California Policy and Politics Saturday

Trump knocks California on its heels: ‘He’s pulling the trigger on everything all at once.’ -- Between the deployment of federal agents to Los Angeles, the gutting of climate standards and the manhandling of the state’s senior U.S. senator, the state absorbed one show of force after another from the president. And in the balance of power between the Trump administration and the nation’s most populous state, California was on the losing end. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 06/14/25

California’s MAGA prosecutor makes Democrats squirm -- Bill Essayli, the recently appointed 39-year-old U.S. attorney for California’s central district, spent years in Sacramento angrily chafing at one-party rule — elected but impotent. Now he’s ready to show the state’s Democrats how it feels to be powerless. Will McCarthy Politico -- 06/14/25

No Kings protests Bay Area: Crowds gather early at ICE building in San Francisco -- To help snuff out violence or disorder, organizers of the Bay Area’s No Kings rallies have enlisted some of their participants as peacekeeping marshals. In San Francisco, about 200 protesters gathered early Saturday outside an ICE building after immigrants received texts Friday ordering them to check in with immigration officials this weekend. Molly Burke, Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/14/25

‘We held our ground’: LA-area health clinic describes close encounter with immigration agents -- Contreras said he and the guard “held our ground, we did not move” and the officers didn’t get out of their vehicles. “I told (the security guard) ‘Don’t worry, they can’t come in without a warrant,’ so I’m sure they (agents) could hear us because their windows were down,” Contreras said. Ana B. Ibarra Calmatters -- 06/14/25

Chasing ICE: The mad scramble to track immigration raids across L.A. County -- Driving around in hopes of witnessing agents jumping out of trucks and detaining immigrants has become a grim pastime and form of protest for some Angelenos. Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/14/25

Trump’s case for sending troops to help ICE involves precedent from Fugitive Slave Act -- Deep-cut case law and 19th century constitutional interpretation underpin the Trump administration argument for deploying troops to Los Angeles. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/14/25

 

How L.A. Raids Ignited a New Fight Over Immigration -- Los Angeles is home to the country’s largest population of undocumented immigrants. So when President Trump’s immigration raids arrived, many expected trouble. Miriam Jordan, Soumya Karlamangla, Shawn Hubler, Emily Baumgaertner Nunn, Orlando Mayorquín and Matt Stevens in the New York Times$ -- 06/14/25

 

Why they protest: Voices from the downtown L.A. ICE demonstrations -- During these demonstrations, Los Angeles Times reporters on the ground have interviewed protesters and asked them why they’re demonstrating. Here’s what they had to say: The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/14/25

Immigration ‘notario’ scams coming back under Trump’s crackdown, authorities warn -- Notario scammers pose as immigration lawyers to extract money from people who are confused about what a notary public does in the United States. Advocates say recent sweeps by federal agents have created a climate of fear ripe for exploitation. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/14/25

What it’s like to be in downtown LA as protests continue: ‘We’ve never seen it like this’ -- Despite the curfew, people are still coming to downtown LA to participate in immigration protests. Local residents are living with around-the-clock law enforcement and experiencing vandalism. Joe Garcia Calmatters -- 06/14/25

Trump Shifts Deportation Focus, Pausing Raids on Farms, Hotels and Eateries -- The Trump administration has abruptly shifted the focus of its mass deportation campaign, telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to largely pause raids and arrests in the agricultural industry, hotels and restaurants, according to an internal email and three U.S. officials with knowledge of the guidance. Hamed Aleaziz and Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times$ -- 06/14/25

Fear of ICE raids spreads among California’s farmworkers -- The nation’s most abundant harvest is ripening in California’s Central Valley fields, but the people at the heart of these agricultural communities are living in fear. Maliya Ellis, Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/14/25

He misled the public about his last big immigration sweep. Now he’s leading the Border Patrol in LA -- The immigration raids across Los Angeles have all the hallmarks of Gregory Bovino’s Kern County sweep, which a federal judge says likely violated the Constitution. Andrew Donohue, Sergio Olmos and Wendy Fry Calmatters -- 06/13/25

Gov. Newsom lambasts Trump for giving immigrants’ health data to deportation officials -- Many undocumented immigrants have long feared that their Medi-Cal data would be used against them. Newsom calls it “an abuse.” Kristen Hwang Calmatters -- 06/13/25

