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Magnitude 5.6 Northern California earthquake identified as mainshock in 44-event sequence -- A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Mendocino County in Northern California on Wednesday morning, cracking walls, knocking items from shelves, temporarily closing at least one business, and leaving thousands without power as emergency crews checked for damage and potential injuries. Aidin Vaziri, Chrissa Olson, Julie Johnson, Brooke Park in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/26

Boyle Heights warehouse fire is nearly out, fire officials say -- A weeklong fire at a Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse is finally nearing extinguishment. Firefighters are using drones and powerful water cannons typically reserved for offshore oil fires. Joseph Serna and Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/26

 

California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Trump officials greenlight new oil and gas drilling in California. Map shows potential Bay Area spots -- The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it has met court-ordered requirements for expanding oil and gas drilling in California, clearing the way for more pumpjacks in Kern County, the state’s petroleum hub, as well as potentially other spots, including the Bay Area. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/26

Bay Area immigrants fought ICE courthouse arrests. Their win covers every court in America -- A federal judge dealt a far-reaching blow to a Trump administration policy of arresting immigrants at immigration court, ruling Tuesday that the practice has to stop in every kind of courthouse across the nation. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jazmine Ulloa and Luis Ferré-Sadurní in the New York Times$ Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/26

Immigration attorney detained and searched at SFO, told by DHS he was on ‘watchlist’ -- An advocate said the Oakland man may be the first immigration attorney to be detained for a non-random secondary screening at an airport since Trump took office. Ko Lyn Cheang, St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/26

Trump says he asked US attorney for California election probe: ‘Do me a favor’ -- President Donald Trump acknowledged having called federal prosecutors in California to probe the state’s primary election results, claiming without evidence on Tuesday that his intervention resulted in Republican Steve Hilton advancing to the runoff in the gubernatorial race. Marisa Guerra Echeverria, Blake Jones and Ben Johansen Politico -- 6/24/26

 

New culprit in California’s sky-high gas prices? Lawsuit blames AI price-fixing -- One reason gas prices aren’t falling in California, according to a newly filed lawsuit, is a series of agreements by major gas dealers to use an AI tool to pump up their prices. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/26

PG&E bills could cost $840 a year more by 2030, California watchdog says. The utility disagrees -- The California Public Utilities Commission estimates that PG&E bills could jump by $444 annually in 2027 and keep rising into 2030. PG&E says the increase won’t be as steep. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/26

L.A. voters will be asked to increase taxes, yet again. Will they do it for firefighters? -- A new sales tax that would generate $345 million annually for the Los Angeles Fire Department will go before voters later this year, the City Council decided Tuesday, as a stubborn warehouse blaze burned for a seventh day on the city’s eastern edge. David Zahniser and Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/26

Walters: Voters in deep blue California are souring on ballot measures that add new taxes -- The state’s tax rates on retail sales and personal and corporate incomes are among the highest of any state. Although tax rates on real estate are relatively moderate, high property values still translate into high bills for their owners. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 6/24/26

 

California poised to sue Trump administration over offshore wind buyouts -- California officials intend to take the Trump administration to court over a buyout between the U.S. Department of the Interior and an energy company that took a floating offshore wind project off the table. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 6/24/26

 

This million-square-foot data center would be the biggest in the state. How local leaders are challenging it -- In April, developers of the massive Imperial Data Center cleared a major hurdle after Imperial County Supervisors approved a plan to combine several tracts of land for the nearly one-million-square-foot facility in rural Southern California. Deborah Brennan Calmatters -- 6/24/26

Democrats want California voters to give them more flexibility over spending -- Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic leaders of the California Legislature plan to approve a proposed constitutional amendment this week that would ask voters to give them more flexibility over state spending and allow them to save money that could otherwise go back to taxpayers. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Tim s$ -- 6/24/26

 

Smoke invades every corner of this L.A. neighborhood: ‘No one is coming’ -- As firefighters continue to battle a stubborn and complex fire at a massive refrigerated warehouse in Boyle Heights, residents and businesses owners have expressed frustration and health concerns as neighorhoods have been engulfed by smoke. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/26

