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California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Judge blocks Trump’s spending freeze -- A federal judge has halted President Donald Trump’s freeze on federal aid programs, ruling that the courts need more time to consider the potentially far-reaching ramifications of his order. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein Politico -- 1/28/25

Trump social media claim of using troops to force water flow is refuted by California -- President Trump on Monday night heightened his battle with California over water policy by suggesting U.S. military troops had arrived in the state to turn on pumps and send more water flowing — something state officials quickly denied. Clara Harter and Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ Debra Kahn Politico -- 1/28/25

With diminished clout, Californians in Congress struggle to counter Trump’s agenda -- California has the largest delegation in Congress, the majority of whom are Democrats. But few hold the political sway the Golden State is accustomed to in the Republican-led chambers. Seema Mehta and Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

Can the Central Valley’s agriculture industry survive the Trump administration? -- California has an estimated 162,000 farmworkers and more than half of them are undocumented, federal data show. Given that, it’s no surprise that immigrant communities in the Central Valley and beyond are on heightened alert as President Trump looks to follow through on his vows of historic mass deportations. Ryan Fonseca in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

Trump’s plans could devastate California wine. Here’s how some in Napa are ‘preparing for a war’ -- Earlier this month, a DUI checkpoint in Napa Valley ignited panic throughout the wine region’s immigrant community. Rumors mistakenly identified the checkpoint as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation. Jess Lander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/28/25

Trump wants to break California’s sanctuary state law: 5 things to know -- One of President Trump’s first executive orders threatened to withhold federal funding from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions. California is one of them. Ana B. Ibarra CalMatters -- 1/28/25

With Trump OK’ing immigration enforcement at schools, California legislators move to protect students, families -- Two new bills introduced this year address what is called the “sensitive locations” designation, a policy that prevented federal immigration authorities from carrying out enforcement actions at certain places like schools and churches. Trump has already thrown out that guidance. Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Alexcia Negrete in the Orange County Register -- 1/28/25

OC sheriff says immigration law a federal, not local, law enforcement responsibility -- Sheriff Don Barnes made clear his department's immigration enforcement policy will not change, but expressed frustration at limits under state law. Sean Emery in the Orange County Register -- 1/28/25

Scores of protesters rally against proposed El Cajon resolution -- The national immigration debate became a local issue Monday in El Cajon when about 75 people gathered at the civic center to protest a proposed City Council resolution that would allow local police officers to assist federal agents in deporting undocumented migrants. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/28/25

Trump’s border plans unfurl in San Diego with immigration arrests, troops -- Federal agents launched targeted arrest operations while a wave of military troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border. Alexandra Mendoza, Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/28/25

DOJ halts legal programs for detained immigrants, cuts off advocates’ access to facilities -- Lawyers providing detainees with basic legal information in federal immigration detention centers were shut out of facilities last week after the U.S. Department of Justice halted several federally funded programs. One program provided lawyers to children in deportation proceedings and another dispensed basic legal information. Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

What are sanctuary cities, and why is Trump targeting them? -- As the Trump administration tries to aggressively increase its number of immigration arrests, “sanctuary cities” are a top target. Arelis R. Hernández in the Washington Post$ -- 1/28/25

AG Rob Bonta took campaign donation from casino operator under investigation by his own office -- Attorney General Rob Bonta had been in the state’s top law enforcement job for a month when he accepted more than $16,000 in campaign donations from a large Southern California casino called the Bicycle. Megan Cassidy, Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/28/25

Trump Cabinet nominee says she’ll work to kill California pork law -- The pork industry is hoping President Donald Trump’s administration will help it fight back against California’s Proposition 12, a voter-approved initiative that bans the sale of meat from pigs held in small cages. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/28/25

He wants to make California Republicans relevant again. So why does the GOP dislike him? -- Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a newcomer to the California Legislature, wants to retake power from Democrats with his unapologetically brash, Trump-inspired conservatism. So why do so many Republican insiders dislike him? Ryan Sabalow and Jeremia Kimelman CalMatters -- 1/28/25

Wildfire

Power lines over Eaton Canyon saw surge in current before fire, Edison says -- Four Southern California Edison lines over Eaton Canyon saw a momentary increase of electrical current about the same time the destructive Eaton fire is believed to have ignited on Jan. 7, the utility company told state regulators in a filing Monday. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

Edison denied causing destructive 2017 fire. Feds now believe utility suppressed evidence -- Southern California Edison claims there were no electrical anomalies on its transmission lines in Eaton Canyon leading up to the Eaton fire. Plaintiffs in a lawsuit going to trial this year over the 2017 Creek fire claim Edison withheld relevant data that proved they caused a fire. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

EPA plans to truck Eaton fire debris to a San Gabriel Valley park. Four cities lodge protest -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to open a site to process Eaton fire debris near L.A. County’s foothill communities has prompted swift backlash from local leaders alarmed by the prospect of toxic waste in their backyard. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

Newsom taps Magic Johnson, Casey Wasserman, Mark Walter to lead philanthropic L.A. fire recovery initiative -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is tapping Magic Johnson, Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter and 2028 Olympics organizer Casey Wasserman to lead a new private-sector initiative to support wildfire recovery in Los Angeles. Taryn Luna and Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

‘It’s a PR stunt’: Some fire victims claim Airbnb’s free housing vouchers are useless -- More than 100,000 people applied for Airbnb.org’s free housing program, which offers credit to use on Airbnb rentals. But some fire victims who received the vouchers claim they’re useless. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

‘The process of healing can begin’: Pacific Palisades fully reopens to residents -- All remaining evacuation orders were lifted at noon Monday, with most zones converted to residents-only access. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

