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

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California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Bakersfield girl who faced deportation and loss of lifesaving medical care is allowed to stay in U.S. -- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted a Bakersfield family’s application for humanitarian parole, allowing the Mexican girl to remain in the U.S. where she receives lifesaving treatment for short bowel syndrome. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/03/25

Murder charges filed in triple shooting that left Baldwin Park police officer dead -- Eduardo Medina-Berumen was charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances, two counts of attempted murder and possession of an assault pistol in connection with the bursts of gunfire that killed Baldwin Park Police Officer Samuel Riveros and Darius Wong. If convicted as charged, he faces life without the possibility of parole. James Queally and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times Andrea Klick and Ruby Gonzales in the Orange County Register -- 06/03/25

Tom Girardi – disgraced legal titan, former ‘Real Housewives’ husband – sentenced to 7 years in prison -- A judge sentenced disgraced legal titan Tom Girardi, once among the nation’s most formidable trial attorneys, to seven years in prison Tuesday for stealing millions of dollars from clients. Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/03/25

Musk blasts Trump's signature bill as "disgusting abomination" -- Elon Musk unloaded on President Trump's signature tax-and-spending bill Tuesday, declaring that he could no longer stay silent on what he called a "disgusting abomination." "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it," Musk wrote on X. Zachary Basu Axios Kate Conger and Michael Gold in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

Judge dismisses Gavin Newsom’s lawsuit challenging Trump tariffs — for now -- U.S. District Court Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled on Monday that Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta did not have jurisdiction to sue Trump in the Northern District of California. In doing so, she partially sided with the U.S. Department of Justice’s assertion that the case belonged in the New York-based Court of International Trade. Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 06/03/25

A Trump Official Threatens to Sue California Schools Over Trans Athletes -- A letter from the assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet K. Dhillon, said that allowing trans athletes to compete in high school sports was unconstitutional. Juliet Macur in the New York Times Kevin Rector and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/03/25

ICE agents with assault rifles toss flash-bangs in serene SoCal neighborhood. City officials outraged -- Tensions remain high in San Diego after last week’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement work raids at two Italian restaurants that ended with federal agents using flash-bang grenades against residents protesting the operations. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/03/25

Arellano: Homeland Security’s ‘sanctuary city’ list is riddled with errors. The sloppiness is the point -- The Department of Homeland Security’s “sanctuary jurisdiction list” has more holes than the plot for the latest “Mission Impossible” film. All you need to know about its accuracy is how my native Orange County fared. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/03/25

What EPA’s gutting of environmental grants means for Southern California communities -- The grants were dedicated for projects meant to improve minority communities impacted by pollution, climate change and air and water quality issues. Ryan Carter, Kaitlyn Schallhorn in the Orange County Register -- 06/03/25

Company knew it would lose negligence case in deadly CA fire, court docs show -- Filed court transcripts show an Oregon-based timber company was aware that previous fires in a giant wooden warehouse at one of its facilities would cause them to lose a negligence case after a 2022 fire ripped through a small town in Northern California, killing two women and destroying numerous homes. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee -- 06/03/25

Crypto billionaire offers $9.4 million to overhaul S.F. police tech hub -- The donation, which is made up of funds linked to Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, would relocate San Francisco police’s Real-Time Investigations Center, which oversees its work with drones, surveillance cameras and automated license plate readers, from the SoMa Hall of Justice to an office at 315 Montgomery St. in the Financial District. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/03/25

Trump administration reverses USDA office closures in California -- The federal government has rescinded termination notices for eight of nine USDA offices slated for closure in California. The decision comes after California lawmakers argued that closing the offices would burden farmers. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee -- 06/03/25

Garofoli: Foul-mouthed, frustrated Democrats seek a spine -- California Democrats have learned one lesson from last November’s national loss to Republicans: Voters want to see them fight. Especially for the working class. Their next challenge is actually doing it. And California Democrats have a prime opportunity to do so in an upcoming budget fight in Sacramento. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/03/25

Is it sex education or porn? Huntington Beach comes to blows over library books -- Huntington Beach will vote next week on whether to repeal a community review board for library material. It’s a test of the conservative city council’s growing clout and the national movement to restrict access to sexual content in children’s books. Alexei Koseff Calmatters -- 06/03/25

