California Policy and Politics Tuesday

S.F. teachers strike day 2: Late-night talks narrow gaps, but deal elusive -- Negotiations Monday lasted until about 11 p.m., according to union sources, with the San Francisco Unified School District upping its offer on a wage increase for security guards and paraeducators, or teachers aides, but raises for teachers and health benefits still remain sticking points, with labor leaders saying they will not budge on their demand for fully funded family health care. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/10/26

House Dem identifies ‘wealthy, powerful men’ DOJ redacted in Epstein files -- Rep. Ro Khanna read out the names of the six individuals on the House floor, where they will now be entered into the Congressional Record. Hailey Fuchs Politico -- 2/10/26

 

S.F. teacher strike leaves families juggling work, child care — with no end in sight -- Families across San Francisco muddled through the first day of the city’s teacher strike, which led to school closures Monday, with many scrambling to find child care or juggling job schedules while wondering how long the picket lines would last. Jill Tucker, Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/10/26

Liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders to kick off California billionaires’ tax campaign -- Sen. Bernie Sanders will formally launch a campaign next week to place a one-time 5% tax on the assets of California’s billionaires. Supporters argue it’s essential to prevent millions of the state’s most vulnerable residents from losing access to healthcare because of federal funding cut; opponents warn it will drive wealthy entrepreneurs to flee the state and stifle innovation. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/10/26

Federal judge blocks California from enforcing ICE mask ban -- A new California law banning federal and local law enforcement officers from wearing masks was blocked Monday by a federal judge in a suit by the Trump administration. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder said the law’s exemption for state police discriminated against immigration agents and other federal officers covered by the ban. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Sharon Bernstein in the Sacramento Bee$ Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein Politico -- 2/10/26

Judge blocks California's ban on federal agents wearing masks but requires badges be clearly seen -- A federal judge on Monday blocked a California law from going into effect that would ban federal immigration agents from covering their faces, but they will still be required to wear clear identification showing their agency and badge number. Jaimie Ding Associated Press -- 2/10/26

California Democrats carved state police out of ICE mask ban. It handed ICE a rare win -- A federal judge blocked California’s police mask ban Monday not because she thought a mask ban in general would be illegal but because this particular law had an exemption for state police officers, which she contended was unfair. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/10/26

After US Judge Blocks California’s ICE Mask Ban, Scott Wiener Says He Will Make It Enforceable -- In response, state Sen. Scott Wiener — who wrote the original bill — immediately announced new legislation to add state law enforcement officers to the masking ban. Marisa Lagos KQED -- 2/10/26

Trump Administration to Cut $600 Million in Health Funding From Four States -- The programs slated to be cut are in California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. They include grants to state and local public health departments as well as to some nongovernmental organizations. A list of the cuts was shared with relevant congressional committees on Monday. Apoorva Mandavilli in the New York Times$ -- 2/10/26

Bay Area congressman who viewed unredacted Epstein files says at least 6 men are implicated -- Two members of Congress who pushed the federal government to publicly release its investigations into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein said they had identified at least six men who were likely incriminated in the well-connected financier’s crimes, but declined to share the names. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/10/26

 

Trial starts in L.A. lawsuit alleging Instagram and YouTube knew apps harmed kids -- A landmark civil trial that will ask jurors to decide whether social media companies can be held liable for pushing a product that they alleg edly knew was harmful to children began Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, with attorneys sparring for more than four hours in combative opening arguments. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ Eli Tan and Cecilia Kang in the New York Times$ -- 2/10/26

How Casey Wasserman entered Epstein’s orbit and why it might affect his role with the LA28 Olympics -- In 2002, former President Bill Clinton invited influential sports and marketing executive Casey Wasserman and others to join him on a humanitarian mission to Africa. Salacious emails with Epstein confidant Ghislaine Maxwell have prompted calls for Wasserman to give up his role overseeing the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Jenny Jarvie, Meg James and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/10/26

Schiff endorses Swalwell for California governor -- Schiff, one of the state’s most prominent Democrats, previously served with Swalwell on the House Intelligence Committee, where they riled Republicans by investigating President Trump during his first term. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ Blake Jones Politico -- 2/10/26

Lawmakers send $90 million grant package for Planned Parenthood clinics to Newsom -- Assembly and Senate Democrats backed identical bills in each chamber that would appropriate the money from the state’s general fund and make it immediately available to Planned Parenthood clinics that provide abortions, cancer screenings and other reproductive health care services. Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/10/26

Maxine Waters is the newest target in Democrats’ intergenerational war -- Rep. Maxine Waters, an institution of Los Angeles Democratic politics, is facing an upstart challenger from her party seeking to capitalize on the national wave of generational change-seekers. Melanie Mason Politico -- 2/10/26

