California Policy and Politics Friday

Newsom to slam Trump, unveil plan to make ballot seizures a felony in July 4 speech -- As he seeks to grow his national profile and position himself as President Donald Trump’s chief opponent, California Gov. Gavin Newsom will deliver a July 4 speech unveiling a new plan to safeguard the state’s election system against federal interference. Sara Libby in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/3/26

Home insurer surcharges for wildfires is legal, judge rules -- A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has upheld wildfire surcharges on California home policies, allowing insurers to pass on part of the cost of a $1-billion bailout after the January 2025 fires. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/3/26

California is bringing back EV rebates. This is how to get one -- Gov. Gavin Newsom allocated $135 million in his new state budget to provide incentives for new and used EVs. Participating automakers will match the funds. California leads the nation in EV adoption, though the market has taken a hit under the Trump administration. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/3/26

At the L.A. Warehouse Fire, First It Was the Smoke. Now It’s the Smell. -- Rotting food — millions of pounds of it — remains in an L.A. cold-storage facility damaged in a fire. Residents say the cleanup hasn’t been fast enough. Orlando Mayorquín, Gabriela Bhaskar in the New York Times$ -- 7/3/26

‘An unprecedented situation’: California city declares emergency as law enforcement contract expires -- With one member absent, the Willows City Council voted 4-0 on Monday to declare the emergency less than 48 hours before the city’s agreement with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/3/26

How Roberts led a fractured Supreme Court to wins for the right and defeats for Trump -- Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. led a fractured Supreme Court this year that both expanded a president’s power to run the government and dealt major defeats to President Trump. In Trump’s second year back in the White House, Roberts and the court punctured his claim to have power with no limits. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/3/26

Workplace

Genentech to cut 103 jobs at South San Francisco headquarters -- The cuts are scheduled to take effect July 29 at Genentech’s South San Francisco headquarters at 1 DNA Way, according to a notice filed with state officials. The company said the cuts would impact members of its research and early development group, known as gRED. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/3/26

State scientist raises were cut from CA budget at the last minute. No one can say why -- Whether the raises being cut from the budget was a mistake is not clear. The Governor’s Office did not respond to questions about why salary increases the administration agreed to last year were removed from the recent budget agreement. Any remedy — if it comes at all — will have to wait. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/3/26

The New (And Slightly Smelly) Center of the AI Boom -- Out of sheer convenience, if nothing else, young tech founders have long decided to band together to make rent in one of the most expensive parts of the country. Mark Zuckerberg and some other early Facebook executives famously lived together in the 2000s. Matteo Wong The Atlantic -- 7/3/26

Marketplace

California asks Quebec to return U.S. wine to shelves amid wine industry struggles -- California Congress members sent letters to Quebec last month asking the province to put American wine back on its shelves after 15 months of restricted sales in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports. Lizzie Kane in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/3/26

Gas prices are high for July 4. California’s price-gouging fixes are still on the shelf -- California’s gasoline watchdog found Chevron stations charged the highest average price of any major brand tracked in late May. A new lawsuit and new bills are pushing the state’s gas-price debate beyond refineries, toward retail pricing, algorithms and brand contracts. Alejandro Lazo Calmatters -- 7/3/26

Street

Simi Valley police shoot suspect inside Thousand Oaks hospital, spurring huge police response -- A source familiar with the incident who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Times that the suspect grabbed a medical staffer. The suspect was wounded by the gunfire. He was then treated by medical staff and was considered stable, police said. He remains in custody. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/3/26

California homicide rate hits lowest in decades, with violent and property crimes also down -- The number of homicides in California dropped from 1,666 to 1,374 last year, a 17.5% decrease, according to statistics from the state Department of Justice. As a result, the homicide rate for 2025 was 3.5 for every 100,000 people, the lowest it has been since crime recording began six decades ago. Jazmin Alvarado in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/3/26

Also

Norovirus outbreak sickens 125 aboard Princess cruise ship docked in San Francisco -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 102 passengers and 23 crew members on the Ruby Princess reported gastrointestinal illness during the voyage that began June 12 and ended back in San Francisco on Thursday. The agency identified the cause as norovirus. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/3/26

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donate $26M to charities ahead of wedding -- The donations were spread out across 20 local and national charities, according to Swift's publicist, with many located in areas where the couple has deep ties. Kimberlee Kruesi Associated Press -- 7/3/26

Kid Rock reveals he drunk-calls Trump: ‘He always picks up’ -- Kid Rock is opening up about his long-standing friendship with President Donald Trump, revealing that they frequently call each other to catch up — sometimes when the musician is inebriated. Zara Irshad in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/3/26

Walters: On USA’s 250th birthday, Californians should remember when we saved the world from tyranny -- If there ever was a moment for citizens of the United States of America to contemplate and appreciate how their nation has affected humankind’s evolution, it is now on its 250th birthday. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 7/3/26

POTUS 47

Trump’s Huge Windfall Has Few Known Global Precedents -- Mr. Trump’s profits are a haul once unimaginable for any leader of a liberal democracy, particularly a sitting American president. No modern Western leader has ever publicly disclosed such big windfalls while in office. Jason Horowitz in the New York Times$ -- 7/3/26

Trump’s Brokerage Accounts Made Big Trades Around ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs -- President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025 pushed financial markets into a tailspin, sending Wall Street and everyday investors scrambling to shield themselves from the fallout. Trump’s money managers were also busy. Neil Mehta, David Uberti and Natalie Andrews in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/3/26

A Firm Run by Trump Allies Is Organizing the 250th. Their Fee? Unclear -- Event Strategies, Inc., a longtime vendor to President Trump’s campaigns, is organizing the Great American State Fair and the July 4 celebrations. David A. Fahrenthold and Andrea Fuller in the New York Times$ -- 7/3/26

Trump refashions America’s 250th as a celebration of himself -- The spectacular show that Americans will see features Trump at its center, culminating a year of concerted efforts by the president to put his face on passports and currency, national park passes and government buildings. Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/3/26

Trump returns to Mount Rushmore after years of hinting he belongs there -- For a president who has had a golden statue of himself erected at his golf resort and his name and image affixed to buildings, government programs, U.S. passports, digital and physical coins, roads, and an airport, the landmark represents a rare limit: No presidential order or act of Congress can create more carvable rock. Natalie Allison in the Washington Post$ -- 7/3/26