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

California Policy and Politics Monday

Court agrees to block collection of Trump’s $454 million civil fraud judgment if he puts up $175M -- A New York appeals court on Monday agreed to hold off collection of former President Donald Trump’s $454 million civil fraud judgment — if he puts up $175 million within 10 days. If he does, it will stop the clock on collection and prevent the state from seizing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s assets while he appeals. Jennifer Peltz, Michael R. Sisak Associated Press -- 3/25/24

McManus: Trump wants to round up over a million undocumented migrants from California. Here’s how he might do it -- Trump’s California-born advisor says he would deploy troops to blue states to seize undocumented immigrants, send them to camps, then expel them. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

Gavin Newsom is counting on budget rookies to solve a $38B problem -- Just eight state lawmakers who served during the Great Recession remain in office — and none hold meaningful positions of power. Blake Jones Politico -- 3/25/24

California jails are holding thousands fewer people, but far more are dying in them -- Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to address a rise in jail deaths early in his administration. Since then, fentanyl overdoses and suicides have death rates at historic highs. Nigel Duara, Jeremia Kimelman CalMatters -- 3/25/24

Girl grabs deputy’s gun, shoots herself in lobby of L.A. County sheriff’s station, officials say -- A girl in her late teens died in the lobby of the L.A. County sheriff’s station in City of Industry late Sunday. Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

California insurance market ‘in chaos,’ says former insurance chief. Can the new chief fix it? -- With more California homeowners just discovering their insurance policies are getting canceled — and hundreds of thousands of others stuck with a pricey option of last resort — state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s efforts to fix the home insurance market can’t come quickly enough. Levi Sumagaysay CalMatters -- 3/25/24

Call them super progressives: L.A.’s political left looks to expand its power at City Hall -- Candidates on the left made crucial advances in the March 5 primary election for City Council, setting the stage for some hard-fought runoff campaigns. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

Calmes: The Supreme Court tackles abortion again. How much will it hurt Republicans in 2024? -- The justices may turn back the clock on medication abortion, the procedure most women in both red and blue states use to terminate pregnancy. Jackie Calmes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

RFK Jr. is about to name a running mate. Will he pick this California tech lawyer? -- Nicole Shanahan rose from poverty to become a tech lawyer and marry one of the world’s richest men. Is Robert Kennedy Jr. about to make her his running mate? James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

Abortion

California police are still sharing license plate data with anti-abortion states -- Some law enforcement agencies, including several in the Bay Area, are continuing to share automated license plate reader data with police departments in other states. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/24

Abortions outside medical system increased sharply after Roe fell, study finds -- Researchers report that volunteer-led networks distributing abortion pills helped drive a rise in ‘self-managed’ abortions. Caroline Kitchener, N. Kirkpatrick in the Washington Post$ -- 3/25/24

Workplace

California Restaurants Cut Jobs as Fast-Food Wages Set to Rise -- A California state law is set to raise fast-food workers’ wages in April to $20 an hour. Some restaurants there are already laying off staff and reducing hours for workers as they try to cut costs. Heather Haddon in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/25/24

‘We’re exhausted’: Bay Area mental health shortage deepens as need explodes -- Providers describe a deepening shortfall of workers as the need has exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/25/24

California must invest more in the space industry, say state’s members of US House and Senate -- Several dozen members of California’s congressional delegation, including a handful from Southern California, asked Gov. Gavin Newsom last week to prioritize investment in the space industry, part of a move among leaders responding to recent job cuts and funding shortfalls. Hanna Kang, Clara Harter, Ryan Carter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/25/24

Long Beach Post staffers laid off after moving to unionize and going on strike -- The Long Beach Media Guild announced Friday that nine Long Beach Post staffers received layoff notices after moving to unionize and going on strike. Christi Carras in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

Housing

Bay Area-built houses could be solution for Tahoe’s affordable housing crisis -- South Lake Tahoe is a resort town with a big need for affordable housing — and a very short window in which to build it. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/24

Homeless

The Mayor of Los Angeles Wants to Prove Homelessness Can Be Solved -- More than a year into her term, Mayor Karen Bass has cleared encampments and moved thousands of people into motels. What happens next is unclear. Jill Cowan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

$5 Gas

Ready to hit the road for spring break? Gas prices in L.A. County are now topping $5 a gallon -- Higher crude oil prices and increased demand for fuel from spring break road trips have pumped up gas prices in California. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

Water

California doubles State Water Project allocation thanks to February storms -- The California Department of Water Resources said it expects to provide 30% of requested supplies from the State Water Project, a massive network of reservoirs, canals and dams that supplies 29 water agencies serving about 27 million people. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

Klamath

The Klamath River’s dams are being removed. Inside the effort to restore a scarred watershed -- Reservoirs have been drained as the nation’s largest dam removal effort advances on the Klamath River, and an effort to restore the watershed is taking root. Ian James, Brian Van Der Brug, Sean Greene, Albert Brave Tiger Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