In echoes of Palisades fire, Boyle Heights fire may cost Mayor Bass politically -- When the Boyle Heights fire broke out, Mayor Karen Bass was on her way to the dedication of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Her quick return has not stopped some from drawing parallels to last year’s Palisades fire. Bass was in Ghana when the deadly inferno erupted. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/26

Oil

Los Angeles tries again to phase out urban oil production -- The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously advanced an ordinance to halt new oil and gas drilling and phase out all existing production over the next 20 years. L.A. is home to more than 2,000 active oil wells. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/26

Education

Nation’s second-largest school district passes strict new screen time rules for students -- Los Angeles public schools will ban screens for its youngest learners and limit device usage for other students, marking one of the most aggressive attempts to restrict the amount of time children spend on devices at school. Lauren Lumpkin in the Washington Post$ Mallika Seshadri EdSource Kate Sequeira in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/26

New learning goals, layoffs and no Carvalho. L.A. school board charts a new course -- Two days after the resignation of Supt. Alberto Carvalho, the Los Angeles school board unanimously approved a $20.6 billion budget that includes more than 1,000 layoffs and a four-year strategic plan with precise goals for student achievement. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/26

Decision time has come for Newsom’s proposal to shift control of the California Department of Education -- In most states, governors or state boards of education appoint an experienced manager to run education operations. California is one of a dozen states that elect a state superintendent to run the education department. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 6/24/26

Bay Area school district sued by Christian parents over LGBTQ+ instruction -- Plaintiffs in suit against Sunnyvale School District say the district failed to allow them to opt-out their children. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/24/26

Street

Father of Northern California library shooting suspect saw ‘zero’ warning signs -- Bradley Scott Sayer’s father said the 18-year-old had just graduated from high school with honors before police say he killed two adults at a Chico library. Aidin Vaziri, Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/24/26

Trump renews push to shift homelessness funding. What’s at stake -- The Trump administration wants to shift more money to homeless shelters that require sobriety, a change that would disrupt California’s “housing-first” policies. Marisa Kendall Calmatters -- 6/24/26

Also

Kids sit in windows as Waymo travels through Westside. Witness alerts company; car doesn’t stop -- A Santa Monica resident said three boys were taking selfies and sitting on the open window ledges of a white Waymo as it traveled from Santa Monica into West L.A. on Friday. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/24/26

Uber passed an insurance law in California. It did not disclose key info, a lawmaker says -- Law reduces Uber’s insurance liability, but consumer advocacy group — and one lawmaker — say the company failed to disclose it largely insures itself. Levi Sumagaysay Calmatters -- 6/24/26

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Trump cancels signing of major housing bill -- President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a bill signing for major bipartisan legislation on housing affordability on Wednesday, saying he wouldn’t back the law until Congress passes his elections bill. Cheyanne M. Daniels Politico Philip Wegmann in the Wall Street Journal$ Michael Gold, Tony Romm and Tyler Pager in the New York Times$ Natalie Allison in the Washington Post$ -- 6/24/26

Senate votes to halt Iran war despite Trump’s push for peace deal -- Both the Senate and House have approved anti-war measures, dealing a stinging political blow to Trump. Connor O'Brien Politico Robert Jimison in the New York Times$ Theodoric Meyer and Noah Robertson in the Washington Post$ Lisa Mascaro Associated Press -- 6/24/26

Trump Is Making Big Claims About the Iran Talks. Iran Keeps Contradicting Him -- President Trump appears to be describing his preferences as fully negotiated deals, in hopes of locking the Iranians in. The question is whether a succession of such disputes will sink the whole venture. David E. Sanger and Yeganeh Torbati in the New York Times$ -- 6/24/26

‘No one wants to talk about Iran’: White House hopes to pivot back to economy -- Inside the White House, the plan is to move on from the war in Iran and focus on the domestic issues that polls show matter most to voters. It’s proving hard to do. Alex Gangitano, Dasha Burns, Megan Messerly and Scott Waldman Politico -- 6/24/26

