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California Policy and Politics Monday
They made a delivery to Camp Pendleton, or maybe a wrong turn. Then they were arrested by ICE -- Federal court records show that in recent months, at least 22 foreign-born individuals living lawfully in the United States have been detained for hours by Marine Corps personnel at Camp Pendleton, and then arrested by immigration officers and held for weeks or longer, for trying to access the military base inadvertently or for work purposes. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 3/9/26
For UCI professor, sharing data about immigrants and crime is risky -- Immigrants, authorized and otherwise, are less likely to commit serious crime or be sent to prison than are native-born Americans. That’s according to numerous studies from groups as politically diverse as the Cato Institute, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Migration Policy Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the National Bureau of Economic Research and the American Sociological Association, among others. Andre Mouchard in the Orange County Register$ -- 3/9/26
What is Trump’s true objective in the Iran war? U.S. targets provide a clue -- Strikes have increasingly targeted Iran’s internal security forces, used by the Islamic Republic to suppress public dissent. By all accounts, the campaign against Iran’s military assets has achieved success. Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
Newsom changed California prisons. What will the justice system look like after he leaves? -- California’s criminal justice system looks different in a very tangible way compared to when Gov. Gavin Newsom took office seven years ago. Adam Ashton Calmatters in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
Newsom planning $19-million push to polish California’s national image -- Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to spend $19 million promoting California and dispelling “myths driven by misinformation and political rhetoric” in a marketing campaign that would run through the final months of his administration as he weighs a potential run for president. Melody Gutierrez and Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/26
Lopez: Horrified by the state of the union, he’s an angry protester. But he’s also optimistic -- Some brave souls are stepping into the fray, taking to the streets to protest Trump’s war against Iran. To protester Bert Voorhees, ‘democracy is a privilege,’ and your participation does not end with voting. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/9/26
Workplace
Why Washington is hamstrung on protecting workers from AI -- President Donald Trump’s steadfast support for artificial intelligence is butting up against rising voter fears that the technology will take their jobs amid a weakening labor market and constant headlines about AI-related layoffs in Silicon Valley. Yasmin Khorram and Cheyenne Haslett Politico -- 3/9/26
Also
Have a Montana License Plate in California? Officials Have an Eye on You -- Since 2018, Californians have bought luxury vehicles worth over $20 million in sales-tax-free Montana, exploiting a loophole that avoided millions of dollars in levies, an investigation revealed. Adeel Hassan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/26
The strange, psychedelic history of how San Francisco got colorful homes -- There was a time when San Francisco leaders couldn’t demolish Victorian homes fast enough. Peter Hartlaub in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/9/26
POTUS 47
The Long-Feared Persian Gulf Oil Squeeze Is Upon Us -- Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has ground to a virtual halt, unleashing the most severe energy crisis since the 1970s and threatening the global economy. Joe Wallace, Summer Said, Rebecca Feng and Georgi Kantchev in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/9/26
Oil Prices Surge Above $100 a Barrel for the First Time in Almost Four Years -- Oil prices surged on Sunday evening, briefly topping $110 a barrel soon after markets opened, in a sign of growing concern that the war in the Middle East will continue to take a toll on energy supplies. Rebecca F. Elliott and Joe Rennison in the New York Times$ -- 3/9/26
War with Iran spreading economic damage far beyond oil and gas markets -- The closure of several international airports in the conflict zone, including the world’s busiest in Dubai, idled nearly one-fifth of global airfreight capacity, interrupting shipments of consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals and precious metals. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 3/9/26
California Policy and Politics Sunday
Immigrants in Central Valley are challenging ICE detentions at record-high rates -- The Eastern District of California, which encompasses the Central Valley and is home to three of the state’s seven ICE detention centers, has the second-highest concentration of habeas corpus petitions nationwide, data shows. Melissa Montalvo and Marina Peña in the Fresno Bee -- 3/8/26
ICE arrests of immigrants without criminal records surge in Northern California -- Agents arrested about five times as many people who did not appear to have criminal records in the first nine months of 2025 as in the entire year prior. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/8/26
Federal judges in San Diego are repeatedly finding ICE arrests and prolonged detention unlawful -- Judges have repeatedly ordered bond hearings or release from immigration detention following habeas corpus petitions. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 3/8/26
