California Policy and Politics Thursday

New details emerge in deaths of Gene Hackman, wife, dog -- Deputies with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office discovered Hackman, 95, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 64, and the dog shortly before 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Hackman’s and Arakawa’s bodies were found in separate rooms of the house on Old Sunset Trail in Santa Fe, the Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release. Arakawa’s body was found near a space heater in the bathroom with prescription pills scattered on a countertop nearby, the Associated Press reported. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

 

Trump, congressional Republicans seek to block California’s 2035 ban on gas-powered vehicles -- Trump administration officials confirmed that discussions are underway about invoking the Congressional Review Act to end the decades-old waiver giving California vast sway over mileage standards. Faith E. Pinho, James Rainey, Julia Wick and Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

Here’s how dangerous House Republicans’ budget could be for California -- As Republicans in Congress hash out the rough outlines of a budget that includes significant but still undefined cuts, state and local officials in California are scrambling to assess the potential impact on a vast array of critical programs. Shira Stein, Sophia Bollag, Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/27/25

Bay Area congressman left hospital to vote against GOP budget — with his IV still attached -- San Mateo Democrat Kevin Mullin spent Tuesday morning in a Bay Area hospital, but by evening he was in Washington to vote against a Republican budget resolution that is the centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s agenda. Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/27/25

S.F. lawyer and Trump nominee signals she’s on board with plans to curtail voter access -- San Francisco attorney Harmeet Dhillon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s civil rights division, signaled Wednesday she plans to carry out the president’s mission to curtail access to voting in the name of protecting against fraud. Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/27/25

23 Dem AGs think they’ve cracked the code to fighting Trump -- Democratic state attorneys general have been planning their lawsuits for a year. Rachel Bluth and Melanie Mason Politico -- 2/27/25

 

ACLU sues Border Patrol over California immigration raid that set off panic among farmworkers -- U.S. green card holder Yolanda Aguilera Martinez, 56, said she was driving to a doctor’s appointment on Jan. 8 in Bakersfield when she was pulled over by a U.S. Border Patrol agent. When she presented her valid driver’s license, the agent allegedly said, “This sh–t is f---in’ fake,” shoved her to the ground, handcuffed her and held her in the back of his truck. Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Rebecca Plevin in the Los Angeles Times$ Wendy Fry and Sergio Olmos CalMatters -- 2/27/25

 

California Democrats vowed to tackle affordability—but the agenda isn’t yet clear -- California Democrats pledged to tackle affordability in 2025, but their plans to address Trump cuts, housing costs, energy, insurance, grocery bills and inflation remain unclear. Ryan Sabalow and Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 2/27/25

Newsom launches another podcast, teases conversations with MAGA leaders -- The governor said his podcast will include conversations with leaders of the MAGA movement. The new show marks the latest in a series of publicity moves, including another podcast and an upcoming book, from a governor who many expect to enter the 2028 presidential contest. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Christopher Cadelago Politico -- 2/27/25

LA billionaire Rick Caruso’s private fire crews the target of California bill -- Los Angeles Democrats are teaming up with a statewide firefighters’ union on a bill aimed at private firefighting crews, such as the ones billionaire developer Rick Caruso hired to protect his properties as devastating wildfires burned swaths of the region. Lindsey Holden Politico -- 2/27/25

Assembly Republicans unveil cost-of-living bills to tackle gas prices, taxes on tips -- Republican lawmakers on Wednesday said providing Californians much-needed relief from the state’s high cost of living will be a top priority this year, though their proposals face a difficult road in the Democratic-led state Legislature. Anabel Sosa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

Huntington Park City Hall and mayor’s home raided in corruption investigation -- Huntington Park City Hall, as well as the homes of current and former City Council members, were searched Wednesday as part of a corruption investigation dubbed “Operation Dirty Pond,” the L.A. County district attorney’s office announced. Electronics, paperwork and records were seized, the D.A. said. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

