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

California Policy and Politics Sunday

‘Able to happen again’: Local Japanese American historians warn of Trump’s use of 1798 wartime law -- In seeking to deport Venezuelan immigrants, President Trump has invoked the Alien Enemies Act — the same law that was used to justify incarcerating Japanese Americans during World War II. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/13/25

At packed L.A. rally, Bernie Sanders says U.S. facing ‘extraordinary danger’ -- A rally with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew tens of thousands of people to downtown Los Angeles. “Despair is not an option,” Sanders told the crowd. “Giving up and hiding under the covers is not acceptable. The stakes are just too high.” Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/25

L.A. was forged by global commerce. Can the metropolis we know survive the Trump trade wars? -- Like few other places in the U.S., the economy and culture of Los Angeles have been forged by globalization. Merchants across the region last week expressed profound uncertainty over what threats of a looming trade war could do to the economy. Jessica Garrison, Connor Sheets, Jack Flemming, Ruben Vives, Sonja Sharp and Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/25

California farmers brace for consequences as Trump’s tariffs bring economic upheaval -- California farms sell almonds, oranges and other crops around the world. Farmers fear that Trump’s tariffs could hit the state’s agriculture industry hard. Ian James in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/25

Abundance or Califailure: Authors with Bay Area ties from left and right lay blame for Golden State’s woes -- In two newly published books — “Abundance” by self-described liberal journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, and “Califailure: Reversing the Ruin of America’s Worst-Run State,” by former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton, who is considering a Republican run for governor — the authors chart the history of environmental regulations and bureaucracy they say has paralyzed progress in the Golden State. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/13/25

Bernie Sanders is drawing big crowds. But progressives have a problem in California -- Efforts by progressives in California to enact single-payer healthcare and other sweeping policy priorities have fizzled. Prominent Democrats, from Gov. Gavin Newsom to an ambitious crop of big city mayors, have tacked to the center, and on Tuesday in Oakland, the progressive icon Barbara Lee is confronting an unexpectedly tight election for mayor against a more moderate Democrat. Melanie Mason Politico -- 4/13/25

Garofoli -- For Barbara Lee, being the ‘wokest’ candidate in the race might not be enough this time -- During the nearly three decades Barbara Lee represented Oakland in Congress, she often proudly referred to serving the “wokest district in the nation.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/25

Faith leaders assail Trump deportation tactics in procession through downtown San Diego -- Hundreds took to the streets of downtown San Diego on Saturday as part of an interfaith prayer service and procession that organizers called a collective show of support for immigrants, the elderly and the poor. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/13/25

Bon voyage: Top San Diego lawyer collecting full pay during 4-month global cruise -- Weeks after Jean Jordan was promoted by the newly elected city attorney, she left for an around-the-world cruise. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/13/25

Meet the politician who could make or break California’s housing efforts. What’s her plan? -- Assembly Member Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, is pushing one of the biggest bills in recent memory, AB609, to exempt almost all infill housing development from California Environmental Quality Act review. And it’s just one of 20 bills in an ambitious, bipartisan package that aims to streamline and simplify the state’s housing approval process and make it easier to build the estimated 2.5 million homes California needs. Emily Hoeven in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/25

Gavin Newsom wants nations to exempt California goods from tariffs. That’s unlikely, experts say -- The governor says California is open for business with trade partners, but his options are limited as Trump sets steep tariffs. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/13/25

S.F. made it easier three years ago to build fourplexes. None has been built as a result -- When then-Mayor London Breed signed legislation in 2022 to spur construction of small apartment buildings in San Francisco, prominent YIMBY activists warned it would result in very few new homes. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/25

S.F. People’s March unites drag queens, educators and immigrants to defy Trump -- Hundreds of protesters marched Saturday afternoon from San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza to City Hall in an event aimed at fighting fascism and promoting democracy. Molly Burke in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/25

California DMV opens early for those needing a Real ID before the May 7 deadline -- The California Department of Motor Vehicles is opening some offices an hour early this spring to help people who have not yet obtained a Real ID before the May deadline. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/25

Wildfire

This wildly popular section of California’s Highway 1 is poised to reopen by the summer -- A section of Pacific Coast Highway that was closed after a major wildfire is poised to reopen to traffic by the end of May, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Saturday. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/25