Walters: Los Angeles County’s chief executive will be one of California’s most powerful political gigs -- After California became a U.S. state in 1850, its Legislature grappled with how state and local governments would be structured. One decree was that counties, beginning with Los Angeles, would have five-member boards of supervisors. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 06/03/25

San Diego OKs sweeping parking price hikes, from paid Sunday parking to $10-an-hour meters during Padres games -- City officials say they're also close to finalizing plans to start charging for parking at the San Diego Zoo and the rest of Balboa Park — but details must still be decided. David Garrick in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 06/03/25

Water

Metropolitan Water District and San Diego end battle over Colorado River water — and set price -- The Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the San Diego County Water Authority announced Monday that they have settled a legal dispute spanning 15 years over the exchange of Colorado River water. The item is in the Orange County Register -- 06/03/25

Insurance

State Farm lists 17 activities it says are too risky to insure under key California policy -- What do corn mazes, mushroom farms and professional athletes have in common? They all have the dubious honor of being considered too risky to insure under a State Farm policy that offers extra liability coverage, per a filing earlier this year. Maliya Ellis in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/03/25

Guns

California gun ban still alive. For now -- A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed states to continue to ban semiautomatic AR-15-style rifles, which can be fired repeatedly without reloading and are owned by millions of Americans. But the issue is far from settled. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle Adam Liptak in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

Recession

Recession indicator? People are cooking at home at the highest level since COVID -- For a rising share of Americans, it’s something they made themselves. That’s according to the most recent earnings call for Campbell’s, where the CEO of the food giant said they’ve seen more people opting for a home-cooked meal than they have since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jessica Roy in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/03/25

Consumers Are Financing Their Groceries. What Does It Say About the Economy? -- Increased use of “buy now, pay later” loans may signal shifting consumer habits, but could also be a troubling sign of financial stress. Julie Creswell in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

Dollar General Shares Zip Higher After Retailer Raises Outlook -- Dollar General raised its outlook for the year after assessing the impact of tariffs on its business and consumer behavior and better-than-expected first-quarter results, sending its shares 11% higher in premarket trading. Denny Jacob in the Wall Street Journal -- 06/03/25

Environment

Sargent Ranch: Landowners who proposed quarry sell large chunk of property in Santa Clara County -- $25 million deal for nearly 2,500 acres south of Gilroy comes as landowners ask to suspend controversial quarry plans. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 06/03/25

Street

9th Circuit deals blow to qualified immunity, revives lawsuit against LAPD officer -- A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that shielded a Los Angeles police officer from liability in a fatal shooting, a decision that experts say could have broad implications for future cases in which law enforcement officials attempt to claim protection from civil lawsuits under the doctrine known as qualified immunity. Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/03/25

Suspect in killing of Baldwin Park officer lived with mother, had no criminal record -- Officer Samuel Riveros was rushing to help a fellow officer who was under fire while responding to a call in Baldwin Park on Saturday night when a gunman fatally shot him, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told The Times on Monday. Richard Winton, Christopher Buchanan, Matthew Ormseth and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/03/25

How L.A.’s new top federal prosecutor erased felony verdict in deputy’s excessive force case -- Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy Trevor Kirk was sentenced Monday to four months in prison. He had previously faced up to 10 years in prison, until a federal judge granted the government’s request to dismiss the felony charge. Brittny Mejia and James Queally in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

L.A. County to pay $2.7 million to teen assaulted in ‘gladiator fight’ -- Video of a 2023 beating, captured on CCTV, launched a criminal investigation into so-called ‘gladiator fights’ at the troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/03/25

Also

Photo Essay: A transgender high school athlete navigates a fight she never asked for -- On the morning the Trump administration threw its weight behind a local lawsuit challenging California rules that allowed her to compete on her high school track and field team, Abi had more pressing concerns. Gina Ferazzi and Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/03/25

British Airways flight attendant found naked and dancing on San Francisco flight to London -- He was eventually located in the Club World cabin bathroom, where, according to one colleague quoted by the Sun, he had turned the space into a “one-man disco.” Fellow staff reportedly dressed the man in first-class pajamas and restrained him in a first-class seat for the remainder of the 10½-hour flight. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/03/25

