California Policy and Politics Thursday

L.A.’s ‘off the charts’ dryness keeps risk of new fires high. Rain is desperately needed -- Winds are expected to continue dissipating this week, but it’s shaping up to be a short reprieve for fire-scarred Southern California. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

No rainfall in sight for California. Here’s how long dry weather will last -- No significant rainfall is in sight for California for weeks as a record-dry start to the wet season continues across the southern half of the state. Wildfire danger remains extraordinarily high across Southern California, with more strong Santa Ana winds expected Monday through Wednesday. Anthony Edwards in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

Misinformation about California fires is spreading like, well, wildfire -- Southern California’s devastating wildfires have spawned a cottage industry in false information spreading rapidly online, forcing the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the governor and local officials to dedicate time and resources to pushing back against the most prevalent rumors and lies. Jason Henry in the Orange County Register -- 1/16/25

GOP to California: Build back better -- With wildfires still burning in Southern California, congressional Republicans are getting more detailed about how they plan to handle the politically sensitive topic of delivering potentially tens of billions of dollars of federal disaster aid to the largely Democratic area. Strings, they are making clear, will be attached. Nicholas Wu, Daniella Diaz and Camille von Kaenel Politico -- 1/16/25

In the wake of L.A.-area fires, Congress will consider new measures. Here are some of them -- The Fix Our Forests Act, which has bipartisan support, calls for comprehensive reform of forest management. One measure seeks to rein in the powers of the California Coastal Commission. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

Republicans blame DEI for the LA fires. This fire captain disagrees -- If you listen to Elon Musk or Megyn Kelly, Los Angeles was doomed in its fight against historically-devastating wildfires because of one thing: DEI. Melanie Mason Politico -- 1/16/25

Elon Musk turns his firehose on the California Coastal Commission -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s and Elon Musk’s rhetoric about California’s wildfire recovery efforts couldn’t be more different, except when it comes to one particularly polarizing state agency. Alex Nieves Politico -- 1/16/25

 

S.F.’s economic ranking plummets in key report, marking ‘brutal wake-up call’ -- The San Francisco area came in 126th in the latest Milken Institute report, a drop of nearly 100 spots in a report that ranks 200 metro areas and 203 small cities across the U.S. The report looked at the most current data available through 2023. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

Downtown S.F. office prices bottomed out in 2024. Here’s why that’s a good thing -- CBRE reports that the number and dollar volume of office building sales in the broader downtown area more than doubled in 2024, surpassing 2022 and 2023 combined. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

FBI raids home of East Bay city council member with ties to Duong family -- The FBI raided the home of a San Leandro City Council member Wednesday, a spokesperson for the city said. Bryan Azevedo, who was re-elected last year, has ties to the politically powerful Duong family, who are at the center of an FBI corruption probe in Oakland. Maliya Ellis, Sarah Ravani, Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

California drops zero-emission truck rules after inaction by Biden’s EPA -- California won’t pursue a ban on new diesel truck sales by 2036 — and force fleet owners to take them off the road by 2042 — after Biden’s EPA failed to act on necessary waivers from federal air quality rules. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

LA Fires

Those rebuilding after L.A. fires will likely face higher lumber prices as Trump tariffs loom -- Devastating, often tragic as the Los Angeles wildfires have been, rebuilding could bring nightmares all its own, including murky insurance rules, material shortages and potentially higher cost for everything from lumber to bathtubs. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

‘Not enough builders’: How L.A. fires could squeeze Bay Area -- The construction industry is anticipating years of disruption from the Los Angeles fires that could make it much harder to build, even in the Bay Area. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

Gov. Newsom extends rental price gouging protections until early March -- In an executive order Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom extended price gouging protection until March 8 amid an uproar over large rent increases in the wake of the Palisades and Eaton fires. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

LA wildfire response from California lawmakers: Lots of ideas, few details -- As wildfires rage on in Los Angeles, California lawmakers are rushing to offer ideas for wildfire response and prevention. Few, however, have provided specifics on how they would work — and how the state could afford them. Yue Stella Yu CalMatters -- 1/16/25

