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California Policy and Politics Monday
Trump does Epstein U-turn as House Republicans prepare to spurn him -- Before the reversal, even some House GOP leaders were mulling whether to support the effort to release DOJ files dealing with the late sex offender. Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy Politico Alex Leary, Scott Patterson and Siobhan Hughes in the Wall Street Journal$ Mariana Alfaro in the Washington Post$ Ashley Ahn in the New York Times$ -- 11/17/25
State finds Oakland Unified created ‘discriminatory environment’ for Jewish students -- In three separate rulings, the California Department of Education has determined that the Oakland Unified School District created a “discriminatory environment” against Jewish students and staff, contradicting the district’s findings. John Fensterwald EdSource in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/17/25
Feds: Ex-Newsom aide used job to pressure CA into settling suit with former client -- Federal officials said Dana Williamson, the Sacramento political power broker who was indicted last week, used her position while she was Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff to pressure state attorneys to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit with one of her former clients, gaming company Activision Blizzard. Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/17/25
Killion: What John Beam gave his players was bigger than football wins or losses -- His name was on my list of contacts to call for a project. A community resource who had devoted his life to helping kids and who could speak to the seismic changes in high school and college sports. John Beam. Ann Killion in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/17/25
After nearly three years, these Bay Area cities still lack a state-approved housing plan -- Nearly three years after the state’s deadline, a Bay Area county and three cities across the region still haven’t finalized their state-mandated housing plans, leaving them vulnerable to fines, loss of grant funding and the dreaded “builder’s remedy,” which can cost them control over land use decisions. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/17/25
Shelter requests surged after San Diego began clearing freeway camps. Almost all failed -- Requests for shelter have risen significantly in the city of San Diego since local officials got permission to clear encampments on state land. Yet a lack of spots in the region’s overwhelmed shelter system means almost all of those pleas — about 93% — recently failed. Blake Nelson in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 11/17/25
UC nurses cancel planned strike after reaching tentative deal with university -- A planned labor strike by University of California nurses has been called off after the university system and the nurses’ union reached a tentative deal on pay and benefits, both groups announced Sunday. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/17/25
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Trump Tariffs Push Japan’s Economy Into Contraction -- The Japanese economy shrank by 1.8 percent compared to the same quarter last year, as U.S. tariffs dampened automobile exports and prompted a bleak outlook for growth. River Akira Davis in the New York Times$ -- 11/17/25
Here’s what’s going on with Trump’s tariffs, prices and the Supreme Court -- There are the drug-trafficking tariffs. Tariffs to fix trade balances, some pulled back. China tariffs — raised, raised again, lowered some, lowered again. Tariffs on imported cars, but not on all car parts, and less on Bentleys. Tariffs on Brazil over the prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro for his role in an attempted coup. Rachel Lerman in the Washington Post$ -- 11/17/25
GOP plans to replace Obamacare have failed. Here’s what lawmakers propose now -- Lawmakers are racing toward a mid-December deadline, with Republicans hoping to present side-by-side legislation with Democrats’ plan to extend ACA subsidies. Dan Diamond and Paige Winfield Cunningham in the Washington Post$ -- 11/17/25
California Policy and Politics Sunday
Storm of the season pounds Southern California as burn areas brace for mudslides, flooding -- The most powerful band of a large atmospheric river storm slammed into Southern California on Saturday, dumping much-needed rain across the region but also bringing mudslide dangers to communities still reeling from January’s firestorms. Rong-Gong Lin II, Gavin J. Quinton, Clara Harter and Jasmine Mendez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/25
California legislative analyst warns SNAP cuts will strain, family state budgets -- California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office warned that the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act could strip hundreds of millions of dollars a year in CalFresh food aid from low-income Californians and shift billions in costs to state and counties. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ Marcia Brown Politico -- 11/16/25
