California Policy and Politics Thursday

Kamala Harris condemns Trump’s ‘reckless’ policies and ‘unconstitutional demands’ -- Former vice president Kamala Harris marked President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office by condemning what she described as his authoritarian threats, “unconstitutional demands” and efforts to stoke a climate of fear to silence his dissenters. Maeve Reston in the Washington Post $ Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ Dustin Gardiner and Melanie Mason Politico -- 5/1/25

Amid tariff turmoil, these warehouses are in big demand in L.A. -- Some importers that are still receiving shipments are scrambling to rent space in bonded buildings where they hope to buy time for the tariff tensions to ease. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

House Republicans want to remove endangered species protection for a tiny fish in San Francisco Bay -- Congress is expected to vote Thursday on a Republican resolution to reverse endangered species protection for a tiny inhabitant of San Francisco Bay that opponents say could set a dangerous precedent. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/25

California Republicans secured funding for local projects. Where did it go? -- Instead, the funding did not come through after Congress effectively killed a list of special projects members wanted to support. That came after House Republicans — including those who fought for and boasted about their community projects — pushed through a budget bill in March in order to prevent a government shutdown. David Lightman and Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/1/25

Fresno area faces $45M in DOGE funding cuts. We compiled a list of what’s at risk -- Dozens of nonprofits, foundations and government agencies in the San Joaquin Valley risk losing millions of dollars of funding cuts or freezes under the Trump administration’s push to reduce “wasteful” government spending. Melissa Montalvo in the Fresno Bee$ -- 5/1/25

‘It’s a moving target’: San Diego tourism industry prepares for slowdown amid Trump policies -- Economic uncertainty prompts travelers to rethink their plans while hoteliers adjust to a potentially leaner year ahead. Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/1/25

Breathe

House Votes to Repeal California’s Clean Truck Policies -- Lawmakers voted to stop the state from requiring that an increasing share of new trucks sold there have zero emissions. Lisa Friedman in the New York Times$ David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ Alejandro Lazo CalMatters Maxine Joselow in the Washington Post$ -- 5/1/25

FEMA

After disasters, FEMA leases apartments for survivors. But not after the L.A. fires -- After disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency directly leases apartments for survivors. Despite the horrific housing market in L.A., officials say that isn’t needed here. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

Rooftop Solar

Bill to slash rooftop solar incentives weakened by Assembly committee -- An Assembly committee backed away on Wednesday night from a controversial provision in a proposed bill to end solar credits for 2 million owners of rooftop solar systems, saying it would apply only to those who sold their homes. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

Workplace

California cancels vacation payouts for state workers over budget concerns -- Earlier this year, state leaders said California had managed to recover from a massive budget shortfall. But after President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs that upended the global economy, the outlook for the state’s budget soured. William Melhado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/1/25

Housing

Unprecedented vote shows Dems fractured over housing policy -- Two consecutive committee chairs getting overruled by their committee members signifies a growing rift among California Democrats about how to address the housing crisis. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 5/1/25

Cancer

At-home tests dramatically reduced death rates for this kind of cancer, study finds -- An innovative colorectal cancer screening program at Kaiser Permanente Northern California has significantly reduced cancer rates and deaths, according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Northern California. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/25

Wildfire

Investigators finish fire test in Pacific Palisades as search for cause of January’s blaze continues -- Federal investigators on Wednesday concluded a controlled fire in Pacific Palisades that officials hope will help them determine what caused the January blaze that killed a dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

Transit

AI-powered cameras gave out nearly 10,000 tickets along L.A. bus routes. Are you next? -- The AI-powered cameras scan for illegally parked cars and compile a video of each violation, a photo of the license plate and the time and location, according to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Each citation is reviewed by a human. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

Guns

California’s US senators revive effort to ban assault weapons -- The late Sen. Dianne Feinstein championed the original bill and led later, unsuccessful efforts to get it renewed. Linh Tat in the Orange County Register$ -- 5/1/25

Education

Trump order seeks to end in-state tuition for undocumented college students -- An executive order by President Donald Trump, aimed at forcing local governments to turn people over to federal immigration officials when asked, also contains a single line that could have a seismic impact in California by promising to make it illegal for undocumented students to pay in-state college tuition. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/25

State discipline law keeps Black, Latino kids in class. Trump says it’s illegal -- President Trump signed an executive order that could be a prelude to a legal challenge of a California law that banned suspension of students for “willfully defiant” conduct. Daniel Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

