California Policy and Politics Sunday

Newsom suspends landmark environmental laws to speed up wildfire prevention efforts -- Declaring a state of emergency, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday suspended two landmark state environmental laws to expedite measures he said were needed to protect communities against devastating wildfires. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ Christopher Cadelago and Debra Kahn Politico -- 3/2/25

‘Protect the parks’: Protesters in Yosemite, Bay Area blast Trump’s firings -- From a march and rally at Yosemite National Park to a protest hike at Muir Woods National Monument to a demonstration near the crater of Haleakala National Park on Maui, fed-up rangers and supporters of the country’s park system gathered Saturday to fight the “illegal firings” of full-time and seasonal workers. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/2/25

National park layoffs assailed by off-duty rangers and community members in SoCal protests -- Hundreds of people gathered at national park sites in Southern California on Saturday to protest the Trump administration’s mass firing of federal employees and to voice fears about the future of America’s public lands. Alex Wigglesworth and Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/25

Hundreds protest Trump deportation policies in the Inland Empire. ‘We’re leaving fear behind’ -- With the Trump administration promising the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, more than 200 people marched through downtown Ontario on Saturday morning in support of the Inland Empire’s immigrant community. Rebecca Plevin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/25

‘No ICE in Dublin’: Hundreds protest prison’s potential reopening as immigrant center -- Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Saturday in Dublin blocks from a closed federal prison to protest the possibility of turning the scandal-plagued facility into an immigrant detention center. Molly Burke in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/2/25

Deported mom returns to U.S. after 14 years away from her family. ‘God has given me this miracle.’ -- Montalvo is the latest in a group of deported mothers who have waited more than a decade, under Democratic and Republican administrations, to legally reunite with their families in the United States. She was granted a U nonimmigrant visa, which is given to victims of certain crimes that either occurred in the U.S. or violated its laws. Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/2/25

Barabak: In Arizona, relief along the border now that Trump is back in charge -- As a fourth-generation rancher on the border with Mexico, John Ladd has spent decades on the front lines of the immigration debate. He credits Trump with drastically reducing the flow of migrants crossing his property, which once numbered in the hundreds a day. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/25

Protesters rally against Elon Musk, DOGE at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne -- Hundreds converged in front of SpaceX’s Hawthorne headquarters on Saturday afternoon, March 1, to protest Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, along with decisions taken by the Trump Administration. Christina Merino in the Orange County Register -- 3/2/25

‘People are frustrated. People are angry’: Fear and chaos grip San Diego’s 47,000-strong federal workforce -- Many federal workers in San Diego have little idea of what is happening at their workplaces, or what may come next. 'We're being kept in the dark,' one says. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/2/25

‘It’s a tale as old as time’: Huntington Park residents lambaste leaders over corruption probe -- The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is investigating the alleged misuse of millions of dollars meant for construction of a $24-million aquatic center in Huntington Park, which has not been built. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/2/25`

Flu

A fifth unvaccinated San Diego County teenager has died from the flu -- The 2024-25 flu season grows more deadly in the county’s latest weekly tracking report with 19 additional flu deaths listed, including a fifth teenager. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/2/25

Wildfire

As Santa Clara County lags in preparing for wildfire evacuations, mountain residents take matters into their own hands -- The narrow roads from these communities to larger thoroughfares have made evacuations difficult — and sometimes deadly — as residents have fled from California’s increasingly intense infernos. After the Tubbs Fire in 2017 and the Camp Fire in 2018, legislators passed a series of laws aimed at improving emergency preparedness and evacuation route planning. Isha Trivedi and Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/2/25

These Smart Cameras Spot Wildfires Before They Spread -- The newest fire spotters boast night vision, never take breaks and work fast—they often beat 911 human callers. Adding them ‘has made a hell of a difference.’ Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/2/25

