California Policy and Politics Thursday

LAUSD principals say demands are too high, hours too long. They are joining the Teamsters -- LAUSD principals and other middle managers muscle up and vote to affiliate with Teamsters amid concerns that district is demanding too much. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24

California man linked to Madison school shooter may have plotted own attack -- A Southern California man who was in contact with the Madison, Wis., school shooter allegedly was plotting to attack a government building, according to records and media reports. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24

London Breed on her six years as S.F. mayor: ‘My mark is on everything in this city’ -- No place in San Francisco better embodies both the highs and lows of Mayor London Breed’s tenure than United Nations Plaza, the public square in the heart of the city that has long been a symbol of its ills. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/19/24

‘Unite us’: Top Oakland leaders urge Barbara Lee to run for mayor in new letter -- Some of Oakland’s top elected officials and community leaders are urging Rep. Barbara Lee, who is ending her House career, to run for mayor. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/19/24

California’s Democratic senators split in Adam Schiff’s first major vote -- In one of his first major votes as a senator, Adam Schiff broke with the majority of Democrats — including fellow Californian Alex Padilla — and voted against legislation that included a GOP provision to ban gender-affirming care for children of service members. Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/19/24

California’s fourth-largest home insurer to drop all condo, rental policies -- On the eve of a slate of reforms meant to incentivize insurance companies to write more policies in California, Liberty Mutual has told state regulators it will stop offering new condo and renter policies in 2025. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/19/24

California’s lemon law is changing and car buyers have fewer protections in the new year -- Californians who purchase a clunker car in 2025 face a confusing year as new lemon law rules take effect and the state Supreme Court limited warranty protections for used vehicles. Lawmakers are revisiting the rules, but consumers could see weaker protections until new laws are passed. Ryan Sabalow CalMatters -- 12/19/24

California declares first statewide emergency over bird flu -- California on Wednesday declared a statewide emergency over bird flu, with Gov. Gavin Newsom warning that “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property” meant greater efforts were needed to defeat the spread. Emma Anderson Politico Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ Kirk Maltais in the Wall Street Journal$ Lena H. Sun in the Washington Post$ Apoorva Mandavilli in the New York Times$ -- 12/19/24

More L.A. cats appear to be infected with H5N1 bird flu -- Experts believe three more cats in Los Angeles County have been infected with H5N1 bird flu. Two others succumbed to the disease earlier this month after drinking recalled raw milk from Fresno-based Raw Farm LLC dairies. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24

Toll Authority approves measure to further increase Bay Area bridge tolls starting in 2026 -- Hikes approved Wednesday will go on top of increases already approved by voters through Regional Measure 3. Nollyanne Delacruz in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/19/24

The Port of Los Angeles is expecting a record December -- The Port of Los Angeles is on track to process more than 10 million container units this year and is expecting a record-breaking December. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24

Barabak: For many Black women, Kamala Harris’ defeat felt like a betrayal. Now what? -- The day Joe Biden faced reality, stepped aside and cleared the way for Kamala Harris to replace him atop the Democratic ticket, Teja Smith felt a mix of exhilaration and dread. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24

Walters: New decisions boost California’s zero-emission vehicle mandate, but major hurdles remain -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decree that by 2035 all new cars sold in California must be powered by batteries or other zero-emission systems has received a double dose of legal and political support. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 12/19/24

Workplace

A California recovery program keeps watch on addicted health workers — but not doctors -- California doctors are asking the state to create a ‘safe harbor’ program for addiction recovery. They say the current system discourages doctors from participating because they regard it as punitive. Kristen Hwang CalMatters -- 12/19/24

‘It’s living hell’: Nurses say a California addiction recovery program ended their careers -- California nurses say an addiction recovery program managed by their licensing board has become a trap that drives them out of their careers and leaves them in debt. Kristen Hwang CalMatters -- 12/19/24

Inland Empire child care workers do vital job but rarely earn good wages -- Child care’s expense is linked to a lack of supply, which is linked to a lack of workers, which is linked to low pay and poor benefits in the industry, panelists said. Deborah Brennan CalMatters -- 12/19/24

Prop houses and other Hollywood businesses seek to promote filming in California -- Nearly three dozen local film, television and streaming production businesses and associations have launched an advocacy group aimed at improving conditions for filming in the state. Stacy Perman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24

Education

Why income and tense politics are limiting access to civics classes in California -- All high school students are required to take civics, but a lack of money can limit opportunities. And in some communities, parent objections pressure teachers to avoid certain topics. Carolyn Jones CalMatters -- 12/19/24