Edison

Family of Eaton fire victim sues Southern California Edison for wrongful death -- The lawsuit alleges that Edison failed to turn off utilities despite clear warning about extremely dangerous fire conditions, leading to catastrophic consequences. The Eaton fire has killed at least 16 people and damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 structures. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

Altadena winds weren’t strong enough to warrant Edison shutting off transmission lines, CEO asserts -- Steven Powell said that, typically, winds would have to be 60 to 80 mph for the company to consider the de-energization of transmission lines, adding that the readings Edison saw were lower than that. The National Weather Service recorded wind gusts just before the fire started of 59 mph at Edison’s Eaton Canyon monitoring site, which is south of the transmission line at the end of Eaton Canyon Park. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

Edison stock turns volatile as growing blame for wildfires lands on the power company -- Southern California’s catastrophic fires have rocked the stock of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, as accusations and lawsuits about the utility’s potential role in starting the fires mount. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

Edison under scrutiny for Eaton fire. Who pays liability will be ‘new frontier’ for California -- Six years ago, Pacific Gas & Electric filed for bankruptcy after it was found liable for sparking a succession of devastating wildfires, including the blaze that destroyed the town of Paradise and led to more than 100 deaths. Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

The legal fight over the L.A. fires is already here. What previous lawsuits can tell us -- Daniel Farber, a UC Berkeley law professor, said a key factor in these cases is a California law that allows utilities to be held responsible for damage they have caused, even if they have not acted carelessly. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

 

Through burning hills and blinding smoke: the aerial fight to save a city -- A massive California Air National Guard tanker dives into a Pacific Palisades canyon full of smoke, as the ground below rushes up and fills the windshield. Sirens blare in the cockpit, and a recorded woman’s voice warns, “Altitude! Altitude!” Grace Toohey and Jack Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

DWP says workers have been threatened with bodily harm and, possibly, a rifle -- Since the Palisades fire, the DWP is one of several city and state agencies to face scrutiny and public criticism. The utility supplies water and electrical service to 4.1 million residents of L.A., including Pacific Palisades. Richard Winton and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

 

Why California keeps putting homes where fires burn -- LA fires expose California’s difficult road to navigate between disaster risk and solving the state’s housing crisis. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 1/16/25

Your windows could save your house from a California wildfire -- The infernos still burning in Los Angeles have destroyed thousands of homes. But in some parts of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, neighborhoods were left with a few houses still standing. In some cases it comes down to luck. But many of the homes that survived were purposefully built with fire safety in mind. Jessica Roy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

The long-term trends that sparked these urban firestorms -- When those blazes jump into nearby communities, they are fueled not by forests but by buildings — moving from home to home, from garage to business to school, until they consume even areas far away from the wilderness. “It’s a new beast,” said John Abatzoglou, a climatologist at the University of California at Merced. “Or rather, it’s a beast that existed and we thought we had controlled.” John Muyskens, Sarah Kaplan, Niko Kommenda, Naema Ahmed and Simon Ducroquet in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/25

Walters: LA wildfires could clobber California economy as state recovers from a pandemic recession -- Three days after immensely destructive and deadly wildfires broke out in and around Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a $322.3 billion state budget with a positive revenue forecast “based on an assumption of continued but slowing economic growth.” Dan Walters CalMatters -- 1/16/25

Lopez: Let’s focus on putting out the fires before fueling one at City Hall -- Last week, as neighborhoods were being destroyed by fire, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley saw an opportunity, and she seized it. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

Fire and Schools

Eaton fire upends the education of thousands of students whose schooling is jolted again -- The Pasadena Unified School District is in emergency mode with five school sites severely damaged or destroyed. The school district is set to announce a reopening plan Thursday. Teresa Watanabe and Daniel Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

Fire upheaval forces Palisades High classes online as leaders look for a temporary home -- Although Palisades Charter High largely survived the fire it is nowhere near ready to re-open. The school is looking for a temporary location and is prepping to resume classes online.

