California Policy and Politics Wednesday

L.A. County jails are handing inmates over to ICE for the first time in years -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has resumed transferring jail inmates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the first time in years, despite local sanctuary policies that aim to shield people from deportation. Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

ICE arrest separates Brazilian man from pregnant Bay Area wife -- Rachel Leidig, a 36-year-old makeup artist and Bay Area resident, was at work on Friday when she got a call from an unfamiliar Washington state number. The caller ID said “ICE Detention.” Her heart dropped. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/16/25

To counter Texas, Newsom suggests special election to gerrymander California -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday said he’s thinking about calling a special election to gerrymander California’s congressional districts to counter similar efforts in Texas. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/16/25

Barabak: Newsom threatens Texas over power grab. He’s blowing smoke -- Imagine a Washington in which President Trump was held to account. A Washington in which Congress doesn’t roll over like a dog begging for a treat. A Washington that functions the way it’s supposed to, with that whole checks-and-balances thing working. Enticing, no? Mark Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

Will she or won’t she? The California governor’s race waits on Kamala Harris -- The 2026 governor’s race is in suspended motion as donors and powerful Democratic interests await former Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision about whether she will enter the contest. Laura J. Nelson and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

One of California’s most vulnerable Republicans just got a new challenger -- Jasmeet Bains, a doctor who represents Kern County in the state Assembly, becomes the latest Democrat and likely frontrunner in the race against Republican Rep. David Valadao, whose deciding vote earlier this month pushed President Donald Trump’s policy agenda through Congress, endangering health care for millions. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 07/16/25

Trump officials to send home half of the 4,000 National Guard troops in L.A. -- Nearly six weeks into a controversial military deployment, the Pentagon on Tuesday announced that half of the almost 4,000 National Guard soldiers who had been deployed to the Los Angeles area would be released from duty. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ Anumita Kaur, Angie Orellana Hernandez and Niha Masih in the Washington Post$ -- 07/16/25

Trump accuses Schiff of mortgage fraud, which Schiff calls false ‘political retaliation’ -- Fannie Mae investigators did not say they had concluded that a crime had been committed, nor did they mention the word ‘fraud’ in a memo reviewed by The Times. Schiff suggested Trump’s accusation was an effort to distract from a growing controversy over the administration’s failure to disclose more investigative records into child sex abuse by Jeffrey Epstein. Kevin Rector and Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 07/16/25

House Speaker Mike Johnson sees no progress on CA disaster aid, blasts Gavin Newsom -- The speaker said he had not seen a request for aid from the White House. But Newsom did send Johnson, Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and top House Democrats a 14-page detailed letter seeking help on February 21. The fires killed 30 people. David Lightman and Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 07/16/25

With hundreds of millions of dollars at risk in Bay Area, lawsuit against Trump grows over grant funds -- As the Trump administration continues its attempts to impose conditions on federal grants, a coalition of 60 local governments — including the counties of Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo — is asking a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from adding stipulations to grants that could put hundreds of millions of dollars at risk in the region. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/16/25

Weather warning

Trump cuts to California National Weather Service leave ‘critical’ holes: ‘It’s unheard of’ -- Some National Weather Service offices in California are among those hit hardest by meteorologist vacancies, heightening concerns as the state contends with the threat of extreme weather. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

 

Controversial airline to leave California --An Avelo Airlines spokesperson said the company’s flights out of Sonoma County’s Charles M. Schulz Airport and Hollywood Burbank Airport were not profitable enough, and that protests that erupted this spring over the company’s contract with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement “did not influence the decision.” Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/16/25

ICE

Amid immigration raids, MLBPA advises players to keep legal documents with them -- As federal agents conduct immigration raids in Southern California and across America, the union representing major and minor league baseball players has warned any concerned members to “carry documentation wherever they go,” union chief Tony Clark said Tuesday. Bill Shaikin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

Inland Empire lawmakers kept out of Adelanto detention center say ICE rules are blocking oversight -- Two Democratic lawmaker say that the Department of Homeland Security is placing restrictive rules on visiting the Adelanto ICE Processing Center which interferes with their ability to conduct Congressional oversight. Deborah Brennan Calmatters -- 07/16/25

California ICE detention facility fills up with people who have no criminal history -- The majority of new detainees at one Kern County facility in McFarland are immigrants with no criminal convictions, according to the latest data by ICE, mirroring a nationwide trend. Meanwhile, another detention facility in Bakersfield is at capacity, according to immigrant advocates. Melissa Montalvo in the Fresno Bee -- 07/16/25

Immigration arrests of mostly noncriminals accelerated in Southern California in June -- From June 1 and June 26, Immigration and Customs Enforcement data show 2,031 were arrested in a seven-county area. About 68% of those had no criminal convictions and an additional 57% had never been charged with a crime. Rachel Uranga and Sean Greene in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

OC father of 3 U.S. Marines released from immigration detention center after multiple days of delay -- The family of Narciso Barranco was reunited with the 48-year-old landscaper on Tuesday, July 15, after bureaucratic delays postponed his bond release from the Adelanto U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center. Mona Darwish in the Orange County Register$ -- 07/16/25

