Rough & Tumble ®
A Snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics
 
       
 
 
 

California Policy and Politics Sunday

L.A. federal prosecutors resign over plea deal for convicted sheriff’s deputy, sources say -- Several federal prosecutors — including the chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section — have submitted their resignations following a plea deal offered by the new U.S. attorney in Los Angeles to a sheriff’s deputy who had already been found guilty of using excessive force. Brittny Mejia, James Queally and Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/4/25

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries rips Trump budget cuts at desert town hall -- Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Saturday vowed that his party is unified in their opposition to cuts to Medicaid, Social Security, veterans’ services and other safety net programs for vulnerable Americans. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/4/25

How San Diego County farms are getting squeezed by funding freezes and tariffs -- Local farms sell their fresh produce to local food banks through a federally funded program. But federal cuts to food aid mean the farms will need to find new customers, and food banks will have to find other sources of funding. Roxana Popescu in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/4/25

No Country for Old Politicians? Some California Democrats Want an Age Cap -- As Democrats grapple with how to recover from their losses in November, an uncomfortable question has emerged in California, the state that has long set trends for the party. Are their leaders simply too old? Heather Knight and Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ -- 5/4/25

1,000 protesters march in San Diego to deride Trump’s view on climate change -- Chanting “This is what democracy looks like,” roughly 1,000 protesters marched through downtown San Diego on Saturday to deride President Donald Trump’s environmental policies, including his recent efforts to prevent California from phasing out gasoline-powered cars by 2035. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 5/4/25

S.F.’s population drops again as city struggles to retain residents -- San Francisco’s population dipped again last year, a persistent post-pandemic trend that sets the city apart from California overall, whose population grew in 2024. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/4/25

HSR

A Scenic Tour of Red Tape: Tracking the Slowest High-Speed Train in the Country -- Can America still build big things? A long ride through California’s Central Valley tells a gloomy story. John Branch in the New York Times$ -- 5/4/25

Toxic soil

When FEMA failed to test soil for toxic substances after the L.A. fires, The Times had it done. The results were alarming -- The federal government decided not to test the soil of L.A.’s burn areas for hazardous substances. A Times investigation found high levels of lead and other heavy metals. Tony Briscoe, Noah Haggerty and Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/4/25

How we tested the soil in Altadena and Pacific Palisades -- Over three days in late March, four Los Angeles Times environment reporters and an editor fanned out across the Eaton and Palisades burn scars to collect 40 soil samples from residential properties: 10 in each burn area from properties where debris removal was completed by the Army Corps of Engineers and 10 in each burn area from the yards of standing homes. Tony Briscoe, Noah Haggerty and Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/4/25

Workplace

California job market flops as it lands near bottom among US states -- While California officials boast about the state’s ranking as the world’s fourth-largest economy, the statewide job market continues to be one of the nation’s weakest. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/4/25

Apple has made splashy bets in Hollywood. Are they paying off? -- Apple TV+ has been on a run of critical success with shows such as “Severance,” “The Studio” and “Your Friends & Neighbors.” Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a call with investors on Thursday that Apple TV+ “has become a must-see destination” and posted record viewership in the quarter. But analysts say its subscriber counts are lower than many rivals. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/4/25

UPS and U.S. Postal Service announce significant job cuts. What you need to know -- Jobs for thousands of letter and package delivery workers at the U.S. Postal Service and UPS could be cut this year, with both looking to slash costs and streamline operations as the effects of President Trump’s tariffs and digital innovation ripple through the economy. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/4/25

Valley Fever

Dog data may help track ballooning cases of Valley fever -- New research shows that knowing when dogs get sick with Valley fever could help us help humans. Luis Melecio-Zambrano in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/4/25

Also

It Was Just a Rumor on Facebook. Then a Militia Showed Up -- Residents of Oakdale, Calif., have abandoned traditional media outlets for a mishmash of online sources. These days, they’re often not sure what information to trust. Eli Tan, Ulysses Ortega in the New York Times$ -- 5/4/25

POTUS 47

Trump Says ‘I Don’t’ Know’ When Asked if He Must Uphold the Constitution -- The president also questioned whether noncitizens are entitled to due process as his deportation efforts stoke conflict with federal courts Jess Bravin in the Wall Street Journal Jonathan Swan in the New York Times$ -- 5/4/25

