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California Policy and Politics Tuesday
San Francisco lawmakers announce plan to ‘break up’ with PG&E -- San Francisco lawmakers introduced legislation that would allow it to end its 120-year relationship with Pacific Gas & Electric and form a publicly owned utility. San Francisco residents pay some of the nation’s highest electricity rates and have experienced widespread blackouts linked to PG&E’s aging infrastructure. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
Proposed California home insurance laws would guarantee coverage for fire-safe homes -- New legislation would require California home insurers to guarantee coverage for homeowners that take steps to reduce their wildfire risk and give policyholders at least six months notice before being dropped. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/24/26
Uber ballot initiative sparks showdown with lawyers, doctors -- Lawyers and doctors oppose Uber’s proposed California ballot initiative, which would cap contingency fees and limit recoveries of medical costs for all car crashes in the state. Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 2/24/26
Election betting boom sparks midterm brawl in California -- Eric Swalwell has made a habit of posting and sending out screenshots of his betting odds in the race for California governor. The Bay Area Democrat has every reason to keep at it, holding frontrunner status on the most popular prediction markets, Kalshi and Polymarket, for months. Christine Mui Politico -- 2/24/26
Newsom pushes back on ‘fake’ outrage and racism allegations from the right -- Gov. Newsom sharply criticized conservative commentators’ accusations that his comments about his low SAT score disparaged Black Americans, calling the the response “fake MAGA-manufactured outrage.” Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
After Epstein files, Wasserman’s survival as L.A. Olympics chief may come down to money -- Behind the debate over whether Casey Wasserman should resign as the 2028 Olympics chief over 20-year-old correspondences unearthed in the Epstein files is a fraught question that has long haunted the L.A. Games: Will there be enough money? Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
Cartel leader ‘El Mencho’ was first caught dealing drugs in San Francisco at age 19 -- More than two decades before Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes built the violent cartel that made him one of the most wanted fugitives in Mexico, he was a young man selling drugs on the streets of San Francisco. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Keegan Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
QAnon darling, perennial GOP L.A. congressional candidate sentenced to 4 years for fraud -- A Republican from the South Bay who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars running unsuccessfully against Rep. Maxine Waters four times while promoting QAnon conspiracy theories was sentenced to four years in federal prison for misusing campaign funds, the Department of Justice announced Monday. Omar Navarro, 37, pleaded guilty in June to a single count of wire fraud for defrauding his own election campaign. Cierra Morgan and Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
California Democrats back establishment candidates despite progressive pushback -- The California Democratic Party is betting that a tried-and-true playbook and standard-bearer candidates offer their best chance to take back the U.S. House in November’s midterms rather than fresh faces and more populist policy planks. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 2/24/26
Fired Yosemite ranger who hung trans flag sues federal government -- A Yosemite National Park ranger who was fired by Trump administration officials after helping attach a Transgender Pride flag to the face of El Capitan last year sued the National Park Service on Monday, saying they were punished for exercising their constitutional right to free speech. Bob Egelko, Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/24/26
Democratic candidates for insurance commissioner fail to win party backing -- None of the Democratic candidates running for California insurance commissioner won the party’s endorsement at its convention over the weekend, but two surged far ahead of the field in votes. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
Arellano: The anti-Latino agenda behind Trump wanting Americans to have more kids -- This is the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac — but for the White House, it’s more like the Year of Babies. No, not the ones in the Trump administration. Actual babies. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
Walters: Californians finally get a guide to deciphering state’s school data dashboard -- After becoming governor the second time in 2011, Jerry Brown proposed a major overhaul of how California finances public education. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 2/24/26
Workplace
California’s highest paid state workers see salaries grow even larger -- According to the latest payroll data, the top 10 highest-paid investment officers and executives of CalPERS and CalSTRS collectively took home $15 million in 2025 — nearly double what the public pension systems paid its most well-paid employees seven years ago. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/24/26