Also

A runner was hit by a car. His ambulance bill was $13,000 -- Jagdish Whitten was on a run in July 2023 when a car hit him as he crossed a busy San Francisco street. Whitten, then 25, described doing a “little flip” over the vehicle and landing in the street before getting himself to the curb. Sandy West in the Washington Post$ -- 3/2/25

POTUS 47

Russia celebrates US foreign policy that now ‘coincides’ with Moscow’s worldview -- The Kremlin on Sunday cheered the shift in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump, saying the American view now “largely coincides” with Russia’s take on geopolitics. Clea Caulcutt Politico -- 3/2/25

How DOGE detonated a crisis at a highly sensitive nuclear weapons agency -- Perfunctory mass firings sparked alarm across the country, as cost-cutting missteps throughout government rattle lawmakers. Evan Halper and Hannah Natanson in the Washington Post$ -- 3/2/25

DOGE Claims Credit for Killing Contracts That Were Already Dead -- Elon Musk’s group claimed credit for canceling procurement agreements that had been completed years earlier, the latest in a string of public errors on its site. David A. Fahrenthold, Margot Sanger-Katz and Jeremy Singer-Vine in the New York Times$ -- 3/2/25

‘Full on Fight Club’: How Trump Is Crushing U.S. Climate Policy -- President Trump has quickly transformed America’s approach to the environment, withholding funds and stretching the limits of presidential power. David Gelles, Lisa Friedman and Brad Plumer in the New York Times$ -- 3/2/25

Fresh Musk emails to workers lead to renewed pushback at federal agencies -- A new directive to workers ordering them to justify their employment weekly is still being met with resistance at the highest levels. Evan Halper, Dan Lamothe and Hannah Natanson in the Washington Post$ -- 3/2/25

Canada Curbed Illegal Migration to the U.S. Now People Are Heading to Canada -- The Canadian government has reinforced border operations to stop migrants going to the United States, a major Trump complaint. But early data shows people are, instead, starting to flee the United States for Canada. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Amber Bracken in the New York Times$ -- 3/2/25

Worries Mount That Trump Agenda Is Testing Economy’s Resilience -- The U.S. economy has proved pessimists wrong so many times, it’s tempting to think nothing can stop it. President Trump’s first-month policy blitz is putting that resilience to the test. Paul Kiernan in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/2/25

Judge rules Trump’s firing of federal workforce watchdog was illegal -- A federal judge ruled Saturday that President Donald Trump’s firing of a federal workforce watchdog was illegal — teeing up a Supreme Court showdown over the president’s claim to nearly absolute control of the executive branch. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney Politico Derek Hawkins in the Washington Post$ -- 3/2/25

As Musk polices his own conflicts, some agencies hear sirens going off -- When the Office of Personnel Management asked federal workers to explain what they did last week, the email landed with extra weight for workers at NASA’s Human Landing System program. Faiz Siddiqui and Hannah Natanson in the Washington Post$ -- 3/2/25

Trump fired hundreds at NOAA, Weather Service. Here’s what that means for forecasts -- At dozens of National Weather Services offices across the country, staffing levels were low well before President Donald Trump took office. As the new administration announced mass terminations this week, current and former staffers said an exodus of new hires and veterans will hinder the agency’s ability to monitor and predict weather hazards. Scott Dance and Kasha Patel in the Washington Post$ -- 3/2/25

Trump officials start dismantling civil rights offices, as part of DOGE’s secret plan -- Agencies across the federal government are dismantling offices that enforce civil rights and antidiscrimination laws under a Trump administration push to shrink the workforce, weakening the government’s ability to deliver on legal obligations to protect workers’ rights. Julian Mark, Hannah Natanson and Danielle Abril in the Washington Post$ -- 3/2/25

Trump Picks Another Trade Fight With Canada Over Lumber -- The president initiated an investigation that could lead to tariffs on lumber imports, nearly half of which comes from Canada. Ana Swanson in the New York Times$ -- 3/2/25