Trump Blames Vandals for Reflecting Pool Problems. Internal Records Tell Another Story -- The documents do not indicate that the peeling blue coating and algae blooms were caused intentionally. Maxine Joselow and David A. Fahrenthold in the New York Times$ -- 6/24/26

Trump’s Pick for Top I.R.S. Lawyer Works at Firm That Represents Him -- James R. Gadwood, the president’s nominee for chief counsel at the Internal Revenue Service, works at Miller & Chevalier, which has represented Mr. Trump in tax matters. Andrew Duehren in the New York Times$ -- 6/24/26

 

California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Oracle cuts 21,000 workers as part of its massive AI push -- Oracle’s workforce shrank by about 21,000 employees over the past year as the company spent heavily on artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure, according to its latest annual report. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/26

Walmart to lay off more than 300 tech workers in the Bay Area -- The layoffs are scheduled to take effect Aug. 21 and affect eight company sites in the Silicon Valley city, the filings show. Walmart filed the notices on June 19. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/26

California sues Trump administration to preserve clean air rules -- In the latest chapter of a long battle between California and President Trump over environmental rules, California on Monday sued the Trump administration to preserve the state’s strict emissions standards that require more electric cars and trucks, and also ban the sale of new gasoline-powered garden tools — from leaf blowers to chainsaws to lawn mowers. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Haley Parsley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/23/26

Battle over single-use plastics erupts as 17 states move to block California law -- Attorneys general in seventeen states are suing California over its landmark single-use plastic law, which went into effect on June 1. The lawsuit comes after a coalition of environmental groups sued the state over the same law this month, arguing the new final regulations create loopholes so large they gut the law. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/23/26

The conservative writer taking aim at Newsom’s green agenda -- Christopher Rufo and the Manhattan Institute are critiquing California's green bureaucracy, and going viral in the process. Camille von Kaenel Politico -- 6/23/26

Supreme Court kills suit claiming Cisco’s technology helped China persecute Falun Gong members -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted tech giant Cisco’s bid to shut down a lawsuit claiming that the company’s technology was used to persecute members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement in China. Mark Sherman Associated Press -- 6/23/26

 

California leaders yet to reach deal to keep billionaire tax off the ballot. Time is running out -- Ahead of a Thursday deadline, California Democrats are striking deals with interest groups to kick controversial measures off the November ballot. They are also finalizing a pair of ballot measures to fund affordable housing and allow the state to save more money in financially good years. Levi Sumagaysay, Marisa Kendall, Kristen Hwang and Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 6/23/26

Garofoli: California Democrats didn’t endorse a candidate for governor. An S.F. proposal could change that -- San Francisco Democratic leaders on Wednesday will consider recommending a plan designed to avoid a repeat of what some saw a nearly-disastrous blunder — the statewide party not endorsing anyone in the primary election for governor. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/26

California law that forbids ‘forced outing’ of trans students blocked by 9th Circuit -- California’s effort to shield the decisions of transgender students in public schools from the eyes of prying parents remains on hold this week after the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found a state law designed to protect them was likely unconstitutional. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/23/26

Walters: Will Democrats win the congressional seats Newsom’s gerrymander made competitive? -- Gov. Gavin Newsom scored a three-point political play last year when the Legislature and voters approved a mid-decade reconfiguration of the state’s 52 congressional districts. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 6/23/26

Health concerns mount as Boyle Heights warehouse fire stretches into a week -- A weeklong fire at a massive refrigerated warehouse in Boyle Heights has blanketed southeast L.A. County and the San Gabriel Valley in toxic smoke, raising questions about residents’ health. Tony Briscoe, Kori McNair and Mack Baysinger in the Los Angeles Times$ Orlando Mayorquín and Maia Spoto in the New York Times$ -- 6/23/26

The other anti-data center movement: California’s sky-high electricity prices -- California may have an anti-data center movement, but high energy prices were already blocking development. Blanca Begert in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/23/26

