California Policy and Politics Saturday

Father ripped from family as agents target immigration courts, arresting people after cases dismissed -- The man just had his immigration case dismissed and his wife and 8-year-old son were trailing behind him when agents surrounded, then handcuffed him outside the downtown Los Angeles courtroom. Melissa Gomez and Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles TimesArelis R. Hernández and Maria Sacchetti in the Washington Post -- 05/25/25

DOJ civil rights gets Trump makeover. Will it change L.A. racial profiling lawsuits? -- In recent months, 70% of the Department of Justice’s civil rights arm has been dissolved. Attorneys say the changes leave lawsuits as one of the last lines of defense against racial profiling and other discrimination. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/24/25

How California’s wealthiest people benefit most from the Republicans’ tax cut -- No matter how you configure the impact of the Big Beautiful Bill’s tax breaks, wealthier Californians stand to get more benefits. That’s the finding of a new study Friday from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee -- 05/24/25

California attorney general suggests potential lawsuit over Trump’s Apple tariff threats -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Friday he’s prepared to sue if appropriate to defend the state’s companies like Apple after President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on the iPhone maker unless it moves production fully to the U.S. Christine Mui Politico -- 05/25/25

Congress blocks California’s EV mandate. What does that mean for climate goals? -- The governor did not give any indication he would back down from implementing the state’s ambitious climate agenda, even as Trump and congressional Republicans work to foil it. Newsom called it “a big day for Big Oil” and said the state will sue over Congress’ move to use the Congressional Review Act to nullify EPA-granted waivers. Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee -- 05/24/25

New California budget could slash $1.5 billion from transit -- California leaders are poised to cut $1.5 billion in funding for public transit from a state greenhouse gas emissions program, a move that could cripple agencies already devastated by COVID. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/25/25

California lawmakers reject hundreds of bills in rapid-fire hearings -- Tax credits for the parents of young children. A state-funded scientific research institute. Exempting service workers’ tips from state income tax. Those are among the hundreds of proposals California lawmakers swiftly rejected Friday under the banner of cost savings, as they cited the state’s $12 billion budget deficit — a worsening figure due to the threat of unprecedented federal funding cuts and California’s ballooning spending on health care for low-income residents. Jeanne Kuang and Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 05/24/25

Trump attack on Harvard to block international students raises fears at California campuses -- A judge agrees with Harvard’s argument that the ban would cause ‘immediate and irreparable harm’ to the institution. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the actions against Harvard were a ‘warning’ to universities nationwide. Michael Wilner and Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/25/25

Trump cuts will cause a spike in HIV cases in L.A. and across the country, warn Democrats and public health advocates -- The CDC has withdrawn community grants that target people at high risk for AIDS; Los Angeles County and area hospitals are left scrambling. in the Kevin Rector and Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/25/25

Health clinics that service immigrants are making house calls on patients too afraid to leave home -- Across Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and the Coachella Valley, one community health center is extending its services to immigrant patients in their homes after realizing that people were skipping critical medical appointments because they’ve become too afraid to venture out. Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/24/25

Airport weather systems, runway lights were out during deadly Cessna crash in San Diego -- Six people were aboard the jet plane, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The jet plane was approaching a city-owned airport in San Diego early Wednesday morning amid dense fog and “poor conditions.” At least two of the people who died in the crash have been identified by their colleagues. Nathan Solis, Hannah Fry, Kaitlyn Huamani and Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/25/25

If you want to understand Trump’s environmental policy, read Project 2025 -- The Trump administration says it isn’t connected to Project 2025. But the administration has already accomplished about 70% of Project 2025’s environment-related recommendations. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/25/25

The next big earthquake: When is the Bay Area due? -- California has dozens of earthquakes every day. Most are below 3.0 magnitude, so small that they aren’t felt. But a few, like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, are massive, capable of widespread destruction. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 05/25/25

Workplace

Bay Area biotech company cuts 55 jobs, blames Trump-era funding reductions -- Eikon, known for its work in developing cancer treatments, explained that the job cuts were driven by a combination of government funding reductions and the cooling biotech sector. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/25/25

Water

California’s second-largest reservoir fills for third straight year -- California’s second-largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, reached capacity Friday, hitting the high water mark for the third straight year — a first for the 57-year-old reservoir. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/25/25

Street

Metro’s violence prevention program marred by subway fight and subcontractor’s RICO indictment -- Two men connected to a Metro multimillion-dollar violence prevention program beat up another man on a Metro platform, video shows. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/24/25

Father handed gun to son in alleged drive-by gang killing, LAPD says -- A father and his 14-year-old son are accused of killing a man in a shooting that followed a graffiti spree in the Pico-Union neighborhood. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/24/25

