California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Federal agents raid homes of Ventura County immigration activists -- Federal agents searched the homes of immigrant rights activists in an early morning raid that activists allege was retaliatory and part of an ongoing harassment campaign for their work patrolling and monitoring immigration operations in Ventura County. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

 

What we know about the teens accused of attacking San Diego Islamic Center, killing 3 -- One of the guns had hate speech written on it, the sources told The Times, and anti-Islamic writings were found in a vehicle. “At least one of the suspects took a firearm from their parents’ home” and left a suicide note, “writing about racial pride,” sources said. Richard Winton, Hannah Fry, Salvador Hernandez and Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Security guard’s ‘heroic’ actions saved others in San Diego mosque attack, officials say -- San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the security guard who was inside the mosque was “able to minimize the situation to the front area of the mosque” and saved lives. “His actions were heroic,” he said. Hannah Fry and Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

A Fearful Phone Call and a Frantic Search Preceded Mosque Shooting -- San Diego police arrived to find three people dead. Nearby, they found two teenagers, the attackers, dead in a car. The violence shattered an idyllic Southern California city. Tim Arango, Christina Morales, Candice Reed and Chelsia Rose Marcius in the New York Times$ -- 5/19/26

Five dead, including two teenage suspects, at San Diego mosque shooting -- Three people were fatally shot at an Islamic center in Clairemont on Monday morning, and two teenage suspects were found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a vehicle nearby, San Diego police said. Karen Kucher, Teri Figueroa, Caleb Lunetta in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Salvador Hernandez, Suhauna Hussain, Richard Winton and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ Karen Kucher, Teri Figueroa, Caleb Lunetta in the San Diego Union Tribune Tim Arango, Christina Morales, Candice Reed and Chelsia Rose Marcius in the New York Times$ -- 5/19/26

 

Billionaire Tom Steyer’s $192.4-million self-funded California gubernatorial bid shatters records -- His massive self-funding revives California’s fraught history of wealthy self-funding candidates, as voters and rivals question his hedge fund’s investment in fossil fuels and other industries that are anathema to many liberal voters. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Tom Steyer walks back support for data center moratorium -- The billionaire climate activist and Democratic gubernatorial candidate told Greenpeace he supports a moratorium, but now Steyer’s campaign says he doesn’t. Tyler Katzenberger and Blake Jones Politico -- 5/19/26

In deep blue California, Dems find a villain toxic enough to rival Trump: The power company -- First came Tom Steyer, trashing “the monopolistic power of utilities” and repeatedly calling out energy companies by name for what he says are their exorbitant rates and poor service. Then it was Xavier Becerra, the Democratic frontrunner, taking shots at the energy industry in a debate. Noah Baustin Politico -- 5/19/26

NYT Opinion: Who Should Govern California? -- Times Opinion assembled a panel of experts with a range of viewpoints for a new installment of The Choice, aimed at guiding voters — and in California, especially Democratic voters — through the complex issues in this election. The item is in the New York Times$ -- 5/19/26

Nancy Pelosi endorses Connie Chan to succeed her in S.F. House race -- Chan and two other Democrats, state Sen. Scott Wiener and former congressional staffer Saikat Chakrabarti, are the top candidates in the race to replace Pelosi. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dustin Gardiner Politico Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 5/19/26

Why California Republicans sent a cease-and-desist letter to one of their rising stars -- The California Republican Party has taken the unusual step of threatening legal action against one of its rising stars — Assembly Member Carl DeMaio — for his “brazen and unlawful campaign to deceive California voters.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/26

Homeless people on Skid Row were paid to register to vote, feds charge -- A longtime signature gatherer will plead guilty to paying homeless people on Skid Row to help get initiatives on the ballot, federal prosecutors said Monday, part of an effort to crack down on what they claim is widespread voter fraud across the state. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Legislature’s fiscal analyst says California ‘ill‑prepared’ under Newsom budget -- The state Legislature’s nonpartisan and independent fiscal analysts threw some cold water on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s celebratory announcement last week that he’d closed California’s structural deficits in his final budget proposal as governor. Andrew Graham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/19/26

