California Policy and Politics Wednesday

ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely over his remarks about Charlie Kirk’s death -- In his monologue on Tuesday, Kimmel said that “we hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” Kimmel, like CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, has consistently been critical of President Donald Trump and many of his policies on his ABC show. Associated Press -- 09/17/25

UC employees, not waiting on leaders, sue Trump for ‘financial coercion’ over UCLA cuts -- A group of 21 unions and faculty associations representing more than 100,000 University of California employees sued President Trump on Tuesday, alleging he is illegally forcing “ideological dominance” over a UC education, has violated the constitution and endangered jobs by suspending research grants and seeking a $1.2-billion fine against UCLA. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

Most Jewish Americans oppose Trump’s university funding cuts over antisemitism, poll shows -- By nearly 3 to 1, American Jews believe that Trump is using antisemitism as an “excuse” to “penalize and tax college campuses,” according to the poll released Tuesday by Ipsos in collaboration with social and political scientists at UC Berkeley and the University of Rochester. Daniel Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

UC takes heat for sharing student, faculty names with Trump administration -- The names were included in documents handed over as part of a federal probe into claims of antisemitism on campus. Eric He Politico -- 09/17/25

 

Gavin Newsom praises Charlie Kirk’s outreach to young men, suggests Dems do more of their own -- Gavin Newsom marvelled at the way Charlie Kirk engaged with young men while criticizing his own party’s approach to the demographic, saying on Tuesday that Democrats have “not invested as much energy as they should in this space.” Blake Jones Politico Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 09/17/25

A Pride flag at half-staff to honor Charlie Kirk: Trump order to lower flags spurs SoCal furor -- West Hollywood lowered Pride and transgender flags, infuriating residents, while Los Angeles faced conservative anger for keeping flags raised. The controversy highlights deep political divisions as cities grapple with memorializing Kirk, known for anti-LGBTQ+ and racist rhetoric. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

White supremacists, death threats and ‘disgust’: Charlie Kirk’s killing roils Huntington Beach -- People mourning the killing of Charlie Kirk carried candles and American flags in a solemn memorial last week at the Huntington Beach Pier, long a destination for conservative gatherings ranging from protests over pandemic-era lockdowns to rallies in support of President Trump. But on this night, things took a dark turn when dozens of men joined the crowd, chanting, “White men fight back.” Hannah Fry and Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

Students say Villa Park teacher took down Kirk memorial. Officials are investigating -- School district officials are investigating after a Villa Park High teacher allegedly removed and threw away a student memorial to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk from the front of the Orange County campus. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

 

The California-Washington tech fight heats up -- Republicans in Washington see one big obstacle to President Donald Trump’s efforts to hit the accelerator on the American artificial intelligence industry: California. Brendan Bordelon and Tyler Katzenberger Politico -- 09/17/25

Sacramento Councilmember Mai Vang challenges longtime Rep. Doris Matsui -- Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang officially launched her campaign for California’s 7th Congressional District Tuesday, becoming the highest-profile Democrat to challenge Rep. Doris Matsui during the incumbent’s 20-year tenure. Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 09/17/25

San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio ousted in decisive recall election -- San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio was decisively ousted Tuesday in a new upswell of the recall fervor that’s swept the city over the past few years. Almost 65% of ballots counted so far favored his removal, with more votes left to tally. Ko Lyn Cheang, Lucy Hodgman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/17/25

 

‘It’s all at stake’: As Prop. 50 fight intensifies, Newsom, partisan influencers rally their bases -- The multimillion-dollar jousting over redrawing California’s congressional districts to boost Democrats and counter President Trump was on full display in recent days, as both sides courted voters less than a month before ballots begin arriving in mailboxes. Julia Wick and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

How California’s redistricting fight is a preview of the midterms (and beyond) -- Proposition 50 may answer some important political questions just in time for the midterms and then the 2028 presidential race. Ben Fox and Melanie Mason Politico -- 09/17/25