Literacy bill compromise gains support of a former foe and passes first hurdle -- Assembly Bill 1454's initial test was easy: no opposition and a unanimous vote of support for foundational reading skills statewide in the early grades. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 5/1/25

Visa uncertainty hits California community colleges’ international students -- Campuses spent years building surprisingly strong overseas recruitment. Then came Trump’s visa crackdown. Amy DiPierro and Michael Burke EdSource -- 5/1/25

Street

They found their homeless loved ones after years apart. But that was just the beginning -- After reading a CalMatters article, two people were able to reconnect with their homeless relatives. Here’s what happened next. Marisa Kendall CalMatters -- 5/1/25

Bill banning deals that hide police misconduct, prompted by Chronicle investigation, clears hurdle -- The Peace Officers Research Association of California, the state's most powerful law enforcement lobbying organization, has come out against the bill. Katey Rusch in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/25

Overhaul the LAPD, in this economy? Questions surround chief’s plan amid budget crunch -- The possibility of losing more than 400 civilian workers has increased uncertainty around Police Chief Jim McDonnell’s vision for shaking up the LAPD. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

Overdoses, brawls and court battles: Will state take over chaotic L.A. juvenile halls? -- For years, conditions at L.A. County’s juvenile halls have been deteriorating in plain sight. But despite entering into a settlement with the county to mandate reform, the California attorney general’s office has done little to force change as kids remain in squalid and dangerous conditions. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

Also

Arellano: In this city, politics feels like Wrestlemania. Who should we cheer? -- In the eternal spinning wheel that’s political scandal in southeast L.A. County, the ticker is now on Huntington Park — and it looks like it’ll be stuck there for a while. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

Walters: Lawmakers might undermine California’s landmark public pension reform -- Thirteen years ago, a minor political miracle occurred in California’s Capitol. A Democrat-dominated Legislature passed and a Democratic governor, Jerry Brown, signed a significant overhaul of state and local public employee pension systems. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 5/1/25

Turns out the ‘most dangerous animal’ in Yosemite National Park doesn’t even have claws -- More than any other animal, mule deer cause more injuries to visitors in the park, according to a National Park Service Instagram post. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/25

The Donkey Roundup Rocking a Southern California Community -- Locals demand return of 256 burros that were taken out of state because they were causing property damage and car accidents; looking for Big Red. Jim Carlton, Philip Cheung in the Wall Street Journal -- 5/1/25

POTUS 47

Trump plans to oust national security adviser Mike Waltz -- Names for a replacement have been discussed around the West Wing for weeks, but the plans to remove Waltz potentially as soon as this week gained steam in recent days, according to two of the people and another person close to the White House. Dasha Burns, Jake Traylor and Felicia Schwartz Politico Josh Dawsey, Alexander Ward and Meridith McGraw in the Wall Street Journal John Hudson in the Washington Post$ Maggie Haberman, David E. Sanger and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times$ -- 5/1/25

U.S. Economy Shrank in First Quarter as Imports Surged Ahead of Tariffs -- The U.S. economy contracted in the first three months of 2025, as businesses rushed to stock up on imports ahead of the Trump administration’s tariffs and consumer spending slowed. Harriet Torry in the Wall Street Journal Rachel Lerman, Alyssa Fowers and Abha Bhattarai in the Washington Post$ -- 5/1/25

A Flashing Economic Warning and a Sharp Political Jolt -- The report that the economy contracted in the first quarter underscored how much President Trump has at risk as he pursues an aggressive trade war. David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 5/1/25

Trump Insists Abrego Garcia Has ‘MS-13’ Tattoo Despite Evidence of Altering -- The White House declined to explain why President Trump did not appear to realize that the photo he held up on social media of Kilmar Abrego Garcia had been altered. Shawn McCreesh and Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times$ -- 5/1/25

Trump pick to lead CBP accused of ‘cover-up’ over death of man at California border -- President Trump’s nominee to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection is facing scrutiny for his role in an investigation into the death of a migrant who was brutally beaten by Border Patrol agents in 2010. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/1/25

Trump’s big admission about the Kilmar Abrego García deportation case -- The administration has suggested it couldn’t get Abrego García returned even if it wanted to, because he’s in El Salvador. Trump just blew that up. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 5/1/25

Trump Wants a New Air Force One So Badly He’s Refurbishing a Qatari Plane -- The luxury plane is being outfitted in Texas for Trump’s use as his frustration mounts with Boeing. Andrew Tangel, Josh Dawsey and Sharon Terlep in the Wall Street Journal -- 5/1/25