Restraining order extended against ICE in case of San Jose tattoo artist -- Rita F. Lin, U.S. District Judge for Northern California, extended a temporary restraining order against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to 5 p.m. this Thursday. By that time, she expects to rule on Guillermo Medina Reyes’ petition for a preliminary injunction against the agency until the formerly incarcerated and detained Mexican immigrant rights leader can have a hearing before an impartial judge about his immigration status. Jia H. Jung in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/16/25

Many Mexican immigrants swept up in L.A. raids are deeply rooted in U.S. -- A study by the Mexican consul general in Los Angeles of Mexican citizens detained in recent raids found that more than one-third had lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years. Patrick J. McDonnell and Cecilia Sanchez Vidal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

Workplace

Thousands of Californians lost work after LA immigration raids. Citizens did, too -- A new report from UC Merced shows Latino and white people especially lost work after the Trump administration escalated immigration enforcement in L.A. Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 07/16/25

Metro’s ridership in June dropped to lowest of the year after immigration raids -- After months of a steady climb in ridership, Metro’s numbers fell to its lowest levels of the year in June after the immigration raids throughout Los Angeles County. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

Central City Assn. says businesses need help to bounce back from raids and tariffs -- There has been growing list of recent restaurant closures in L.A., including the 117-year-old Cole’s French Dip downtown, soul food bistro My 2 Cents on West Pico Boulevard and natural wine bar Melody in Virgil Village. The most recent beloved venue set to close downtown: the Michelin-starred Shibumi. Md Fazlur Rahman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

KQED cuts 15% of staff as it faces budget woes and federal threats -- Among the hardest-hit departments is the entire video division, including the award-winning science series “Deep Look,” the station confirmed in a public statement released Tuesday, July 15, shortly after a Chronicle report. Cuts will also affect KQED’s education, IT and human resources teams. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/16/25

AI

These California metro areas are among the most AI-ready in the nation -- Despite suggestions it has been losing its edge, California is way ahead of others when it comes to the hottest technology right now: artificial intelligence. The regions around San Francisco, San José and Los Angeles are among the best prepped for AI in the country, according to a report released Wednesday by the Brookings Institution. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

Some in California want to regulate AI. Will Gavin Newsom do it? -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is fond of saying, “as California goes, so goes the nation,” a maxim he applies to nearly everything from curbing school sales of foods with chemical dyes to calling for a constitutional convention for gun safety rules to now, using artificial intelligence to improve government. Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 07/16/25

Education AI

AI is helping students be more independent, but the isolation could be career poison -- Chatbots may give students quick answers when they have questions, but they won’t help students form relationships that matter for college and life success. Tara García Mathewson Calmatters -- 07/16/25

Are AI chatbots harming teenagers? California lawmakers think so -- Making an AI companion bot is easy. On the popular site Replika, it takes minutes to create an account. All a user needs to do is select a gender, name and look for their avatar. Once the avatar is personalized to a user’s liking, they can begin chatting. Kate Wolffe in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 07/16/25

CalPERS

CalPERS health premium rates to increase in 2026. Here’s how much they’ll cost -- Most state workers’ health insurance premiums will increase in 2026 following approval of the new rates by the California Public Employees Retirement System’s Board of Administration on Tuesday. Several of the most popular plans will see double digit hikes next year. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 07/16/25

Education - Congress

UC Berkeley chancellor forcefully defends campus at D.C. antisemitism hearing -- UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons on Tuesday forcefully defended his university against accusations that it has tolerated antisemitism as Republicans on a congressional education committee grilled him and two other university leaders. All three top administrators pushed back on assertions that they have not done enough to stop anti-Jewish hatred. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ Vimal Patel, Sharon Otterman and Michael Gold in the New York Times$ Diana Ramirez-Simon The Guardian -- 07/16/25

Slow Growth

This key data shows S.F.’s growth remains sluggish — and far worse than rest of the Bay Area -- San Francisco’s assessment roll — the combined assessed value of land, structures and business property that is subject to property tax — grew an anemic 1.8%, to an estimated $353.5 billion, this year, due in part to falling values for office buildings, hotels and some multifamily housing and a deluge of appeals from property owners seeking to lower their tax bills. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/16/25

Pain Index

Silicon Valley Pain Index says poverty, inequality continue to plague South Bay -- The 2025 report, published by San Jose State University researchers, found that housing, food security, and education continue to fall short of many residents’ needs. Andrew Zeng in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/16/25

Health Care

New student loan cap under Trump could threaten CA health care -- Tucked inside the sweeping budget bill that President Donald Trump signed earlier this month is a provision to slash the amount of money medical school students can borrow in federal loans. Lynn La Calmatters -- 07/16/25

Innocent

He was wrongfully convicted of murder. Now L.A. County will pay him $14 million -- Alexander Torres spent more than 20 years in prison for a murder that he did not commit. He landed there despite shaky witness testimony, the fact that he was wearing a cast at the time that would have made pulling a trigger unlikely, and multiple people saying he was at his mother’s birthday party at the time. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

Homeless

More S.F. neighborhoods would get homeless shelters under revised proposal -- For years, San Francisco’s approach to fighting homelessness has concentrated shelters and services in just a handful of troubled neighborhoods. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/16/25