Also

Keeping the Pacific Coast Highway open has become a Sisyphean endeavor -- The highway embodies the California promise of freedom. But it keeps breaking. A recent trip along the roadway revealed the frustrations of many residents. Livia Albeck-Ripka and Mark Abramson in the New York Times -- 05/24/25

POTUS 47

Pivoting From Tax Cuts to Tariffs, Trump Ignores Economic Warning Signs -- The tepid market response to the president’s economic policy approach did little to sway Mr. Trump, who chose on Friday to revive the uncertainty that has kept businesses and consumers on edge. Tony Romm and Colby Smith in the New York Times -- 05/24/25

‘I’m not looking for a deal’: Trump revives global trade war -- President Donald Trump’s moves Friday to reignite his global trade war laid bare the administration’s bubbling frustration with resistance from both corporations and foreign countries unwilling to rapidly bow to U.S. demands. Myah Ward and Adam Cancryn Politico David J. Lynch, Ellen Francis and Michael Birnbaum in the Washington Post -- 05/25/25

Trump’s E.U. Tariff Threat Could Cause Economic Damage Beyond Europe -- A 50 percent tax on European imports would hit the continent hard, hurt the U.S. economy and slow growth globally. Patricia Cohen in the New York Times -- 05/24/25

Trump administration must seek return of third man who was improperly deported, judge rules -- The ruling marks the third time that courts have ordered the administration to try to bring back deportees who were found to have been improperly or illegally deported. So far, however, the administration has not cooperated in returning the immigrants to the U.S. so they can receive the due process that, according to the courts, is legally required. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein Politico -- 05/25/25

Four major partners exit Paul, Weiss after Trump deal -- The departures come two months after Paul, Weiss entered a deal with the White House to provide $40 million in pro-bono legal work to causes supported by President Donald Trump in exchange for the removal of an executive order that firm Chair Brad Karp said “could easily have destroyed our firm.” Daniel Barnes Politico Erin Mulvaney and C. Ryan Barber in the Wall Street Journal Michael S. Schmidt, Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Matthew Goldstein in the New York Times -- 05/24/25

Trump’s Campaign Against Elite Law Firms Suffers Another Defeat in Court --Judge strikes down Trump’s order against Jenner & Block, citing First Amendment violations. The order unconstitutionally retaliated against the firm based on causes and clients it supports and its past association with Andrew Weissmann. This ruling extends a string of defeats for the administration against law firms challenging executive orders. C. Ryan Barber and Erin Mulvaney in the Wall Street Journal Mark Berman in the Washington Post -- 05/25/25

Trump Seeks Extensive Student Data in Pressure Campaign to Control Harvard -- Harvard and the federal government are locked in a battle that boils down to turning over records on international students. But Harvard says it is also about the First Amendment. Michael C. Bender in the New York Times -- 05/24/25

Larry Summers Says Trump’s Latest Attack on Harvard Is a ‘Prescription for Failure’ -- “Courage and capitulation are both contagious,” he said in an interview with Politico Magazine. “I am glad Harvard chose courage, because if Harvard, with all its good fortune, can’t resist authoritarian steps, who can?” Calder McHugh Politico -- 05/25/25

Judge Halts Government’s Move to Bar International Students at Harvard -- Federal judge temporarily blocked the government’s attempt to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students. Harvard sued the Trump administration over blocking international student enrollment, citing harm to students and scholars. DHS revoked Harvard’s authority to enroll foreign students, alleging a failure to create a safe campus environment. Douglas Belkin in the Wall Street Journal Susan Svrluga in the Washington Post Stephanie Saul in the New York Times -- 05/24/25

Why Trump Lashed Out at Europe Over Trade -- Trump threatens 50% tariffs on EU imports starting June 1, citing frustrations over trade talks. U.S. officials are irritated by what they say is the EU’s slow pace and reluctance to address U.S. concerns such as antitrust fines. The U.S. wants the EU to impose tariffs on Chinese industries. Gavin Bade and Kim Mackrael in the Wall Street Journal -- 05/25/25

Immigrant arrests at courthouses signal new tactic in Trump’s deportation push -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been instructed to arrest people immediately after a judge has ordered them to be deported or after prosecutors move to drop their cases. Arelis R. Hernández and Maria Sacchetti in the Washington Post -- 05/25/25

Under Trump, some immigrants lose protections — others don’t. Why? -- The president’s moves to deport Venezuelans and expedite refugee status for Afrikaners have generated concern that he is using humanitarian protections to reward allies and punish enemies. Maria Sacchetti in the Washington Post -- 05/25/25