Rough & Tumble ®
A Snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics
 
     
 
 
 

California Policy and Politics Monday

A Bay Area Democrat ventured into a red district for a town hall. Here's how it went -- Rep. Ro Khanna told hundreds of voters at a town hall Sunday to mobilize against Republican priorities like slashing funding for Medicaid and other federal services. It was a standard message coming from a Democrat like Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley. Maliya Ellis in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Melanie Mason and Nicole Norman Politico -- 3/24/25

Town halls become political battlegrounds as OC lawmakers face frustrated voters -- With the House in recess this week, Democrats are using the time to hold town halls, some not in their own districts. Hanna Kang in the Orange County Register -- 3/24/25

Trump wants to rein in federal judges. One California Republican is already working on it -- Just as President Trump is facing multiple cases in court aimed at curtailing his presidential powers, Rep. Darrell Issa introduced a bill to rein in federal judges. Faith E. Pinho and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/25

California considers more homeless shelter oversight after CalMatters investigation -- State lawmakers will debate a bill to require annual inspections, new complaint processes and harsher penalties for local governments that don’t file mandatory reports. Lauren Hepler CalMatters -- 3/24/25

Trump and Newsom Find Common Ground Attacking California’s Coastal Agency -- The California Coastal Commission has been under siege like never before, alarming environmentalists and raising questions about the future of the 53-year-old state agency. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 3/24/25

Skelton: Newsom’s dilemma after providing Medi-Cal to undocumented immigrants -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s drive toward the political center has hit a jarring speed bump: He’s spending way over budget on healthcare for undocumented immigrants. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/25

After series of defeats in California, psychedelics boosters return with slimmed-down bill -- Sen. Josh Becker aims to fund more study of psychedelics and veterans. He says the bill is crafted to survive a tough political environment. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/24/25

San Diego County police departments largely abandoned a controversial gang database — but not these two -- San Diego County law enforcement agencies added scores of people to the state’s database of suspected gang members last year, raising the likelihood that they will be arrested, denied bail and handed a stricter sentence if they are convicted. All of them were singled out by police in San Diego and Escondido. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/24/25

23andMe

Delete your DNA from 23andMe right now -- The genetic information company declared bankruptcy on Sunday, and California’s attorney general has issued a privacy “consumer alert.” Geoffrey A. Fowler in the Washington Post$ Yan Zhuang in the New York Times$ -- 3/24/25

Transit

‘There is a real problem’: Bay Area legislators seek to prevent BART and Muni from unraveling -- Two state senators have set in motion the Bay Area’s master plan to save public transit, with legislation to authorize a sales tax measure in up to five counties. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kate Talerico in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/24/25

Develop

Meet the Czech Millennial Who’s Building a Utopia in the California Hayfields -- Armed with tech billions, Jan Sramek has dreams of creating a new, affordable, walkable city. If, that is, California lets him. Will McCarthy Politico -- 3/24/25

Education

UC’s most competitive major has a 1% acceptance rate, and it’s not computer science -- Just 1% of the nearly 6,000 yearly applicants to UC’s undergraduate nursing programs, at UCLA and UC Irvine, are permitted to walk through the door. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/24/25

A magnetic pouch is key to enforcing school cellphone bans. Kids are getting around it -- Some have simply told school officials they don’t have a mobile phone. Others find decoys to place in their pouches, pocketing their real devices for surreptitious use throughout the school day. Daniel Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/25

Homeless

Sacramento’s homeless community braces for a hot summer, looking for shade and water -- With temperatures set to hit 80 degrees Monday, she’s bracing for her seventh Sacramento summer on the streets. This one could be extra dangerous for her as she was recently diagnosed with congestive heart failure and suffered a stroke. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/24/25

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White House Narrows April 2 Tariffs -- Tariffs on industrial sectors like cars and microchips are no longer expected to be announced on that date, though major trading partners will still be hit with so-called reciprocal tariffs. Gavin Bade, Josh Dawsey and Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/24/25