Walters: Gavin Newsom’s last budget still would leave California’s finances wobbly -- Last week Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a revised version of his eighth and final state budget, which he said would not only be balanced for the 2026-27 fiscal year but also for his successor’s first year. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 5/19/26

City Council progressives snub Raman, endorse Bass in L.A. mayor’s race -- Three members of the L.A. City Council’s progressive bloc endorsed Mayor Bass for reelection, snubbing fellow progressive Nithya Raman in the June 2 primary. The endorsements from Eunisses Hernandez, Ysabel Jurado and Hugo Soto-Martínez underscore fractures on L.A.’s left. All three are members of the Democratic Socialists of America, as is Raman. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Arellano: Spencer Pratt’s Make L.A. Great Again acolytes and their dark vision of the city -- Instead of holding events around Los Angeles to convince skeptics that his mayoral campaign is for everyone, the former reality television bad boy has bunkered himself inside an echo chamber of sycophants, friendly podcasters and milquetoast media outlets. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Sacramento DA Ho claims credit over ICE refusals. Does he play any role? -- But in reality, Ho has no authority over whether law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/19/26

Wildfire

Sandy fire growth stalls overnight, evacuation warnings lifting in Ventura County -- Lighter winds and cooler temperatures allowed firefighters to slow the growth of a fire in Simi Valley that forced tens of thousands of residents out of their homes, firefighting officials said. Terry Castleman and Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Largest fire ever recorded on Santa Rosa Island endangers ‘gem of California coast’ -- A wildfire sparked by the flare of a shipwrecked mariner has burned nearly a fifth of Santa Rosa Island and marks what officials called the largest blaze recorded on the island in modern history. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Eaton fire: No misconduct, delay in evacuation notices to west Altadena, report says -- An investigation into delayed evacuation orders for residents west of Lake Avenue in Altadena during the first hours of the Eaton fire revealed that incident commanders did not intentionally delay those warnings or engage in misconduct, according to a report released Monday, May 18. Nathaniel Percy in the Orange County Register$ -- 5/19/26

Workplace

‘Brutal’: Growing tribe of jobless techies is stuck in Silicon Valley’s new reality -- Battered by years of mass layoffs, California tech workers were hoping the job market would rebound this year. But things are getting worse. Now, many are redrawing their career paths. Queenie Wong, Carolyn Fong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

LinkedIn to lay off more than 600 California workers this summer -- Most of the cuts are in the Bay Area. LinkedIn plans to lay off 108 employees at its San Francisco office, 59 in Sunnyvale, 352 in Mountain View and 66 remote employees tied to Mountain View, according to the filings. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/26

The Morale of Tech Workers Is Plunging as Layoffs Mount -- On the website Blind, professionals share advice — and gallows humor — anonymously. It is chronicling the curdling of tech optimism. Noam Scheiber in the New York Times$ -- 5/19/26

Marketplace

The California-born fast-food chain crushed by costs, crime and competition -- Born as a South L.A. hot dog cart, Carl’s Jr. now faces a reckoning in its home turf, squeezed by rising California costs, intensifying burger competition and employee unrest. The franchisee controlling 59 Southern California outlets has sought bankruptcy protection, citing the state’s new $20 fast-food minimum wage. Itzel Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Homeless

Oakland’s homeless count is down 20%. Here’s what might be behind the drop -- Oakland’s homeless population dropped 20% over the past two years to 4,410, with nearly 1,000 fewer people living unsheltered in encampments or vehicles, according to new county data. But advocates warn a wave of shelter closures could jeopardize the city’s progress. Kate Talerico, Maggie Angst in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/26

