California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Newsom to review if TikTok is censoring Trump-critical content -- The review comes amid wider accusations that content criticizing ICE is being flagged for review or throttled, just days after the platform closed a Trump-backed deal to avoid facing a U.S. ban. Tyler Katzenberger Politico Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/27/26

California lawmakers ignore most state audit warnings, costing billions -- For more than a decade, the California State Auditor has issued warnings to lawmakers about government waste, fraud, cost overruns, and broken oversight systems across state government. Again and again, audits called for changes in state law meant to fix those problems. In many cases, those fixes did not happen. Julie Watts CBS News California -- 1/27/26

Spencer Pratt knows you love to hate him. Now he wants to lead Los Angeles -- Reality TV star Spencer Pratt announces his run for Los Angeles mayor following the loss of his Pacific Palisades home to last year’s devastating wildfire. In his new memoir, the former “Hills” villain reflects on his multiple reinventions and the manufactured nature of early 2000s reality television. Rachel Brodsky in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/27/26

Garofoli: California’s next governor isn’t likely to push reparations effort forward -- Advocates for reparations, who have struggled to enact key pieces of their agenda following a landmark report and recommendations from a state task force in 2023, don’t appear likely to have a strong champion in California’s next governor. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/27/26

 

California Democrats urge government shutdown after federal agents kill Minnesota nurse -- More than half of California’s Democratic legislative caucus called for a government shutdown and introduced bills to hold federal agents accountable. Maya C. Miller Calmatters Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/27/26

Health care workers join Oakland vigil to protest ICE fatal shooting of Minneapolis ICU nurse -- Protesters fear the Bay Area, home to nearly 500,000 undocumented immigrants, could become the next ICE target. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/27/26

Man’s infected finger burst after Adelanto staff waited months to give him antibiotics: Lawsuit -- A man suffering a seizure went without oxygen as guards watched him convulse on the floor, and another was not given antibiotics for a severe staph infection that led his finger to burst — allegations that civil rights attorneys and immigration advocates say reveal just how inhumane and unconstitutional conditions have become for people at the Adelanto detention center in San Bernardino County. Marina Peña The LA Local -- 1/27/26

CA Senator Padilla, after visit to immigrant detention center, wants big changes -- Sen. Alex Padilla and Democratic colleagues proposed Monday overhauling what he called a “cruel” immigrant detention system. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/27/26

What to know about pepper spray and its effects, as federal agents’ tactics spur outrage -- The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal Border Patrol agents in Minnesota on Saturday has prompted outrage and mass protests across the country, including in San Francisco, where hundreds marched against ICE and the Trump administration. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/27/26

Bay Area assemblyman introduces bill that would tax 50% of profits from private ICE detention centers in California -- Haney’s bill, AB1633, is aimed at limiting the profits of the detention centers, which take in hundreds of millions of dollars annually throughout the state. Kyle Martin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/27/26

Sacramento to bulk up immigrant protections, preparing for ICE escalations -- Sacramento City Council will consider an expansion of the city’s sanctuary city ordinance on Tuesday afternoon. The proposal includes reaffirming the right to protest outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in downtown Sacramento and record interactions with immigration officers. Felicia Alvarez KVIE Abridged -- 01/27/26

Fallout From Minnesota: Citizen-Watchdog Claims of ICE Retaliation -- For weeks, thousands of federal immigration authorities and thousands of citizen observers have faced off on the cold streets of Minneapolis. Jared Mitovich and Kris Maher in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/27/26

Social Media

Landmark Trial Tests Claims That Social Media Harms Teens -- A Los Angeles jury is poised to consider a central question in the debate over social media and teenage welfare: Are platforms such as Instagram and TikTok causing mental-health disorders? Erin Mulvaney in the Wall Street Journal$ Tyler Katzenberger and Christine Mui Politico Barbara Ortutay Associated Press -- 1/27/26

Workplace

Independent studios scramble to stay afloat as film and TV production lags -- After years of aggressive sound stage development across Southern California — fueled by a surge in TV production and low interest rates — the writing was on the wall as filming activity dropped to historic lows. Roger Vincent and Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/27/26

Homeless

Super Bowl festivities are taking over downtown. What does that mean for S.F.’s homeless residents? -- Over the next two weeks, San Francisco will welcome tens of thousands of football fans into neighborhoods that have been strained by homelessness and open air drug use in recent years. Lucy Hodgman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/27/26

Can AI help make homeless Californians healthier? -- A California company is using AI to help diagnose homeless Californians. The technology promises better access to health care, but it also raises questions. Marisa Kendall Calmatters -- 1/27/26

Housing

CA launches portal to expedite conversion of state buildings to housing, businesses -- The state’s property manager unveiled a new dashboard Monday designed to speed up California’s efforts to sell excess government property that can be turned into commercial projects. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/27/26

Vaccine

Pediatricians urge Americans to stick with previous vaccine schedule despite CDC’s changes -- For decades, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spoke with a single voice when advising the nation’s families on when to vaccinate their children. Corinne Purtill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/27/26