Why DOGE is struggling to find fraud in Social Security -- Musk’s assertion that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security benefits was so off-base that it had to be tamped down by the agency’s acting head, who had been promoted because of his willingness to cooperate with DOGE. Todd C. Frankel and Hannah Natanson in the Washington Post$ -- 3/24/25

Trump wants to build more ships in the United States. It’s not so simple -- President Donald Trump appears set to broaden his attack on global economic integration by imposing new multimillion-dollar fees on the Chinese container ships that bring many foreign goods to U.S. shores. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 3/24/25

The latest release of Kennedy assassination records offers intrigue — and lots of breadcrumbs -- Historians find threads to pull on about America’s secret government, mail snooping and more. Ian Shapira in the Washington Post$ -- 3/24/25

Liberal group warns Democratic leaders over their strategy against Trump -- The progressive organization MoveOn said in a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that its members are irate over what they see as inaction from Democratic lawmakers in Congress. Holly Otterbein Politico -- 3/24/25

Voice of America journalists sue Trump officials for dismantling the outlet -- The complaint argues that the president violated the First Amendment by dismantling the media organization and exceeded his authority in violation of the Constitution. Congress, which created and funds USAGM, has sole authority over the agency, the complaint said. Tobi Raji in the Washington Post$ -- 3/24/25

White House Invites a New Guest to Its Easter Event: Corporate Sponsors -- The White House has moved to turn its Easter Egg Roll, a tradition that stretches back to Rutherford B. Hayes, into a chance to showcase brands. Minho Kim in the New York Times$ -- 3/24/25

Trump Criticizes His Portrait in Colorado’s Capitol: ‘Nobody Likes a Bad Picture’ -- President Trump claimed the portrait painted during his first term was “purposefully distorted” and called for it to be taken down. Matthew Mpoke Bigg in the New York Times$ -- 3/24/25

Also

For Sale: Pieces of Willie Brown’s Style -- Mr. Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco, has stood out not just for his politics but also his style. Now, he has opened his closet to raise money for charity. Orlando Mayorquín in the New York Times$ -- 3/24/25

Players embrace Sutter Health Park upgrades: ‘It’s all so pristine and beautiful’ -- Sutter Health Park, renovated for the former Oakland baseball team, got a soft launch before hosting its first regular-season big-league game, the Sacramento A’s home opener on March 31. Susan Slusser in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/24/25

 

California Policy and Politics Sunday

Hundreds rally against Trump, Musk in Westwood -- Protesters marched toward the Wilshire Federal Building, rallying against government cuts and what they described as U.S. Constitution violations. Noah Haggerty in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/23/25

They were called gang members and deported. Families say their only crime was having tattoos -- Relatives of a Venezuelan deported to El Salvador say his tattoo isn’t a sign of gang membership. It supports his favorite soccer team. “The United States now has a tropical gulag,” says one expert of the Trump administration’s agreement with El Salvador to imprison deportees. Patrick J. McDonnell, Kate Linthicum, Mery Mogollon and Nelson Rauda in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/23/25

‘I didn’t think it would be this bad’: San Diego veterans worry VA cuts will hurt their care -- Some of San Diego County’s roughly 200,000 veterans worry about what the Trump administration’s cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs will mean for their benefits. Some already have their answer. Maura Fox, Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/23/25

Barabak: He’s been an outspoken Trump critic. Others fear the price he and his family pay -- Eric Swalwell has received countless death threats, been physically accosted and sneezed on. Republican colleagues tell him they fear similar reprisals if they stand up to the president. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/23/25

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s overtures to conservatives are divisive. Will that win him more friends, or more enemies? -- In his quest to understand why Democrats suffered such a decisive defeat in November’s elections — and what they should do next — California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked an unlikely person for guidance on his new podcast. “Charlie Kirk, give us some advice,” he said. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/23/25

Will California Democrats defer to former VP Kamala Harris if she runs for governor? -- Former Rep. Katie Porter certainly didn’t wait for former Vice President Kamala Harris to decide whether she, too, wants to run for California governor in 2026. But Porter, in recently declaring her candidacy to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, has put a bit of an asterisk next to her campaign. Kaitlyn Schallhorn in the Orange County Register -- 3/23/25