Hollywood studios escalate dispute over ByteDance’s ‘pervasive copyright infringement’ with its AI tools -- The Motion Picture Assn. is now weighing in after several major studios, including Disney, Warner Bros., and Netflix threatened ByteDance with legal action over its AI video generator Seedance 2.0 over allegations of copyright infringement. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
San Francisco courts could be crippled this week if clerks strike -- San Francisco Superior Court clerks said Monday they’re prepared to strike over alleged unfair labor practices as soon as Thursday, a move that would effectively cripple court operations. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/24/26
Kaiser nurses end historic strike, return to work Tuesday -- The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals announced Monday that it had sent Kaiser an unconditional notice of return after what it described as “significant movement at the bargaining table.” Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 2/24/26
Kaiser mental health therapists authorize strike in Northern California -- Kaiser Permanente mental health therapists across Northern California and the Central Valley have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a one-day unfair labor practice strike, just as the health system’s largest union ended a historic four-week walkout. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/24/26
Jelly Belly to cut 69 jobs at Bay Area headquarters -- Ferrara Candy Co., the owner of Jelly Belly, plans to permanently cut dozens of corporate and administrative jobs at the iconic candymaker’s Bay Area headquarters, according to a notice filed with state and local officials. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/24/26
ICE
Ex-ICE instructor testifies that agency slashed officer training, lied to Congress -- A former instructor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement told congressional Democrats the agency has cut “vital classes” from mandatory training for recruits. David Nakamura and Sarah Blaskey in the Washington Post$ Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
Fresno sues over lost money due to Trump’s anti-DEI guidelines for federal grants -- The City of Fresno is joining 10 other local cities and counties in a lawsuit alleging the federal government is imposing unconstitutional restrictions on millions of dollars in grant funding. Robert Rodriguez in the Fresno Bee -- 2/24/26
California mother with legal permission to live in US deported in under 24 hours -- Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez confidently walked to her green card appointment in downtown Sacramento on Wednesday morning. She had seen the reports of other immigrants arrested at similar check-ins. Estrada Juarez believed her case would be different. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/24/26
Homeless
1 in 10 Cal State students face homelessness. This emergency housing program helps -- Nineteen hours after leaving Coachella Valley, Oscar Deleon Jr. stepped off a bus with four bags of clothes, $800, admission to Chico State University, and no idea where he was going to live or work. Khadeejah Khan Calmatters -- 2/24/26
Breathe
Bay Area refinery to pay one of the largest penalties ever issued by regional air regulators -- An East Bay refinery will pay $10 million to settle allegations stemming from more than 100 notices of environmental violations over four years, including multiple releases of harmful dust that blanketed nearby properties, local officials announced last week. Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/24/26
Avalanche
New avalanche details show three skiers were unburied, dug out three companions -- When the avalanche struck a party of skiers traveling out of Tahoe-area backcountry last week, three people in the party who weren’t buried dug out three companions who survived, according to new information from the Sierra Avalanche Center. Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/24/26
Street
Nick Reiner pleads not guilty to murder in killings of parents, Rob and Michele Reiner -- Appearing in a brown jail jumpsuit, Reiner barely spoke other than to say “yes” to some perfunctory questions from Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Teresa McGonigle. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
Former S.F. homelessness nonprofit CEO charged with misappropriating $1.2 million -- Gwendolyn Westbrook, former CEO of the United Council of Human Services, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on nine felony charges of misappropriation of public funds, grand theft, presenting a false invoice and filing false state tax returns, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Michael Barba in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/24/26
Tijuana