College protests swept across California last year. Why have they stopped? -- Campus administrators have been swift in enforcing their protest rules this fall, a marked change from last spring where protest encampments grew unchecked for days or weeks. Meanwhile, students are asking courts to weigh in on policies in court. June Hsu and Lizzy Rager CalMatters -- 12/19/24

State takes another step toward mandatory testing for reading difficulties in 2025 -- A panel of reading experts has designated the tests that school districts can use to identify reading difficulties that kindergartners through second graders may have, starting next fall. John Fensterwald and Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 12/19/24

Street

L.A. County will pay $7.5 million settlement to girls sexually abused by sheriff’s deputy -- The settlement comes six months after Sean Essex — who worked for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for more than two decades — was sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing the three young daughters of a woman he was dating, as well as another girl he met several years earlier. Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24

L.A. sheriff’s deputy pleads guilty to beating transgender man who flipped him off -- Nearly two years after he was caught on camera beating a transgender man in a 7-Eleven parking lot, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has agreed to plead guilty in federal court to a civil rights violation for using excessive force, prosecutors said Wednesday. Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24

O.C. diocese will pay $3.5 million to settle sexual abuse allegations against former school leader -- The settlement concludes a lawsuit filed in 2019 against the diocese and brings the amount the Catholic Church has paid out in civil cases involving Msgr. Michael Harris to at least $10 million. Harris has denied molesting minors and was never criminally charged. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24

POTUS 47

Trump Sinks Bipartisan Spending Deal, Demands Streamlined Bill -- President-elect Donald Trump torpedoed a bipartisan deal struck by congressional leaders to avoid a partial government shutdown this weekend, insisting that Republican lawmakers tear up the sprawling agreement and pass a narrower bill that also includes an increase in the nation’s borrowing limit. Lindsay Wise, Katy Stech Ferek and Alex Leary in the Wall Street Journal$ Marianna Sotomayor and Jacob Bogage in the Washington Post$ Catie Edmondson and Carl Hulse in the New York Times$ -- 12/19/24

Elon Musk fueled backlash to spending plan with false and misleading claims -- A bipartisan deal to avert a government shutdown collapsed Wednesday amid a sustained campaign against the package led by billionaire Elon Musk — one featuring a series of false and misleading statements. Daniella Diaz and Katherine Tully-McManus Politico -- 12/19/24

Musk Draws First Blood With Spending Bill Bombshell -- With a 4:15 a.m. ET social-media post on Wednesday, Elon Musk declared that a must-do spending bill “should not pass.” By early evening, the bill was dead, leaving the government barreling toward a weekend shutdown just before Christmas. Ken Thomas in the Wall Street Journal$ Michael D. Shear and Ryan Mac in the New York Times$ -- 12/19/24

Inside a Huge Spending Deal: Disaster Money, a Football Stadium and More -- One of the biggest chunks of funds — and one of the more politically popular — is the aid portion of the legislation, which provides $100 billion for communities ravaged by Hurricanes Milton and Helene and other disasters. Included in that money is $21 billion to help farmers whose crops were ravaged by natural disasters. Catie Edmondson in the New York Times$ -- 12/19/24

GOP lawmakers air doubts about Trump's last-minute spending demands -- Most Republican lawmakers don't have the appetite for a government shutdown and don't think they have time to address the debt ceiling before Friday. Katherine Tully-McManus, Nicholas Wu and Jordain Carney Politico -- 12/19/24

Americans rush to buy cars and appliances before Trump’s new tariffs -- Americans are scrambling to stock up on cars, appliances and other big-ticket imports in anticipation of new Trump administration tariffs — a spending spree that could reignite the very inflation buyers are hoping to avoid. Abha Bhattarai and Jaclyn Peiser in the Washington Post$ -- 12/19/24

Trump’s transition is happening over private emails. Federal officials are nervous -- Federal officials say they’re worried about sharing documents via email with Donald Trump’s transition team because the incoming officials are eschewing government devices, email addresses and cybersecurity support, raising fears that they could potentially expose sensitive government data. Alice Miranda Ollstein Politico -- 12/19/24

Majority of Americans oppose Trump’s proposals to test democracy’s limits -- A majority of Americans oppose Donald Trump’s plans to use the U.S. military to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, to instruct the U.S. Justice Department to investigate his political rivals and to pardon rioters charged with breaking into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a nationwide Washington Post-University of Maryland poll. Colby Itkowitz, Emily Guskin and Scott Clement in the Washington Post$ -- 12/19/24

Also

It cost $1.7 million to have the LAPD work — and wear Dodgers caps — at World Series parade -- The response was much like that of a father when handed the bill for his daughter’s wedding reception. Joy trumps outrage every time. Steve Henson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/24