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

California Policy and Politics Saturday

Gov. Newsom proposes ‘asset test’ for low-income and disabled Medi-Cal applicants. What does that mean? -- Facing higher healthcare costs, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing adding an “asset test” for applicants for Medi-Cal and In-Home Supportive Services. The test would mean Californians would not be eligible if their assets total more than $2,000. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/31/25

‘Where’s the federal government?’ Newsom calls on Trump administration to fund more wildfire prevention -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling on the Trump administration to do more to harden California’s forests to fire as the state fast-tracks plans of its own to confront the wildfire threat. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/31/25

California contests Trump administration claim that the state obstructs immigration law -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office sent a letter on Friday requesting that the Trump administration remove California from its list of sanctuary jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration law. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/31/25

 

ICE agents conduct raid at Buona Forchetta, popular South Park restaurant -- Renato Ametrano, general manager of Buona Forchetta, described the surprise raid as very traumatizing for all the employees, who he said were handcuffed and subsequently asked for their identification. He said he believed three workers were taken away after being unable to produce ID. Lori Weisberg, Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 05/31/25

Lopez: If people taking care of our elders get deported, will anyone take their place? -- She rides three buses from her Panorama City home to her job as a caregiver for an 83-year-old Sherman Oaks woman with dementia, and lately she’s been worrying about getting nabbed by federal agents. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/31/25

Where is Maria? S.F. woman vanishes after telling relatives ICE was taking her -- An immigrant traveling to her early morning work shift at a San Francisco Target store Friday has vanished — after texting a relative that she was being taken by immigration officers — and now her family and police are trying to confirm whether she was truly arrested. Molly Burke in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/31/25

US immigration authorities collecting DNA information of children in criminal database -- Collection of migrants’ DNA has increased by 5,000% in three years in a ‘massive expansion of genetic surveillance’ Johana Bhuiyan The Guardian -- 05/31/25

 

Manson ‘family’ member Patricia Krenwinkel recommended for parole -- A California prisons panel on Friday recommended that Patricia Krenwinkel, serving a life sentence for her role in murdering seven people in a 1969 Los Angeles killing spree by followers of cult leader Charles Manson, be released on parole. Steve Gorman Reuters -- 05/31/25

California lawmakers ask former CBS leaders to testify on proposed settlement with Trump -- The Democrats said in a letter Friday that they are opening an inquiry into whether the CBS parent company violated California anti-competitiveness law or breached ethical boundaries by caving to a “frivolous” suit. Blake Jones Politico -- 05/31/25

Sacramento DA: No DUI charges for Cervantes; south state senator cleared -- The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will not file charges against south state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, saying Friday that the Riverside lawmaker had no evidence of alcohol or drugs in her system when she was cited by Sacramento police. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee Lindsey Holden and Nicole Norman Politico -- 05/31/25

Missing 10-year-old girl’s remains identified after Panga boat capsized off California coast -- Authorities have confirmed the identity of a body that washed ashore in San Diego County last week as a 10-year-old girl who was reported missing after a Panga boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/31/25

Arellano: Guess who suddenly has a ‘TACO’ allergy? How a tasty sounding acronym haunts Trump -- Guess who suddenly has a “TACO” allergy? President Yuge Taco Salad himself. In the annals of four-letter words and acronyms Donald Trump has long hitched his political fortunes on, the word “taco” may be easy to overlook. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/31/25

Mayor Daniel Lurie proposes merger of two scandal-ridden S.F. departments -- Included in Lurie’s $15.9 billion annual budget plan he introduced Friday is a proposal to fold the Department on the Status of Women into the Human Rights Commission. Both agencies were the subject of high-profile scandals over the last year that led to the departures of their respective leaders. J.D. Morris, St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/31/25

‘Everything went wrong’: California’s state bar exam plagued by problems, claims of questions from AI -- Computer programs frequently stopped and started while transmitting questions. Some of the questions were mistakenly imported from the “Baby Bar,” a lower-level exam given to first-year law students. Proctors assigned to monitor exam sites were reported to have interrupted test-takers. And there was evidence that some questions on the exam were the products of artificial intelligence. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/31/25

