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California Policy and Politics

Newsom has 11-word response — with a four-letter word — to Trump’s climate moves -- Gov. Gavin Newsom shot a concise rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s early executive actions to reverse federal policies focused on combating climate change, which Trump has previously called “a hoax.” “If you don’t believe in science, believe your own damn eyes,” Newsom said. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/21/25

Southern California is about to get its first rain in months. Here’s what it means for the fires -- A small amount of rain is in the forecast for the region beginning late Friday through early Saturday, a much anticipated change of weather for the region, which has suffered through a prolonged dry spell that has fueled deadly and destructive fires. Richard Winton, Hannah Fry and Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she used her access to nudge Trump on L.A. wildfire recovery -- She sought to use the opportunity to impress upon Trump the need to support Los Angeles’ recovery from the wildfires as well as the importance of the 2028 Olympic Games. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

As President Trump declares a border emergency on Day 1, targeted California immigrants lay low -- Along the California-Mexico border, immigrants at risk of deportation are seeking to live undetected through an unprecedented crackdown. But a returning President Trump issued a barrage of Inauguration Day executive orders designed to pull the military into border enforcement and punish states such as California for sanctuary policies. Court challenges are coming. Wendy Fry CalMatters -- 1/21/25

Trump signs orders to crack down on immigration, send troops to the border -- President Trump took steps Monday to fundamentally and drastically change how the nation handles immigration, signing executive orders to revoke birthright citizenship, declare a national emergency at the southern border and deploy military troops there. Andrea Castillo and Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Hamed Aleaziz and Eileen Sullivan in the New York Times$ -- 1/21/25

Disappointment at border as Trump cancels immigration program -- “We don’t know what we are going to do,” said an asylum seeker from Cuba. Cancellation of the program was one of several tough measures announced by the Trump administration to curb immigration. Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/21/25

What do Trump’s environmental rollbacks mean for California? -- From vehicle emissions to offshore oil and wind energy, clashes began to take shape Monday. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/21/25

‘Drill baby drill’: Trump takes aim at clean energy, climate change and the environment on day one -- In his first day as the 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump took action to reverse many of the Biden administration’s efforts to move the country toward a green-energy economy. Tony Briscoe and Karen Kaplan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

S.F. Republicans gather to celebrate Trump’s ‘energizing’ return to office -- Philip Wing, a lifelong San Franciscan who lives in the Sunset, wore a shirt expressing a sentiment many of the attendees echoed: “Proud to be the Elephant in the room.” With more than 80% of the city’s votes going to the Democratic ticket, and just over 15.5% of voters supported Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Republicans are vastly outnumbered in San Francisco. Molly Burke in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/21/25

President Trump’s inauguration is marked with celebration and protest across Southern California -- Some donned red, white, and blue and celebrated the 47th president. Others filled the streets in protest of another Trump presidency. Hanna Kang, Arianna Clay, Madison Hart and Linh Tat in the Orange County Register -- 1/21/25

MLK Day marchers in S.F. call King’s message an ‘antidote’ to hopelessness -- For just the second time in American history, Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday coincided with the presidential inauguration. Connor Letourneau, Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/21/25

L.A. Fires

With a forecast of dangerous winds, LAFD pre-deploys to avoid failings of Palisades fire -- Bracing for another round of extreme fire weather conditions, Los Angeles Fire Department officials on Monday had staffed all of its available extra engines and staged 30 engines in fire risk areas, measures they failed to take before the deadly Palisades fire, according to internal records and officials. Alene Tchekmedyian, Dakota Smith and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

Winds spread small fires in Southern California -- A ‘particularly dangerous situation’ warning with extreme winds that started Monday is set to last through Tuesday at 10 a.m. for swaths of L.A. and Ventura counties. Richard Winton, Hannah Fry and Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

San Diego

Evacuations ordered in Bonsall area as wildfire spread by Santa Ana winds grows to 80 acres -- The Lilac fire was reported around 12:45 a.m. and is burning west of Interstate 15 and south of state Route 76. It was one of three brush fires in North County early Tuesday. Karen Kucher and Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/21/25

Altadena

Western Altadena got evacuation order many hours after Eaton fire exploded. 17 people died there -- But records reviewed by The Times show that Altadena neighborhoods west of North Lake Avenue did not get electronic evacuation orders until 3:25 a.m. and never received evacuation warnings. By then, burning embers were raining down on neighborhoods on the west side of Altadena and igniting homes. Terry Castleman and Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

Los Angeles Fires Ravaged a Historic Black Neighborhood. Now Residents Wonder Who Will Return -- In Altadena, many fear that offers from speculators and the challenges of rebuilding will unravel a community of Black professionals and retirees. Cameron McWhirter and Kailyn Rhone in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/21/25

Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ first stop in California: Altadena fire zone -- Harris and former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff met with Los Angeles County firefighters and volunteers distributing free meals in Altadena. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

Trump criticizes L.A. fire response in inaugural address, plans to visit California Friday -- During his inaugural address on Monday, President Trump blasted what he called a government unable to protect its own citizens in times of crisis — including the people of Southern California affected by the still-burning Palisades and Eaton fires, which have destroyed thousands of structures and killed at least 27 people. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