Two United flights out of SFO diverted in two days amid safety concerns -- Two United Airlines flights departing from San Francisco International Airport were forced to divert over the weekend in separate midair incidents, the latest in a string of operational disruptions involving the carrier at SFO. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/03/25

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As Trump Says He’s Stamping Out Antisemitism, He Advances Similar Tropes -- President Trump’s effort to punish Harvard over antisemitism is complicated by his own extensive history of amplifying white supremacist figures and symbols. Peter Baker in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

As Courts Call Tariffs Into Question, Trump Again Turns to His Favorite Tool -- The president is set to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum this week, even as the courts are challenging the legitimacy of other levies. Ana Swanson and Tony Romm in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

White House vows no Medicaid cuts — except to those who don’t deserve it -- Trump aides say those cut from Medicaid as a result of the GOP megabill shouldn’t have had it in the first place. Adam Cancryn and Jake Traylor Politico -- 06/03/25

Insurers, states warn of Obamacare chaos due to GOP megabill -- A last-minute change to the House bill threw a curveball to Obamacare insurers who already set their rates for 2026. Robert King Politico -- 06/03/25

The Trump Organization Has Expanded Globally Since the 2024 Election. See Where -- Since the November election, the Trump Organization, the family’s flagship real-estate firm, and its partners have publicly announced 12 international projects including residential high-rises, hotels and golf courses—far outpacing the two overseas deals announced during his first administration. Brenna T. Smith, Peter Grant and Daniel Kiss in the Wall Street Journal -- 06/03/25

Trump’s approval among Latino voters is crashing, new poll shows -- Throughout the president’s first few months in office, his favorability among Latinos is crashing, especially among independents and women, according to a new poll conducted by Global Strategy Group and commissioned by Somos Votantes, a Democratic-leaning group that focuses on Latinos. Andrew Howard Politico -- 06/03/25

U.S. Scientists Warn That Trump’s Cuts Will Set Off a Brain Drain -- As the United States cuts budgets and restricts immigration, China and Europe are offering researchers money and stability. Kate Zernike in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

After Staff Cuts, the National Weather Service Is Hiring Again -- The agency plans to hire more than 100 people after nearly 600 were laid off or retired as part of the governmentwide cuts this year. Judson Jones in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

Trump Talks a Lot About Antisemitism, With a Notable Caveat -- The president made no reference to Jews after the Colorado attack. Tyler Pager in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

White House Unveils a New, Darker Presidential Portrait -- The official portrait, released on Monday by the White House, features a somber Mr. Trump against a dark backdrop. Ali Watkins in the New York Times Niha Masih in the Washington Post -- 06/03/25

He Built an Airstrip on Protected Land. Now He’s in Line to Lead the Forest Service -- Michael Boren, nominated by President Trump, is accused of threatening trail workers with a helicopter, building an airstrip without a permit and putting a cabin on federal property. Hiroko Tabuchi in the New York Times -- 06/03/25

 

California Policy and Politics Monday

‘Our own doing’: California Democrats try to figure out how to win elections again -- In the aftermath of Democrats’ widespread electoral failures last year, party activists in California who gathered for their annual convention this weekend struggled with balancing how to stick to their values while also reconnecting with voters who were traditionally part of their base — notably working-class Americans. Seema Mehta and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times Nicole Nixon and Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee -- 06/02/25

Young Democrats offer lessons for their leaders at party convention -- Young Californians were disillusioned with Democrats last November. The solution? A simple message, a focus on cost-of-living and progressive causes, and a reckoning with the party’s age problem, say young Democrats. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 06/02/25

Garofoli: California governor candidates going anti-Newsom: ‘Never stepped foot in the French Laundry’-- Nearly all the Democrats running to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom share a common trait: They are defining themselves as the anti-Newsom. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/02/25

Barabak: Yelling, finger-pointing and cursing galore as California Democrats gather near Disneyland -- Thousands of party faithful gathered in Anaheim to sift the ashes of 2024 and plot Democrats’ way forward. There were nearly as many prescriptions as there were delegates inside the convention hall. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/02/25

Party Activists in California Aren’t Sold on a Harris Run for Governor -- Kamala Harris did not appear in person at a California state Democratic convention, leaving delegates to wonder how seriously she is considering running and whether it would be wise. Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times -- 06/02/25