Homelessness falls in Alameda County as Bay Area sees fragile signs of progress -- Homelessness is falling in parts of the Bay Area after years of major public investment, with Alameda County the latest to report a significant decline, even as officials warn that progress could be fragile. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/19/26

Housing

Rents are surging in S.F. Here’s where increases are the highest -- Renting in San Francisco this year is all horror stories. Prospective renters are met with dozens of people crowding open houses, many with already completed leasing applications in hand, apartments that are leased within a couple of days, and, worst of all, people offering to pay the landlord even more than the listed rent. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/26

Education

Top LAUSD academic chiefs leaving as test scores rise and FBI raid sidelines Carvalho -- The top two Los Angeles school district administrators in charge of instruction during the recent rise in test scores are leaving as the school board moves on with major budget and student technology issues without its nationally acclaimed and now entirely silenced leader, Supt. Alberto Carvalho. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Breathe

3 countries. 16 stadiums. 104 matches. 2026 World Cup set to become ‘most polluting’ games ever -- As nearly 300,000 fans prepare to arrive in Los Angeles for the men’s World Cup soccer championship in mid-June, the international soccer federation is coming under fire for what climate scientists and advocates are calling the most polluting World Cup in history. Blanca Begert in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

Guns

Moving to California with a gun? You might have to take a four-hour course -- Californians would have to take a four-hour course with live-fire training to buy a gun if a bill advancing through the Legislature gets signed into law. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters -- 5/19/26

Also

San Francisco moves ahead with plan for public bank -- The proposal would go to voters, but would not provide a revenue stream to fund the bank. How to fund the bank could be the topic of heated future debate. Alyce McFadden in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/26

Silicon Valley’s Answer to Declining Male Fertility? Sperm Racing -- A San Francisco biotech start-up races sex cells on tiny tracks. Can an internet joke become a serious business? Daniel Waite Penny in the New York Times$ -- 5/19/26

A gray wolf has entered Sequoia National Park for the first time in a century -- It’s just a day in the life of the peripatetic wolf, who was born in far Northeastern California in 2023. She’s racked up hundreds of miles since leaving home, all of which appear to be in service of one thing: finding a mate to settle down with. Her continued sojourn suggests she’s still looking. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/26

POTUS 47

Todd Blanche tells appropriators payouts for Jan. 6 rioters are possible -- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is not ruling out making payments to those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as part of the Justice Department’s new, $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Hailey Fuchs and Josh Gerstein Politico -- 5/19/26

The anti-war crack in MAGA's youth base -- Young conservatives involved in Turning Point USA chapters in battleground states increasingly souring on the Iran war -- and some feel betrayed by President Donald Trump's "no wars" campaign promises. Ben Johansen Politico -- 5/19/26

Democratic district attorneys vow to prosecute federal agents who target voting sites -- A coalition of 10 district attorneys — including prosecutors in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Dallas — are vowing in an announcement expected Tuesday to investigate incidents of suspected voter intimidation by federal agents deployed at the behest of President Donald Trump. Aaron Pellish Politico -- 5/19/26

Judge Bars ICE From Making Immigration Arrests at Courts in New York -- A judge on Monday largely barred federal agents from making arrests in immigration courts in New York City, putting an abrupt halt to a policy that emerged last year as the centerpiece of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Manhattan. Jonah E. Bromwich and Benjamin Weiser in the New York Times$ -- 5/19/26

Treasury Lawyer Quits as Government Settles Trump IRS Suit -- The Treasury Department’s top lawyer resigned Monday as the government announced a controversial settlement with President Trump, according to people familiar with his departure. Richard Rubin and C. Ryan Barber in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/19/26

See How Trump’s Accounts Were Busy Trading Big Tech Stocks -- Money managers for the president made more than 3,700 trades in the first quarter, including million-dollar purchases of Nvidia, Dell and other Big Tech stocks. Trump’s managers pared his holdings in Microsoft and Amazon with sizable sales in the quarter. Jared Mitovich and Kara Dapena in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/19/26