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California Policy and Politics Sunday
What we know about Cole Tomas Allen, Torrance teacher suspected in WHCD shooting -- A man taken into custody after gunfire rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner on Saturday was identified by law enforcement sources as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance. Allen, who is registered to vote with no party preference, graduated from CalTech in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering, according to the university. It was drizzling Saturday evening in Torrance outside the multi-gabled house with tall hedges house where Allen is believed to have lived. Hannah Fry, Ruben Vives and Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ Pooja Salhotra in the New York Times$ -- 4/26/26
In Deep Blue California, a G.O.P.-Backed Voter ID Proposal Makes the Ballot -- A Republican-backed initiative has cleared the signature threshold for the November election. Critics say the measure could make it harder for people to vote. Tim Balk in the New York Times$ -- 4/26/26
Growing brush fire triggers evacuation warnings in Orange County -- Orange County firefighters battled a brush fire Saturday that prompted evacuation warnings for some communities in the Carbon Canyon area of Brea. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/26
California cities seek to bless polyamorous unions. Lawyers warn it will get messy in court -- West Hollywood is among the cities moving to recognize and protect multi-partner relationships, an effort that backers say addresses housing and healthcare discrimination. Some experts say the changes will face complications in being added to the existing system for divorces, custody disputes and family court battles. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/26
Four LAPD officers collectively win more than $14 million in retaliation lawsuit -- A jury on Thursday awarded $14.6 million to four Los Angeles Police Department officers who said they were retaliated against for reporting problems they deemed serious, including serious staffing shortages that left police recruits with insufficient training in the use of deadly weapons. The item is in the LA Daily News -- 4/26/26
Water
Here’s where California reservoirs stand after spring storms -- As California heads into its dry season, its major reservoirs are in good shape, with statewide storage on Friday estimated to be 20% above normal for this time of year. Robust rainfall in April has given a slight boost in places — especially welcome after an unusually dry March. Jack Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/26
Also
California’s largest ski resort extends season after storms: ‘The show goes on into May’ -- California’s largest ski resort, which had announced it would close by late April, now says recent Sierra Nevada storms will allow it to remain open into May. Palisades Tahoe’s announcement comes almost two weeks after Mammoth Mountain announced it will remain open for a “second season” at least through May 25, Memorial Day. Warren Pederson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/26
This Tahoe ski resort is getting a new $50 million gondola next winter -- Last summer, Sugar Bowl Resort, one of the closest ski areas to San Francisco, embarked on a $100 million capital improvement project to modernize parts of its 87-year-old property. This offseason, the resort is beginning a more ambitious round of work to significantly improve access to the slopes for both first-time visitors and veteran passholders alike — starting next winter. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/26
Rare Central Valley tornado outbreak: four twisters strike in five hours -- Tornadoes aren’t completely out of the question in California’s Central Valley. Over the last century, the region has had scores of them. But this week, as several thunderstorms moved through, the region experienced something rare: four tornadoes on the same day, all in less than five hours. David Zahniser Calmatters -- 4/26/26
Dogs outnumber kids in S.F. Now their day care costs nearly as much -- While taking a golden Labrador named Barley for a bathroom break last week, a San Francisco dog handler noticed something Barley’s owners needed to know about — immediately. After alerting them through a mobile app, the handler sent her boss a detailed note. Connor Letourneau in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/26
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Suspect to appear in court Monday and ‘many’ charges expected, Pirro says -- U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect will be charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence, along with one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. He will be arraigned in court on Monday, she said. Jenny Gathright in the Washington Post$ -- 4/26/26
Confusion and Fright Inside the Washington Hilton Ballroom -- There were no announcements or cries of “get down.” Instead, a sense of danger spread across the room like a wave. Hundreds of the country’s top media executives, editors in chief and prominent television anchors, clad in tuxedos and evening gowns, instinctively dropped to the floor, crouching besides chairs and ducking under tables. Michael M. Grynbaum in the New York Times$ John F. Harris Politico Dan Diamond, Cat Zakrzewski, Emily Davies and Maegan Vazquez in the Washington Post$ -- 4/26/26
Once again, a gunman gets perilously close to President Trump -- The storming of a security checkpoint on Saturday evening by an armed man at the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was the third time in three years that Mr. Trump had faced danger. During the 2024 campaign, he survived two assassination attempts, including a bullet grazing his ear in Butler, Pa. Luke Broadwater in the New York Times$ -- 4/26/26
Aborted Pakistan Trip Leaves Trump With Tough Choices on Iran Talks -- President Trump scrapped a trip by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran, leaving himself tough choices over how to force Iran to make concessions the White House wants to strike a deal. Benoit Faucon, Laurence Norman and Natalie Andrews in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/26/26
California Policy and Politics Saturday
Democratic plan to quickly fill Swalwell seat collapses, setting up crowded race -- A behind-the-scenes effort by national Democrats to quickly fill former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s vacant seat — by consolidating support behind a single “caretaker” candidate — collapsed this week, setting off a crowded special election that could delay restoring a crucial House vote. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/25/26
