California Policy and Politics Monday

‘This is a sick man’: Newsom leads backlash to Trump’s unhinged response to Reiner killings -- President Donald Trump faced swift backlash Monday after he used the killing of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, to make an unfounded political claim linking the deaths to criticism of him. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/15/25

Court battle begins over Republican challenge to California’s Prop. 50 -- Republicans and Democrats squared off in court Monday in a high-stakes battle over the fate of California’s Proposition 50, which reconfigures the state’s congressional districts and could ultimately help determine which party controls the U.S. House in the 2026 midterms. Jenny Jarvie and Christopher Buchanan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

California Dems confront a star-power vacuum — and a big math problem -- California Democrats have a math problem: They’ve added so many candidates in the race to succeed Gavin Newsom that two Republicans could end up winning the state’s quirky “jungle primary,” shutting the Democrats out. Melanie Mason Politico -- 12/15/25

Rob Reiner’s son arrest on suspicion of homicide, records show -- Ron Reiner’s son Nick was booked into the Los Angeles County jail on suspicion of murder, records show, hours after the Hollywood legend and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead at their Brentwood home Sunday. Richard Winton, Clara Harter, Grace Toohey and Christie D’Zurilla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

What we know about Nick Reiner, who struggled with addiction and shared his recovery with the world -- Nick Reiner spent years struggling with addiction and with help from his father, Hollywood legend Rob Reiner, told his story to the world. Clara Harter, Grace Toohey and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

Rob Reiner used his fame to advocate for progressive causes. ‘Just a really special man. A terrible day’ -- But the Brentwood resident, known for the classic films “Stand by Me” and “When Harry Met Sally...,” was also a political force, an outspoken supporter of progressive causes and a Democratic Party activist who went beyond the typical role of celebrities who host glitzy fundraisers. Seema Mehta and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

A Saugus High shooting survivor, now at Brown University, endures campus tragedy again -- When Brown University junior Mia Tretta’s phone began buzzing with an emergency alert during finals week, she tried to convince herself it couldn’t be happening again. Jonathan Mattise in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

California Hires Former C.D.C. Officials Who Criticized Trump Administration -- A former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a former chief medical officer of the agency will advise the state on public health issues. Laurel Rosenhall and Apoorva Mandavilli in the New York Times$ -- 12/15/25

Skelton: California Democrats have momentum, Republicans have problems -- It turns out Proposition 50 smacked California Republicans with a double blow heading into the 2026 congressional elections. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

California lawmakers plead with Congress to protect state-level AI laws -- Weeks before a new round of state laws regulating artificial intelligence is set to take effect, California legislators are asking their counterparts in Congress to step up efforts to protect that authority. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/15/25

Sen. Adam Schiff, a primary antagonist of President Donald Trump, marks one year in U.S. Senate -- The junior senator says he's 'proud' to be high on the president's enemy list as he highlights his work over the past 12 months. Linh Tat in the Orange County Register$ -- 12/15/25

Gavin Newsom saved California’s last nuclear plant. But do we really need it? -- Diablo Canyon, California’s last nuclear power plant, was supposed to be closed by now. John Emshwiller in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/15/25

After the Sydney terror attack, a Palisades Hanukkah celebration is ‘all about hope’ -- The first night of Hanukkah in Pacific Palisades, coming nearly a year after January’s wildfires, was always going to evoke both joy and loss in the beleaguered community. August Brown in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

Bay Area Jewish groups lighting menorahs to push away darkness of Australia attack -- “Nothing can shake us, nothing can uproot us from our tradition, from our faith, from our beliefs,” said Rabbi Moshe Langer, CEO of Chabad of San Francisco. He said Hanukkah celebrates the message that “just a little light pushes away a lot of darkness.” Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Caelyn Pender, Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/15/25