Tijuana businesses reopen, yet residents remain cautious following cartel attacks -- Hesitant but optimistic, Tijuana resident José Hernández reopened his small grocery store on Monday. He had closed it two hours early the previous night as a precaution. Within walking distance, a convenience store had been set on fire — one of at least 29 such incidents reported in Baja California on Sunday. Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 2/24/26
POTUS 47
Trump’s top general foresees acute risks in an attack on Iran -- Gen. Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, has cautioned that a lack of munitions and support from allies could mean greater danger for U.S. troops, people familiar with the discussions say. John Hudson and Tara Copp in the Washington Post$ -- 2/24/26
Trump’s newest tariffs could face legal challenge, though time is short -- President Donald Trump’s new tariffs are not legally justified, according to several prominent economists and trade experts, who say there is no sign of the profound international financial problems that such measures were intended to remedy. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 2/24/26
Politics take center stage as Paramount submits new offer for Warner Bros. Discovery -- Paramount has strategically deployed former Trump administration officials and cultivated ties with Republican lawmakers to derail Netflix’s $82.7-billion deal for the studios. Paramount faces a deadline Monday night to improve its financial offer to sway Warner Bros.’ board; shareholders will vote on the Netflix deal March 20. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/24/26
‘Not a political deal’: Netflix boss rejects Trump’s call to fire Susan Rice -- Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is brushing off President Donald Trump’s demand to remove former U.S. national security advisor Susan Rice from its board of directors, even as the streaming giant seeks federal approval of its bid to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery. G. Allen Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/24/26
FedEx Files Lawsuit Against U.S. Seeking Refund of Tariffs -- FedEx filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, seeking a full refund plus interest for what it paid in trade duties stemming from President Trump’s tariffs enacted last year. Esther Fung and Katherine Hamilton in the Wall Street Journal$ Peter Eavis in the New York Times$ -- 2/24/26
Trump to Sell the Economy During State of the Union Address -- President Trump will use his State of the Union address to sell the public on the economy and unveil new measures meant to lower costs, as Republicans try to address voters’ concerns ahead of the midterm elections later this year. Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/24/26
California Policy and Politics Monday
California Democrats unite against Trump, differ on vision for state’s future -- With nine Democratic gubernatorial candidates pitching competing visions, California Democrats showed deep divisions between progressive tax-and-spend approaches and moderate ‘back to basics’ budget restraint. No candidate in the governor’s race garnered the 60% delegate support needed for party endorsement. Rep. Eric Swalwell won the most votes at 24% in the crowded field. Nicole Nixon and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ Lauren Gambino in The Guardian -- 2/22/26
‘I’m very worried’: California Dems confront possibility of an all-GOP governor race -- California’s first truly open governor’s race in more than 15 years has attracted so many candidates that the state’s Democratic Party has been grappling with a surprising question at its convention in San Francisco this weekend: What if their party is shut out of the election? Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/26
Skelton: Some Democratic candidates for California governor need to drop out -- Every farmer knows there comes a time to thin the crop to allow the most promising plants to grow bigger and reach their potential. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/23/26
Could the California ‘billionaire tax’ really devastate Silicon Valley? We look at the case -- A proposed California billionaire tax would set its sights on the state’s 200 or so richest people, do its best to unleash the state’s bureaucracy to seize 5% of their wealth and thereby save the state’s public health care systems. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26
In Washington State, Democrats Consider Breaking a Taboo: Taxing the Rich -- The state where Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates made fortunes might have progressive social policies, but its resistance to an income tax is similar to conservative states. That might change. Anna Griffin in the New York Times$ -- 2/23/26
Senator Handcuffed After Interrupting Noem Will Give Spanish Rebuttal to Trump -- Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat from California, offered a preview of his remarks, which he expects to focus on the economy, immigration and fair elections. Jennifer Medina in the New York Times$ -- 2/23/26
California Democratic Party backs Scott Wiener’s campaign to succeed Nancy Pelosi -- The California Democratic Party on Sunday officially backed Wiener in the open race for the House seat held for nearly 40 years by Pelosi, who will retire at the end of her term. Democrats made the decision during their convention at Moscone Center in San Francisco. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/26