United jet turns wrong way after takeoff at SFO, nearly collides with SkyWest plane -- Two commercial jets departing San Francisco International Airport on parallel runways came unusually close to colliding this month, prompting a federal investigation into the incident. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/31/25

Wildfire burns Joshua trees in area considered a ‘last refuge’ for the species -- A fire ignited in the Covington Flats area of Joshua Tree National Park on Friday afternoon and burned 165 acres and several Joshua trees in a region that experts say is critical to the species’ future in a warming climate. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/31/25

What We Know About the Conflict Over a Trans Athlete in a California Track Meet -- The final day of the high school championships is Saturday, and the athlete was the top performer in three preliminary events, adding to the national debate about fairness and inclusion. Juliet Macur and Orlando Mayorquín in the New York Times -- 05/31/25

Workplace

LinkedIn cuts 281 workers in California as tech layoffs continue -- LinkedIn is among major tech companies that have slashed its workforce this year. Meta, Google, Autodesk and other tech companies have also been cutting workers, citing various reasons, including restructuring, investments in artificial intelligence and low worker performance. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/31/25

Bonuses among latest moves to improve California’s prison mental health system -- After decades of unsuccessful efforts to improve California prison conditions ruled unconstitutional and blamed for record-high suicides, advocates and a federal judge are betting that bonuses and better work accommodations will finally be enough to attract and keep the mental health providers needed to treat prisoners. Don Thompson KFF Health News in the Sacramento Bee -- 05/31/25

For Some Recent Graduates, the A.I. Job Apocalypse May Already Be Here -- The unemployment rate for recent college graduates has jumped as companies try to replace entry-level workers with artificial intelligence. Kevin Roose in the New York Times -- 05/31/25

Wolf packs

Three more wolf packs confirmed in California as ranchers call for relief -- California wildlife officials confirmed three new wolf packs in Northern California, bringing the state total to 10. The rise in gray wolves in recent years has spurred tension in rural counties where the animals attack livestock. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/31/25

Street

San Diego County sheriff’s deputies repeatedly violate body camera policies, oversight board finds -- Despite determining most actions were justified, investigators sustained multiple violations for failure to activate or muting body-worn cameras without explanation. Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 05/31/25

Also

As Clint Eastwood turns 95, is the America that made him slipping away? -- The cinema legend, who turns 95 on Saturday, May 31, was born in San Francisco, raised in the East Bay and spent most of his life as a resident of Monterey County. He was always an outsider in Hollywood — he had to go to Europe to find his breakthrough as a film star — and cultivated an aura of rugged individualism as an action antihero, including his iconic roles as the Man With No Name in Sergio Leone’s “Spaghetti Westerns” in the 1960s and San Francisco cop “Dirty Harry” Callahan in five movies. G. Allen Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/31/25

A San Francisco Plaza Was Down and Out. Then Skaters Moved In -- Made quickly and with minimal fuss, a park for skateboarders revived a downtown site — and offered a few lessons for urban revitalization. Conor Dougherty, Loren Elliott in the New York Times -- 05/31/25

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Trump’s massive tax-cut bill could shield the president from court orders -- A provision in President Donald Trump’s massive tax-cut bill that would shield Trump from some court orders is drawing Democratic opposition as it heads for the Senate. But a leading Republican says the court restriction is necessary to keep judges from abusing their authority. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/31/25

Trump says he will double steel tariffs to 50 percent -- Speaking at a rally at U.S. Steel in Pennsylvania, Trump said the raised tariff rate would “even further secure the steel industry in the United States.” Rachel Lerman in the Washington Post Michelle L. Price, Marc Levy and Darlene SupervillF-- 05/31/25e Associated Press Doug Palmer Politico Kris Maher and Bob Tita in the Wall Street Journal Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Alan Rappeport, Ana Swanson and Lauren Hirsch in the New York Times -- 05/31/25

Trump administration to prioritize ‘patriotic Americans’ for federal jobs -- Applicants for government jobs will be required to write essays explaining how they will advance President Donald Trump’s policy priorities. Robin Bravender Politico -- 05/31/25