Authorities step up security at Hanukkah events around Southern California after Australia attack -- Authorities were providing extra patrols at Jewish facilities and Hanukkah events around Southern California on Sunday after a deadly attack in Australia killed as many as 16 people who were gathered at a beach to celebrate the first day of the Jewish holiday. The item is in the Orange County Register$ -- 12/15/25

Wildfire

They lost their homes in the L.A. wildfires. Now they can’t get the mortgage relief the state promised -- California’s September law promised fire victims up to 12 months of mortgage forbearance. But dozens of homeowners who were victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires allege that their banks and mortgage services aren’t giving them the relief they expected from a law that was intended to help them. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

Workplace

Prison health workers are among the best-paid public employees. Why are so many jobs vacant? -- California spent hundreds of millions on prison and hospital healthcare staff, auditors found, but vacancy rates rose since 2019, exceeding 30% at three facilities despite bonuses and pay raises, with inadequate oversight and planning. Kristen Hwang Calmatters -- 12/15/25

DoorDash delivery drones would be grounded under S.F. supervisor’s legislation -- A supervisor seeks to delay DoorDash’s bid to test food delivery in San Francisco through drones, which labor groups fear would eliminate union jobs. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/15/25

Can a once-sleepy village off Highway 101 become the Bay Area’s next retail mecca? -- Just six years ago, cowboys drove a herd of 30 longhorn cattle past banks and breweries in downtown Santa Rosa to herald the start of the county fair. Wine Country’s biggest city has been “kind of an overgrown cow town,” Mayor Mark Stapp said. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/15/25

Housing

Wait lists for rental aid are getting so long that some cities may close theirs down -- The last time Oceanside pulled anyone off its waiting list to get a housing choice voucher, which helps low-income residents pay rent, was December 2023. The delay has been even longer in San Diego: Nobody’s made it off that city’s Section 8 list since August 2022. Blake Nelson in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 12/15/25

Education

California schools that need foreign workers for teacher jobs can’t afford Trump’s new visa fee -- There is a new cost to hiring an international worker to fill a vital but otherwise vacant position in a California classroom: $100,000. Sophie Sullivan and Alina Ta CalMatters in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

Talk of school closures often sparks fury across the Bay Area. Except in this city -- Closing schools is among the most emotional and contentious issues a district can face, but in this Bay Area city the pushback has been minimal compared with talks in San Francisco or Oakland. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/15/25

Teens at top East Bay schools are building real-world tech that would challenge seasoned engineers -- His childhood hobby has led him to where the 18-year-old finds himself today: engineering autonomous drone software that could revolutionize how first responders handle emergencies in San Jose. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/15/25

Street

4 charged with plotting New Year’s Eve attacks in Southern California, prosecutors say -- Federal authorities on Monday announced the arrests of four alleged members of an extremist group who are suspected of planning coordinated bombing attacks on New Year’s Eve across Southern California. Christopher Weber Associated Press -- 12/15/25

‘Acts of pure evil’: Feds indict alleged members of child sex abuse network -- The Times spoke with women who said they were targeted by CVLT, a violent online group that coerced girls into sexual abuse and self-harm on camera. Four alleged key members have been charged in federal court in Los Angeles. Clara Harter and Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/15/25

POTUS 47

Trump’s Cuts to U.S. Labor Board Leave Festering Disputes and a Power Struggle -- Advocates fear damage to labor protections if the Supreme Court upholds the president’s move to control federal agency staffing. Rebecca Davis O’Brien in the New York Times$ -- 12/15/25

MAGA leaders warn Trump the base is checking out. Will he listen? -- Trump’s advisers say he is preparing to hold near-weekly rallies to spend more time with the base, but has faced criticism from within MAGA in the meantime. Natalie Allison, Kadia Goba and Hannah Knowles in the Washington Post$ -- 12/15/25

Martin: America Needs a Tech Skeptic in the 2028 Race -- A long-shot 2028 run by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox could force tech and social media into the center of the presidential debate. Jonathan Martin Politico -- 12/15/25