Mexican president rejects Trump’s proposal to send U.S. troops to fight drug cartels -- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she told Trump that “our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable.” Trump has charged that Mexico is “essentially run by the cartels” and that the United States should “wage war” against them. Kate Linthicum in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/4/25

Trump’s 48-hour scramble to fly migrants to a Salvadoran prison -- The administration rounded up some of the Venezuelans two days before the flights took off, pressing forward even as Venezuela agreed to accept deportees. Sarah Blaskey, Samantha Schmidt, Silvia Foster-Frau, Ana Vanessa Herrero, Arelis R. Hernández, María Luisa Paúl and Karen DeYoung in the Washington Post$ -- 5/4/25

Trump Posts an Image of Himself as Pope -- President Trump on Tuesday had a ready answer when reporters asked who he would like to see become the next supreme pontiff. “I’d like to be pope,” he joked to reporters at the White House. “That would be my number one choice.” Isabella Kwai in the New York Times$ -- 5/4/25

Trump proposes eliminating the NEA and NEH as arts grants are canceled -- President Donald Trump’s budget proposal would eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, reviving his failed first-term attempts to scrap the grantmaking agencies as he moves to reshape the nation’s artistic and cultural landscape. Samantha Chery in the Washington Post$ -- 5/4/25

Scientist who was part of covid treatment controversy returns to HHS -- Steven Hatfill promoted hydroxychloroquine during the pandemic. Decades earlier he was wrongly connected with the anthrax attacks that killed five people. Lena H. Sun, Lisa Rein and Carolyn Y. Johnson in the Washington Post$ -- 5/4/25

 

California Policy and Politics Saturday

‘The truckers are scrambling’: Trump’s tariffs hit drivers, L.A. port workers hard -- As Trump’s aggressive tariffs rattle business owners and shake the foundation of American importing, the men and women who work on the ground at the country’s busiest port are feeling the effects too. Caroline Petrow-Cohen and James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/25

‘Absolute moral failure’: Newsom slams California city after $1 dispute forces shelter to fundraise -- A homeless shelter in the Central Valley is scrambling to raise funds online after the Turlock City Council voted against a $1 contribution and letter of support that could have unlocked $267,100 in state funding, prompting sharp rebukes from state leaders and drawing national attention to the small city’s political divisions over homelessness. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/25

California Democrats backed into a corner over teen sex solicitation -- California Republicans are increasingly pushing Democrats on child sex crimes bills. The supermajority is growing more divided about it. Jeanne Kuang CalMatters -- 5/3/25

Speed up California’s ballot count? It’ll come at a cost, Secretary of State warns -- The state requires every voter to be sent a mail-in ballot, which has become the primary way for people to cast their vote. But mail-in ballots take longer to process than voting machines and require labor-intensive signature checks. Many counties have small elections staff and take weeks to work through those ballots. Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/25

The fate of California’s emissions standards is now in the Senate’s hands -- Congress might plow ahead with its push to repeal California’s nation-leading vehicle emissions standards, even as the legality of the effort remains unclear. Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/25

HSR

California high-speed rail project plans to downsize massive Fresno station -- The California High-Speed Rail Authority plans to downsize its massive Central Valley stations, including the downtown Fresno station, in an attempt to narrow the project’s focus on only building infrastructure essential for Central Valley service. Erik Galicia in the Fresno Bee$ -- 5/3/25

Beale

California base home to new unit that ‘represents the future of the Air Force’ -- Beale Air Force Base will be home to a new mission that could return the Northern California installation to the forefront of defense technology. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/25

DOGE

DOGE cuts threaten Sacramento student mentorship program -- When Brian Mason first joined Improve Your Tomorrow in 2016, the Natomas High School sophomore was struggling academically. The program matched him with a mentor who helped him improve his grades by almost two GPA points and a path to attend college. Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/25

Privacy

Sam’s Club is adding AI to the shopping experience. Why are privacy advocacy groups worried? -- Sam’s Club is going register-free and introducing an all-digital, AI-powered shopping experience for its customers, a move that has privacy advocates worried that the new AI tool could be used to unfairly target some customers with higher-priced items based on their shopping habits. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/25