Workplace

Thousands of UC healthcare and research employees go on strike -- Thousands of University of California healthcare, research and technical employees walked off the job Wednesday, urging the university to address staffing shortages and end what they describe as restrictions on employees’ ability to raise concerns about workplace conditions. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

Stanford freezes staff hiring, citing possible federal cuts and increased taxes -- Stanford University announced a staff hiring freeze Wednesday to ward against “potential financial uncertainties” from the Trump administration’s efforts to cut research funding and to tax endowments. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/27/25

UC San Diego expands faculty hiring freeze to staff workers -- The faculty hiring freeze UC San Diego imposed last week to deal with a campus financial crisis and federal funding uncertainty has been expanded to include staff employees, except those working at the university’s health care facilities. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/27/25

Map: These parts of California could be most impacted by federal job cuts -- While the full extent of the cuts is not yet clear, their impact will likely extend far beyond Washington, D.C. — more than 80% of the federal government’s 2.4-million-person civilian workforce is based outside of the D.C. area, according to federal data. Danielle Echeverria, Sriharsha Devulapalli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/27/25

They voted for Trump, but now they’re losing their U.S. government jobs -- Some workers are appealing to get their jobs back, while others say they are not sure what to do. Trump and Musk and their supporters have argued that deeply entrenched government workers in many cases do more harm than good. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

California legislators propose bills to expand film and TV tax credit program -- California legislators are proposing two bills that would make changes to the state’s film and TV tax credit program in an attempt to lure production back to the Golden State. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

Insurance

California insurance regulators urge State Farm to expand coverage in exchange for rate hikes -- After meeting with State Farm executives in Oakland on Wednesday, California’s top insurance regulator said he expects to decide within two weeks whether to approve the insurer’s emergency request for a steep rate hike while also promising to press company officials for guarantees of expanded coverage should it be allowed to charge higher premiums. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ Levi Sumagaysay CalMatters -- 2/27/25

Starting Over

She was one of the first Black homeowners in the Palisades. At 96, she is starting over -- In the mid-1960s, Louvenia Jenkins posed a question to her mailman: Do any Black people live in Pacific Palisades? The mail carrier, a light-skinned Black man, told her there were about half a dozen or so, but they were “all passing.” As in, their skin was light enough that they could pass as white. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

Wildfire

Why bills to help prevent California fires fail -- Each year, legislation aimed at better wildfire mitigation fails – often due to cost or conflict with environmental regulations. Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 2/27/25

Water

Trump administration releases $315 million in blocked funding for two new California reservoir projects -- After Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20, he blocked the funding as part of a sweeping, government-wide prohibition on spending billions of dollars of federal grants. Critics have called Trump’s move illegal and have sued to overturn it. The move to release the reservoir funding was described Wednesday as a positive one by California water planners. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/27/25

Homeless

‘Look, there’s nowhere else to go:’ Inside California’s crackdown on homeless camps -- It’s been eight months since the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed how cities in California and beyond can respond to homeless encampments, allowing them to clear camps and arrest people for sleeping outside — even when there’s nowhere else to sleep. Marisa Kendall and Katie Anastas CalMatters -- 2/27/25

Study finds strong link between illegal drug use and homelessness — and unmet need for treatment -- Methamphetamine is the drug of choice of homeless people, according to a new study that has found illicit drug use deeply intertwined with homelessness, with treatment lacking. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

Housing

California’s fund to build student housing runs dry — leaving community colleges in the lurch -- Feather River College is still reeling from the 2021 Dixie Fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes in the surrounding community and warped the housing market. The college is one of many schools that have tried — and failed — to secure state grants to build more student housing. Adam Echelman CalMatters -- 2/27/25

Walters: Newsom wants to blame others for California’s housing and homelessness failures -- With just 22 months remaining in his governorship, Gavin Newsom knows that two interrelated promises he made to voters seven years ago — to erase or at least lessen the state’s chronic housing shortage and its very high rate of homelessness — will not happen before he departs. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 2/27/25