‘People Over Billionaires’: S.F. march through wealthy neighborhood targets the 1% -- About 200 protesters, many in colorful costumes, mobilized through San Francisco’s wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood Saturday as part of a “People Over Billionaires” day of action. Jennifer Gollan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/25
How a tech billionaire philanthropist got caught between Trump and San Francisco -- Backlash over the Salesforce CEO’s now-retracted suggestion of a National Guard deployment highlights the challenge facing business leaders with roots in liberal communities as they navigate Trump’s second term. Lisa Bonos in the Washington Post$ -- 11/16/25
Garofoli: ‘Affordability’ is Dems’ new mantra. Does that spell doom for Gavin Newsom? -- But the broader wins by Democrats this month are ominous for Newsom, a 2028 White House hopeful and leader of the nation’s least affordable state. California has one of the nation’s widest gaps between rich and poor. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/25
Indictment of ex-Newsom aide hints at feds’ probe into state’s earlier investigation of video game giant -- Two of the operatives indicted had ties to the video game company Activision Blizzard, which was investigated earlier by the state over sex discrimination allegations. Jessica Garrison and Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/25
Latino Dodgers fans want the champions to stand up to Trump -- Rejecting an invitation to the White House would make up for what some perceive as a tepid response to immigration crackdown this summer. Reis Thebault in the Washington Post$ -- 11/16/25
Marketplace
McDonald’s is losing its low-income customers. Economists call it a symptom of the stark wealth divide -- McDonald’s prices have risen so high at the iconic fast food chain that traffic from one of its core customer bases, low-income households, has dropped by double digits. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/25
Also
Green bins clog L.A. curbs as city’s organic waste program goes into overdrive -- The city has left dozens of green bins on some blocks. The intention is for residents to dump their food waste in the bins to comply with a state composting law. But many say it’s overkill and are poking fun at the “Great Green Bin Apocalypse of 2025,” as one observer called it. Sandra McDonald and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/25
When the city tried to take a 10-year-old’s bees, hundreds rallied behind him -- No one understands “the girls” quite like Nicholas Bard. They speak to him with the hum of their wings. They bump into — but never sting — him if he’s in their way. And sometimes, the 10-year-old reads to them. Angie Orellana Hernandez in the Washington Post$ -- 11/16/25
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White House Hunts for Ways to Lower the Cost of Living -- The president’s team is discussing more deals with pharmaceutical companies to make prescription drugs cheaper, approvals for new offshore-drilling projects and new healthcare proposals, the officials said. The president has also ordered up new ideas to address the high cost of housing. Alex Leary, Tarini Parti and Justin Lahart in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/16/25
Trump ran on ‘America first.’ Now he views presidency as a ‘worldwide situation’ -- President Trump faces backlash from Republicans who say he is focusing too much on foreign affairs. The cracks in the MAGA movement have been more pronounced as Republicans push the Trump administration to release records related to Jeffrey Epstein. Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/25
U.S. Boat Strikes Are Straining the Counterdrug Alliance -- France denounced the U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats as a violation of international law. Canada and the Netherlands have stressed they aren’t involved. Colombia has vowed to cut off intelligence cooperation with Washington. Mexico summoned the U.S. ambassador to complain. Vera Bergengruen, Kejal Vyas and Shelby Holliday in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/16/25
Trump’s escalating Venezuela rhetoric, military moves alarm region’s leaders -- The U.S. president’s transactional approach to Latin America has showered rewards on some countries. For others, it’s an unwelcome return to the long history of U.S. intervention in the Western Hemisphere. Karen DeYoung in the Washington Post$ -- 11/16/25
Trump’s ‘incredibly complex’ tariffs suck up CEO time and company resources -- The proliferation of trade regulations and threat of intensified enforcement has driven many companies to spend what could add up to tens of millions of dollars to ensure they are not running afoul of Trump's new duties. Doug Palmer Politico -- 11/16/25
Homeland Security Missions Falter Amid Focus on Deportations -- Under President Trump, an agency intended to keep Americans safe has diverted resources from combating child abuse, trafficking and terrorism. Nicholas Nehamas, Michael H. Keller, Alexandra Berzon, Hamed Aleaziz and Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times$ -- 11/16/25