California Policy and Politics Friday

Multiple immigration sweeps reported across L.A.: ‘They’re everywhere’ -- At least one video posted on X show federal agents running after people in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Westlake, not far from downtown Los Angeles. A man recording the video can be heard warning people in Spanish that immigration officials were at the location and to stay away. Ruben Vives and Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

Blue Diamond to close historic midtown Sacramento plant; 600 jobs affected -- Blue Diamond Growers, the Sacramento-based almond cooperative, plans to wind down operations at its historic midtown plant and transfer most manufacturing to sites in Turlock and Salida over the next two years. Annika Merrilees in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 06/06/25

Should polluters pay? California’s climate ‘superfund’ plan may have stalled -- Proposed legislation hasn’t moved out of the state Assembly or Senate, raising questions about how far California will go in its efforts to make oil and gas companies pay for climate damage. Alejandro Lazo Calmatters -- 06/06/25

Silicon Valley isn’t joining Musk’s Trump-bashing — yet -- The Trump-Musk beef puts Silicon Valley in an awkward position as it navigates the president’s tech and trade policies. Chase DiFeliciantonio and Christine Mui Politico -- 06/06/25

‘Tastes like water’: how a US facility is recycling sewage to drink -- A California project can turn sewage into drinking water in less than an hour and could be a blueprint for other water-scarce regions. Katharine Gammon The Guardian -- 06/06/25

State moves to suspend licenses of troubled L.A. nursing home companies -- The state health department sent letters last month to seven companies in Los Angeles County that received at least two “AA” violations within the last two years, indicating a failure that factored heavily in the death of a resident. Corinne Purtill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

 

Torrance boy, 9, detained by ICE for planned deportation to Honduras. Community is outraged -- Earlier this week, residents in Torrance were scrambling to find out what happened to 9-year-old Martir Garcia Lara, a fourth-grader at Torrance Elementary School. Nathan Solis and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

ICE arrests 15 people, including 3-year-old child, in San Francisco, advocates say -- At least 15 people, including children as young as 3 years old, were detained Wednesday during their scheduled check-ins at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in San Francisco, according to immigration-rights advocates. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/06/25

 

Gavin Newsom confronts his Hollywood problem -- Gavin Newsom wants to claim the role of Hollywood’s superhero. But California’s iconic industry is so battered that even its governor may not be able to save it. Melanie Mason Politico -- 06/06/25

Gavin Newsom met privately with Trump’s Hollywood ambassador Jon Voight -- The Academy Award-winning actor and the California governor have a common goal in bringing Hollywood back home. Melanie Mason Politico -- 06/06/25

Their political futures uncertain, Newsom and Harris go on the road to Compton to feed young dreams -- California’s two most prominent Democrats remain mum on their future plans, but former Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Gavin Newsom both took time to tend to their political personas in Compton Thursday, attending separate events at local schools. Julia Wick and Christopher Buchanan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

Walters: California’s stubborn problems keep thwarting its ballooning budget -- For decades, California’s two political parties had struggled for dominance. Control of its governorship, its Legislature, its congressional delegation and its presidential electoral votes had shifted back and forth as the mood of voters oscillated. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 06/06/25

 

Los Angeles County fire victims sue AAA and USAA, alleging insurance fraud -- Los Angeles County fire victims have filed lawsuits against three large home insurers alleging they were systematically underinsured, leaving them without enough money to replace or rebuild their homes after the Jan. 7 blazes. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

State launches $105M grant program to help fire victims pay mortgages -- Residents can apply starting June 12 for cash to make three months of loan payments on homes lost in the LA wildfires and other recent disasters. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register$ -- 06/06/25

 

Why Paramount’s efforts to settle Trump’s lawsuit have drawn mounting political heat -- Paramount Global’s efforts to appease President Trump could carry a steep price, and not just financially. As Paramount executives struggle to win government approval for its planned sale, the legal risks and political headaches are spreading — from Washington to Sacramento. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

California asks FDA to undo limits on abortion pill mifepristone amid RFK Jr. scrutiny -- California joined Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey in asking the FDA to ease restrictions on the abortion pill, or exempt them from those restrictions. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

Lurie’s S.F. budget would impact jobs in these departments most -- San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has proposed shrinking the city’s unusually large government workforce by eliminating 1,400 city positions, a move aimed at reducing the city’s roughly $800 million two-year budget deficit. But despite the large number of proposed cuts, the immediate financial impact is modest, and overall employee compensation costs are still expected to grow next year. Nami Sumida in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/06/25

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee’s new staff may receive $1.7 million pay raise amid city’s budget woes -- City officials are deciding on a new two-year budget that would pad the new mayor’s office budget with an extra $1.7 million, or a 42% increase. The spending boost would contrast sharply with the steep cuts — including possible layoffs — facing other city departments. Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/06/25

Orange County D.A. retaliated against top female prosecutor in office, civil jury finds -- Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer harassed and retaliated against a high-ranking female prosecutor in his office after she raised concerns about his conduct and tried to protect other prosecutors who were sexually harassed by another superior, according to a jury verdict Thursday. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ Sean Emery in the Orange County Register$ -- 06/06/25

Breathe

Blocked by GOP and Trump, California Pivots in Clean-Air Fight -- The air-quality agency that covers the region around California’s busiest port complex is stepping up enforcement of an obscure rule that regulates emissions from vehicles operating at warehouses. Regulators are hoping the rule, known as an indirect-source rule, could push companies toward green technologies as other regulatory efforts stall. Paul Berger in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 06/06/25