Education

Sacramento City trustee asks for school financial help in ‘Hail Mary’ to community -- Sacramento City Unified could run out of cash as soon as this summer. One board member is turning to parents and the community for help. Trustee Taylor Kayatta said he is not looking for individual donations, but rather ideas that district staff and leaders may not have considered. Savannah Kuchar KVIE Abridged -- 01/27/26

A playground replaced this preschool’s empty asphalt lot. It’s a game-changer for learning -- A $3.3-million interactive learning garden at Normont Early Education Center replaces the school’s asphalt lot. Parents say the outdoor classroom is crucial for their children in industrial Harbor City, where green space is limited. Christopher Buchanan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/27/26

Environment

Residents of a polluted California town pinned hopes on new state rules. They’re still waiting -- A 2015 law required the state Department of Toxic Substances Control to overhaul its permitting process to consider how multiple sources of pollution impacts health. Advocates now say the overdue rules aren’t protective enough. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde Calmatters -- 1/27/26

County supervisors to vote on $4.75M plan to address Tijuana River pollution -- The proposal, presented by the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on the Tijuana River Sewage Crisis, includes funding for epidemiological studies and a temporary infrastructure fix at Saturn Boulevard, identified as a major hotspot for airborne pollutants. Walker Armstrong in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 1/27/26

Climate

California’s iconic Highway 1 is fighting a losing battle against climate change. Can it survive? -- Scientists warn that climate change intensifies hazards that affect this roadway — stronger storms, higher seas and more intense wildfires — making future closures more likely along California’s iconic, 650-mile highway. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/27/26

Street

A 100-foot tunnel, secret bunker and weapons stash found at MAGA activist’s California home -- Shasta County authorities started out investigating a suspected illegal marijuana farm but ended up making a far more unsettling discovery: a massive stash of illegal firearms and a secret underground bunker at the base of a 100-foot tunnel on a MAGA activist’s property. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/27/26

Also

Walters: Cracks between Newsom and frustrated lawmakers show in first budget hearings -- Gavin Newsom is officially a lame-duck governor, and his final year in office seems increasingly focused on an almost certain campaign for the White House. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 1/27/26

POTUS 47

Judge Orders ICE Chief to Appear in Court Over Immigration Crackdown -- The top federal judge in Minnesota has summoned the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to personally explain this week why he should not be held in contempt of court as judicial scrutiny of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown grows. Hamed Aleaziz, Ernesto Londoño, David E. Sanger, Mitch Smith and Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ Jeremy Roebuck in the Washington Post$ -- 1/27/26

New Video Analysis Reveals Flawed and Fatal Decisions in Shooting of Pretti -- A frame-by-frame assessment of actions by Alex Pretti and the two officers who fired 10 times shows how lethal force came to be used against a target who didn’t pose a threat. Devon Lum, Haley Willis, Alexander Cardia, Dmitriy Khavin and Ainara Tiefenthäler in the New York Times$ -- 1/27/26

Policing Experts Question Agents’ Conduct in Lead-Up to Shooting of Alex Pretti -- Law enforcement experts say federal agents deviated from standard practice before and during the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, based on videos. Reis Thebault and Maia Coleman in the New York Times$ -- 1/27/26

Trump aides declared 16 DHS shootings since July justified before probes completed -- The Trump administration’s rush to defend the officers and accuse the victims of attacking them has sparked widespread outrage and demands for accountability. David Nakamura and Olivia George in the Washington Post$ -- 1/27/26

White House Wobbles, Distancing Trump From Initial Response to Minnesota Killing -- Faced with broad outcry over the killing of a protester on Saturday in Minneapolis, the White House on Monday pulled a top border official from the city and tried to distance President Trump from the response of his most senior officials, who had immediately characterized the man fatally shot by federal agents as a “domestic terrorist” who was “brandishing” a gun, before video evidence undercut their charges. Luke Broadwater and David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ Isaac Arnsdorf and Natalie Allison in the Washington Post$ -- 1/27/26

Democrats Embrace a Shutdown Fight They Wanted to Avoid -- After a second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, Democrats say public opinion is on their side and they are willing to risk a backlash to counter what they see as police-state tactics. Carl Hulse in the New York Times$ -- 1/27/26

Trump Holds 2-Hour Meeting With Noem Amid Backlash to Minneapolis Shooting -- President Trump met Monday evening in the Oval Office with Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, and Corey Lewandowski, her top aide, for nearly two hours, as his administration tries to shift its strategy after federal agents killed a second Minneapolis resident over the weekend, according to two people briefed on the meeting. Tyler Pager and Hamed Aleaziz in the New York Times$ -- 1/27/26

Administration Social Media Posts Echo White Supremacist Messaging -- A flurry of posts from the White House, Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security have included images, slogans and even a song used by the white nationalist right. Evan Gorelick in the New York Times$ -- 1/27/26

Families of Two Men Killed in Boat Strikes Sue U.S. -- The families of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. military strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela are suing the U.S., the first legal challenge to the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged drug-smuggling boats coming from Latin America. Lara Seligman and ShelbyHolliday in the Wall Street Journal$ Charlie Savage in the New York Times$ -- 1/27/26