A New ‘Revenge Tax’ Aimed at Foreign Investors Is Rattling Wall Street --A provision in Trump’s tax bill would give the U.S. power to impose new taxes of up to 20% on foreigners with U.S. investments. The measure is designed to apply only in cases where other countries are deemed to be imposing unfair or discriminatory taxes against U.S. companies. Richard Rubin, Chelsey Dulaney and Jack Pitcher in the Wall Street Journal -- 05/31/25

Trump Administration Ends Program Critical to Search for an H.I.V. Vaccine -- The Trump administration has dealt a sharp blow to work on H.I.V. vaccines, terminating a $258 million program whose work was instrumental to the search for a vaccine. Apoorva Mandavilli in the New York Times -- 05/31/25

On the Campaign Trail, Elon Musk Juggled Drugs and Family Drama -- As Mr. Musk entered President Trump’s orbit, his private life grew increasingly tumultuous and his drug use was more intense than previously known. Kirsten Grind and Megan Twohey in the New York Times -- 05/31/25

It’s called the Library of Congress. But Trump claims it’s his -- The case is the latest example of efforts by the Trump administration to erase the traditional lines that separate the branches of government. Meryl Kornfield and Hannah Natanson in the Washington Post -- 05/31/25

 

California Policy and Politics Friday

California senator vindicated after drug testing shows she was not intoxicated -- California Sen. Sabrina Cervantes maintained from the start that she wasn’t drunk or on drugs after she was cited for DUI. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee -- 05/30/25

In West Sacramento, CA Democrats try to ‘bring home’ consequences of budget bill -- Reps. Doris Matsui and Mike Thompson convened a group of local experts and officials for a hearing-style discussion Friday at West Sacramento’s City Council chambers, and called upon them to explain the hits they expect to see to residents’ health care and social assistance programs, should the proposed budget cuts pass. Annika Merrilees in the Sacramento Bee -- 05/30/25

Trump Administration Publishes List of Sanctuary Cities and Counties to Target -- Administration has threatened to pull funding from jurisdictions that don’t cooperate with immigration enforcement. Tali Arbel in the Wall Street Journal -- 05/30/25

Medicaid work rules could leave a million Californians with no health insurance -- A proposal in Congress would require some adults to document 80 hours a month of work or school. Experts say the red tape and paperwork is so cumbersome that even people who work will lose their health insurance. Ana B. Ibarra Calmatters -- 05/30/25

Trump administration threat to revoke Chinese student visas roils California -- Some in academia warned the Trump administration’s visa revocation plan could result in a “brain drain,” with scholars departing the U.S. Trump’s visa decision was widely criticized in the Asian American community; Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) called it “xenophobic.” Daniel Miller, Christopher Buchanan, Melissa Gomez and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times Adam Echelman Calmatters Jovi Dai in the San Jose Mercury -- 05/30/25

Here’s how dependent each UC campus is on international students -- With tens of thousands of students from other countries studying at University of California campuses, UC officials say they are “very concerned” about President Donald Trump’s targeting of international enrollment, which could put a dent in colleges' budgets, slow research and harm the state economy. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/30/25

California sues Trump administration for cutting millions of dollars for NSF grants -- The Trump administration’s termination of hundreds of millions of dollars in National Science Foundation grants for research and programs promoting racial and gender diversity was challenged Wednesday in a suit by California and 15 other states, which said the cutoffs defied long-standing federal law. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/30/25

 

‘People are terrified’: ICE agents stake out courthouses in Southern California to detain undocumented immigrants -- His papers fell to the ground. His girlfriend fell to her knees and broke down in tears. Five federal immigration agents surrounded 25-year-old Richard Urdaneta Pulido after he walked out of immigration court in downtown Los Angeles last week and arrested him. Ryanne Mena, Mona Darwish in the Orange County Register -- 05/30/25

Democrats urge DHS to reinstate legal status of Bakersfield 4-year-old facing deportation, death -- The girl and her parents were allowed to enter the U.S. to receive life-saving medical care. “It is our duty to protect the sick, vulnerable, and defenseless,” 38 congressional Democrats wrote to the Department of Homeland Security. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/30/25

 

Trump administration may hit S.F. with a $140 million bill -- The Trump administration could claw back about $140 million in federal funding that San Francisco already received to cover costs the city incurred during the pandemic, the Chronicle has learned. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/30/25