Barabak: A governor for red California, blue California or both? Redistricting fight poses that question -- Proposition 50 would gerrymander the state and decimate Republican representation in Congress. What do Democrats running for governor say to California’s millions of GOP voters? Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

 

Newsom to decide on health care proposals targeting insulin prices, privacy rights and more -- California lawmakers sent several bills to the governor that aim to protect consumers and improve patients’ access to care. Opponents have raised concerns about their cost. Kristen Hwang and Ana B. Ibarra Calmatters -- 09/17/25

California’s summer COVID wave shows signs of waning -- Coronavirus levels in California’s wastewater remain “very high,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as they are in much of the country. But while some COVID indicators are rising in the Golden State, others are starting to fall — a hint that the summer wave may soon start to decline. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

AI

Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery sue Chinese AI firm as Hollywood’s copyright battles spread -- Walt Disney Co., Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday sued a Chinese artificial intelligence firm called MiniMax for copyright infringement, alleging its AI service generates famous characters including Darth Vader, the Minions and Wonder Woman without the studios’ permission. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

Workplace

Major Bay Area refinery on track to close, city official says -- The odds were low. But even so, some Benicia city leaders hoped that California would emerge from the past week’s final lawmaking push for the year with a plan to keep Valero Energy Corp. from shuttering its Bay Area oil refinery next year. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/17/25

San Diego approves $25 minimum wage for most tourism workers -- The council agreed to phase it in over a four-year period — a concession worked out with tourism industry stakeholders in the weeks leading up to the hearing. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 09/17/25

SAG-AFTRA sets up ‘Robin Hood’ fund for streaming cash two years after strike -- During the summer of 2023, Hollywood weathered the longest strike by Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in the performers union’s history. One of the final negotiation points, a long-promised “Robin Hood” fund meant to share the benefits of streaming success, has finally been set up. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

‘Do or die’ for Irvine-based EV maker Rivian as it launches work on $5 billion plant -- Rivian says the company believes it can sell EVs not for environmental or tax incentive reasons, but because they’re superior. Jeff Amy and Alexa St. John Associated Press in the Orange County Register$ -- 09/17/25

ICE

L.A. County moves to keep ICE away from data that show where people drive -- Los Angeles County is moving to add more checks on how federal immigration officials can access data collected by the Sheriff’s Department that can be used to track where people drive on any given day. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

Santa Clara County wants to become a regional leader in the fight against ICE -- As President Donald Trump continues his crackdown on immigrants living in the country illegally — including pushing large-scale enforcements in Democratic-controlled cities like Los Angeles and Chicago — Santa Clara County leaders want the county to expand its role in fighting back. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/17/25

Tucked in a Vineyard, a Field of Dreams Where Immigration Fears Fade Away -- As ICE raids stoke anxiety in California, Latino men find solace at a baseball field built in the middle of a Sonoma County vineyard. Kurtis Lee and Felicia Mello in the New York Times$ -- 09/17/25

High Speed Rail

More money, less red tape. Here’s CA high-speed rail’s wish list for success -- The project’s plans have undergone several changes since 2008, when California voters approved $9.95 billion in bonds to help fund a railway from San Francisco to Los Angeles by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion. Today, the focus is a 171-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield line that could be operational by 2032 and cost $36.75 billion — if things go according to plans. Erik Galicia in the Fresno Bee -- 09/17/25

Housing

Bill to boost housing near transit passes. But one Bay Area county got an out -- California lawmakers last week passed a bill to allow taller housing developments near major transit hubs, which they hope will create much needed housing and boost transit ridership. But to get the bill over the finish line, it will also include a number of exemptions, including one loophole that allows an entire Bay Area county to avoid the law. Kate Talerico in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/17/25

Homeless Fee

Sacramento to charge monthly fees at homeless shelters — a rare policy in US -- In a 7-2 vote on Tuesday night, the City Council approved implementing fees at its new interim housing sites of tiny homes. Four of these sites, called micro-communities, are planned on vacant lots across the city and will be designated for homeless seniors. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 09/17/25

