Rough & Tumble ®
A Snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics
 
     
 
 
 
 

California Policy and Politics Saturday

Phones, other electronics exempt from new tariffs, Trump administration says -- The Trump administration announced late Friday night that smartphones, computers and other electronic components are exempt from what the White House calls “reciprocal” tariffs, days after the United States imposed the highest levies on foreign goods in a century. Tobi Raji and Shira Ovide in the Washington Post$ Mae Anderson Associated Press -- 4/12/25

IRS plan to give data to ICE could wallop California, where many immigrants pay taxes -- Undocumented taxpayers contribute billions in state and local taxes in California, according to recent estimates. A Trump administration plan for the IRS to share data with immigration enforcement for the first time is spooking many, and spurring budget concerns among state officials. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

‘I don’t trust America.’ Trump’s tariffs, detentions take a toll on local tourism -- State and local tourism officials are increasingly worried about the potential adverse effects on travel to Los Angeles and California. Suhauna Hussain and Andrea Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

Trump’s order to expand U.S. timber production includes all of California’s national forests -- California’s national forests are on the chopping block — literally — in the wake of the Trump administration’s April 5 order to immediately expand timber production in the United States. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

California defies Trump order to certify that all school districts have eliminated DEI -- State education officials said “there is nothing in state or federal law that outlaws” DEI. Under Trump, the U.S.Department of Education said DEI programs are a form of race-based discrimination. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

 

State Farm moves one step closer to emergency California rate hike -- State Farm could soon win final approval to raise premiums for California homeowners and others on an interim basis, a move meant to help prop up the finances of the state’s biggest provider of property insurance, after a public hearing this week. Levi Sumagaysay CalMatters -- 4/12/25

Edison says dormant powerline is a leading theory for cause of Eaton fire -- The possibility that an idle, unconnected Southern California Edison transmission line somehow reengerized on Jan. 7 is “a leading hypothesis” for what started the destructive Eaton fire, Edison International Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro said Friday. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

Edison to bury more than 150 miles of power lines in wake of devastating L.A. County firestorms -- More than 150 miles of electrical power lines damaged by the Palisades and Eaton fires in Malibu and Altadena are slated to be replaced with underground lines, Southern California Edison announced Friday. The years-long project would reduce the future risk of wildfire in the devastated communities, officials said. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

L.A. County soil testing near Eaton, Palisades fires shows significant contamination -- Soil testing revealed concerning levels of lead on properties downwind of the Eaton fire, as well as isolated “hot spots” of contamination in the Palisades fire area As much as 80% of soil samples collected from intact properties downwind of the Eaton burn scar had lead levels above the state health standard. Hayley Smith and Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

 

Menendez brothers to get resentencing after D.A. fails in bid to stop it -- An L.A. County judge denied Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman’s bid Friday to revoke a petition to resentence the Menendez brothers that was filed by his predecessor, setting the stage for a hearing that could offer the brothers a path to freedom next week. Richard Winton and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

L.A. City Council backs huge trash fee hikes for residents -- Owners of single-family homes and duplexes will see their trash fees go up 54% in the coming budget year, reaching $55.95, up from $36.32. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

Republicans, Democrats unite on bills to speed up California’s ballot counting -- The state has faced repeated criticism for its slow vote counting. Close congressional races in the state are often among the last in the nation to be called, and new legislation at the state and federal level would require counties to report results faster. Nicole Nixon and David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/12/25

Republican sheriff’s campaign for California governor hurt by lawsuits, settlements -- Three Republican candidates running to replace Gavin Newsom as Governor of California made their case Thursday night on a conservative talk radio show — including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who spent much of his time downplaying the tens of millions his county has paid out in recent years to settle wrongful death and use of force lawsuits filed against his department. Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/12/25

Two longtime L.A. rivals join forces — reigniting political intrigue -- A show of unity between Mayor Karen Bass and real estate magnate Rick Caruso over a Palisades rebuilding project stirred fresh questions about the mayoral and governor’s races. Maeve Reston in the Washington Post$ -- 4/12/25

Workplace

Google lays off hundreds after merging Android and Pixel teams -- The move, first reported by the Information, comes months after Google offered voluntary buyouts to all 20,000 employees in the division, signaling deeper structural changes at the tech giant. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/25