Republicans want to use the farm bill to kill a California law they hate -- Sometimes a Supreme Court ruling is not the final word. After years of legal battles over interstate commerce that reached the nation’s highest court, a voter-approved California law mandating more space for breeding pigs finally took effect in 2024. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26
With Winter Olympics over, L.A. is officially on the clock for 2028 Summer Games -- While the Olympic flag passed from Italy to France at Sunday’s closing ceremony, handing off the Winter Games from Milan-Cortina to the French Alps, the flame will burn next in L.A. Thuc Nhi Nguyen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/26
Truckee Memorial
For Tahoe residents drawn to ‘majesty’ of mountains, deadly avalanche a stark reminder of danger -- The names of the victims came out a few at a time. With each release came another ripple of recognition for the residents of this mountain town reeling from the deadly Castle Peak avalanche — another friend of a friend, another family suddenly at the center of it. Kate Talerico in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/23/26
Insurance
A $44,000 Bill Shows the Dysfunction in California’s Home-Insurance Market -- Glenn and Lorraine Crawford paid about $500 a month to insure their home in Agoura Hills northwest of Los Angeles when they bought it in 2012. Now, State Farm is charging them more than seven times as much for coverage that wouldn’t cover the cost of rebuilding the home. Jean Eaglesham and Laura J. Nelson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/22/26
ICE Adelanto
‘It will drive you crazy’: Letters reveal what life is like inside Adelanto ICE detention center -- An intimate look at life inside one of California’s largest ICE detention centers – told by the people who lived it. Ryanne Mena in the Orange County Register$ -- 2/23/26
Workplace
California union pushes work-from-home bill as Newsom calls state employees back to the office -- The measure, authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee, a Milpitas Democrat, would require state agencies to offer work-from-home options “to the fullest extent possible” and provide written justifications when they require employees to work in person, according to a news release from the Professional Engineers in California Government. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/26
Bay Area tech workers continue to lose jobs, but recovery may be in view -- As Bay Area tech companies continue to shed jobs, signs have emerged that point to an overall easing of employment losses for the region’s most notable industry. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/23/26
Education
School officials were raising alarms about safety at Antioch’s Deer Valley High. Then a boy was killed on campus -- The Antioch school district has agreed to pay $1.25 million to the family of a 16-year-old student killed in a campus shooting, after officials had raised repeated concerns about safety at Deer Valley High School. Nate Gartrell, Hema Sivanandam in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/23/26
California Community Colleges approve 3 new bachelor’s degrees over CSU’s objections -- Community colleges in San Diego and Ventura counties recently received approval to offer bachelor’s degrees in fields such as cyberdefense and physical therapy. The programs faced opposition from California State University, but community college officials took the rare step of approving them anyway. Michael Burke EdSource -- 2/22/26
Bart
BART resumes service in Transbay Tube -- Citing a “loss of communications” in the tunnel, the company shut down service around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday. The closure appeared to have lasted through the end of the day. BART announced the resumption of service on Monday morning around 4:30 a.m. Kate Galbraith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26
Mexico Flights
Flights to SFO from Puerto Vallarta canceled as U.S. Embassy issues security alert -- The U.S. government issued a security alert warning U.S. citizens in parts of Mexico, including popular tourist destinations Puerto Vallarta and Cancun, to shelter in place Sunday after the killing of a powerful drug lord by the Mexican army. American travelers seemed to be stranded there as flights were canceled. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/26
Fresno travelers impacted as cartel-linked violence in Mexico disrupts flights -- Flights between Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Guadalajara were canceled Sunday night after violent narco blockades erupted in the Mexican state of Jalisco following reports that cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as “El Mencho,” had been killed. Anthony Galaviz in the Fresno Bee -- 2/22/26
Vehicles burn and stores close in Tijuana following the killing of a cartel leader -- At least 19 people were arrested in Tijuana and other parts of Baja California on Sunday as vehicles and stores were set on fire in response, officials said, to the killing of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel by the Mexican army. Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 2/22/26