Newsom taunts Trump after tariffs loss: ‘It’s raining tacos’ -- Democratic governors are taking a victory lap after a pair of court rulings against the president’s import tariffs. Dustin Gardiner and Alex Nieves Politico -- 05/30/25

The California Democratic Party’s premiere event will have two notable no-shows -- However, the state’s two most prominent Democrats — former Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newson — will not be attending the multiday gathering of roughly 4,000 party delegates, activists, donors, labor leaders and other powerful voices in the largest Democratic state in the nation, according to a source familiar with the event’s planning. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee -- 05/30/25

California Democrats postpone ‘difficult conversation’ about age of party leaders -- The California Democratic Party is not going to have a senior moment of reckoning at its three-day convention starting Friday in Anaheim, choosing to “postpone” considering a resolution urging a mandatory retirement age for state and local officials. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/30/25

Walters: Newsom tussles with local officials over homelessness -- Simply put, Newsom has blamed local officials for not clearing their streets of squalid encampments, while they have complained that piecemeal state appropriations make it impossible to create effective ongoing programs. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 05/30/25

Workplace

Tech companies slash hundreds of Bay Area jobs as hiring slump persists -- Tech companies have slashed well over 400 Bay Area jobs in fresh rounds of employment cutbacks that offer an ominous warning that the industry’s downsizing has yet to run its course. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury -- 05/30/25

LinkedIn slashes 270 Bay Area jobs as Microsoft layoffs hit region -- According to documents filed with California’s Employment Development Department this week, the layoffs, which took effect on May 15, impact workers at LinkedIn offices in San Francisco, Sunnyvale and Mountain View. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/30/25

Businesses seek to overturn hotel and airport wage hikes by forcing a citywide election -- A coalition of airlines, hotels and concession companies at Los Angeles International Airport filed paperwork Thursday to force a citywide vote on a new ordinance hiking the minimum wage of hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour by 2028. David Zahniser and Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/30/25

Mayor Lurie wants to close S.F. budget deficit by cutting roughly 1,400 city jobs -- The vast majority of the positions that Lurie seeks to cut in his first two-year budget proposal, which he was set to unveil Friday, are vacant. But as many as 150 are filled. J.D. Morris, Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 05/30/25

Oil

Texas firm trying to restart oil drilling off Santa Barbara hits roadblock with judge’s ruling -- Just days after a Texas oil firm shocked California environmentalists and regulators by announcing the resumption of offshore oil production near Santa Barbara County, a court has ordered the company to cease further coastal construction or repairs until the company obtains official approvals. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/30/25

Environment

Supreme Court sharply limits environmental impact statements in victory for developers -- The justices said claims of the potential impact on the environment have been used too often to delay or block new projects. The high court ruled for the developers of a proposed 88-mile railroad in northeastern Utah that could carry crude oil that would be refined along the Gulf Coast. David G. Savage and Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times Adam Liptak in the New York Times -- 05/30/25

Want to understand CalRecycle’s chemical recycling rules? You’ll need to pay -- In its proposed new rules to implement Senate Bill 54, CalRecycle says it will consider recycling technologies that follow standards issued by the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization. Accessing those rules costs roughly $187, and critics say they are opaque. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/30/25

Water

Smaller water districts were hit hardest by L.A. firestorms, UCLA report finds -- The January firestorms damaged water systems in large areas of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. In a new report, UCLA researchers examine the toll on 11 community water systems. The report notes that some smaller water suppliers have limited access to funds to help rebuild their damaged systems. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/30/25

Meager snowpack adds to Colorado River’s woes, straining flows to Southern California -- California’s melting snow is filling the state’s reservoirs. But dry conditions have shrunk the flow of the Colorado River, putting strains on a vital supply for Southern California. Ian James, Sean Greene in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/30/25

Earthquake

Bay Area breakthrough in imaging earthquakes with 1000 times more accuracy could revolutionize how we prepare for tremors -- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory could ‘revolutionize’ earthquake monitoring and provide researchers the ability to find hidden faults and looming threats in Bay Area cities. Chase Hunter in the San Jose Mercury -- 05/30/25

