California Policy and Politics Monday

U.S. and China take a step back from sky-high tariffs, agree to pause for 90 days -- U.S. and Chinese officials said on Monday they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs and call a 90-day truce in their trade war to allow for more talks on resolving their trade disputes. Jamey Keaten, David McHugh and Ken Moritsugu in the Los Angeles Times$ Lily Kuo, Christian Shepherd and Lyric Li in the Washington Post$ Daisuke Wakabayashi, Amy Chang Chien and Alan Rappeport in the New York Times$ Koen Verhelst, Carlo Martuscelli, Elena Giordano and Ali Walker Politico Daisuke Wakabayashi, Amy Chang Chien and Alan Rappeport in the New York Times$ -- 5/12/25

This Los Angeles port is among the first casualties of Trump’s trade war -- On a sunny spring morning, when the Port of Los Angeles should be a blur of activity, more than half of the container ship berths here sit empty. The steel booms on dozens of towering ship-to-shore cranes point idly to the sky. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 5/11/25

How Tariffs Are Crushing Small Businesses: ‘Nobody in Power Seems to Care’ -- The owner of a San Francisco card-game company cashed in his money-market funds. The founder of a tent maker is looking for investors. A watch and jewelry company in Colorado is holding off on signing a new office lease. And a New Hampshire consumer-product company has laid off more than half its staff. Ruth Simon in the Wall Street Journal -- 5/11/25

Trump is hurting S.F.’s tourism recovery, but hotel experts are still optimistic -- A new forecast from Tourism Economics predicts a 19% decline in visitors from Canada to San Francisco and San Mateo County this year compared to last year, a drop of around 57,000 people. It also forecasts an 8.5% decline in visitors from Mexico, a loss of almost 50,000, over the same period. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/25

Trump DHS investigates L.A. County for providing federal benefits to unauthorized immigrants -- The Trump administration announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, a state program that provides monthly cash benefits to aged, blind, and disabled non-citizens who are ineligible for Social Security benefits due to their immigration status. Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/25

Trump budget goals that target senior programs could spark backlash in Orange County -- Tens of thousands of lower-income people of a certain age rely on federal help for food and housing, among other things. Experts say they might punch back if they lose that help in the federal budget. Andre Mouchard in the Orange County Register$ -- 5/11/25

Homeless

Newsom calls on California cities to effectively ban homeless encampments -- As frustration intensifies over street homelessness, Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging local governments across California to effectively ban public camping and move faster to close dangerous encampments. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/12/25

Trans

Trump’s attacks on transgender Americans are a test in California’s governor’s race -- Trump’s efforts to undermine California’s liberal values, including support for transgender Americans, will be at the heart of the state’s 2026 campaign for governor. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Toni Atkins warns that Trump’s policies are putting lives in danger. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/25

Shasta Dam

Why a contentious project to raise California’s Shasta Dam could move forward under Trump -- Enlarging the dam would deliver more Sacramento River water to Central Valley farmers but a tribe could lose sacred sites and endangered salmon could lose habitat in wet years. Alastair Bland CalMatters -- 5/12/25

Campus

Few among hundreds of campus protesters in L.A. facing charges, reigniting debate -- Decisions by L.A. prosecutors to charge only four people — out of more than 340 people arrested — have revived anger over how authorities handled protests at USC and UCLA last year. James Queally and Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/25

Insurance commissioner signals possible probe into State Farm’s handling of L.A. wildfire claims -- After fielding a storm of complaints at a community meeting about how State Farm General is handling Los Angeles wildfire claims, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said Saturday that regulators might launch a formal inquiry into the company’s practices. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/11/25

Investigation into false evacuation alerts sent during L.A. fires places blame, calls for more regulation -- The alerts were intended for a small group of residents near Calabasas, but stoked panic and confusion as they were blasted out repeatedly to a much larger area. Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/25

