California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Newsom lands on Trump’s enemies list — and makes the most of it -- The California governor moved quickly to cast multiple Justice Department investigations as political retribution, rallying Democrats and reinforcing his role as one of Trump’s chief antagonists. Melanie Mason and Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 6/16/26

Chabria: Trump goes after Newsom’s wife? Unsurprising, but also a new level of authoritarianism -- The Department of Justice investigating Jennifer Siebel Newsom has all the appearances of the Trump administration seeking to stop a political rival who has a real shot at knocking MAGA out of the top office. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/26

 

Garofoli: Saikat Chakrabarti turns his campaign into pro-Chan machine -- Saikat Chakrabarti isn’t only endorsing San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan for the House seat vacated by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, he’s turning his former campaign apparatus into an independent expenditure campaign, dubbed San Francisco Solidarity, on her behalf. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/16/26

Panel balks at plans to expand L.A. City Council to 25 members -- Plans to expand the Los Angeles City Council from 15 to 25 members are fading as a key council committee said the proposal needed more study before it could go to voters. Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/26

'Under no illusions': Steve Hilton knows it's a long road ahead -- “There will be a real choice of a new direction for the state given a majority of Californians think we’re going in the wrong direction,” he said. “It’s good news that they’ll be able to vote for that in November. Obviously, I’m under no illusions about how hard it’s going to be.” Anabel Sosa SFGate -- 06/16/26

California lawmakers pass budget with billions more for education as Newsom negotiations begin -- Marking the start of two weeks of intensive negotiations, the Legislature passed a state budget Monday with higher revenue projections than those proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, providing several billion dollars in additional spending for TK-12 and community colleges in 2026-27. John Fensterwald, Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 6/16/26

Walters: Capitol’s perpetual rivalry on display as Newsom and legislators clash over budget -- A few months after his inauguration as governor in 1999, Gray Davis uttered a few words that rattled the Capitol. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 6/16/26

 

Affordable grocery fund inspired by Mamdani could come to S.F. -- Amid rising grocery prices and supermarket closures, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood on Tuesday unveiled a package of bills designed to tackle some causes of food insecurity in San Francisco. Alyce McFadden in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/16/26

Workplace

A troubling new sign for California's labor market -- Even as the unemployment rate stayed steady in April at 5.3% — mostly unchanged from months prior and even a year ago — a new analysis from the Public Policy Institute of California shows that it’s taking longer for Californians to find employment. Tessa McLean SFGate -- 06/16/26

In California’s ‘Lithium Valley,’ students are training for jobs that don’t yet exist -- Imperial Valley College fast-tracked training for lithium plant workers, but the jobs haven’t arrived. Local leaders and residents see the promised clean-energy boom as a rare chance to build careers without leaving home. Erin Rode Hechinger Report in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/26

49ers players say workers' comp bill would give them 'fewer protections than every other worker in the state' -- San Francisco 49ers players are at odds with ownership over a new workers’ compensation bill called California SB795, meant to “revise and recast” the circumstances under which a professional athlete can access the California workers’ compensation system. Noah Furtado in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/16/26

Environment

El Niño turns crumbling California pier into climate battleground over what to save — and who pays -- As a historic El Niño hammers California’s coast, Bay Area leaders are demanding tens of millions in state and federal funds to rebuild Pacifica’s crumbling city pier and protect eroding bluffs. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/26

Immigration

Judge grants asylum to woman adopted by a U.S. veteran from Iran after deportation threats -- A federal immigration judge has granted asylum to a California woman adopted from Iran by a U.S. veteran, after she faced deportation to a country now at war with America. Claire Galofaro in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/26

Guns

Supreme Court rules against gun lobby in this case -- In a rare decision against the gun industry, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge Monday to a state law allowing suits against firearms manufacturers and distributors for failing to take reasonable actions to keep their products out of the hands of criminals. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/16/26

Oakland Coal

Trump wants to put a $75m coal terminal in this liberal California city. Residents aren’t having it -- West Oakland, a California neighborhood known for its rich history of Black activism from the Pullman Porters’ union to the Black Panthers, might not seem like the site of the country’s next great coal project. Cecilia Nowell in The Guardian -- 6/16/26

AI

Your medical provider might be recording your mental health care visits -- Mental health professionals at Kaiser are raising concerns about an artificial intelligence tool that records medical appointments, saying it should have more safeguards. Roxsy Lin Calmatters -- 6/16/26

Also

‘We lost eight great Americans’ in fiery B-52 bomber crash, Air Force colonel says -- All eight people who were on a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber that crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday are presumed dead, officials said. The crash occurred during a “routine test mission” just after 11 a.m. Monday, and “initial indications are that the crash was not survivable,” military officials said in a statement. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/26

Dana White condemns Fresno fighter’s Michelle Obama remark following UFC win -- UFC President and CEO Dana White publicly condemned Josh Hokit on Monday after the undefeated fighter sparked controversy with comments about former First Lady Michelle Obama following his victory over Derrick Lewis at the UFC Freedom 250 card outside the White House. Anthony Galaviz in the Fresno Bee -- 6/16/26

Fans from Iran show up to be heard on World Cup stage -- Some showed up at SoFi Stadium just to make a statement, but many others cheered enthusiastically for Iran in its opener, no matter their feelings about the country’s government. Todd Harmonson in the Orange County Register$ -- 6/16/26

POTUS 47

Records reveal $600M estimate for Trump’s ballroom project, with half from taxpayers -- An internal cost estimate in March by the project’s contractor ran $200 million more than Trump has said publicly and counters his claims that no taxpayer money will be spent. Sarah Blaskey and Jonathan O'Connell in the Washington Post$ -- 6/16/26

 

A vague Iran deal leaves more questions than answers -- The terms of a deal to end President Trump’s war with Iran remained a secret on Monday as both sides claimed victory and the months-long conflict reached a nebulous end. Michael Wilner and Nabih Bulos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/26

Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Won’t Have ‘Tolls’ but It Will Have ‘Fees’ -- Charging a toll is illegal under international law, but some fees are allowed for services. It is not clear what services Iran would provide, but there were no fees charged before the war. Ephrat Livni in the New York Times$ -- 6/16/26

Potential End of War Tests Trump’s Promise of Quick Economic Rebound -- Gas prices and other goods could remain elevated for months, adding to the political challenge facing the White House in the midterm elections. Tony Romm in the New York Times$ -- 6/16/26

The Iran War Permanently Altered the Global Economy -- The global order has been altered, and economies are unlikely to simply pick up where they left off before the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran. Patricia Cohen in the New York Times$ -- 6/16/26

 

Justice Department Decision to Allow Paramount Deal Surprised Staff Investigators -- Career antitrust officials investigating Warner acquisition were leaning toward recommending a challenge to the merger, people familiar with the matter say. Dave Michaels, Dana Mattioli, Sadie Gurman and Jessica Toonkel in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/16/26

Trump Ordered ‘American Flag Blue’ for the Reflecting Pool. It’s Green Again -- Algal blooms have hit the site, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, after a $14.2 million repair project. Maxine Joselow in the New York Times$ -- 6/16/26

Inside the Partisan Battle Over America’s 250th Birthday Celebrations -- President Trump sidestepped a congressional commission and formed his own group to plan the festivities. The result is a deeply partisan celebration, disgruntled celebrities and plenty of confusion. Luke Broadwater and Eileen Sullivan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/26