Campus

Trump cites California LGBTQ+ centers to justify big cuts to ‘woke’ campuses -- San Diego’s community college district finds itself directly in Trump’s crosshairs: Its “pride centers” were the only items called out by name in the administration’s plan to slash more than $10 billion of federal spending on education. Adam Echelman Calmatters -- 05/30/25

COVID

A new COVID subvariant spreads rapidly as Trump pivots away from vaccines -- A new, highly transmissible COVID subvariant has been detected in California — heightening the risk of a summer wave as recent moves by the Trump administration threaten to make vaccines harder to get, and more expensive, for many Americans, some health experts warn. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/30/25

Street

Criminal ring with SoCal ties swindled $25 million in COVID relief, small business loans, feds say -- Fourteen people have been arrested on suspicion of engaging in a years-long scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $25 million in COVID-19 relief funds and government-backed small business loans. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/30/25

Also

U.S. Cancels Contract With Moderna to Develop Bird Flu Vaccine -- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly questioned the safety of mRNA technology, which is used in the company’s shot. Apoorva Mandavilli in the New York Times -- 05/30/25

POTUS 47

Trump Has Found God. It’s Him -- The president’s messianic rhetoric has soared since the assassination attempt. Michael Kruse Politico -- 05/30/25

Courts to Trump: You can’t teach old laws new tricks -- The rulings against the Trump’s tariffs are the latest pushback from courts as the president seeks to harness emergency powers under seldom-used statutes. Kyle Cheney Politico -- 05/30/25

Deal Maker or Duped? Trump’s Embrace of Putin Shows Few Results -- The American president’s preference for praising and excusing the Russian leader has yielded no progress toward peace in Ukraine. Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Luke Broadwater in the New York Times -- 05/30/25

White House Health Report Included Fake Citations -- A report on children’s health released by the Make America Healthy Again Commission referred to scientific papers that did not exist. Dani Blum and Maggie Astor in the New York Times -- 05/30/25

Supreme Court walks a tightrope as it confronts Trump’s power moves -- The justices appear to be trying to avoid a direct conflict with the Trump administration while also blocking certain presidential actions. Ann E. Marimow in the Washington Post -- 05/30/25

‘Inflection point’: Economic fears mount as Trump tariffs are snarled in court -- The fear is that Trump will bristle at both adverse court rulings and perceptions on Wall Street that he’s ready to bail on his protectionist agenda. Sam Sutton, Daniel Desrochers and Adam Cancryn Politico -- 05/30/25

Trump’s Team Plots Plan B for Imposing Tariffs -- If a court appeal fails, president’s advisers are considering a stopgap tariff regime. Gavin Bade and Kim Mackrael in the Wall Street Journal -- 05/30/25

FCC commissioner sounds alarms about free speech ‘chilling effect’ under Trump -- Federal Communications Commissioner Anna M. Gomez traveled to Los Angeles this week to sound an alarm that attacks on the media by President Trump and his lieutenants could fray the fabric of the 1st Amendment. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times -- 05/30/25

Trump’s clemency spree extends to ex-gangster, rapper, former congressmen -- The pardon recipients confirmed by a White House official all had felony convictions, like Trump, and could see an array of benefits. Emily Davies in the Washington Post -- 05/30/25

Elon Musk came to Washington wielding a chain saw. He leaves behind upheaval and unmet expectations -- It’s a quiet exit after a turbulent entrance, and he’s trailed by upheaval and unmet expectations. Thousands of people were indiscriminately laid off or pushed out — hundreds of whom had to be rehired — and some federal agencies were eviscerated. But no one has been prosecuted for the fraud that Musk and Trump said was widespread within the government. Chris Megerian Associated Press -- 05/30/25

How Trump’s Regulatory Rollbacks Are Increasing Costs on Americans -- A new DOGE tally claims that erasing rules on credit card fees, appliance standards and health insurance “saves the American people” money. Data show the opposite. Coral Davenport and Stacy Cowley in the New York Times -- 05/30/25

On the Campaign Trail, Elon Musk Juggled Drugs and Family Drama -- As Mr. Musk entered President Trump’s orbit, his private life grew increasingly tumultuous and his drug use was more intense than previously known. Kirsten Grind and Megan Twohey in the New York Times -- 05/30/25