SMF
Sacramento International is California’s fastest growing major airport over the last decade -- An average of 38,000 passengers boarded or deplaned from flights at Sacramento International Airport daily in 2025, a jump of nearly 12,000 daily passengers from a decade earlier, new county data shows. Phillip Reese KVIE Abridged -- 02/22/26
Data Centers
Voters know what the next big issue is. They don’t know how they feel about it -- Major political figures on both sides have struggled to figure out their positions, and in-depth results from The Politico Poll help explain why: Americans don’t know much about data centers, they don’t really know how to feel about them and they’re not yet sure where the political battle lines lie. Erin Doherty and Lisa Kashinsky Politico -- 2/22/26
Housing
Boston is turning empty office buildings into 1,500 homes. Why can’t San Francisco? -- San Francisco and Boston are coastal cousins: a pair of historic cities full of character and culture, narrow alleys and stately avenues, seafood and salty waterfronts, old money and new, left-leaning politics sprouting from roots in ever-evolving ethnic neighborhoods. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/23/26
Also
Trans athletes face intense efforts to sideline them. These California teens are resisting -- Debate over transgender girls competing in high school sports has overtaken recent school board and CIF meetings. Multiple lawsuits that could reshape the future of transgender participation in sports are pending, including in California. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/26
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Dow Drops 700 Points on Tariff Uncertainty -- Trump’s threats suggest the administration is unlikely to back down, which could mean more market volatility. The item is in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/23/26
President Argues He Can Use Tariffs in a ‘More Powerful and Obnoxious Way’ -- In an angrily worded post, the president claimed he could use licenses “to do absolutely ‘terrible’ things to foreign countries” and that Congress had given him the power to use other kinds of tariff laws “in a much more powerful and obnoxious way, with legal certainty.” Ana Swanson in the New York Times$ -- 2/23/26
Tariffs Are a Wild Card for the Economy Again -- The average tariff rate is likely to drop a bit, early analyses show. That could help consumers but slow efforts to pay down the national debt. Chao Deng in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/22/26
Trump Claims a Historic Turnaround for the U.S. Here Are the Facts -- But economic indicators and crime metrics do not show abrupt reversals from “worst” to “best,” as the president often brags. Rather, trends on these issues that began before Mr. Trump retook office continued, largely unabated, in his first year back. Ashley Cai and Linda Qiu in the New York Times$ -- 2/23/26
Trump Considers Targeted Strike Against Iran, Followed by Larger Attack -- The top negotiators plan to meet in Geneva on Thursday for last-ditch talks, debating a new proposal that could create an off-ramp as two carrier groups massed within striking distance of Iran. Julian E. Barnes, David E. Sanger, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt in the New York Times$ -- 2/22/26
Dem AGs plot to thwart Trump election interference -- Democratic attorneys general are bracing for President Donald Trump to interfere in the midterm elections — and war-gaming how to stop him. Lisa Kashinsky Politico -- 2/23/26
Judges Grow Angry Over Trump Administration Violating Their Orders -- At least 35 times since August, federal judges have ordered the administration to explain why it should not be punished for violating their orders in immigration cases. Mattathias Schwartz, Zach Montague and Ernesto Londoño in the New York Times$ -- 2/23/26
Supreme Court to decide on throwing out dozens of climate change lawsuits -- Dozens of cities, counties and states, including California, have joined state-based lawsuits that seek billions of dollars in damages. After weighing the issue for weeks, the court announced it will be hear the claims of the oil and gas industries. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ Karen Zraick in the New York Times$ -- 2/23/26
Judge Cannon orders secrecy for report on Trump classified-documents case -- A federal judge in Florida blocked public release of special counsel Jack Smith’s extensive report into the classified-documents case against President Donald Trump. Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck in the Washington Post$ -- 2/23/26
Trump’s talk of sending a hospital ship to Greenland puzzles leaders -- Greenland doesn’t want the help, and the U.S. doesn’t appear to have any hospital ships available to send. Evan Halper and Dan Lamothe in the Washington Post$ -- 2/22/26
A Fractured ‘Never Trump’ Movement Eyes an Uncertain Future -- Divisions over what and who should come next were evident as G.O.P. critics of the president, weakened in their party, gathered at a summit near Washington. Tim Balk in the New York Times$ -- 2/22/26