Updating . . .

California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Intel to cut 107 Silicon Valley jobs and shut automotive unit as global layoffs begin -- The layoffs, set to take effect July 15, mark the first phase of a broader plan to reduce up to 20% of the company’s factory workforce under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/25/25

U.S. strikes crippled Iran’s nuclear program, Israeli analysis finds -- Israel’s preliminary analysis of the damage caused by U.S. strikes on Iran’s main nuclear facilities — based in part from on-the-ground assessments — shows the attacks inflicted widespread destruction, a senior Israeli official said. Michael Wilner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

State lawmakers poised to boost Hollywood tax breaks despite budget woes -- Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislative leaders have reached an agreement to increase the annual amount of money allocated to California’s film and television tax credit program to $750 million, giving hope to a beleaguered Hollywood. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

California violated civil rights of female students by allowing trans athletes to compete, feds say -- The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation violated the civil rights of female students on the basis of sex by allowing transgender students to compete in school sports according to their gender identity. Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ Collin Binkley Associated Press -- 06/25/25

‘Scared to be brown’: California residents fearful amid immigration raids -- Although the Department of Homeland Security has denied that agents are racially profiling during immigration raids across California, it hasn’t quelled concerns among U.S.-born Latinos. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Nearly one-third of National Guard drug enforcement team were pulled to go to L.A. -- Nearly a third of the California National Guard troops who had been doing drug enforcement work have been pulled away as part of President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles, according to data from CalGuard. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/25/25

A Republican plan to sell off millions of acres of public lands is no more — for now -- A controversial proposal to sell off millions of acres of public lands across Western states — including large swaths of California — was stripped Monday from Republican’s tax and spending bill for violating Senate rules. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Did Cudahy vice mayor call on street gangs to organize against ICE? ‘Get your members in order’ -- Cynthia Gonzalez, the vice mayor of Cudahy, a suburb of southeast Los Angeles County, is coming under fire for a video she posted on social media in which she appeared to be calling on street gangs to organize in the face of immigration sweeps. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Most nabbed in L.A. raids were men with no criminal conviction, picked up off the street -- As Los Angeles became the epicenter of President Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem flew to the city and held a news conference, saying the government’s objective was to “bring in criminals that have been out on our street far too long.” Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Local economies under pressure as ICE crackdowns create climate of fear -- Lupe Lopez’s Latino market in Newark, California, has been a shopping and social hub for decades — until recently. Now the aisles are often quiet, the parking lot near empty, she said. Jaclyn Peiser, Julian Mark, Aaron Gregg and Taylor Telford in the Washington Post$ -- 06/25/25

Santa Ana Unified suspends field trips for third week amid ICE raids -- Nearby Garden Grove Unified set up a helpline last week to connect families with legal and social services. Hanna Kang in the Orange County Register$ -- 06/25/25

Barabak: You can’t separate sports from politics. Just ask the L.A. Dodgers -- Sports offer an escape, an oasis, a relief from the anxiety and troubles of day-to-day living. There’s the competition, of course. There’s also a reassuring certainty. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Newsom, Democrats announce $321-billion California budget deal -- California leaders reached a tentative agreement Tuesday night on the state budget, which hinges on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s demand that the Legislature pass a housing reform proposal. The eleventh-hour negotiations about the spending plan, which takes effect July 1, speak to the political challenge of overhauling longstanding environmental regulations to speed up housing construction in a state controlled by Democrats. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Newsom agrees to ease budget cuts as California seeks more time to fix growing deficit -- Gov. Gavin Newsom backed off some of his proposed cuts to health care programs in a state budget deal he reached with legislative leaders late Tuesday, but California will move forward with his plan to limit services to undocumented immigrants as the state faces a growing deficit. Alexei Koseff Calmatters -- 06/25/25

Planned Parenthood turns to states for a lifeline -- Planned Parenthood is pushing governors and legislators in California, New York and other blue states to cobble together emergency funding that will allow them to keep the lights on should the spigot of federal money run dry. Rachel Bluth, Katelyn Cordero and Ben Jacobs Politico -- 06/25/25

California’s signature climate policies face a new foe: Democrats -- President Donald Trump is threatening California’s marquee carbon-trading program. But it’s in-state Democrats who are taking aim at the state’s other emissions market for transportation fuels. Alex Nieves, Debra Kahn and Camille von Kaenel Politico -- 06/25/25

