California Policy and Politics Friday

Updating. . .

Trump plans to raise money in California in the aftermath of felony convictions -- In the wake of former President Trump’s conviction of 34 felonies, he is heading to California next week to raise campaign cash at high-dollar events in San Francisco, Beverly Hills and Newport Beach. They are expected to raise millions. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

Big expansion of UC strike over pro-Palestinian protests: Irvine, San Diego, Santa Barbara next -- UAW 4811, which represents 48,000 academic workers in the UC system, said its members would go on strike at UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara the first week of June. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

Police clear pro-Palestinian encampment and roadblock at UC Santa Cruz -- Police clad in riot gear broke up a pro-Palestinian encampment at UC Santa Cruz Friday, arresting many protesters in the early hours of the morning, the university said, in the latest spate of arrests connected to the on-campus protest movement. Eli Rosenberg, Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/24

Monaco billionaire agrees to provide public access to scenic Big Sur oceanfront property -- Coastal Commission strikes deal for trails, restrooms, open gates at Rocky Point. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/31/24

‘A political earthquake’: Will Trump guilty verdicts make an impact in close California races? -- The repercussions of a New York jury finding Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money trial Thursday might not sway his die-hard supporters but could make an impact in close battleground House races in California — and could decide who controls Congress. Joe Garofoli, Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jeremy B. White and Melanie Mason Politico -- 5/31/24

How Trump’s guilty verdict could reverberate in California -- The key question is whether voters will satisfy their anti-Trump itch by voting against him in the presidential race while keeping an open mind about Republicans in other races. Melanie Mason and Lara Korte Politico -- 5/31/24

Most California Republicans in competitive congressional races are silent on Trump’s conviction -- After the verdict, California’s Republican leaders quickly cast doubt on the verdict’s legitimacy and argued it would boost Trump’s chances of reelection in November. Laura J. Nelson, Seema Mehta and Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

‘Outrageous!’ ‘Tears of Joy.’ Hollywood reacts to Trump’s guilty verdict with rage, rapture -- Former Olympian and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner called it “outrageous.” Former “Saturday Night Live” star Rob Schneider urged Americans to refrain from violence. And “Star Wars” legend Mark Hamill just posted the word “Guilty” — 34 times. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

Reactions to Trump’s guilty verdict underscore how politically purple Orange County has become -- The verdict may not deter Trump's hardcore base from supporting him, one expert says, but it could turn off independent voters in down ballot races. Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Michael Slaten, Hanna Kang and Clara Harter in the Orange County Register -- 5/31/24

Trump can still run for president — but convictions could restrict him in other ways -- Probably the foremost is travel. A number of countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Japan, India and Israel, prohibit entry by convicted felons. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/24

McManus: Trump is officially a convicted felon, but that may not stand in his way -- Despite the former president’s felony conviction in his hush money trial, many voters will react to the jury decision with a shrug. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

Trump Announces $34.8 Million Fund-Raising Haul After Guilty Verdict -- Former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign announced that he had raised $34.8 million in the wake of his felony conviction, shattering online records for Republicans and an early sign of the extent to which the base was rallying behind him. Shane Goldmacher in the New York Times$ -- 5/31/24

California voters will be asked for billions to fund climate, school facilities, lawmaker says -- California lawmakers are poised to ask voters for billions of dollars in bond money to fund two priorities: school facilities and climate change initiatives, a legislator said. Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/31/24

Commercial Property Meltdown Clobbers Pension Funds -- In April, California’s government worker pension fund said it had unloaded a Sacramento property it had been trying to develop for almost two decades. In March, consultants warned California’s teacher pension that office holdings would continue to drag down returns, even after a 9% real estate loss in 2023. Heather Gillers in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/31/24

Walters: Inflation hits California families hardest. It’s shaping their views on the economy -- Stubbornly high inflation is souring how Californians view an economy marked by historically low unemployment. It could affect this year's elections as lower-income families keep absorbing higher prices. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 5/31/24

Workplace

Salesforce stock plunges by 20%, erasing over $50 billion in value -- Salesforce, San Francisco’s largest private employer, suffered a 20% drop in its stock on Thursday following a disappointing earnings report. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dan Gallagher in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/31/24