Also

California Tahoe Conservancy to acquire 31 acres along Hwy. 50 — Motel 6 to be razed -- The conservancy seeks to restore the 31-acre site along the Upper Truckee River in South Lake Tahoe to marsh and meadowlands. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/24

Lopez: Trump claims Beverly Hills residents stink. I put it to the smell test -- Donald Trump said that people from Beverly Hills ‘don’t smell so good.’ On a field trip, I didn’t find foul odors, but I did find folks worried about a second term for him. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/24

Bandages, balloons, bullet casings: Here’s how much trash is on the Pacific Crest Trail -- A pair of environmental scientists who thru-hiked the trail last year conducted the largest known survey of litter on the PCT, providing a sharp look at the kinds of materials people leave on the trail, in what concentrations, and where. Gregory Thomas, Harsha Devulapalli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/24

 

California Policy and Politics Sunday

Mountain lion kills man in California’s first fatal attack in 20 years -- A mountain lion killed a 21-year-old man Saturday in Georgetown (El Dorado County) and injured his 18-year-old brother, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. The last reported fatal mountain lion attack in California was in 2004, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Clare Fonstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/24/24

First Lady Jill Biden in Southern California for campaign fundraising -- First Lady Jill Biden is making the rounds at various events in Los Angeles and Rancho Mirage this weekend to fundraise for the reelection campaign of her husband, President Biden. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/24

22-mile ‘walking prayer’ in East Bay draws hundreds calling for Gaza cease-fire -- The pilgrimage, part of more than 100 walks across the country, mirrors the distance that Palestinians in Gaza must travel to reach refuge in Rafah. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/24/24

San Diego lawmakers propose bill making ‘hate littering’ unlawful in wake of antisemitic flyers -- If AB 3024 passes, victims of hate littering could pursue a claim for up to $25,000 in penalties and other civil remedies. Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/24/24

Golden Gate Bridge toll is rising. Here’s how much more it will cost motorists -- Transit officials approved a five-year toll increase that will eventually bring charges for crossing the bridge to more than $11. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/24/24

California’s Expanded Health Coverage for Immigrants Collides With Medicaid Reviews -- Abundis is among hundreds of thousands of Latinos who have been kicked off Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program for low-income people, as states resume annual eligibility checks that were paused at the height of the covid-19 pandemic. Jasmine Aguilera California Healthline -- 3/24/24

Judge removes Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price from manslaughter case against former San Leandro police officer -- The decision to toss Price from the manslaughter case of former San Leandro police officer Jason Fletcher marks at least the second time this year that a judge has removed the district attorney’s office from a case over concerns about Price’s impartiality. Jakob Rodgers in the East Bay Times$ -- 3/24/24

Insurance

California home insurance exodus pushes state’s last-resort backup plan toward insolvency -- As home insurers flee California, the state’s last-resort insurance plan is warning that it’s being pushed toward insolvency, forced to cover a rapidly growing number of properties that have lost traditional coverage and unable to collect enough in premiums to cover potential losses. John Woolfolk in the East Bay Times$ -- 3/24/24

California insurance crisis: Here are some of the worst stories we’ve heard from homeowners — and how they’ve coped -- A growing number of California homeowners are grappling with a changing insurance market, as some companies limit coverage, leave the state altogether or sharply raise premiums amid concerns about wildfire risk and high rebuilding costs. Clare Fonstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/24/24

Berkeley Gas

Berkeley agrees to repeal its first-in-the-nation ban on new gas appliances -- Berkeley has agreed to repeal its first-in-the-nation ban on installing natural gas appliances in new buildings after a U.S. appeals court agreed with restaurant owners and business groups that the ordinance conflicts with federal energy regulation. The case could also invalidate similar laws in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/24/24

San Onnofre Reef

It took 30 years, but world’s largest artificial reef built near San Diego nuclear power plant is finally thriving -- Fish and kelp production meet targets initially ordered by Coastal Commission in 1991 to offset damage from San Onofre. Phil Diehl in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/24/24

Street

S.F. woman convicted of organized retail thefts totaling almost $44K -- Prosecutors alleged that Church was part of a group that entered stores including Walgreens, Sephora and Bath and Body Works, took merchandise and fled without paying in a series of incidents from April to September 2023. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/24/24

Education

Expanding arts education requires accountability and team effort, panel says -- The rollout of Proposition 28, which gives $1 billion for arts education every year, has caused confusion among districts throughout California as many look to expand opportunities available to students. Mallika Seshadri EdSource -- 3/24/24

Pioneer who helped save San Francisco Bay and California coast dies at 93 -- Joe Bodovitz was the first executive director of the California Coastal Commission. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/24/24