Here's how a small oil company became a weapon in Trump's assault on California -- The Trump administration has embraced Sable Offshore Corp., which operates oil platforms off California’s Central Coast. Noah Baustin Politico -- 6/23/26

Workplace

Google invests $75 million in A24 -- Google on Monday announced it has invested in movie studio A24, as the two companies collaborate on new tools for artists that use artificial intelligence technology. Wendy Lee Calmatters Linda Zavoral in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/23/26

Longtime Bay Area hospitality group to abruptly close all of its restaurants, lay off 300 workers -- Vine Hospitality, a longtime Bay Area group that operates a fleet of French, American and Mediterranean restaurants including Petite Left Bank in Tiburon and Left Bank Brasserie in Menlo Park, abruptly ceased operations this week, leaving employees scrambling. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/26

Bay Area EV maker Lucid cuts 18% of workforce, eliminates top role in latest shake-up -- The company did not immediately disclose how many workers would lose their jobs or how many Bay Area employees would be affected. Lucid had about 9,000 employees globally at the end of 2025 before an earlier round of cuts this year. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/26

Education

California gave every student in prison a laptop. How community colleges are using them -- California prisons have given 30,000 laptops to incarcerated students. Inmates say using technology prepares them to enter the workforce. As community colleges start replacing correspondence courses by mail with online-only classes, students and professors debate whether this type of learning is any more effective. Ella Carter-Klauschie Calmatters -- 6/23/26

California lawmakers look to settle turf war over community college bachelor’s degrees -- State law permits community colleges to create bachelor’s degree programs, as long as they don’t duplicate what’s offered at California’s four-year universities. Several proposed degrees have stalled for years amid California State University objections. Michael Burke EdSource -- 6/23/26

Street

Chico library shooting: Police say teen killer of 2 envisioned Columbine-style massacre -- Bradley Scott Sayer, an 18-year-old Chico resident, was arrested as he walked out the back of the library on Sherman Avenue shortly after 5 p.m., officials said. They did not immediately elaborate on how they determined a motive for the shooting. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/26

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Trump on the Shabby Condition of the Reflecting Pool: Not My Fault -- President Trump said the blooms of green algae and the peeling polyurethane had nothing to do with the rushed $16.4 million makeover he had ordered. Luke Broadwater and Maxine Joselow in the New York Times$ -- 6/23/26

Senate Republicans say it’s time to give Trump a reality check -- Donald Trump is about to come face to face with one of his frequent punching bags: Senate Republicans. They might just be in a mood to punch back. Jordain Carney Politico -- 6/23/26

We Parsed Trump’s Shifting Rhetoric on the Iran War -- President initially said his goal was to dislodge the regime in Tehran, destroy its missile arsenal and curtail its nuclear program. Here’s how his views have changed. Michael R. Gordon in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/23/26

The Supreme Court Is About to Decide Four Cases Defining Trump’s Power -- The justices are weighing whether Trump can redefine birthright citizenship, fire a governor of the Federal Reserve, consolidate power over independent agencies and strip protections from hundreds of thousands of imm igrants. Though the four cases turn on different legal issues, together they will send a strong signal about how far the court’s conservative majority is willing to let Trump go, legal experts say. James Romoser in the Wall Street Journal$ Justin Jouvenal in the Washington Post$ -- 6/23/26

Facing FCC pressure, ABC launches campaign to support ‘The View’ and its TV stations -- Disney mounts on-air campaign urging viewers to comment on its challenge to the FCC’s moves targeting ABC station licenses and “The View,” framing the actions as a threat to free speech and critical coverage of Trump. Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/23/26

ABC7, aka KGO-TV, pleads for help in its battle to stay on the air -- The Bay Area television station — which is part of the ABC network of stations and officially goes by the call sign KGO-TV — has launched a campaign asking viewers and other interested parties to contact the FCC and show their support for the station. Jim Harrington in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/23/26

Democratic turnout is up, even in Republican districts, Post analysis finds -- More voters are casting ballots for Democrats compared with the numbers in previous midterms, fueling the party’s hope for big wins in November. Eric Lau and Erin Cox in the Washington Post$ -- 6/23/26