As Kamala Harris weighs a run for governor, some Dems are moving on -- As hundreds of California Democrats gathered at their party’s convention this weekend, a half-dozen gubernatorial candidates hustled from room to room courting them. The main potential contender who could upend the race — Kamala Harris — was nowhere to be seen. Maeve Reston in the Washington Post -- 06/02/25

Skelton: Newsom insults California voters by not funding Proposition 36 -- This just seems wrong: Californians overwhelmingly approved an anti-crime ballot measure in November. But our governor strongly opposed the proposition. So he’s not funding it. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders, however, are now under pressure to fund the measure in a new state budget that’s being negotiated and must pass the Legislature by June 15. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/02/25

Zombie bills: Why California lawmakers bring back legislation governors kill -- CalMatters found dozens of examples of previously vetoed legislation returning in subsequent years. A twice-killed bill about driverless trucks exemplifies why. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters -- 06/02/25

‘Modest’ psychedelic research bill dies in California Senate committee -- It’s the latest setback in a series of failures for psychedelic decriminalization, legalization and research plans in California. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury -- 06/02/25

 

California AG says federal cuts are actually helping legal fight with Trump: ‘They can’t keep up’ -- Democratic attorneys general fighting the Trump administration on an array of policy issues are seizing on the widespread cuts and resignations of federal employees, an effort that may be coming back to bite the White House. Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/02/25

Despite pro-Trump past, trans state champ’s mom gives daughter unwavering support -- Nereyda Hernandez, the mother of transgender track and field athlete AB Hernandez, 16, who was recently crowned a California state champion in girls triple jump and high jump, told the Chronicle in an exclusive interview that she used to be a supporter of President Donald Trump Noah Furtado in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/02/25

Street

‘A night of tragedy’: A young officer who loved Dodgers, snowboarding killed in Baldwin Park shootout -- A young Baldwin Park police officer who loved the Dodgers and was an avid snowboarder was killed in a shooting late Saturday that also left a civilian dead and another officer injured. Grace Toohey, Richard Winton, Matthew Ormseth, Ruben Vives and Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/02/25

Guns

Supreme Court turns away a 2nd Amendment challenge to blue-state bans on assault weapons -- Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh refused for now to cast the key fourth vote, which was needed for the Supreme Court to hear the case. The case tested the reach of the 2nd Amendment and its “right to keep and bear arms.” David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times Adam Liptak in the New York Times -- 06/02/25

Climate

Could this major California city see mass ‘abandonment’? New risk model predicts just that -- The flood plains of Sacramento are a geologic world away from the more cinematic California of coastal crags and lofty peaks. Yet that sometimes overlooked region could be home to one of California’s great disasters waiting to happen, according to a February report from First Street, a prominent climate risk prediction firm. Aseem Shukla in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/02/25

CEQA

After half a century, California legislators on the verge of overhauling a landmark environmental law -- Long celebrated and derided, the California Environmental Quality Act is facing its strongest overhaul in generations. Buoyed by national criticism that the state can no longer build sufficient housing and public infrastructure, Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers said now is the time for major changes. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/02/25

Workplace

Disney to cut hundreds of employees in latest round of layoffs -- Walt Disney Co. launched another deep round of layoffs on Monday, notifying several hundred Disney employees in the U.S. and abroad that their jobs were being eliminated amid an increasingly difficult economic environment for traditional television. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/02/25

Will Trump’s ‘no tax on tips’ plan help or hurt restaurants? -- A federal proposal to eliminate income taxes on tips is dividing restaurants around the country, portending a potential boon for the industry’s more than two million tipped workers but a blow for their non-tipped counterparts. Elena Kadvany in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/02/25

Rep. Ro Khanna, local labor unions denounce federal layoffs -- Khanna says many workers are afraid to publicly talk about their situation. Stephanie Lam in the San Jose Mercury -- 06/02/25

HIV

Feds’ abrupt cutoff of HIV prevention funds threatens decades of progress, S.F. providers say -- Leaders in HIV care in San Francisco and across the country say their critical efforts to stop new infections are under attack by a Trump administration that already has cut several key federal programs and now appears to be withholding money meant to go specifically toward prevention. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/02/25