DePage

DePape state trial: Details revealed on planned ‘rampage’ after Pelosi attack -- The second day of David DePape’s state trial focused heavily on testimony from San Francisco police Sgt. Carla Hurley, whose hospital interview with the man accused of bludgeoning Paul Pelosi revealed key details about the “rampage” the defendant was planning before he was arrested. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/24

Solar

California sides with big utilities, trimming incentives for community solar projects -- These community projects can give renters and low-income homeowners a chance to go solar, but the PUC’s action is unlikely to give them the option.These community projects can give renters and low-income homeowners a chance to go solar, but the PUC’s action is unlikely to give them the option. Julie Cart CalMatters -- 5/31/24

Roth: Gavin Newsom is a climate champion. Why did he just crush community solar? -- After months of outcry, the California Public Utilities Commission voted Thursday to approve a solar energy program that critics are sure will fail spectacularly, making it impossible for many people to access an innovative global warming solution. Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

Insurance

Angry homeowners in affluent California city demand faster action on insurance crisis -- When a resident of Orinda suggested that home insurance prices should triple, attendees at a town hall Wednesday night had a surprising response. They cheered. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/24

Marine Cloud Brightening

Environmental groups rally against controversial Bay Area geoengineering research -- On Thursday, two environmental advocacy groups called on the city of Alameda to reject a controversial geoengineering experiment aboard the USS Hornet, a decommissioned aircraft carrier. Anthony Edwards in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/24

Joshua Trees

Solar project to destroy thousands of Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert -- A renewable energy company will soon begin clearing thousands of protected Joshua trees just outside this desert town, including many thought to be a century old, to make way for a sprawling solar project that will generate power for 180,000 homes in wealthier coastal neighborhoods. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

Homeless

Judge tosses lawsuit challenging Mayor Karen Bass’ emergency declaration on homelessness -- A representative of Fix the City, the nonprofit group that filed the lawsuit, said the organization will file an appeal of the judge’s ruling. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

Campus

Police enter UC Santa Cruz campus, order protesters at encampment to disperse -- Video taken after midnight showed a line of police with raised batons standing at the UC Santa Cruz encampment just a few feet from protesters who linked arms. Many protesters wore helmets and goggles and covered their faces with keffiyehs and masks. Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

UC asks California labor board to force a halt to widening student-worker strike -- University of California officials are asking the state — for the second time — to force an end to a massive strike by thousands of student workers they say is crippling some campuses and threatening to disrupt summer session at UC Berkeley. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/24

Education

California spent nearly $1 billion to boost arts education. Are schools misspending it? -- Voters passed Proposition 28 to expand arts education in California schools. Some are planning to pay for existing positions, which backers of the initiative say violates its intent. Carolyn Jones CalMatters -- 5/31/24

Raising kids in California? They may have college savings accounts you don’t know about -- The state is directly investing money for low-income students and all newborns to attend college. After two years, the program is still not widely known by the students who need the most financial assistance. Jacqueline Munis CalMatters -- 5/31/24

AI

Google scales back AI search answers after it told users to eat glue -- The tech giant put AI-generated answers at the top of search results for most people in the United States two weeks ago. Gerrit De Vynck in the Washington Post$ -- 5/31/24

Wildfire

California inmates fight wildfires — but if prisons can’t supply enough crews, what’s next? -- And as the 2024 fire season kicks into high gear, Cal Fire is short 110 of its 236 budgeted hand crews. Only 126 crews were fully staffed as of Thursday, the agency formally known as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. Maya Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/31/24

Can satellites combat wildfires? Inside the booming ‘space race’ to fight the flames -- As the threat of wildfire worsens in California and across the world, a growing number of federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and tech companies are racing to deploy new technology that will help combat flames from a whole new vantage point: outer space. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24

Also

Third U.S. dairy worker comes down with avian flu; officials monitoring farm -- Officials announced Thursday that a third U.S. dairy worker has been infected by avian flu, or H5N1. This is the second case in Michigan. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/24