POTUS 47

Trump threatens Mexico with more tariffs, this time over water -- U.S. president says Mexico is failing to comply with water treaty obligations, accusing it of “stealing the water from Texas farmers.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says a drought has prevented her country from meeting its commitments: “If there’s no water, how do you deliver it?” Kate Linthicum in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/25

State tells employees to report on one another for ‘anti-Christian bias’ -- The Trump administration has ordered State Department employees to report on any instances of coworkers displaying “anti-Christian bias” as part of its effort to implement a sweeping new executive order on supporting employees of Christian faith working in the federal government. Robbie Gramer and Nahal Toosi Politico -- 4/12/25

Competence questions pose risk to Trump’s political image -- President Donald Trump regained the White House in large part by trumpeting his ability to get things done, accusing his opponents of ineptitude and senility and promising that on Day 1 he would restore basic competence to government. And, he said, it wouldn’t even be hard. Naftali Bendavid in the Washington Post$ -- 4/12/25

They fled authoritarian countries. Here they’re experiencing déjà vu -- Immigrants from six nations where democracy was eroded say they see the same patterns emerging during the Trump administration — and want to warn Americans. María Luisa Paúl and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux in the Washington Post$ -- 4/12/25

‘This is Not Normal’: Trump’s Tariffs Upend the Bond Market -- The bedrock of the financial system trembled this week, with government bond yields rising sharply as the chaotic rollout of tariffs shook investors’ faith in the pivotal role played by the United States in the financial system. Joe Rennison and Colby Smith in the New York Times$ -- 4/12/25

Who’s In and Who’s Out at the Naval Academy’s Library? -- Gone is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Maya Angelou’s transformative best-selling 1970 memoir chronicling her struggles with racism and trauma. Two copies of “Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler are still on the shelves. John Ismay in the New York Times$ -- 4/12/25

 

California Policy and Politics Friday

Trump Plans to Withhold All Federal Funding From Sanctuary Cities -- President Trump said his administration is planning to withhold all federal funding from cities and states that have policies limiting law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Tarini Parti in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/11/25

California Republicans say yes, Democrats say no to massive federal budget plan -- The House Thursday narrowly approved a Republican budget blueprint aimed at triggering big spending and tax cuts, with all the state’s Democrats voting no and all but one of the state’s GOP members voting yes. Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, did not vote, saying he could not be present because of a personal family matter. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/11/25

Newsom asks Trump administration to bring deported Venezuelan immigrant to the U.S. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Thursday requesting that the federal government bring Andry José Hernández Romero, a Venezuelan immigrant who was deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador last month, to the U.S. for a judge to evaluate his case. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

Bay Area food banks facing record-high demand as Trump slashes assistance programs -- People pushing walkers, carts and strollers began lining up Wednesday morning outside Shiloh Church in Oakland three hours before the start of a weekly food distribution event. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/25

California lawmakers approve $2.8 billion to sustain Medi-Cal health care program -- California lawmakers voted Thursday to send $2.8 billion in additional funds to California’s low-income health insurance plan, Medi-Cal, to cover higher-than-anticipated costs as the fiscal year ends. Kate Wolffe in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/11/25

China to reduce the number of Hollywood films allowed amid trade war -- While stopping short of a full ban, the China Film Administration said Thursday that fewer U.S. films would be granted entry. The agency did not specify the number of releases it plans to permit, instead saying it would “follow market rules, respect the audience’s choice, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported.” Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

New ‘distress flag’ hung atop a prominent peak in Tahoe National Forest -- A huge, upside-down U.S. flag now hangs from a prominent peak at Donner Summit near Truckee. Someone — possibly a group of rock climbers, locals speculate — affixed the flag to an east-facing granite wall. At close to 7,000 feet in elevation, it towers above its surroundings in Tahoe National Forest. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/25

Border Patrol to retrain hundreds of California agents on how to comply with the Constitution -- After controversial sweeps in Kern County and a CalMatters investigation, the federal government will train agents on when they can stop and arrest people. Wendy Fry and Sergio Olmos CalMatters -- 4/11/25

