California Policy and Politics Saturday

Urgent CDC data and analyses on influenza and bird flu go missing as outbreaks escalate -- Sonya Stokes, an emergency room physician in the Bay Area, braces herself for a daily deluge of patients sick with coughs, soreness, fevers, vomiting, and other flu-like symptoms. Amy Maxmen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/15/25

Trump’s spending freeze halts key California wildfire work: ‘We can’t even buy the rakes’ -- A key federal agency overseeing 15 million acres of public lands in California has halted some critical fire prevention work because of the massive freeze in government funding directed by President Donald Trump. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/15/25

Stunned federal workers brace for the real-world repercussions of Trump’s purges -- Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, said that the Forest Service layoffs will have “devastating” impacts on wildfire mitigation efforts. “Fire safety projects are already frozen and being canceled all over the West,” he said. “We’re on track to lose an entire season of critical work, and this will only compound the problem. Who would even take a job with USFS right now?” Liz Crampton, Marcia Brown, Danny Nguyen, Ben Lefebvre, Catherine Morehouse and Eric Bazail-Eimil Politico -- 2/15/25

‘League of Justice’: California AG part of group gearing up for court battles with Trump -- High above Hollywood Boulevard, overlooking the iconic TCL Chinese Theater and the masked marvels prowling the Walk of Fame, an elite “League of Justice” assembled on Tuesday to prepare for battles that lay ahead. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/15/25

FEMA doubles down on its decision to not test soil as part of wildfire cleanup -- The decision comes amid a torrent of criticism and concerns from wildfire survivors and California elected officials. FEMA officials say that in the future, they won’t order soil testing after wildfires in the Southwest and Pacific Islands. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/15/25

LAFD could have had at least 10 engines patrolling Palisades hills, former chiefs say -- The toll might not have been as bad if extra engines had been pre-positioned much closer to the most fire-prone areas, former fire chiefs said. Paul Pringle and Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/15/25

Gas prices in California surge ahead of Presidents Day weekend, driven by refinery fire -- As of Friday, the average price for regular gasoline in California was $4.82 per gallon, a 26-cent increase from the previous week and 19 cents higher than at this time last year. Aidin Vaziri, Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/15/25

 

L.A.’s Asian immigrant communities prep for raids, brace for deportations -- Asians make up a large and diverse portion of undocumented immigrants in L.A. County. Community leaders say they are prepping for disruption and heartache as rumors of mass deportations swirl. Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/15/25

 

Who’s paying for California politicians’ travel? After CalMatters’ report, audit proposes a legal fix -- A law meant to let the public know who is paying for California legislators’ sponsored travel is falling short, according to a new audit by the state’s campaign finance watchdog agency. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/15/25

 

Trump ousts top federal prosecutor in San Francisco amid nationwide purge -- San Francisco’s top federal prosecutor Ismail Ramsey was among the latest to be ousted in the Trump administration’s cross-country purge of U.S. attorneys. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/15/25

Suspected DOGE impersonators storm S.F. City Hall, school district building -- Three men wearing MAGA hats, Department of Government Efficiency T-shirts and fake badges stormed several offices inside San Francisco City Hall and a nearby school district building on Friday demanding that workers hand over sensitive documents, sources said. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/15/25

America’s Trumpiest City Council Is Thriving—in Newsom’s California -- Move over MAGA. Now comes MHBGA. Trump acolytes now fill every seat on the council in “Surf City USA,” and they have coined their movement “Make Huntington Beach Great Again.” All seven wore red MHBGA caps after the three newest members were sworn in two months ago. Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/15/25

Google and Meta used to champion DEI efforts. Why Big Tech is pulling back -- Tech companies, facing legal risks and a new political climate, are scaling back, cutting or rethinking efforts focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. Queenie Wong and Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/15/25

 

California banned polystyrene. Has the plastic industry spooked the governor into silence? -- California’s ban on polystyrene was one of the biggest wins for environmentalists in the state’s recent history. It went into effect on Jan. 1 — but no one, including the governor’s office and CalRecycle, is talking about it. Experts believe that the plastics industry may be working behind the scenes to throw implementation of the law off course before it has a chance to get going. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/15/25

Avalanche closes Mammoth Mountain, seriously injures ski patroller -- The recent atmospheric river storm had dumped about 6 feet of snow on the mountain in 36 hours and the two patrollers were conducting “avalanche mitigation” work on expert terrain, according to an Instagram post from Mammoth officials. Jack Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/15/25

Pacific Coast Highway went from smoldering to flooded in just few weeks: California’s drought-to-deluge cycle on steroids -- Just five weeks ago, Pacific Coast Highway was smoldering from one of the most destructive firestorms in Los Angeles County history, with burned-out shells where scores of oceanside homes once stood. Ruben Vives, Hannah Fry and Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/15/25

POTUS 47

Judge temporarily halts mass firings at CFPB, preserves agency data -- A federal judge Friday temporarily stopped the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from continuing mass firings of employees, throwing up an initial roadblock to President Donald Trump’s fast-moving efforts to dismantle the agency. Michael Stratford Politico Dylan Tokar in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/15/25

Trump’s federal firings imperil government services from cities to farm towns -- The Trump administration’s move to fire thousands of federal employees could have a swift and severe impact on public services, staffers warned Friday, making it harder for veterans to get mental health care and hampering electric service to some rural residents as a beleaguered workforce struggles to cover for lost colleagues. Hannah Natanson, Emily Davies, Lisa Rein and Rachel Siegel in the Washington Post$ -- 2/15/25

Layoffs to hit IRS as DOGE targets tax collections -- The cuts are expected to at least partially reverse the Biden administration’s efforts to beef up the agency. Jeff Stein, Hannah Natanson and Jacob Bogage in the Washington Post$ -- 2/15/25

Layoffs Expand at Federal Agencies, Part of Trump Purge -- Agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Agriculture Department were the latest to be hit with layoffs as President Trump and a team led by the billionaire Elon Musk ramped up an initiative to cut government spending and overhaul government. Madeleine Ngo and Brad Plumer in the New York Times$ -- 2/15/25

How Trump Got His Unorthodox Cabinet in Place -- Mock hearings, last-minute deals and primary threats helped move controversial nominees through the Senate. Josh Dawsey and Lindsay Wise in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/15/25

Records show how DOGE planned Trump’s DEI purge — and who gets fired next -- A DOGE team plans to fire federal workers who are not in DEI roles and employees in offices that protect equal rights, internal documents show. Hannah Natanson and Chris Dehghanpoor in the Washington Post$ -- 2/15/25