Insurance

State Farm to offer renewals to policyholders affected by L.A. County fires -- The figure includes roughly 70%, or 1,100, of the 1,626 residential policies still in place in Pacific Palisades’ primary 90272 ZIP Code — and thousands more in the neighborhood and elsewhere in the county. The offer does not apply to policies that had already lapsed when the fire started on Jan. 7. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

Insurers’ Rule Change Puts California Homeowners on the Hook for L.A. Fire -- A little-noticed rule change last year by California’s insurance regulator will likely shift a large chunk of the cost of the Los Angeles wildfires to homeowners across the state. Jean Eaglesham and Sara Randazzo in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/16/25

Mortgage

What Happens When Your House Burns Down and You Still Have a Mortgage? -- Homeowners usually have the option to pause mortgage payments for as much as a year if they are impacted by a natural disaster. Gina Heeb, Ben Eisen, Stuart Palley in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/16/25

Workplace

Fearing AI will take their jobs, California workers plan a long battle against tech -- At a landmark gathering in Sacramento, workers discussed defenses against artificial intelligence and surveillance technology. Khari Johnson CalMatters -- 1/16/25

Education

129 SFUSD students caught up in special ed fiasco that could cost over $1 million -- San Francisco schools owe some of the most vulnerable district students thousands of hours in legally required special education services they should have received last semester. The district will now have to pay up for that lost time, spending an estimated $1.18 million on private tutors or after-school staffing. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

Online censorship in schools is ‘more pervasive’ than expected, new data shows -- Nationally representative survey data from The Center for Democracy & Technology finds schools subjectively and broadly block students from information online. Tara García Mathewson CalMatters -- 1/16/25

Street

Mayor Daniel Lurie proposes new fentanyl law and visits troubled S.F. street -- Hours before he introduced legislation Tuesday to accelerate San Francisco’s response to fentanyl use and homelessness, Mayor Daniel Lurie took an impromptu walk down Sixth Street, one of the most troubled corridors in the city. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

L.A. police are grappling with a new challenge: fire duty -- Since the outbreak of the Palisades fire, LAPD officers accustomed to chasing 911 calls and patrolling city streets have suddenly found themselves thrust into an unfamiliar yet pivotal role: part aid worker, part night sentry, part wingman for firefighters battling one of the most devastating blazes in the region’s history. Libor Jany and Daniel Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

Race

UCSF severs relationship with provocative anti-racism speaker targeted by right-wing groups -- UCSF abruptly canceled a two-day anti-racism class for doctors and nurses that was to be taught in February by a consultant who was targeted by right-wing groups that called his provocative content racist, the Chronicle has learned. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/25

POTUS 47

What will Mexico do if Trump tries to mass deport non-Mexicans across the border? -- Mexico is under no legal obligation to accept noncitizens, but Trump has threatened tariffs that could cripple its economy. Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/25

Trump’s pick for energy secretary rejects linking climate change and wildfires -- Oil executive Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Energy Department, has argued that climate change has not fueled more frequent and severe wildfires — a claim at odds with the scientific consensus. Maxine Joselow in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/25

Trump Trashed Washington for Years. Now He’s Vowing to Make Over the City -- President-elect and his advisers are plotting to change the capital in ways large and small, but it won’t be easy. Alex Leary and Natalie Andrews in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/16/25

Biden warns of the rise of a new American ‘oligarchy’ in farewell address -- From the White House he will soon cede to Donald Trump, President Biden compared today’s tech moguls to 19th-century “robber barons.” Toluse Olorunnipa and Cleve R. Wootson Jr. in the Washington Post$ Catherine Lucey and Ken Thomas in the Wall Street Journal$ Erica L. Green in the New York Times$ -- 1/16/25

China Has a $1 Trillion Head Start in Any Tariff Fight -- China’s trade surplus shows Western efforts to reduce dependence on China are coming up short. Jason Douglas in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/16/25

Canada Readies Billions of Dollars in Retaliatory Moves to Trump Tariff Threat -- The Canadian government is preparing billions of dollars in retaliatory measures on U.S. exports to Canada if President-elect Donald J. Trump makes good on a threat to impose tariffs on Canadian goods, setting up a potential showdown between two countries that are each other’s largest trading partners. Matina Stevis-Gridneff in the New York Times$ -- 1/16/25