Video shows immigration agents interrogating a Latino U.S. citizen: “I’m American, bro!” -- Brian Gavidia was at work on West Olympic Boulevard in Montebello at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday when he was told immigration agents were outside of his workplace. Gavidia, 29, was born and raised in East Los Angeles and fixes and sells cars for a living. He said he stepped outside. And saw four to six agents. Within seconds, he said, one of them — wearing a vest with “Border Patrol Federal Agent” written on the back — approached him. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/13/25

How did a rumor about an ICE raid on a homeless shelter escalate to Mayor Bass? -- At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass made a startling claim. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had appeared at a homeless shelter that day, among other sensitive locations in Los Angeles, she said. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/13/25

Mexico to open CONCACAF Gold Cup, but recent immigration raids might keep fans away -- The Mexican national soccer team returns to Los Angeles but in difficult and uncertain times for its supporters. Damian Calhoun in the Orange County Register$ -- 06/13/25

Trump’s Decision to Send Troops to California Is His Do-Over of 2020 -- President Trump was talked out of deploying the military to crush the George Floyd protests in 2020. He always regretted it. Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Erica L. Green in the New York Times$ -- 06/14/25

These five charts explain immigration in the Bay Area and California -- There are four counties in the Bay Area with a higher share of immigrants than Los Angeles County. Harriet Blair Rowan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/13/25

Guards bar volunteers, reporters from Sacramento immigration court hearings -- Federal authorities detained at least four more individuals Friday morning at Sacramento Immigration Court and restricted public access to the building, amid a week of heightened scrutiny and local protests against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics statewide. Stephen Hobbs and Sharon Bernstein in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 06/13/25

A reluctant brawler, Mayor Bass takes direct aim at Trump over immigration raids -- With Los Angeles reeling from immigration sweeps and unsettled by nightly clashes between protesters and police, Mayor Karen Bass was asked by a reporter: What she did she have to say to President Trump? Bass, standing before a bank of news cameras, did not hold back. David Zahniser and Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/14/25

In an Anxious Moment for the Nation, Historians Say This One Is Different -- The country has become a cauldron of anger and unease as it enters a weekend promised to be marked by protests and a military parade. Adam Nagourney in the New York Times$ -- 06/13/25

 

The words that led Sen. Padilla to confront Kristi Noem — and set off a political storm -- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promised to “increase” military operations in Los Angeles and “liberate” the city from its “socialist” elected leaders. Watching from the back of the room, Sen. Alex Padilla decided he had heard enough. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/13/25

Framing of Sen. Padilla’s forceful removal from press conference latest immigration flash point -- The fallout from the forceful removal of Sen. Alex Padilla from a Department of Homeland Security press conference this week ramped up on Friday, June 13, with one high-profile Republican congresswoman saying the Californian should be charged with a crime and a cohort of 20 Democratic representatives calling for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to testify before a House oversight committee. Kristy Hutchings in the Orange County Register$ -- 06/13/25

Sen. Alex Padilla’s political journey began in Pacoima, now ICE raids hit home -- Inside a cell phone service shop on Van Nuys Boulevard, Juan Reynoso watched the video playback of what happened to Alex Padilla on Thursday. It wasn’t pretty. “Oh my God,” he said slowly and softly, his mouth agape as the stream played out on the monitor in front of him. Ryan Carter, Allyson Vergara in the Orange County Register$ -- 06/13/25

MacArthur Park goes quiet amid ICE sweeps. ‘They’re targeting people that look like me’ -- On Friday morning, the area around MacArthur Park, a longtime immigrant hub west of downtown, was noticeably quieter than usual. Undocumented immigrants, and even those here legally but fear they could be racially profiled, are exercising extra caution navigating their daily lives. Libor Jany and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/14/25

Grand Central Market, an embodiment of immigrant L.A., confronts new climate of fear -- Normally bustling with tourists and downtown office workers, the historic food hall was nearly empty this week. Many vendors are closing early not only due to the week’s curfews, but simply a loss of customers. Stephanie Breijo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/14/25

On eve of anti-Trump protests, downtown L.A. curfew turns nightlife hub into ghost town -- On a game night in Los Angeles, 10-year-old Boomtown Brewery in the Arts District can host 500 fans just five minutes walking distance from the Dodger Stadium shuttle at Union Station. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/13/25