Voter ID initiative qualifies for California’s November election -- A GOP-backed voter ID ballot initiative on Friday qualified for the Nov. 3 ballot, marking a significant win for San Diego Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, who led the signature-gathering campaign. DeMaio and other Republican operatives have pushed for tighter voter restrictions in deep-blue California for years. Nadia Lathan Calmatters Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ Lindsey Holden Politico -- 4/25/26
Billionaire blitz: Steyer’s $132 million campaign dwarfs rivals in California governor race -- Campaign finance disclosures filed late Thursday show that through mid-April, Steyer continued to outspend his opponents twenty- to thirty-fold, mostly to blitz the state with television ads that began airing early in the race. Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 4/25/26
Water
Newsom celebrates Delta tunnel advancement while his bond plan is shot down -- The Delta tunnel project cleared a key regulatory step Thursday after the Delta Stewardship Council — a state body created in 2009 following the Legislature’s passage of the Delta Reform Act to oversee planning — voted to uphold the state’s finding that the project complies with the Delta Plan. Chaewon Chung in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/26
San Francisco is about to hike up water rates — and much of the Bay Area will feel it -- San Francisco is planning to sharply raise water and sewer rates over the coming decade, beginning with a nearly 25% projected bump in residential bills over the next two years, as the growing cost of maintaining the city’s waterworks comes due. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/26
Marketplace
Firm with Trump family ties expected to buy minority stake in Giants -- Kushner, brother to President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, announced the partnership with the Giants as the group’s first, adding in a statement on X that the firm was expanding to invest in “assets with qualities that cannot be replicated by technology.” Shayna Rubin in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/26
Bed Bath & Beyond is back in California after vowing never to return -- The home goods retailer will resurface through the rebranding of 98 The Container Store locations, including 12 storefronts in California, the company announced Thursday. Itzel Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/26
While California’s tourism rallied, L.A. faced its worst year since the pandemic -- Tourist spending in Los Angeles fell for the first time since the pandemic last year as wildfires, ICE raids and trade tensions discouraged people from visiting. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/26
Education
U.S. Department of Education reopens investigation into LAUSD’s Black student achievement program -- The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has reopened an investigation into a LAUSD program originally intended to help elevate the academic achievement of Black students, according to a letter released by the conservative group that alleges the program is a form of race-based discrimination. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/26
Six candidates for California’s top schools job debate education policy, funding and more -- Six candidates for state superintendent of public instruction debated school funding, protections for LGBTQ+ students and more this week in an online forum hosted by the nonprofit news outlet EdSource. The event took place over two days, featuring candidates who had met its requirements of having been elected to public office in a role that involved shaping education policy, overseeing schools or both. Jemma Stephenson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/25/26
Oakland principals issue rare call to close schools, end leadership limbo amid fiscal crisis -- Dozens of Oakland school principals, warning of dire conditions in classrooms, urged district leaders this week to stop stalling and do what has to be done: Close schools and pick a permanent superintendent. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/26
Street
San Francisco records first overdose death involving new street drug more potent than fentanyl -- San Francisco health officials rang the alarm Friday about a new synthetic opioid 10 times more potent than fentanyl that surfaced for the first time in an overdose victim earlier this month, prompting renewed warnings about the dangers of counterfeit pills. Maggie Angst in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/26
Also
FBI joins the probe into the disappearance of a SoCal grandpa linked to a crypto fortune -- The FBI has joined the investigation into the suspicious disappearance of 74-year-old Naiping Hou, a resident of Rancho Cucamonga and father of noted cryptocurrency investor Wen Hou. Ruben Vives and Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/26
A cop and a suspected robber ended up in the same car. A life-or-death confrontation ensued -- Trapped in a robbery suspect’s vehicle, an Antioch police officer found himself in a life-or-death struggle with the driver as they raced down city streets and negotiated how to end their predicament. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/26
Sacramento ordered to pay $32.1M to family of men killed by detective in I-5 crash -- The city of Sacramento has been ordered to pay $32.1 million to the children of a Sacramento man who was struck and killed by a Sacramento police detective on Interstate 5 near Sutterville Road in 2022, jurors decided this week. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/26
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Jet Fuel Shortages Could Make Travel a ‘Total Mess’ This Summer -- Facing sky-high fuel costs linked to the war in Iran, airlines are cutting routes and raising prices. European vacations are looking a lot less affordable. Christine Chung in the New York Times$ -- 4/25/26
U.S. Energy Exports Hit Records as World Adjusts to a Closed Persian Gulf -- Oil, gas shipments have soared but U.S. will face obstacles turning wartime demand into a permanent boost. Chelsey Dulaney and Jason Douglas in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/25/26
Trump Says He Dislikes Prediction Markets. His Family Invests in Them -- The White House has warned staff not to wager on government decisions, but his family’s involvement with these firms undermines the president’s message. Ben Protess in the New York Times$ -- 4/25/26
Trump’s FCC eyes new ways to squeeze the TV networks -- The president's media czar, Brendan Carr, is already letting conservative broadcasters get bigger. Now he’s eyeing ways to help them ditch shows like Jimmy Kimmel. John Hendel Politico -- 4/25/26
What Everyone Got Wrong About Jobs and the Immigration Crackdown -- Deportations haven’t meaningfully lifted wages for Americans, nor have they caused widespread disruptions to the labor market. Paul Kiernan and Drew An-Pham in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/25/26