into the fray, taking to the streets to protest Trump’s war against Iran. To protester Bert Voorhees, ‘democracy is a privilege,’ and your participation does not end with voting. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
It was John Wayne’s political club. Now it’s spending millions on online influence -- The Lincoln Media Foundation has spent big to push ‘local’ conservative messaging. Colin Lecher Calmatters -- 3/9/26
Skelton: Promising free college tuition is good politics -- and a good idea -- One unique perk California kids enjoyed for generations was tuition-free college. Now, a candidate for governor promises to bring that back. And bravo for her. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
Kamala Harris Is Buying Time — But Democrats Are Looking Ahead -- Her extended book tour keeps 2028 in play. But conversations with Democrats suggest the party may already be searching for its next standard-bearer. Jonathan Martin Politico -- 3/9/26
Workplace
Why Washington is hamstrung on protecting workers from AI -- President Donald Trump’s steadfast support for artificial intelligence is butting up against rising voter fears that the technology will take their jobs amid a weakening labor market and constant headlines about AI-related layoffs in Silicon Valley. Yasmin Khorram and Cheyenne Haslett Politico -- 3/9/26
Housing
California has 40,000 affordable housing units ready to break ground. One setback is holding them up -- Tens of thousands of affordable units across California are stuck in financial purgatory, according to a new report. Will more money get them moving? Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 3/9/26
Environment
Long after leaving Oakland, the A’s are still fighting a West Oakland metal shredder — alongside environmentalists -- Long after leaving Oakland, the A’s are still fighting in court and the California Legislature to push for an environmental crackdown on a longstanding metal-shredding plant that once stymied the baseball franchise’s dreams of a waterfront ballpark at the harbor. Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/9/26
Also
Have a Montana License Plate in California? Officials Have an Eye on You -- Since 2018, Californians have bought luxury vehicles worth over $20 million in sales-tax-free Montana, exploiting a loophole that avoided millions of dollars in levies, an investigation revealed. Adeel Hassan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/26
The strange, psychedelic history of how San Francisco got colorful homes -- There was a time when San Francisco leaders couldn’t demolish Victorian homes fast enough. Peter Hartlaub in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/9/26
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The Long-Feared Persian Gulf Oil Squeeze Is Upon Us -- Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has ground to a virtual halt, unleashing the most severe energy crisis since the 1970s and threatening the global economy. Joe Wallace, Summer Said, Rebecca Feng and Georgi Kantchev in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/9/26
Oil Prices Surge Above $100 a Barrel for the First Time in Almost Four Years -- Oil prices surged on Sunday evening, briefly topping $110 a barrel soon after markets opened, in a sign of growing concern that the war in the Middle East will continue to take a toll on energy supplies. Rebecca F. Elliott and Joe Rennison in the New York Times$ -- 3/9/26
War with Iran spreading economic damage far beyond oil and gas markets -- The closure of several international airports in the conflict zone, including the world’s busiest in Dubai, idled nearly one-fifth of global airfreight capacity, interrupting shipments of consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals and precious metals. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 3/9/26