Federal judge orders Trump administration to release EV charger funding in 14 states -- A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in funding for the build out of electric vehicle chargers in more than a dozen states. Sudhin Thanawala and Sophie Austin Associated Press -- 06/25/25

Walters: California’s war on carbon emissions faces setbacks in court and Congress -- California’s self-designated deadline for achieving net zero emissions of greenhouse gases is 20 years away. But what is happening — or not happening — in multiple arenas now may determine whether that goal is met. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 06/25/25

Newsom, lawmakers lean on reserve funds and Medi-Cal premiums in final budget plan -- The agreement, which was acknowledged Tuesday by the Senate’s budget chair Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, caps months of negotiating between lawmakers and Newsom over how to fill a deficit of around $12 billion – a budget hole Democrats have blamed on losses from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Nicole Nixon, Molly Gibbs and Kate Wolffe in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 06/25/25

Robert Garcia picked for top congressional post, part of a new Democratic generation -- Rep. Robert Garcia emerged Tuesday as a major player in a new generation of California congressional leaders as he was elected as top Democrat on the House committee charged with investigating White House actions. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ Marianna Sotomayor and Mariana Alfaro in the Washington Post$ -- 06/25/25

They were convicted of killing with their cars. No one told the California DMV -- A CalMatters investigation found that courts didn’t report hundreds of vehicular manslaughter convictions to the state, prompting officials to belatedly take many drivers’ licenses. Lauren Hepler and Robert Lewis Calmatters -- 06/25/25

Stanford Medicine halts gender-affirming surgeries for youths -- Stanford Medicine has stopped providing gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 years old — becoming the second major health care provider in California to scale back transgender care for youths amid efforts by the Trump administration to restrict access to the specialized care. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/25/25

Fearing action by Trump, Golden Gate Bridge operator considers removing DEI references -- The latest Bay Area entity to consider backing away from diversity, equity and inclusion language amid President Donald Trump’s attacks on DEI is the district that runs San Francisco’s most famous asset: the Golden Gate Bridge. Tom Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/25/25

ICE detainments at Bay Area jail spark alarm over strength of sanctuary policies -- Detentions made by ICE agents waiting for people being released from Santa Clara County’s jail system has raised alarm in recent weeks over the strength of sanctuary policies that have aimed to keep local law enforcement out of immigration enforcement. Robert Salonga, Grace Hase, Luis Melecio-Zambrano in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/25/25

California’s Great America could close in 2027 -- After nearly five decades of roller coasters, fireworks and funnel cakes, California’s Great America may be nearing the end of its run. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/25/25

Workplace

Walmart to lay off hundreds of workers in Silicon Valley -- Walmart will permanently lay off 381 employees across four locations in the Silicon Valley, according to notices filed with California’s Employment Development Department. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 06/25/25

$30 Minimum Wage Has L.A. Hotel Owners in Revolt -- Hotel owners are in open revolt against Los Angeles’s new $30-an-hour minimum wage, the latest blow to one of the country’s poorest-performing lodging markets. Kate King, Morgan Lieberman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 06/25/25

Homeless

L.A.’s homeless programs should not be placed in receivership, federal judge rules -- A federal judge declined to put Los Angeles’ homelessness programs into receivership on Tuesday, even as he concluded that the city failed to adhere to the terms of a three-year-old settlement agreement focused on addressing the humanitarian crisis. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Transit

California budget includes $750 million loan to stanch bloodletting for Bay Area transit -- California’s budget will include a $750 million loan for Bay Area transit agencies, meant to tide them over until voters weigh a tax measure next year. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/25/25

Environment

The profound environmental health disparities between Latino and white neighborhoods in L.A. -- A new data tool from researchers at UCLA highlights significant environmental health disparities between Latino and white neighborhoods in L.A., providing critical insights amid escalating public health concerns linked to the places where climate change and the Trump administration’s recent immigration policy actions intersect. Marcos Magaña in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

The numbers of gray whales migrating along the California coast continue to plummet -- Federal researchers are reporting the lowest number of migrating gray whale calves ever recorded off the West Coast. Scientists suspect changes in food availability as a result of climate change is a likely culprit. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Education