Street

Newsom orders parole board to assess public safety risk of freeing the Menendez brothers -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has directed the state parole board to launch a risk assessment investigation into whether Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life sentences for the 1989 murders of their parents, would pose an unreasonable risk to public safety if they were released. Richard Winton, Hannah Fry and Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25

POTUS 47

U.S. Economy Shows Signs of Strain From Trump’s Tariffs and Spending Cuts -- Consumer and business sentiment is wobbling as fiscal support fades and fears rise that tariffs will lead to higher prices. Alan Rappeport in the New York Times$ -- 2/27/25

Supreme Court grants Trump request to pause USAID payments order -- The administration faced a midnight deadline for disbursing nearly $2 billion in foreign aid. The order giving officials more time is only temporary. Ann E. Marimow and Annie Gowen in the Washington Post$ Zach Montague, Michael Crowley and Adam Liptak in the New York Times$ -- 2/27/25

Musk claims DOGE ‘restored’ Ebola prevention effort. Officials disagree -- USAID’s initiatives to fight Ebola and other diseases have been gutted, current and former agency officials said. Dan Diamond and John Hudson in the Washington Post$ -- 2/26/25

Justice Dept. Nominees Suggest Some Court Orders Can Be Ignored -- Lawyers for President Trump in line to take top jobs at the Justice Department sparred with Democrats on Wednesday over whether the administration could simply ignore some court orders — an early skirmish in a larger fight over the White House’s efforts to claim more sweeping presidential powers. Devlin Barrett in the New York Times$ -- 2/27/25

DOGE barrels toward a fresh round of firings, the most widespread yet -- Records show a Labor Department component that enforces equal employment opportunity laws is developing a plan to reduce its workforce by 90 percent. Emily Davies, Jeff Stein and Hannah Natanson in the Washington Post$ -- 2/27/25

Elon Musk’s Silicon Valley fail-fast ethos is clashing with Washington -- President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are taking a distinctly tech-sector mindset to reshaping the federal government: Cut first, then see what breaks. Sophia Cai Politico -- 2/27/25

Trump officials race to rehire bird flu employees as egg prices skyrocket -- USDA supervisors are being asked to justify rehires and some employees still haven’t gotten their laptops back. Marcia Brown Politico -- 2/27/25

‘You are not alone’: U.S. Forest Service chief’s blunt goodbye message to workers -- The head of the U.S. Forest Service announced his retirement in a blunt, emotional email to staff Wednesday, after thousands of employees were let go from a department that oversees nearly 200 million acres of American woods and grasslands. Ruby Mellen in the Washington Post$ -- 2/27/25

In Trump’s Washington, a Moscow-Like Chill Takes Hold -- A new administration’s efforts to pressure the news media, punish political opponents and tame the nation’s tycoons evoke the early days of President Vladimir V. Putin’s reign in Russia. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 2/27/25

What Is the White House Press Pool, and Why Is Trump Seizing Control of It? -- The White House announced on Tuesday that it was seizing control of the press pool covering President Trump, becoming the first administration in decades to insist that it will decide which news organizations, and which reporters, are allowed to be close enough to question the president in places like the Oval Office and Air Force One. Michael D. Shear in the New York Times$ -- 2/27/25

Is what DOGE is doing legal? -- An overview of the key legal questions about the actions of the group overseen by Elon Musk. Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 2/27/25

Also

When This Professor Got Cancer, He Didn’t Quit. He Taught a Class About It -- Dr. Bryant Lin, who teaches medicine at Stanford University, was given a terminal diagnosis. He wanted his students to understand the humanity at the core of medicine. Kate Selig, Rachel Bujalski in the New York Times$ -- 2/27/25

Vets remove 44 objects from puppy’s stomach; 24 of them were socks -- Luna wasn’t well. The family of the 7-month-old Bernese mountain dog rushed her to a Corona veterinary center after she began vomiting. The pup’s abdomen was firm and distended. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/27/25