Environment

Recreational salmon fishing resumes in California this weekend for limited time -- After a two-year shutdown, fishing boats will fan out along the California coast angling for Chinook salmon this weekend as recreational fishing resumes under strict limits. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

Huge swath of Northern California to be preserved amid largest-ever land transfer to tribe -- Last week, in what appears to be the largest “land back” deal in state history, the Yurok Tribe completed acquisition of 47,000 acres around the Blue Creek watershed, finalizing the return of this vast ancestral stretch to Native American oversight. The property was conveyed in phases by Portland-based Western Rivers Conservancy. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/06/25

Education

A safety net for struggling colleges is expiring. Why the Bay Area will be hit hardest -- This June, struggling California community colleges will stop getting yearly cost-of-living increases to their budgets. These increases have kept many districts afloat for the past six years while community colleges adjusted to a new funding method based on district performance rather than enrollment numbers alone. Desmond Meagley and Lylah Schmedel-Permanna Calmatters -- 06/06/25

UCSF professor sues, says firing over Gaza war comments violated free speech -- A physician and longtime medical school professor at UCSF says in a lawsuit that the university violated her freedom of speech by suspending her, then firing her after she posted comments during private, non-working hours denouncing Israel’s war on Gaza. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/06/25

Newsom promises funding to jump-start early literacy -- Money would implement bill to provide teacher training and textbooks grounded in phonics. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 06/06/25

Street

Founder of San Diego-based GirlsDoPorn pleads guilty to sex-trafficking conspiracy -- The mastermind of a vast conspiracy that tricked and coerced young women into filming pornographic videos that were posted online without their consent pleaded guilty Thursday in San Diego federal court to two sex-trafficking charges that could see him sentenced to life in prison. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 06/06/25

Economy

Venture capital investment is rising in Los Angeles — and not just for AI startups -- Venture capital investors and private equity firms poured $3.1 billion to fund 144 deals in the L.A. area in the first quarter of this year, up 15% from a year ago. Queenie Wong and Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

Hiring in the US slows, though employers still added a solid 139,000 jobs in May -- U.S. employers slowed hiring last month, but still added a solid 139,000 jobs amid uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s trade wars. Paul Wiseman Associated Press -- 06/06/25

California wages jumped 6.5% last year, 5th biggest raises in US -- But employment grew just 0.5% over 12 months, ranking a middling No. 28 among the states. Jonathan Lansner in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/06/25

Also

Arellano: At Our Lady of the Angels, free organ recitals unleash the majesty of Los Angeles -- Even in a building as massive as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown, the organ stands out. How could it not? Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/06/25

POTUS 47

Elon Musk and Donald Trump Are Splitsville, Until They Aren’t -- For all the insults that Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump traded on Thursday, don’t be surprised if they make up again days from now. In the meantime, they both benefit. David Streitfeld in the New York Times$ -- 06/06/25

Trump and Musk’s Relationship Melts Down in Spectacular Fashion -- The speed of the fallout was breathtaking, with President Trump celebrating Elon Musk during an Oval Office farewell just last Friday. Shawn McCreesh in the New York Times$ -- 06/06/25

8 Ways Musk and Trump Could Inflict Pain on Each Other -- The spectacular blowup on Thursday between President Trump and Elon Musk has ripped apart a shaky alliance between two of the world’s most powerful men. Their feud could have far-reaching consequences if it drags on or even escalates. Kellen Browning in the New York Times$ -- 06/06/25

What Musk and Trump Risk Losing in Their High-Stakes Breakup -- The billionaires’ battle royal could exact steep costs to their empires. Brian Schwartz and Micah Maidenberg in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 06/06/25

Musk-Trump rupture poses a serious threat to NASA and Pentagon programs -- Elon Musk’s threat, which he later retracted, to cut off NASA’s use of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft would be a huge blow to NASA, depriving the space agency of the only American vehicle capable of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station and dramatically changing how NASA would access the $100 billion orbiting laboratory. Christian Davenport in the Washington Post$ -- 06/06/25

Trump administration races to fix a big mistake: DOGE fired too many people -- Across the government, officials are rehiring federal workers who were forced out or encouraged to resign. Hannah Natanson, Adam Taylor, Meryl Kornfield, Rachel Siegel and Scott Dance in the Washington Post$ -- 06/06/25

Musk used X to boost Trump. Now he’s wielding it against him -- For almost a year, Elon Musk marshaled the full force of X, his $45 billion social media platform, to boost Donald Trump’s political fortunes and second presidency. On Thursday, as the two men publicly fought in a flurry of furious online posts, Musk revealed X to be a double-edged sword. Will Oremus in the Washington Post$ -- 06/06/25

Democrats blast Trump’s travel ban, but legal challenges may be tough -- Legal analysts said the administration applied lessons from Trump’s first term and crafted the order in a way that makes it less susceptible to being blocked in federal court. David Nakamura, Marianne LeVine, Jeremy Roebuck and John Hudson in the Washington Post$ -- 06/06/25

Republicans worry Medicaid cuts would hurt their communities, poll finds -- While Democrats and independents are far more likely to have concerns, the Republican concerns illustrate the perils as the Senate weighs Medicaid cuts. Sabrina Malhi and Paige Winfield Cunningham in the Washington Post$ -- 06/06/25

Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban on Foreign Students at Harvard -- Harvard argued Thursday in a court document that the administration’s actions were “part of a concerted and escalating campaign of retaliation by the government in clear retribution for Harvard’s exercising its First Amendment rights.” Douglas Belkin in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 06/06/25