California Policy and Politics Saturday

Latest Epstein files include emails between Ghislaine Maxwell, LA28 Olympics head Casey Wasserman -- The latest cache of investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein released Friday include personal emails exchanged more than 20 years ago between Casey Wasserman, chairman of the LA28 Olympics organizing committee, and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former romantic partner. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/31/26

LAPD’s relationship with federal authorities under scrutiny as criticism of ICE grows -- After the recent shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, some police chiefs have joined the mounting criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration blitz. One voice missing from the fray: LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/31/26

Businesses close, protesters gather in S.F. as part of nationwide general strike against ICE -- Thousands of Bay Area residents joined in nationwide protests while dozens of Bay Area businesses closed Friday in solidarity with a nationwide general strike aimed at protesting the federal government’s immigration policies, including the ongoing Minneapolis incursion, which led to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Roland Li, St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Christopher Buchanan, Katerina Portela, Hannah Fry and Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ Jakob Rodger, Ryan Macasero and Rick Hurd in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/31/26

Arrest of ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon in Beverly Hills raises 1st Amendment concerns -- Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested Friday in Los Angeles by federal agents on charges that he violated federal law during a protest last week at a church in Minnesota. Jenny Jarvie, Grace Toohey, Brittny Mejia and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/31/26

California waits for a star to emerge in the 2026 race for governor -- In a state that’s home to nearly 40 million people and the fourth largest economy in the world, the race for California governor has been lost in the shadow of President Trump’s combustible return to office and, thus far, the absence of a candidate charismatic enough to break out of the pack. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/31/26

Rep. Robert Garcia says impeachment proceedings against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem may start soon -- Garcia, D-Long Beach, who would co-lead the impeachment inquiry, said proceedings will start if Noem doesn't resign or isn't fired 'in the days ahead.' Linh Tat in the Orange County Register$ -- 1/31/26

Dr. Oz is back on camera in Los Angeles. This time for Trump -- The federal health official has accused California of letting Medicaid fraud run rampant. Rachel Bluth Politico -- 1/31/26

Dueling S.F. ballot measures will pit unions against business leaders -- The stage has been set for a messy, expensive battle between labor unions and San Francisco’s business community over how the city should tax big businesses. Both sides will send competing ballot measures to voters in June after the two groups failed to reach a compromise. Alyce McFadden in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/31/26

The modern-day space race is taking over Central California — and not everyone is happy about it -- Vandenberg Space Force Base is expanding dramatically, planning 100-plus annual launches and a $900-million infrastructure overhaul to meet national security demands in space. The surge in rocket launches creates intense sonic booms affecting residents in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties while threatening endangered species on the base. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/31/26

Emerging tech titan Anthropic to take over an entire office building in downtown S.F. -- Anthropic, one of the artificial intelligence sector’s marquee companies, closed a deal Friday to occupy an entire building at 300 Howard St., in what is expected to be one of the largest single-tenant office leases signed in downtown San Francisco since the pandemic. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/31/26

What S.F. looks like with Muni cuts: Traffic nightmares and no buses after 9 p.m. -- Transportation leaders in San Francisco have released the most complete and sobering picture to date of how transit in the city would look if voters reject a pair of tax ballot measures in November. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/31/26

Workplace

Writers Guild of America’s staff union authorizes strike, weeks before major negotiations -- As the Writers Guild of America West prepares to negotiate a new contract with major studios, its staff union has authorized a strike of its own. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/31/26

LAUSD teachers union members authorize strike, ratcheting up pressure on contract talks -- Members of United Teachers Los Angeles have voted overwhelmingly to authorize their leadership to call a strike, ratcheting up pressure as negotiations stall and L.A. Unified warns of likely staff layoffs and future budget deficits. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/31/26

Google and Pinterest cut Bay Area jobs as tech layoffs linger -- According to information from the Employment Development Department, Pinterest has decided to eliminate 118 jobs – 102 in San Francisco and 16 in Palo Alto. Google intends to cut 77 jobs in Sunnyvale. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/31/26

Californian tech company to move headquarters to Florida -- California quantum computing company D-Wave is moving its headquarters to Boca Raton, Fla., and opening a new research and development facility. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/31/26

California canceled thousands of trucking licenses. One community bore the brunt of the hit -- Diesel engines once roared to life each morning at Bikramjeet Singh Gill’s truck depot in Stockton as drivers conducted their pre-trip inspections before heading out to destinations across the United States. Now, dozens of his trucks stand idle, accumulating dust and debt. Gagandeep Singh Calmatters -- 1/31/26

Housing

Former Bay Area university campus to be converted into single-family housing -- On Friday, BH Properties, which purchased the property in 2023 for $65 million, is expected to file an application to build 165 single-family homes on the property while retaining the university’s 400-seat theater, as well as the iconic mid-century chapel and belltower designed by architect John Pflueger. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/31/26

As S.F. housing slows, Treasure Island plans to add thousands of homes — and faster way to build them -- A revised proposal aimed at turbocharging the development of San Francisco’s Treasure Island would increase the number of housing units planned for the fast-growing neighborhood by as much 35%, from 8,000 homes to as many as 10,800. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/31/26

Homeless

Oakland encampment plan back on track after state agency retreats from funding threat -- A California agency that previously warned Oakland could lose $45 million in state funding for homelessness over a new, more aggressive encampment removal policy has since pulled back its threat — clearing a major obstacle that had stalled the controversial legislation. Kate Talerico in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/31/26

Also

Steve Jobs’ son says he can help end cancer deaths — and he’s raising millions to do it -- Reed Jobs, the son of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, says he believes most cancers can be transformed from fatal diagnoses into manageable, chronic diseases within his lifetime — and plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to back that belief. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/31/26

Palo Alto group buys 2,284 acres at Sargent Ranch, ending 10-year battle over proposed quarry on scenic property -- An environmental group has purchased nearly all of the remaining land at Sargent Ranch, a vast property south of Gilroy along Highway 101 where Southern California investors sparked a 10-year controversy after proposing to build a sand-and-gravel quarry. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/31/26

POTUS 47

Don Lemon vows to fight charges in First Amendment showdown with Trump -- A defiant Don Lemon made his first court appearance Friday, vowing afterward to fight federal criminal charges stemming from his role at a immigration protest in a case that has exploded into a major First Amendment showdown between the Trump administration and a prominent journalist. Liam Dillon, Josh Gerstein and Brock Hrehor Politico Hamed Aleaziz, Devlin Barrett, Alan Feuer and Jesus Jiménez in the New York Times$ -- 1/31/26

Trump Called for ‘De-Escalation’ in Minneapolis. It Didn’t Last Long -- President Trump has offered dueling messages on the crisis in Minneapolis, part of pattern of dialing back his rhetoric only to change again if the political winds are shifting. Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times$ -- 1/31/26

Here’s What to Know About the Millions of Pages of Epstein Documents -- The documents shed new light on the disgraced financier’s relationships with several prominent figures, including Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. They also contain a significant number of uncorroborated tips to law enforcement. Ashley Ahn in the New York Times$ -- 1/31/26

Trump’s Lawsuit Against I.R.S. Creates ‘Enormous Conflict of Interest’ -- The president is demanding that the federal government pay him at least $10 billion over the unauthorized disclosure of his tax returns during his first term. Andrew Duehren in the New York Times$ -- 1/31/26