Graffiti at night. Cleanup in the morning. The night-and-day difference of L.A. protests -- Calm in the morning. Rowdy at night. That was the routine in downtown Los Angeles this week after Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to the city amid scattered protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Hailey Branson-Potts, Rebecca Ellis, Julia Wick and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/13/25

The ‘Mexican Beverly Hills’ reels from Trump immigration raids, forcing some to carry passports -- With its stately homes and bustling business districts, Downey has long been known to some as the “Mexican Beverly Hills.” But the Southeast L.A. County city of more than 110,000 people has been roiled this week by Trump immigration raids in Southern California, sparking both fear and outrage. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/13/25

 

Protests in L.A. could be ‘unprecedented’ in size on Saturday, police chief says -- “I think a lot of that will depend on social media activity promoting the event,” Chief Jim McDonnell said of the expected crowd at a Friday afternoon news conference. “That has been very high up to this point. We expect crowds that are maybe unprecedented.” Richard Fausset in the New York Times$ -- 06/13/25

Joan Baez to join Bay Area ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump -- Iconic folk singer, political activist and long time Bay Area resident Joan Baez is coming full circle Saturday, set to speak and possibly sing at a “No Kings” protest against President Donald Trump in Palo Alto, the city where she engaged in her first act of civil disobedience at age 17. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/13/25

If Waymos are ignited during Saturday’s No Kings protest, S.F. officials could let them burn -- With massive demonstrations anticipated across the Bay Area on Saturday, firefighters in San Francisco are bracing for one dramatic form of protest theater: The torching of Waymo robotaxis. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/13/25

 

California lawmakers approve $325 billion budget ‘passed on hope -- The California Legislature passed a state budget today that relies more on borrowing than spending cuts to close a projected $12 billion deficit, aiming to push off difficult decisions about priorities even as that gap is only expected to grow in future years. Alexei Koseff Calmatters -- 06/14/25

California Democrats give in to GOP criticism on immigrant aid, tighten rules for defense fund -- California Democrats set aside millions of dollars for immigrant legal services. They’re tightening that aid in a way that would deny it to people convicted of felonies. Cayla Mihalovich and Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 06/13/25

Pacific Palisades

After months of checkpoints, Pacific Palisades will reopen to the public Saturday -- The affluent coastal enclave has remained closed to the public since the devastating January wildfires, months after other fire-damaged neighborhoods reopened. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/14/25

Education

Another Bay Area school district invests in teacher housing -- The $78 million project adds Berkeley Unified to a growing list of Bay Area school districts backing affordable housing for teachers and other district employees. Tom Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/14/25

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Federal Judge Reinstates Consumer Product Safety Regulators Fired by Trump -- It’s the latest setback for President Trump in his effort to purge perceived political opponents from independent agencies. Chris Cameron in the New York Times$ -- 06/13/25

Even Before His Return to the White House, Trump Was Becoming a Crypto Czar -- Financial disclosures for 2024 filed by the president on Friday show that digital coins had already become one of his family’s most successful ventures. Ben Protess and Andrea Fuller in the New York Times$ -- 06/13/25

Kennedy’s New Vaccine Advisers Helped Lawyers Raise Doubts About Their Safety --Three of the health secretary’s picks to replace fired members of an influential panel that sets U.S. vaccine policies have filed statements in court flagging concerns about vaccines. Christina Jewett and Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times$ -- 06/13/25

Political turmoil strains the Army as it marks a milestone birthday -- Trump’s rally at Fort Bragg was the latest event that has thrust the military’s largest branch of service to the center of his most partisan machinations. Dan Lamothe in the Washington Post$ -- 06/13/25

7 partners leave Willkie Farr, firm that made Trump deal, for Cooley, which fought him -- Seven partners at the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher are leaving that business after it reached an agreement with the Trump administration and moving to Cooley, which successfully challenged the president’s actions in court. Mark Berman in the Washington Post$ -- 06/14/25

Trump Talks Big on Global Diplomacy, but His Goals Are in Tatters -- The president said he would bring a quick end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and get China to bend on trade and Iran on its nuclear program. Instead, conflict is escalating. Michael Crowley and Edward Wong in the New York Times$ -- 06/13/25