Street

4 injured, hundreds flee in shooting at Davis community picnic -- Four people were wounded Saturday afternoon after gunfire broke out at a popular festival in Davis, triggering a rush to safety that caused further injury, according to police and university officials. Jessica Garrison and Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/25

Overdoses at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall mark latest scandal for embattled Downey facility -- Three youths suffered drug overdoses at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey on Friday, the latest scandal at a beleaguered facility that was supposed to close last year after a state oversight body found it “unsuitable” to house juveniles. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/25

Also

Tech workers are leaving notes in robot taxis seeking workers and lovers -- San Francisco’s self-driving Waymos become community bulletin boards, a sign that the human touch is not dead. Lisa Bonos in the Washington Post$ -- 4/13/25

Street

Northern California mass shooting: Six adults wounded near high school -- Stockton police are investigating a Friday afternoon shooting near a local high school in which six people were injured. All of the victims were adults, and no one was killed in the shooting, Police Chief Stanley McFadden said in a news release, noting that the victims either transported themselves or were taken to local hospitals for treatment. St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/25

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Trump aides signal new tariffs on chips, calling exclusion temporary -- The Trump administration signaled on Sunday that it would pursue new tariffs on the powerful computer chips inside smartphones and other technologies, just two days after it excluded a variety of electronics from the steep import taxes recently applied on goods arriving from China. Tony Romm in the New York Times$ -- 4/13/25

Tech Products Will Face Separate Levies, Lutnick Says -- Trump exempted many tech products from his reciprocal tariffs but administration officials warned that more targeted duties are in the works. John McCormick in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/13/25

 

Trump goes with his gut and the world goes along for the ride -- After President Donald Trump reversed course on his tariffs and announced he would pursue trade negotiations, he had a simple explanation for how he would make decisions in the coming weeks. “Instinctively, more than anything else,” he told reporters this past week. “You almost can’t take a pencil to paper, it’s really more of an instinct than anything else.” Chris Megerian Associated Press -- 4/13/25

Trump is pursuing a radical agenda. Does he have a strategy, or is he winging it? -- The haphazard execution of the administration’s initiatives is leading to chaos and confusion for the American public and U.S. trading partners. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 4/13/25

 

Economic Outlook Dives Just Three Months Into Trump’s Term -- Since President Trump took office, economists have dramatically slashed estimates for growth while raising them for inflation and unemployment. The main reason, according to respondents to The Wall Street Journal’s quarterly survey of economists: tariffs. Paul Kiernan and Anthony DeBarros in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/13/25

Trump’s trade war casts a shadow on America’s AI boom -- Tariffs will raise the costs of constructing the data centers needed to develop and deploy artificial intelligence software like ChatGPT. Gerrit De Vynck in the Washington Post$ -- 4/13/25

Wealthy Buyers Are Backing Out of Multimillion-Dollar Home Deals -- President Trump’s trade war and stock market chaos have put the once unshakable high-end home market on ice. E.B. Solomont and Libertina Brandt in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/13/25

 

Musk goes where no other Trump adviser can: Publicly disagreeing with the president -- President Donald Trump is notorious for selecting advisers who closely follow his command — and firing those who don’t. But Elon Musk seems to be the exception to that rule. Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing Politico -- 4/13/25

DOGE Is Far Short of Its Goal, and Still Overstating Its Progress -- Elon Musk now says his group will produce only 15 percent of the savings it promised. But even that estimate is inflated with errors and guesswork. David A. Fahrenthold and Jeremy Singer-Vine in the New York Times$ -- 4/13/25

‘One million.’ The private goal driving Trump’s push for mass deportation -- As the Trump administration aggressively pushes to deport more immigrants during the president’s first year back in office, one aspirational number keeps coming up in private conversations, according to four current and former federal officials with direct knowledge of the plans: 1 million. Maria Sacchetti and Jacob Bogage in the Washington Post$ -- 4/13/25

‘We are flying blind’: RFK Jr.’s cuts halt data collection on abortion, cancer, HIV and more -- The federal teams that count public health problems are disappearing — putting efforts to solve those problems in jeopardy. Alice Miranda Ollstein Politico -- 4/13/25

Canadians freeze visits to the US over Trump -- Travel from Canada is expected to plummet 20 percent this year, costing the United States $3.4 billion in lost revenue relative to last year, analytics firm Tourism Economics projects. Emily Ngo Politico -- 4/13/25

 

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

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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