Street

Is the Norco prison a solution for the county jail crisis? Some prison guards think so -- Some correctional officers at the prison in Norco are trying to keep the California Rehabilitation Center open by presenting it as an option to solve the overpopulation in county jails. Aidan McGloin Calmatters -- 09/17/25

Orange County D.A’.s office again faces allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation -- A former Orange County prosecutor alleges she was sexually harassed by a supervisor and retaliated against by superiors during her time at the Orange County district attorney’s office, according to a recently filed lawsuit. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

A homeless encampment, with pickleball court and garden, becomes both refuge and scourge -- A homeless encampment on a Koreatown vacant lot features unusual amenities including a makeshift pickleball court, and a small garden. Neighbors complain about noise, safety concerns and drug activity while residents of the encampment say they’ve built a community. Andrew Khouri, Carlin Stiehl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

Menendez brothers won’t get new trial; judge rejects petition over sexual abuse claims -- A judge has rejected Erik and Lyle Menendez’s petition for a new trial, ruling that evidence showing they suffered sexual abuse at their father’s hands would not have changed the outcome of the murder trial that has put them in prison for more than 35 years for gunning down their parents. Richard Winton and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

Also

Walters: California Legislature leaves Bay Area transit bailout in limbo -- Politicians tend to be procrastinators, putting off major policy issues until they can no longer be ignored without political fallout. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 09/17/25

Her license plate says ‘IAMISIS.’ The DMV doesn’t care what her name is, says plate must go -- Since 2022, a Sacramento woman has paid $50 yearly fees for her personalized license plate, which says “IAMISIS.” Now, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has recalled the plate. Officials have deemed it possibly offensive. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

Five ‘illegal’ Laurel Canyon homes to be demolished after decades-long fight, L.A. says -- Five partially completed homes in the Laurel Canyon community that have been the subject of two decades of legal battles will be torn down under a plea agreement with the homes’ developers, Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced in a statement. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/17/25

How you could win $1,000 this Saturday by picking up litter at the beach -- California Coastal Cleanup Day tries something new: fancy prizes, hidden around the state for volunteers to find. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/17/25

POTUS 47

The Two-Speed Economy Is Back as Low-Income Americans Give Up Gains -- There are two economies in the U.S. right now, and they are moving in different directions. Jeanne Whalen in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 09/17/25

Could the U.S. Dollar Lose Its Dominance? It Did Once Before -- Some observers believe the dollar’s reserve currency status is at risk due to factors like tariffs and debt. Barry Eichengreen in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 09/17/25

Shapiro, Denouncing Political Violence, Warns Trump Is Inflaming Tensions -- Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, the target of an arson attack this year, argued that political violence like the killing of Charlie Kirk requires universal condemnation. Katie Glueck in the New York Times$ -- 09/17/25

Trump Invokes Kirk’s Killing in Justifying Measures to Silence Opponents -- In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing, President Trump and his allies have laid out a broad plan to target liberal groups, monitor speech, revoke visas and designate certain groups as domestic terrorists. Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Andrew Duehren, Kenneth P. Vogel and Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 09/17/25

Bondi Prompts Broad Backlash After Saying She’ll Target ‘Hate Speech’ -- Attorney General Pam Bondi provoked a broad backlash this week after announcing she would “absolutely target” protesters engaging in “hate speech” — and claiming she had authority to investigate businesses that refused to print memorial vigil posters for the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Glenn Thrush and Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ -- 09/17/25

Fired by Trump, a Former Labor Official Warns Against Politicizing Economic Data --Erika McEntarfer, in her first appearance since she was ousted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cautioned that “economic data must be free from partisan influence.” Tony Romm in the New York Times$ -- 09/17/25

Congress moves to counter Hegseth on base names that evoke Confederacy -- Congress is inching toward a bipartisan agreement to reverse the Trump administration’s recent renaming of several Army bases across the southern United States that had long been politically controversial for honoring Confederate leaders. Noah Robertson in the Washington Post$ -- 09/17/25