A sewer in Malibu? January firestorm has coastal city pondering the once-unthinkable -- More than 30 years after Malibu residents formed a city, largely to block sewers and rampant development, leaders in the coastal community are talking about building a sewer system. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/25

They were taken from their parents for their own safety. Then county social workers abused them, they say -- San Diego County is confronting hundreds of lawsuits filed by now-grown victims who say they were sexual assaulted at Polinsky Children's Center and other facilities. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/11/25

San Diego Sheriff confronting a new federal lawsuit over 2024 jail death -- When Jose Cervantes Conejo was admitted to the hospital in March of last year with signs of head trauma, a sheriff’s deputy told medical staff that he had rolled off a bench at the Vista jail and hit his head. But tests showed the injuries were “not compatible with a simple fall,” a doctor at Palomar Medical Center noted in Cervantes Conejo’s chart — a skull fracture, broken eye socket and multiple brain hemorrhages. Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/11/25

How a Mojave Desert footrace became a showcase for L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. turmoil -- The Baker to Vegas relay is a law enforcement tradition. This year it was a showcase for turmoil in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/11/25

Looking good for Kamala Harris, not so much for Karen Bass, poll shows -- California voters have sharply differing views over the state’s two most prominent Black Democrats, according to a new poll released Monday. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/25

Smolens: GOP pushes electric vehicle fees as highway fund continues to crater -- House Republicans dashed proposed $20 annual levy on all cars as they search for revenue. Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/11/25

Lopez: Reopen Alcatraz as a prison? Yes, but Trump shouldn’t stop there -- Alcatraz as a prison? What about a coliseum that features Jan. 6 patriots? Hearst Castle as the Western White House? And don’t forget Trump Tower Torrance. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/11/25

‘We Did It, Bolinas!!!’ Remote Northern California town gets its post office back -- A rural California town lost its post office amid a dispute between USPS and the landlord. After a two-year fight, it’s coming back. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/25

Guns

Did You Shoot Somebody in Self-Defense? There’s an Insurance Policy for That -- Rise in gun ownership and stand-your-ground laws drives a lucrative new market to insulate shooters from criminal and civil liability. Mark Maremont and Tawnell D. Hobbs in the Wall Street Journal -- 5/12/25

POTUS 47

The hidden ways Trump, DOGE are shutting down parts of the U.S. government -- Across the federal government, Trump officials are halting a wide range of operations by declining to approve key funds. This unofficial hold on many activities has incapacitated many agencies’ divisions, even though they remain technically intact. Hannah Natanson and Maxine Joselow in the Washington Post$ -- 5/11/25

Qatar calls reports of pending jet gift to Trump ‘inaccurate’ -- Qatar on Sunday denied reports that the Trump administration is preparing to accept a luxury jet from the country’s royal family in the coming days. Gregory Svirnovskiy, Dasha Burns and Nahal Toosi Politico -- 5/11/25

Trump Administration in Talks to Accept New Air Force One as Gift From Qatar -- President Trump’s administration is in talks with the Qatari government about accepting a luxury Qatari plane for his use as president and potentially beyond, according to people familiar with the matter. Josh Dawsey and Tarini Parti in the Wall Street Journal Amy B Wang in the Washington Post$ -- 5/12/25

Trump Says He Will Sign Executive Order Aimed at Lowering Drug Prices -- Trump said he would be instituting a policy known as “Most Favored Nation,” wherein the U.S. government pays prices for drugs that are tied to the prices paid by other countries. Many other countries pay lower prices for medications because their single-payer healthcare systems negotiate for deals. Liz Essley Whyte and Tarini Parti in the Wall Street Journal Daniel Gilbert in the Washington Post$ Rebecca Robbins and Margot Sanger-Katz in the New York Times$ -- 5/11/25

Trump wants to attack drug cartels. How can Mexico respond if he does? -- Trump has long contemplated targeting Mexican narcotics cartels, suggesting during his first term that missiles could be launched on drug labs. Mexican President has drawn a red line that she says cannot be crossed: U.S. troops in Mexico. Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/12/25