San Francisco sets parking limit on RVs to clear vehicle dwellers off streets -- People living in RVs in San Francisco will soon be barred from parking longer than two hours on all city streets unless they get a permit, a move that critics say has caused significant distress among the hundreds of RV dwellers who live in the city. Aldo Toledo, Tom Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/16/25

Street

‘American Idol’ exec, husband were killed in Encino home days before bodies were found, police say -- The slayings of “American Idol” music supervisor Robin Kaye and her rock musician husband, Tom DeLuca, in their Encino home may have happened days before their bodies were discovered Monday afternoon, Los Angeles police say. Richard Winton, Alexandra Del Rosario and Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ Matt Stevens in the New York Times$ -- 07/16/25

Also

Capitol Weekly Insider Survey: The best and worst legislators of 2025 -- In our latest survey conducted in partnership with Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc., we polled thousands of Capitol denizens on their favorite and least favorite legislators. As with the Top 100, this is sure to spark some controversy. Tim Foster and Brian Joseph Capitol Weekly -- 07/16/25

Creepy texts offer clues in disappearance of SoCal grandpa linked to crypto fortune -- The father of a cryptocurrency mogul has disappeared from his Southern California home. Detectives say someone used his phone to impersonate him and took money from his bank accounts. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/16/25

Walters: Why California’s agricultural industry is at odds over converting land to solar farms -- The Imperial Irrigation District, which provides water to farmers in the southeastern corner of California, drew a figurative line in the sand earlier this month, calling for a halt to the conversion of agricultural fields into solar panel farms. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 07/16/25

Here’s how long you can live in California on $1 million in retirement savings -- With high costs for housing, groceries and other expenses, California is one of the most expensive places to retire in the United States, according to a new study by personal finance website GoBankingRates. Sarah Linn in the Fresno Bee -- 07/16/25

POTUS 47

US businesses brace for impact of all-out trade war -- Countries are preparing to respond in-kind if Trump follows through on his latest threats. Domestic industries fear the worst. Daniel Desrochers Politico -- 07/16/25

Trump Has Drafted Letter to Fire Fed Chair and Asked Republicans if He Should -- The president waved a copy of a draft letter firing Jerome H. Powell at a meeting in the Oval Office with House Republicans. It remains to be seen whether he follows through with his threat. Maggie Haberman and Colby Smith in the New York Times$ Brian Schwartz and Nick Timiraos in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 07/16/25

Dimon Defends Fed Independence After Trump Attacks -- JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon sounded Wall Street’s clearest warning against the Trump administration’s attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, describing the central bank’s independence as crucial. Sam Goldfarb and Nick Timiraos in the Wall Street Journal$ Rob Copeland in the New York Times$ -- 07/16/25

Trump Effect Starts to Show Up in Economy -- A chaotic rollout of tariffs is starting to filter through to price tags on store shelves. An immigration crackdown is beginning to weigh on jobs growth, measured by federal surveys. Taken together, the impact of President Trump’s whirlwind six months back in office is showing up in the economy. David Uberti in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 07/16/25

Rising Inflation Underscores Risks in Trump’s New Tariff Threats -- New data showing price increases last month could foreshadow even higher costs if the president imposes steep tariffs on Aug. 1. Tony Romm and Colby Smith in the New York Times$ -- 07/16/25

Canada’s Leader Says There’s Little Hope of Avoiding U.S. Tariffs -- After long insisting that Canada could avoid Trump tariffs through talks, Mark Carney now says that is unlikely for any nation. Ian Austen in the New York Times$ -- 07/16/25

Trump disavows "PAST supporters" who believed "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax" -- President Trump on Wednesday bashed "PAST supporters" for their focus on what he called the "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax" amid ongoing scrutiny of his administration's handling of evidence in the notorious Epstein's case. Avery Lotz Axios Jake Traylor Politico Annie Linskey and Jasmine Li in the Wall Street Journal$ Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 07/16/25

Johnson breaks with Trump, calls for DOJ to release Epstein files -- Speaker Mike Johnson is calling for the Department of Justice to release all of its information on Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in jail after being charged with sex trafficking, and wants Attorney General Pam Bondi to explain previous statements on the matter. Cheyanne M. Daniels Politico Marianna Sotomayor in the Washington Post$ Chris Stein The Guardian -- 07/16/25

DOJ hits states with broad requests for voter rolls, election data -- The Trump administration and its allies have launched a multipronged effort to gather data on voters and inspect voting equipment, sparking concern among local and state election officials about federal interference ahead of the 2026 midterms. Patrick Marley and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez in the Washington Post$ -- 07/16/25

How Elon Musk’s X is fueling the MAGA-Trump split -- The Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy saga is blowing up in the White House’s face — and social-media experts say that Elon Musk’s remake of X helped light the fuse. Aaron Mak Politico -- 07/16/25

Trump sues Corporation for Public Broadcasting to oust board members -- The Trump administration sued three members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting on Tuesday, more than two months after he attempted to fire them. Scott Nover in the Washington Post$ -- 07/16/25