Californians now worry more about surprise medical bills than housing, survey finds -- Two-thirds of Californians said they worry about affording unexpected health care bills, while 48% worried about paying their rent or mortgage, and 47% worried about affording food, according to the Oakland-based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/8/26
Gas prices soaring, Trump administration sets stage to OK controversial offshore oil plan -- As the war in Iran sends global fuel prices soaring, the U.S. Department of Justice has released a legal opinion claiming that President Trump has the authority to override California laws and regulations that have blocked a controversial offshore oil operation by invoking the Defense Production Act. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/26
Barabak: Culling the field for California governor? Don’t look at me, says Betty Yee -- The Democrat is just a blip in polls, but she notes no one is running away with the contest. She’s counting on straight talk and a deep understanding of state government to prevail over richer, flashier candidates. Mark Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/8/26
California Republican ditches party to save reelection bid in gerrymandered district -- A Republican House member from Northern California is formally distancing himself from the GOP to boost his underdog bid for reelection in a district redrawn to favor Democrats. Shortly after the candidate filing deadline Friday evening, Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin (Placer County), announced that he was “removing partisanship from the equation” and running for a third term without party affiliation. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/26
A steady insider steps in: Andres Chait leads LAUSD amid federal scrutiny -- The acting superintendent, a longtime LAUSD administrator, takes charge as the district confronts a federal investigation involving Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. Teresa Liu in the LA Daily News -- 3/8/26
UCSD professors wanted money to research telepathy. They turned to Jeffrey Epstein -- By the time Jeffrey Epstein wrote a $50,000 check to fund unusual research into the paranormal by UC San Diego scientists, they had already known they could turn to him for money. Lucas Robinson and Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 3/8/26
Sacramento City Unified tries to right its ship by laying off the entire central office -- Sacramento City Unified School District may scrape by after all. But not without some bruising budget cuts and hundreds of layoffs. The district that has been grappling with a multimillion-dollar budget crisis and the prospect of state receivership now projects having just enough cash to make it through this school year. Savannah Kuchar KVIE Abridged -- 03/08/26
These California cities show up again and again on ‘best places to retire’ lists -- Some cities show up on multiple lists, like San Diego, Sacramento, Palm Springs, Roseville and Eureka. Contributing factors to their high placements included comparatively affordable housing, proximity to medical care, nearby amenities and a high proportion of senior population. Jessica Roy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/8/26
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Americans Are Now a Target in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown -- A WSJ investigation tracked the U.S. citizens caught in the crosshairs of an aggressive federal campaign to detain and demonize dissenters. Brenna T. Smith, Hannah Critchfield, Brian Whitton, Belle Cushing Emma Scott and Annie Ng in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/8/26
Trump says Iran at fault for strike on girls school -- When asked aboard Air Force One Saturday whether the U.S. conducted the Feb. 28 strike, Trump said, without evidence, “No, in my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.” Ben Johansen Politico -- 3/8/26
Trump confronts ‘bad part of war’ as troops killed in Iran conflict return home -- ‘I hate to do it, but it’s a part of war,’ the president said after a dignified transfer for the first service members killed in the war with Iran. Michael Birnbaum in the Washington Post$ -- 3/8/26
America’s Military Is Focused on Iran. Its Biggest Challenge Is China -- Trump’s war in the Middle East is the latest campaign that has drained missile stockpiles and stretched American forces thin. Niharika Mandhana and Josh Chin in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/8/26
How Trump’s War in Iran Has Echoes of Putin and Ukraine -- The many similarities between the White House’s justification for war in Iran and Russia’s messaging on Ukraine underscore the risks of a vaguely defined, open-ended war. Anton Troianovski in the New York Times$ -- 3/8/26
Judge rules Kari Lake unlawfully ran U.S. media agency, voiding layoffs -- A federal judge in Washington ruled Saturday that Kari Lake has unlawfully served as chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America, and nullified many actions she has taken in the role, including mass layoffs of staff. Scott Nover in the Washington Post$ -- 3/8/26
Trump Wants to ‘Take Over’ Elections. These States are Prime Targets -- President Trump thinks Republicans should control voting procedures in parts of the United States. But where? Here are some possibilities. Nick Corasaniti and Richard Fausset in the New York Times$ -- 3/8/26