California’s lieutenant governor leases offices to the state. What if she’s elected governor? -- Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis told CalMatters she will address potential conflicts of interest with her extensive property investments by establishing a blind trust if she is elected governor of California next year. Alexei Koseff CalMatters -- 4/11/25

Workplace

Nokia eyes up to 200 new jobs at big tech production hub in San Jose -- Tech and telecom titan eyes manufacturing expansion after buying South Bay tech firm Infinera. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/11/25

Amid tariff turmoil, Swiss drugmaker commits to build $1.1B research hub in San Diego -- Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis announced Thursday that it plans to build a $1.1 billion research hub in San Diego as part of its $23 billion investment in U.S. operations over the next five years. Natallie Rocha in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/11/25

PG&E awards lower total pay to top execs; some capture stock windfalls -- Key PG&E executives, including the utility’s top boss, received reduced total pay during 2024 compared to the year before, even as the company said it’s making progress to combat wildfire disasters. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/11/25

Wildfire

Berkeley poised to ban most plants within 5 feet of homes -- Called an ember-resistant zone, or zone zero, the concept is tantalizingly straightforward: Clear the area around structures of plants and other flammable materials so that flying embers will land on noncombustible material like rock or concrete and peter out instead of setting the home on fire. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/25

Setting aside differences, Bass and Caruso work together on Palisades rebuilding -- Frenemies Mayor Karen Bass and developer Rick Caruso are working together to rebuild a city recreation center in the Pacific Palisades. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

Steve Soboroff bows out as L.A. fire recovery czar, with some parting shots -- Steve Soboroff, Mayor Karen Bass’ handpicked Palisades fire recovery czar, said this week that he had been effectively shut out of official efforts. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

California Sen. Padilla hopes Fix Our Forests Act will prevent more L.A. fires -- The measure would create a wildfire intelligence center to centralize federal management, require assessments of fireshed areas and streamline how communities reduce their wildfire risk. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

Insurance

Will State Farm General hike California home insurance rates 17%? No final answer as rate hearing closes -- The hearing into whether State Farm General can implement a major rate hike to restore its financial stability is finished — but consumers won’t know the answer for weeks. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/25

Ten victims of the Jan. 7 fires sue the California Fair Plan over smoke damages -- It’s the first mass tort case against the plan that has arisen out of the Jan. 7 fires, though the insurer has faced litigation in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California over smoke damage claims. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

Campus

Trump administration begins interviewing UC faculty as part of antisemitism probe -- Federal officials have begun contacting University of California faculty members for an antisemitism probe after the school complied with a subpoena from the Trump administration seeking the personal information of around 900 faculty members, two UC employees with knowledge of the situation told Politico. Eric He Politico -- 4/11/25

Twelve pro-Palestinian protesters charged in break-in of Stanford president’s office -- The Santa Clara County district attorney charged 12 pro-Palestinian protesters, including eight Stanford students, with felony vandalism and conspiracy Thursday in connection with the predawn break-in at Stanford administrative offices last June 5. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/25

Education

Trump canceled millions in California school grants. The state is suing to reclaim the money -- Schools had until March 2026 to spend remaining COVID relief money. The U.S. Department of Education cut those funds, amounting to about $200 million for California K-12 schools. Carolyn Jones CalMatters Kevin Rector, Daniel Miller, Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

Walters: Wide school disparities persist 54 years after California’s landmark funding decision -- In 1971 California’s Supreme Court issued one of its most important and far-reaching decisions, declaring that the state’s system of financing public schools — primarily via locally levied property taxes — was unconstitutionally unfair. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/11/25

Oil

Texas oil company fined $18 million for unapproved work along California coast -- In an action cheered by state environmentalists, the California Coastal Commission has voted to fine a Texas-based oil firm $18 million for failing to obtain necessary permits and reviews in its controversial push to revive oil production off the Gaviota Coast. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

Housing

‘I’m going to resist’: Protesters who seized state-owned homes five years ago prepare for eviction battle -- More than five years after they seized vacant, publicly owned homes in El Sereno, protesters have received eviction judgments against them. Liam Dillon, Robert Gauthier in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