Tourists love Los Angeles. Could the fires change that? -- Travelers flying into Los Angeles last weekend were greeted by an apocalyptic sight: billowing clouds of smoke and the red-orange glow of flames against the glittering expanse of city lights. Christopher Reynolds and Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

Education

Fact check: Did Gavin Newsom really help create 625,000 new job opportunities in California? -- In 2018, Newsom promised to add 500,000 new apprenticeships in the decade after taking office. The state is making progress, but how much depends on the definition of “apprenticeship.” Adam Echelman CalMatters -- 1/21/25

POTUS 47

Trump pardons almost all involved in Jan. 6 riot, commutes remaining 14 sentences -- Trump ordered those still incarcerated to be released immediately from federal prison. Spencer S. Hsu, Tom Jackman, Hannah Knowles and Clara Ence Morse in the Washington Post$ Noah Weiland and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 1/21/25

For Trump, a Vindication for the Man and His Movement -- Donald John Trump took the oath of office again during a ceremony in the Capitol, promising a new “golden age of America” four years after he was evicted by voters. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 1/21/25

Trump’s executive orders already face pushback, legal challenges -- The orders include some actions that scholars and legal experts say may be beyond the reach of the president’s pen and could be tied up in courts or legislatures for years. Cleve R. Wootson Jr. in the Washington Post$ -- 1/21/25

ACLU sues over order to end birthright citizenship -- Constitutional scholars said the president’s executive order would upend precedent and is unlikely to pass legal muster. David Nakamura in the Washington Post$ -- 1/21/25

Garofoli: Donald Trump laid out a ‘golden age’ for a select few Americans -- Likely not sharing in the promised bounty of Trump’s second term will be anyone other than white Christian men. That means California, one of the nation’s most diverse states, could be home to many at risk of being left behind — or directly targeted. Much of the vision for the next four years laid out in Trump’s 30-minute address is at odds with the state’s core values. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/21/25

Trump orders federal agencies to recognize only two sexes that are ‘not changeable’ -- President Trump signed executive orders Monday asserting that the U.S. government recognizes only two sexes that are “not changeable,” and reversing Biden administration directives on LGBTQ+ rights. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

Trump administration ousts Coast Guard’s top officer -- Adm. Linda Fagan, who in 2022 became the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military, was relieved of her duties by Benjamine Huffman, President Donald Trump’s interim homeland security secretary. Huffman’s message does not provide a reason for the decision. Dan Lamothe in the Washington Post$ -- 1/21/25

Trump signs order to end ‘government censorship’ of social media -- President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to stop “government censorship,” a sweeping action that could chill years of efforts to combat the proliferation of false information online. Cat Zakrzewski in the Washington Post$ -- 1/21/25

Trump Signs Executive Order in Attempt to Stall TikTok Ban -- President Trump signed an executive order on Monday to delay enforcing a federal ban of TikTok for 75 days, even though the law took effect on Sunday and it is unclear that such a move could override it. David McCabe in the New York Times$ -- 1/21/25

This is how Trump plans to kill the U.S. refugee system -- President Trump on Monday signed an executive order suspending refugee resettlement in the United States, picking up where he left off in his first term with his efforts to kill a program that offers safe harbor to people around the world facing threats and persecution. Hamed Aleaziz in the New York Times$ -- 1/21/25

Trump Withdraws U.S. from World Health Organization -- Public health experts say U.S. withdrawal from the W.H.O. would undermine the nation’s standing as a global health leader and make it harder to fight the next pandemic. Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times$ -- 1/21/25

Here are the executive actions and orders Trump signed on Day 1 -- We’re tracking the executive orders Trump signed on his first day in office, just hours after being inaugurated as president. The list is in the Washington Post$ -- 1/21/25

Fact-checking President Trump’s 2025 inaugural address -- Here’s a quick rundown of what was inaccurate or misleading in Trump’s address, in the order in which he made the claims. We’ll ignore rhetoric that is expressed more as an opinion — “for many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens” — even though the factual basis for such statements is thin. Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post$ -- 1/21/25

McManus: His first day back in office confirms it — there is no Trump 2.0 -- President Trump promised an inaugural address focused on “unity,” but what he delivered was more a campaign speech in a formal suit — long on promises and anger toward opponents, short on gestures toward national reconciliation. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25

Under the Rotunda, a historic concentration of wealth salutes Trump -- The Capitol Rotunda saw a concentration of wealth on Monday so rare as to be historic: a caste of magnates worth more than $1 trillion, gathered behind Donald Trump as he was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president, delivering a standing ovation and implicitly pledging their support to his agenda as he declared plans to expand U.S. territory, cast aside transgender rights and end “radical political theories” in the U.S. military. Michael Birnbaum and Cat Zakrzewski in the Washington Post$ Eliza Collins in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/21/25

Elon Musk Ignites Online Speculation Over the Meaning of a Hand Gesture -- Speaking at a celebratory rally in Washington, Mr. Musk twice extended his arm out with his palm facing down, drawing comparisons to the Nazi salute. Ryan Mac in the New York Times$ -- 1/21/25

‘We’re taking it back.’ Trump’s comments on the Panama Canal spur pushback from Panama -- President Trump said Monday that the United States would reassert control over the Panama Canal, the strategic, U.S.-built waterway that Washington handed over to the Panamanian government more than a quarter-century ago. Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/25