 

How a judge’s scathing rebuke to Apple could change the app store -- Apple Inc. suffered a major blow this week when a federal judge ruled that the iPhone maker violated a court order to stop charging commission fees for purchases made outside of its own marketplace. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/25

Underwater volcano off West Coast expected to erupt -- The volcano is expected to erupt potentially before the end of 2025. But most people probably won’t even notice. Given the volcano’s depth and distance from Oregon, an eruption won’t affect people on land, nor trigger an earthquake or tsunami, researchers said. Molly Burke in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/25

Women from this California region are leading the nation in delaying motherhood -- When it comes to delaying motherhood to pursue careers and other life aspirations, Bay Area women are leading the nation. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/25

 

Lopez: Half a century on the beat, and thank you very much -- I’m here to tell you how lucky I’ve been for half a century, why I wouldn’t change a thing if someone loaded me into a time machine, and why, even though I’m buckled into a seat on the Hindenburg. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/25

After CalMatters investigation, LinkedIn and Google face lawsuit alleging improper access to health data -- One day after an investigation by CalMatters and The Markup, LinkedIn and Google were hit with a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging they improperly received confidential data from trackers on California’s health insurance exchange website. A California congressman, citing the investigation, then called on the federal Health and Human Services Department to investigate the exchange’s sharing of data to LinkedIn. Colin Lecher and Tomas Apodaca CalMatters -- 5/3/25

Workplace

Tech industry jobs and layoff woes jolt Bay Area to kick off 2025 -- Over the first three months of 2025, the Bay Area has lost a net total of 11,100 tech jobs, according to seasonally adjusted estimates that Beacon Economics derived from the monthly reports relased by the state Employment Development Department. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/3/25

Education

James B. Milliken, University of Texas chancellor, named UC president -- Milliken will oversee the nation’s top public university system as the Trump administration cuts federal funding on top of expected state budget cuts. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ Eric He Politico -- 5/3/25

POTUS 47

Trump’s Order Targeting Law Firm Perkins Coie Is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules -- The decision marked the first time a federal judge permanently blocked the Trump administration from enforcing an order to punish law firms he opposes politically. Zach Montague in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/25

Trump’s Tariff on Cheap Chinese Imports Will Cost Big Tech Billions -- For Meta, Alphabet and other platforms, the elimination of the tariff exemption for inexpensive goods is already cutting into advertising revenue. Daisuke Wakabayashi and Mike Isaac in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/25

Trump Proposes $163 Billion in Cuts Across Government in New Budget -- Many of the suggested cuts, which would require congressional approval, target federal programs that benefit the poor. Tony Romm in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/25

Former Weather Service Leaders Warn Staffing Cuts Could Lead to ‘Loss of Life’ -- Five former National Weather Service directors have taken the unusual step of signing onto an open letter warning that cuts to the organization by the Trump administration may soon endanger lives. Camille Baker in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/25

Trump to mark Army’s birthday, and his, with parade of 6,600 soldiers -- President Donald Trump’s long-held hopes of soldiers marching and armored vehicles rolling down the streets of the nation’s capital are moving closer to reality, as the White House confirmed Friday that he intends to host a military parade this summer to commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday. Olivia George and Alex Horton in the Washington Post$ Aishvarya Kavi in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/25

Trump’s immigration ‘shock and awe’ is losing in the court of law -- Dozens of judges across the country — appointed by presidents of both parties — have ruled against Trump’s audacious immigration policies. Kyle Cheney Politico -- 5/3/25

Trump administration plans major downsizing at U.S. spy agencies -- The planned cuts include 1,200 positions at the CIA, along with thousands more from other parts of the U.S. intelligence community. Warren P. Strobel in the Washington Post$ -- 5/3/25

Kennedy Orders Search for New Measles Treatments Instead of Urging Vaccination -- Decades of research have turned up no miracle treatment for measles, but studies show the M.M.R. shot is 97 percent effective in preventing the disease. Teddy Rosenbluth in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/25

Trump Seeks to Eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts -- President Trump proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities in the budget he released Friday, taking aim once again at two agencies that he had tried and failed to get rid of during his first term. Michael Paulson in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/25