California Policy and Politics Monday

MLK Day: S.F. and Oakland marchers honor civil rights icon amid national turmoil -- Thousands of Bay Area residents gathered in streets, parks and community centers Monday in an effort to keep the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of equality, justice and transformation alive. Danielle Echeverria, Jessica Flores, J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 01/19/26

Before Urban Raids, Border Patrol Tested Tactics in California Farm Country -- Just before President Trump took office, Border Patrol agents led by Gregory Bovino arrested immigrants in Kern County using the same playbook later seen in places like Chicago and Minneapolis. Then a federal judge ordered them to stop. Orlando Mayorquín and Jesus Jiménez, Mark Abramson in the New York Times$ -- 01/19/26

Newsom says California homelessness is declining. Here’s what the data shows -- California saw a 9% drop in unsheltered homelessness last year, a shift Gov. Gavin Newsom has touted as a sign of his successful leadership. But the number of people living on the streets or in vehicles remains significantly higher than when Newsom took office in 2019. Christian Leonard, Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 01/19/26

Skelton: New California Senate leader Monique Limón, ‘kind, generous’ and a ‘badass’ -- People often ask me how things have changed at the state Capitol since I began covering news there many decades ago. My latest short answer: Look at the new California Senate leader. In fact, look at the entire Senate. Actually, the other legislative house, too, the Assembly. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/19/26

As California’s schools struggle, governor hopefuls clash over who’s to blame — and who should fix it -- Education is California’s largest state expense, consuming more than a third of the state budget through K-12 schools alone. Yet as voters prepare to choose a successor to outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom, candidates across the political spectrum agree the system is falling short. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 01/19/26

Stockton mass shooting: New clues in killings at child’s birthday party -- Authorities investigating November’s mass shooting at a children’s birthday party in Stockton released new details Saturday, saying detectives have identified two vehicles believed to be involved and are asking the public for help as the case remains unsolved. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 01/19/26

How California governor candidates say they will tackle homelessness -- In fact, a recent Public Policy Institute survey found 8 in 10 Californians are at least somewhat concerned about homelessness in their area. Linh Tat and Kaitlyn Schallhorn in the Orange County Register$ -- 01/19/26

Deported to danger: Returning migrants discover a Mexico transformed by cartels -- Deported migrants returning to Mexico after decades away discover they must learn to navigate hometowns dominated by cartels. Returnees are easy targets for criminal groups: their American clothing, haircuts and Spanglish make them stand out as outsiders. Many returnees face kidnapping, extortion or violence, forcing them to flee their hometowns again in what experts call double displacement. Steve Fisher and Kate Linthicum in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/19/26

Santa Barbara County officials crack down on unsanctioned Deltopia spring break rager -- The future of Deltopia, an annual unsanctioned street party that draws thousands of college students and is often marked by chaos and arrests, is uncertain after Santa Barbara County supervisors approved a 72-hour ban on amplified music that would coincide with the event. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/19/26

See You Later, Claude: San Francisco Mourns Its Beloved Alligator -- The 30-year-old albino resident of the California Academy of Sciences died last month. On Sunday, thousands paid tribute. Heather Knight, Poppy Lynch in the New York Times$ -- 01/19/26

The current US political climate is spurring a 'reclaim' and rallying on the MLK holiday -- As communities across the country on Monday host parades, panels and service projects for the 40th federal observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the political climate for some is more fraught with tensions than festive with reflection on the slain Black American civil rights icon’s legacy. Terry Tang Associated Press -- 01/18/26

Workplace

L.A.’s defense industry is booming. Federal funding crunch could change that -- L.A. defense-tech startups like Gambit face funding shortfalls as the Small Business Innovation Research program expired in September amid a Capitol Hill dispute. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/19/26

Rich people are leaving California, inspired by tech founders’ online campaign -- The campaign against a proposed billionaire tax was sparked by industry leaders that have long bashed San Francisco. It has consumed the tech world, and it’s driving some of the state’s richest residents to relocate. Elizabeth Dwoskin and Caroline O'Donovan in the Washington Post$ -- 01/19/26

Explaining California’s billionaire tax: The proposals, the backlash and the exodus -- The battle over a new tax on California’s billionaires is set to heat up in the coming months as citizens spar over whether the state should squeeze its ultra-rich to better serve its ordinary residents. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 01/19/26

POTUS 47

Trump Links Greenland Threats to Missing Out on Nobel Prize -- Denmark dispatched additional troops to Greenland on Monday as President Trump added a new dimension to his pursuit of the Danish island, telling Norway that he no longer needed to think “purely of peace” after being snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize. Max Colchester, Laurence Norman and Kim Mackrael in the Wall Street Journal$ Seb Starcevic Politico Jeffrey Gettleman and Henrik Pryser Libell in the New York Times$ Ellen Francis and Steve Hendrix in the Washington Post$ -- 01/19/26

Americans Are the Ones Paying for Tariffs, Study Finds -- Research contradicts President Trump’s claim that foreigners are footing the bill, and could weaken his hand in the dispute over Greenland. Tom Fairless in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 01/19/26

Trump’s Greenland threats push Europe toward divorcing America -- With NATO thrown into question, some officials see the “coalition of the willing” as the basis for a new alliance without the U.S. Tim Ross Politico -- 01/19/26

European Union Officials Lean Toward Negotiating, Not Retaliating, Over Trump Tariff Threat -- European Union ambassadors held an emergency meeting on Sunday, and leaders from across the 27-nation bloc will meet in Brussels later this week. Jeanna Smialek and Anushka Patil in the New York Times$ -- 01/19/26

Noem Denies Use of Chemical Agents in Minnesota, Then Backtracks -- Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said officers had not used pepper spray and similar measures limited by a judge’s order, then was confronted with a video that showed chemical agents deployed. Minho Kim in the New York Times$ -- 01/19/26

‘60 Minutes’ story held for lacking interview with Trump official airs without one -- After accusations of “corporate censorship,” CBS aired a postponed “60 Minutes” segment about the CECOT prison that was largely unchanged. Liam Scott and Scott Nover in the Washington Post$ -- 01/19/26