Measure ULA is reducing apartment development in the city of L.A, report says -- A report from researchers at UCLA and the think tank Rand found that Measure ULA, a Los Angeles tax on property sales, is reducing apartment construction by nearly 2,000 units annually and in the process likely worsening the city’s affordability crisis. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/11/25

Street

San Francisco records first fatal overdose involving dangerous new street drug -- A potent animal tranquilizer increasingly reported in illicit drug supplies across the U.S. has made its way to San Francisco. The San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that the city in February recorded its first fatal overdose victim with the synthetic drug medetomidine in their system. Maggie Angst in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/25

One of the dark web’s largest drug-dealing networks was run by four L.A. County men, feds allege -- Federal prosecutors have accused the men of operating 10 virtual storefronts on 17 different dark web marketplaces from September 2018 through February, the department said in a statement. The vendors had names like JoyInc, LaFarmacia and WhiteDoc. Terry Castleman in the Los An¨geles Times$ -- 4/11/25

POTUS 47

Global tariff battle escalates as China retaliates with 125% tariffs on US goods -- China announced Friday that it will raise tariffs on U.S. goods from 84% to 125% — the latest salvo in an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies that has rattled markets and raised fears of a global slowdown. Bridget Brown and Sal Christ Associated Press Andrew Jeong, Katrina Northrop and Victoria Bisset in the Washington Post$ Alexandra Stevenson in the New York Times$ -- 4/11/25

See why Trump’s reversal actually increased tariff rates -- Rates dropped for most countries, but that is more than offset by China’s massive increase. Kevin Schaul in the Washington Post$ -- 4/11/25

The U.S. and China Are Going to Economic War—and Everyone Will Suffer -- In jacking up his tariffs on China—and pausing steep duties on dozens of other nations—President Trump is pushing the world’s two biggest economic powers into a battle that will leave neither unscathed and risks tanking the global economy. Jason Douglas, Konrad Putzier, Ruth Simon and Raffaele Huang in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/11/25

Trump’s Trade War Leaves Wall St. Bosses in Uncomfortable Spot -- JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon, known for his frankness, is tiptoeing around tariffs as he and other leaders of big banks reveal their latest earnings. Rob Copeland in the New York Times$ -- 4/11/25

Massive cuts to NASA science proposed in early White House budget plan -- The preliminary version of President Donald Trump’s budget proposal to Congress, known as a “passback,” would cut the agency’s science budget funding nearly in half. Joel Achenbach and Christian Davenport in the Washington Post$ -- 4/11/25

As Trump alienates allies with US tariffs, China is poised to exploit the gaps -- In its own fight for survival, Beijing — the primary target of Trump’s tariff wrath — is jostling for a position in the global trade reshuffle to pounce at the U.S. isolationism, exploit its lapses and gain greater influences. Didi Tang and Zeke Miller Associated Press -- 4/11/25

Supreme Court says Trump officials must ‘facilitate’ return of wrongly deported man -- Kilmar Abrego García, a Salvadoran immigrant who is married to a U.S. citizen, was deported to a mega-prison despite a court ruling forbidding his removal. Justin Jouvenal and Ann E. Marimow in the Washington Post$ Adam Liptak in the New York Times$ -- 4/11/25

In Cabinet Meeting, Musk Seems to Drastically Lower DOGE’s Savings Goal -- Musk said his group was on pace to cut $150 billion from the federal budget in one budget year. That would be a sharp drop from his previous stated goal of $1 trillion. David A. Fahrenthold and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 4/11/25

See How Government Spending Is Up Even as Musk Touts Savings -- Musk team’s $150 billion in savings barely dents $6.8 trillion in spending largely on autopilot, WSJ analysis finds. Anthony DeBarros and James Benedict in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/11/25

RFK Jr.: If you eat doughnuts or smoke, should society pay for your health care? -- Kennedy went on to say that it is an American’s choice to “eat donuts all day” or drink sodas, and he promised not to take those choices away. Lauren Weber in the Washington Post$ -- 4/11/25

Trust Unshaken: Trump Voters Are Sticking With Their Guy -- The prospect of economic upheaval hasn’t disturbed the personal bond between the president and the MAGA movement: ‘There’s a method to his madness.’ Joshua Chaffin in the Wall Street Journal$ Hannah Knowles in the Washington Post$ -- 4/11/25