L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman’s record may surprise you -- More than five years ago, Nithya Raman made history as the first candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America to win a City Council seat in Los Angeles, ushering in a wave of other progressive candidates who pushed the council to the left. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/10/26

Walters: Troubled LA Mayor Karen Bass faces a re-election challenge from the city’s left wing -- The ever-changing array of political figures seeking to become California’s next governor has a doppelganger in the game of musical political chairs being played in Los Angeles over electing a mayor. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 2/10/26

Workplace

S.F. schools will remain closed Tuesday as teacher strike talks continue -- With teachers on strike and a deal still pending, San Francisco school officials announced schools would be closed Tuesday, adding a second day the district’s 48,000 students would not be in class as the two sides battle over raises and health care benefits. Jill Tucker, Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Hailey Branson-Potts and Christopher Buchanan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/10/26

Kaiser, nurses union spar over workers as strike enters 3rd week -- Kaiser says more than 35% of 31,000 striking nurses have returned to work, even as 3,000 pharmacists and lab workers join the walkout. Pat Maio in the LA Daily News -- 2/10/26

Guns

California sues companies that sell code for making 3-D printed ghost guns -- Two Florida companies that provide computer code and designs for making 3-D printed guns and ammunition magazines are being sued by the state of California and the city of San Francisco, who say its products are allowing people to create illegal ghost guns. Sharon Bernstein in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/10/26

Water

Central Valley farmers press Trump to increase Shasta Dam water storage capacity -- The development follows a series of letters sent late last year by local water agencies, state Republican lawmakers and water contractors, where they called the administration to fund the Shasta Dam raise project using money from Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill budget. Chaewon Chung in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/10/26

‘Little death bombs’: Illegal cannabis farms poison California’s forests. Who’s cleaning them up? -- Even after legalization, illicit cannabis grows continue to pollute California’s public lands. And the contamination, new research shows, lingers. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 2/10/26

Homeless

City of L.A. seeks to dump the federal judge overseeing a homelessness settlement -- The City of Los Angeles is asking an appeals court to remove the federal judge overseeing a settlement that requires it to produce thousands of shelter beds and housing units and clear nearly 10,000 homeless camps from the streets. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/10/26

Housing

Housing advocates still waiting for state-ordered stair report -- California’s fire safety regulators were asked to study whether mid-rise apartments can go with a single staircase. They’re more than a month late. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 2/10/26

California city freezes rent for all of 2026. It could be permanent -- A contentious new chapter in Santa Barbara’s housing crisis is unfolding as its city council, in a split decision, recently approved a temporary citywide rent freeze. Andrew Pridgen SFGate -- 02/10/26

Education

Community colleges want to offer more low-cost bachelor’s degrees. Why CSU says no to some -- California’s community colleges are moving toward offering more bachelor’s degrees. California State University is contesting 16 proposals, saying the proposed programs duplicate their own offerings. Christopher Buchanan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/10/26

Street

She begged CARE Court to help her son. He died 10 days after it dismissed his case -- CARE Court was Gavin Newsom’s big mental health care initiative. In San Francisco, fewer than 11 people have completed the program. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/10/26

Bill in California Legislature would make it a crime to collect DNA without consent -- Ta’s bill includes broad exemptions for law enforcement, prosecutors and court-ordered DNA collection, leaving criminal investigations and forensic evidence gathering unaffected while targeting nonconsensual use by private individuals. Daniel Hunt in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/10/26

Also

Bad Bunny vs. Kid Rock: Here’s how many people watched each Super Bowl halftime show -- The numbers were never expected to be close. Early viewership data from the 2026 Super Bowl shows that Bad Bunny’s official halftime performance far outpaced the conservative counterprogramming mounted against it, even as millions still tuned in to watch both. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/10/26

Mark Zuckerberg Is the Latest California Billionaire to Buy a Florida Home -- The couple is purchasing a newly completed waterfront mansion on Miami’s Indian Creek, according to sources with knowledge of the transaction. Zuckerberg already has an extensive luxury real-estate portfolio, with properties in Lake Tahoe, Palo Alto, Calif., and on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Katherine Clarke and Deborah Acosta in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/10/26

POTUS 47

Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation -- A small group of conservative activists has worked for 16 years to stop all government efforts to fight climate change. Their efforts seem poised to pay off. Lisa Friedman and Maxine Joselow in the Los Angeles Times$ Meridith McGraw and Benoît Morenne in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/10/26

Legality of Trump’s $400M in private funding for White House ballroom at issue -- A federal judge weighing whether the project may proceed has focused on whether the administration can use private donations to bypass congressional approval. Dan Diamond, Aaron Schaffer and Jonathan Edwards in the Washington Post$ -- 2/10/26