UC Berkeley law professors take on a case for colleagues: Fighting Trump research cuts -- Amid an avalanche of lawsuits in which universities and states are fighting the Trump administration over slashing research funding, a significant early win this week in California stands out. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Revised LAUSD budget saves jobs today, trims future retiree health benefit contributions -- The L.A. school board approved an $18.8 billion budget that postpones layoffs for a year and does not cut services to students. But future years may looking much different. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Trump cancelled millions in California research grants. Judges want to restore them -- The science grants are a core aspect of university operations and science development in the U.S. At the University of California alone, National Institutes of Health funding brought in $2.6 billion last year. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 06/25/25

Proposed student aid cuts would ‘cripple’ California’s economy, college leaders tell Congress -- Deep cuts to federal student financial aid contained in President Donald Trump’s so-called “big beautiful bill” making its way through Congress would “cripple economic and social mobility” across the state for years to come, California’s higher education leaders wrote congressional leaders on Tuesday, imploring the lawmakers to reject the Pell Grant hit. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 06/25/25

Pandemic graduates: They had no prom, no pomp and circumstance, and started college on Zoom -- Five years after COVID shut down most California high schools, today’s college students describe a difficult transition to adulthood, marked by fear, loss and a lack of preparation. Deborah Brennan Calmatters -- 06/25/25

Street

Suspected accomplice in Palm Springs bombing dies in federal custody in Los Angeles -- Daniel Park, 32, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, officials said. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Orange County D.A. dismisses gang injunctions against hundreds of people -- Orange County’s top prosecutor moved to dismiss all active gang injunctions Tuesday, making it the latest California jurisdiction to move away from the controversial court orders in recent years. Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said the decision came after a 2022 Assembly Bill significantly narrowed the legal definition of what constitutes a gang or gang activity in California. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

LAPD allowed to use drones as ‘first responders’ under new program -- Citing successes other police departments across the country have seen using drones, the Los Angeles Police Commission said it would allow the LAPD to deploy unmanned aircraft on routine emergency calls. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 06/25/25

Also

Amid the Rubble of the Palisades Fire, Taco Trucks Feed the Recovery -- At the heart of downtown Pacific Palisades, the current lunch crowd wears orange and fluorescent yellow safety vests. General contractors and heavy equipment operators, cleanup crew members and internet linemen rush to grab sustenance and get back to work restoring the neighborhood ravaged by January’s fire. Waiting to serve them is a line of taco trucks. Meghan McCarron in the New York Times$ -- 06/25/25

POTUS 47

Trump Says Iranian Nuclear Deal Isn’t Necessary After U.S. Strikes -- The president pushed back on an intelligence report saying the strikes only set back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions by a few months. The item is in the Wall Street Journal$ Adam Rasgon, Michael D. Shear, Francesca Regalado and David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 06/25/25

How Trump Cajoled Iran and Israel Into a Cease-Fire and Forced Them to Comply -- It remains to be seen how long the truce will hold and whether it will pave the way for a nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran. Yaroslav Trofimov, Alexander Ward, Jared Malsin and Summer Said in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 06/25/25

U.S. Strikes Set Back Iran Nuclear Program by a Few Months, Initial Report Says -- Preliminary classified intelligence report produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency counters White House’s claims of more-extensive damage. Dustin Volz, Jared Malsin and Lara Seligman in the Wall Street Journal$ Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt, Ronen Bergman, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times$ Warren P. Strobel, John Hudson, Dan Lamothe, Karen DeYoung and Theodoric Meyer in the Washington Post$ Hugo Lowell The Guardian -- 06/25/25

Trump administration is preparing to challenge budget law, U.S. officials say -- The Trump administration is preparing to test a 1974 budget law by refusing to spend congressionally mandated funds, senior federal officials say — an escalation that could change the balance of power between Congress and the White House. Jeff Stein, Hannah Natanson, Carolyn Y. Johnson and Dan Diamond in the Washington Post$ -- 06/25/25

Key Member of Musk’s DOGE Resigns From Government -- Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old high-profile operative for the Department of Government Efficiency, resigned yesterday morning, according to a White House official. Mr. Coristine, known by the online pseudonym “Big Balls,” was a key player on Elon Musk’s team that spearheaded a widespread effort to slash the federal bureaucracy. Chris Cameron and Nicholas Nehamas in the New York Times$ -- 06/25/25