In walking tour, L.A. mayor and recovery czar pledge a revived Pacific Palisades -- The city of Los Angeles is planning to hire an outside consultant to handle a significant rebuilding contract for areas devastated by this month’s Palisades fire, Mayor Karen Bass said Monday. Liam Dillon and Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25\

Starting, spreading wildfires would be federal crime under California congressmen’s bill -- A new House bill would make it a federal crime to “cause a wildfire, further the spread of a wildfire, or attempt to do either,” according to a statement from sponsors Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara and George Whitesides, D-Palmdale. It would also become a federal crime to commit theft in an area where a major disaster declaration has been made for a wildfire. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/28/25

Johnson’s misleading claim that conditions were placed on Katrina, Sandy aid -- Our research finds that conditions were placed on $12 million in Katrina aid, out of nearly $122 billion. Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post$ -- 1/28/25

Walters: Why California’s fire response could make or break the careers of several politicians -- “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste,” Stanford economist Paul Romer said at a venture capital seminar 21 years ago, referring to the increasing levels of education in other countries that would make them more competitive with the United States. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 1/28/25

Water

Trump reenters California’s water wars. It’s unclear who will win -- Trump’s order is premised on the idea that increasing Delta pumping would make more water available for the rest of California. But experts say its more complicated than that. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/28/25

California farms fail as land values plunge amid groundwater crisis -- There was a time when the water under Nick Sahota’s Terra Bella farm was free and abundant, supporting tidy rows of pistachio trees and table grapes to supply Bay Area groceries like Costco, Food 4 Less and SaveMart. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/28/25

Environment

Moss Landing battery fire: Unusually high concentrations of toxic metals found in wetlands near plant -- Less than two weeks after a huge fire in Moss Landing at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants, scientists affiliated with San Jose State University have discovered unusually high levels of toxic metals in soils at Elkhorn Slough, roughly a mile away. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/28/25

Climate

Every SFSU student will soon take climate justice course under new graduation requirement -- The Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action (ESCA) graduation requirement makes SFSU the first major public university to require a course explicitly incorporating climate justice, according to the university. Maliya Ellis in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/28/25

California Forever

Plan for California startup city may have found backdoor off the ballot -- The billionaire-backed effort to build a massive new city unsaddled from California’s urban problems may have just found a backdoor that saves the group from having to put its deeply unpopular project before Solano County voters. Will McCarthy Politico -- 1/28/25

Homeless

San Jose residents liken city’s abatement of RV encampments to ‘whack-a-mole’ -- In abating one of the city’s most troublesome RV encampments, some vehicles have moved onto side streets and into other neighborhoods. Devan Patel in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/28/25

DEI

Stanford likely to modify or end some DEI programs in wake of new Trump rules -- Stanford University will review its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and likely modify or end some of them, following new Trump administration rules that outlaw such offerings at institutions that receive federal funding. The rules also “encourage” the private sector to end DEI or risk being sued. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/28/25

H5N9

‘This is bad news’: Rare bird flu strain detected at California farm -- The World Organization for Animal Health reported the outbreak on Monday, also noting that the more common H5N1 strain was present at the same farm. In response, nearly 119,000 birds were culled to prevent the virus from spreading. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/28/25

Street

Daniel Lurie vowed to stop the chaos on S.F.’s Sixth Street. Here’s how police are cracking down -- San Francisco Police Sgt. Kevin Cuadro didn’t get far into his daily patrol of Sixth Street on Monday morning before he was confronted with the chaos that has come to define the beleaguered South of Market strip. Maggie Angst, J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/28/25

POTUS 47

White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion -- The White House budget office is ordering a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government, according to an internal memo sent to agencies Monday, creating significant confusion across Washington. Jeff Stein, Jacob Bogage and Emily Davies in the Washington Post$ Chris Cameron in the New York Times$ Patience Haggin in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/28/25

Order to pause federal spending creates deep uncertainty for schools, nonprofits and companies -- President Trump’s order freezing trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans is his most audacious attempt yet to remake the government in his image by seeking to eliminate all spending on programs that violate his partisan ideology. Michael D. Shear in the New York Times$ -- 1/28/25

Senior USAID staff put on leave amid Trump’s order halting foreign aid -- The Trump administration has cleared out much of the leadership of the U.S. Agency for International Development, placing dozens of career officials on administrative leave Monday after accusing the agency of trying to “circumvent” President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing all foreign aid, U.S. officials familiar with the matter said. John Hudson and Jeff Stein in the Washington Post$ Alexander Ward, Gabriele Steinhauser and Michael R. Gordon in the Wall Street Journal$ Michael Crowley and Edward Wong in the New York Times$ -- 1/28/25

Trump threatens country after country with U.S. economic weapons -- In only a week, the president has floated financial reprisals for Mexico, Canada, Russia, Denmark and Colombia. The hostilities could backfire. Jeff Stein and Cat Zakrzewski in the Washington Post$ -- 1/28/25

Trump’s perceived enemies brace for retribution with plans, dark humor -- Those who have clashed with the president are packing go bags, contacting attorneys and lining up safe places to stay. Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Sarah Ellison, Patrick Marley and Holly Bailey in the Washington Post$ -- 1/28/25

House GOP holds retreat at a Trump property, a windfall to president’s resort -- Holding the retreat at a Trump property threatens to ignite the same kind of criticism that dogged Trump’s first term: that he has sought to personally profit off his public position. Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Paul Kane and Cat Zakrzewski in the Washington Post$ -- 1/28/25

DeepSeek Silicon Valley

Why DeepSeek Could Change What Silicon Valley Believes About A.I. -- A new A.I. model, released by a scrappy Chinese upstart, has rocked Silicon Valley and upended several fundamental assumptions about A.I. progress. Kevin Roose in the New York Times$ -- 1/28/25