Wildfire

Millions of Californians will need to change how they landscape their homes -- Californians living in fire-prone areas can expect to make radical changes to the landscaping surrounding their homes in the coming years. Impending state rules will focus on what's called Zone Zero, which is the defensible space that extends 5 feet from the outer walls of a house or from the edge of an attached wood deck. Julie Johnson and Stephanie Zhu in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/02/25

‘Crisis’: S.F. fire chief says city’s aging fleet could limit capacity to fight major blazes -- San Francisco’s aging and limited fleet of fire trucks and engines could restrict firefighters’ ability to quell the blazes that could rip through the city after a major earthquake, the city’s fire chief said. Maliya Ellis in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 06/02/25

Rooftop Solar

Groups head to CA Supreme Court, seeking to upend solar rules -- In a few days, three environmental groups — including one from San Diego — get their chance to try to persuade the California Supreme Court to overturn a controversial rooftop solar policy issued by the California Public Utilities Commission nearly three years ago. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune -- 06/02/25

Education

Could phonics solve California’s reading crisis? Inside the push for sweeping changes -- California’s reading wars may finally be over. After decades of debate over how to teach reading, a new bill aims to use phonics to solve the state’s literacy crisis. Jenny Gold, Kate Sequeira, Allen J. Schaben in the Los Angeles Times -- 06/02/25

State’s school awards dinner at Disneyland comes with hefty price tag -- California schools that have significantly improved student achievement will be honored in a ceremony hosted by the California Department of Education at Disneyland on Friday, but the $500 per person ticket price has some superintendents fuming. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 06/02/25

At Cal State LA’s newest college campus in Chino, incarcerated men find a second chance -- An inaugural cohort of over 60 students will work towards their bachelor's degrees at a new, first-of-its-kind college campus inside the California Institution for Men in Chino. Victoria Ivie in the Orange County Register -- 06/02/25

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Trump and Allies Sell Domestic Policy Bill With Falsehoods -- President Trump has sought to assuage some lawmakers’ concerns over the bill’s price tag and cuts to Medicaid with inaccurate claims. Linda Qiu, Jamie Leventhal in the New York Times Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post -- 06/02/25

DHS removes list of 'sanctuary' cities after sheriffs push back on non-compliant label -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security removed a list of "sanctuary" states, cities and counties from its website following sharp criticism from a sheriffs' association that said a list of "non-compliant" sheriffs could severely damage the relationship between the Trump administration and law enforcement. Ted Hesson Reuters Ginger Adams Otis in the Wall Street Journal -- 06/02/25

Trump Aides Insist That Tariffs Will Remain, Even After Court Ruling -- One official said that the president is unlikely to delay his initial 90-day pause on some of his highest rates. Tony Romm and Alan Rappeport in the New York Times -- 06/02/25

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory -- President Trump reposted another user’s false claim that the former president had been “executed” in 2020 and replaced by a robotic clone. Zolan Kanno-Youngs in the New York Times -- 06/02/25

Musk and DOGE are a metaphor for early months of Trump’s administration -- Trump’s initial weeks have featured big promises, lots of drama, disruption, mistakes, directional shifts and business far from finished. Dan Balz in the Washington Post -- 06/02/25

Why Trump is really going after Harvard -- If the US’s oldest university bends the knee, the door to authoritarianism opens and democracy fades, experts warn. David Smith The Guardian -- 06/02/25

Can the ‘Abundance Agenda’ Save the Democrats? -- A raging political fad has taken over the Democratic Party, coalescing politicians, activists and rank-and-file partisans around an unlikely message: The government is broken. Molly Ball in the Wall Street Journal -- 06/02/25

Budget head Vought floats impoundment to sidestep Congress on DOGE cuts -- The White House is weighing options like impoundment to formalize DOGE's spending cuts without going through Congress, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said Sunday. Avery Lotz Axios -- 06/02/25

DOGE vowed to make government more ‘efficient’ — but it’s doing the opposite -- New procedures and requirements — some implemented in the name of improving operations — are slowing down federal agencies. Hannah Natanson in the Washington Post -- 06/02/25

Critics warn of loyalty test in new White House hiring guidelines -- New White House hiring guidelines sent out to federal agencies last week include what looks like a presidential loyalty test, say current and former federal employees and Trump administration critics. Emily Peck Axios -- 06/02/25