ICE just visited a San Diego homeless shelter. New rules say how that’s supposed to go -- The city of San Diego recently distributed guidelines for when shelters should cooperate with immigration officers. Blake Nelson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/23/25

California banned polystyrene. So why is it still on store shelves? -- Styrofoam coffee cups, plates, clamshell takeout containers and other food service items made with expanded polystyrene plastic can still be found in restaurants and on store shelves, despite a ban that went into effect on Jan. 1. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/23/25

Arellano: Jeff Pearlman goes from sportswriting to throwing fastballs at O.C. politicians -- Last month, Pearlman announced he was embarking on an altogether different kind of mission: To write about Orange County politics. Talk about a wicked curveball! Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/23/25

VTA union postpones vote pending new offer as strike continues -- The union that represents striking public-transit workers in Silicon Valley has postponed a contract vote until March 23, pending a new offer from the Valley Transportation Authority. John Metcalfe in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/23/25

Proposed gutting of Department of Education worries Southern California educators, activists -- President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education was met with uncertainty Friday at some Southern California school districts, where educators and activists worry any federal funding cuts could impact already cash-strapped budgets and threaten programs for disadvantaged students. Scott Schwebke in the Orange County Register -- 3/23/25

Weekslong lockups of European tourists at US borders spark fears of traveling to America -- Lennon Tyler and her German fiancé often took road trips to Mexico when he vacationed in the United States since it was only a day’s drive from her home in Las Vegas, one of the perks of their long-distance relationship. But things went terribly wrong when they drove back from Tijuana last month. Julie Watson Associated Press -- 3/23/25

After the L.A. Wildfires, a Race to Save the Tiles, and the Soul, of Altadena -- Salvage experts are rushing to save handmade tiles from fireplaces that survived the Eaton fire before they are demolished. Livia Albeck-Ripka in the New York Times$ -- 3/23/25

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An airport, Mount Rushmore and the $100 bill: Inside the GOP effort to venerate Trump while he’s still in office -- Benjamin Franklin might have made scientific breakthroughs, invented a stove and helped to found the United States, but did he ever usher in a “golden age” for the nation? In the view of Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas, that’s precisely why Donald Trump — not the Founding Father — deserves to grace the $100 bill. Ben Jacobs and Gregory Svirnovskiy Politico -- 3/23/25

Musk Is Positioned to Profit Off Billions in New Government Contracts -- The boost in federal spending for SpaceX will come in part as a result of actions by President Trump and Elon Musk’s allies and employees who hold government positions. Supporters say he has the best technology. Eric Lipton in the New York Times$ -- 3/23/25

News Analysis: Trump consistently frames policy around ‘fairness,’ trading on American frustration -- From tariffs to Ukraine to cuts to the federal workforce, President Trump has invoked the idea of fairness. Experts said the focus is effective, tapping into the sense among many Americans that they have been left behind. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/23/25

Oil Firms Seize Chance to Fight State Climate Laws—With Trump’s Help -- Industry hopes to put its legal woes on the president’s radar as it faces mounting threats from lawsuits and local regulators. Benoît Morenne and Collin Eaton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/23/25

With New Decree, Trump Seeks to Cow the Legal Profession -- President Trump broadened his campaign of retaliation against lawyers he dislikes with a new memorandum that threatens to use government power to punish any law firms that, in his view, unfairly challenge his administration. Devlin Barrett in the New York Times$ -- 3/23/25

Also

Centennial Bulb glows strong at age 124, a survivor in turbulent times -- Follow a leafy suburban street past churches and chain pizzerias. Walk into a worn-down firehouse and look up: There, 15 feet above, hangs a priceless artifact. A record breaker. A sentinel from the golden age of American invention. It is a few inches long, is shaped like a pear and emits a soft glow. It is a lightbulb. But not just any lightbulb. Reis Thebault in the Washington Post$ -- 3/23/25