Updating . . .

California Policy and Politics Wednesday

7 reported missing after California fireworks warehouse explosion -- Seven people were missing Wednesday after a fireworks facility in Northern California exploded on Tuesday and triggered a large fire, Cal Fire authorities said. First responders and investigators were working with the property’s owner and were monitoring the area using aircraft systems to find the individuals, according to a Cal Fire statement Wednesday. Jerry Wu in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/02/25

L.A. ‘under siege’: Brown-skinned people targeted, tackled, taken, and it must stop, federal suit says -- Masked, unidentified agents have been “systematically” cornering brown-skinned people in a show of force across Southern California, tackling those who attempt to leave, arresting them without probable cause and then placing them in “dungeon-like” conditions without access to lawyers, a federal lawsuit alleges. Rachel Uranga and Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

California lawmakers struggle to find ways to hit back against Trump immigration raids -- With Newsom’s challenge to Trump in limbo, California politicians are seemingly powerless to fight back, from federal court to the state Legislature. Sandra McDonald in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

Mayor Karen Bass accuses Trump of waging ‘an all-out assault on Los Angeles’ --The mayor, appearing before reporters at City Hall, assailed federal agents for “randomly grabbing people” off the street, “chasing Angelenos through parking lots” and arresting immigrants who showed up at court for annual check-ins. She also took a swipe at Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, a Santa Monica native widely viewed as the architect of the sweeping immigration crackdown. David Zahniser, Brittny Mejia and Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

ICE targets men on Inland Empire church grounds -- Church officials complained after several men on the grounds of two Inland Empire Catholic churches were detained by immigration enforcement officers. Deborah Brennan Calmatters -- 07/02/25

Faith leaders bear witness as migrants make their case in immigration court -- Across California, clergy leaders are accompanying migrants at their asylum hearings. ‘We’re there trying to appeal to a higher authority than ICE,’ one pastor said. Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

Even some Orange County Republicans question Trump sweeps targeting immigrant workers -- Many Republicans who supported Trump’s call to deport undocumented criminals have expressed hesitation about immigration sweeps targeting workers and longtime residents. Hannah Fry and Christopher Buchanan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

California Republicans still love Donald Trump -- Republicans in California are steadfast in their support of President Donald Trump, even as he remains deeply unpopular in the blue state, a new poll from the University of California, Irvine found. Juliann Ventura Politico -- 07/02/25

New bill in Congress would bar federal immigration agents from covering their faces -- The No Masks for ICE Act, introduced by Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-New York) and co-sponsored by more than a dozen Democrats, would make it illegal for federal agents to cover their faces while conducting immigration enforcement unless the masks were required for their safety or health. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

Trump administration says it’s pulling 150 members of the National Guard from Los Angeles -- U.S. military officials on Tuesday said they planned to pull about 150 members of the National Guard from Los Angeles, where they’ve been tasked by the Trump administration with protecting federal property and ICE personnel as they conduct immigration arrests and deportations. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/02/25

Arellano: Trump was winning with Latinos. Now, his cruelty is derailing him -- The Pew Research Center is one of the most trusted polling firms in the country, especially when it comes to Latinos. Last week, it published findings that should have been a victory lap for Donald Trump and his tortuous relationship with America’s largest minority. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

Newsom to Trump: I wrote the executive order on fighting wildfires -- Gov. Gavin Newsom goaded President Donald Trump on Tuesday with a mock executive order outlining a hypothetical new federal approach to wildfires with more firefighters, airplanes and billions more dollars spent to prevent catastrophes. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/02/25

California sues Trump administration for sharing Medicaid data with ICE -- While preparing to slash health-care funding to millions of low-income Americans, the Trump administration is also illegally sharing their private health information with immigration officials engaged in mass deportations, California and 19 other states charged in a lawsuit Tuesday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Tyler Katzenberger Politico -- 07/02/25

Orange County congresswoman targeted by protests over Trump megabill, cuts to healthcare -- Trump’s proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” narrowly passed the U.S. Senate hours before hundreds of people gathered in a cul-de-sac outside of the Anaheim field office of Republican Rep. Young Kim to protest those cuts. The legislation still needs to be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives, which could happen before the end of the week. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

California AI regulations safe after Senate strips moratorium from ‘big, beautiful bill’ -- In the end, both Republicans and Democrats helped doom a 10-year moratorium on state artificial intelligence laws after it cleared the House. Ryan Tate Calmatters -- 07/02/25

How Trump’s big budget bill would jump-start his immigration agenda -- Building the border wall. Increasing detention capacity. Hiring thousands of immigration agents. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

Bay Area Democratic leaders assail Trump tax and policy bill after Senate passes it -- Bay Area Democratic leaders on Tuesday blasted the just-passed tax and policy bill of President Donald Trump as a gift to rich people at the cost of everyday Americans that would add trillions of dollars to America’s national debt. The White House, meanwhile, said the bill, if approved by the Republican-majority House of Representatives, would bring lower taxes, bigger paychecks, tighter borders and stronger national security. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/02/25

Secret Agency

Lawmakers wanted a new infrastructure agency to operate in secret. Why they backed down -- For months, a plan to create an infrastructure financing agency largely shielded from the public eye sailed smoothly through the state Senate. Lawmakers only backtracked when transparency advocates sounded the alarm. Yue Stella Yu Calmatters -- 07/02/25

CEQA

How major new housing reform will affect homebuilding in California -- The changes waive CEQA for just about any proposed low- or mid-rise development in urban neighborhoods zoned for multifamily housing. No more thousand-page studies of soils, the shadows the buildings may cast and traffic they may bring. No more risk of CEQA lawsuits from angry neighbors. Liam Dillon and Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ J.K. Dineen, Laura Waxmann, Sara Libby in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/02/25

Downtown Housing Could Rise in California Cities, but Barriers Remain -- After scaling back a landmark environmental law, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state leaders are hoping for a construction boom. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 07/02/25

California voters want more action on housing, poll finds -- The survey of registered voters, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine School of Social Ecology, found that 70 percent of all voters say housing is a major funding priority for the state. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 07/02/25

Walters: California lawmakers finally achieve ‘holy grail’ reform of state’s key environmental law -- Jerry Brown once described reform of the California Environmental Quality Act as “the lord’s work” but he, like other recent governors, was not willing to invest enough political capital to change it. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 07/02/25

Wildfire

A new toxic metal has been found in the air after L.A. fires. No one knows where it’s coming from -- A little-known and highly dangerous earth metal used to craft spaceships has been found in wildfire-ravaged homes and in the air in Los Angeles. Experts are shocked — and alarmed. Megan Fan Munce, Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/02/25

The Palisades fire spewed toxins into the Pacific. Summer surf camps are paying the price -- Several L.A.-area youth surf camps and schools said business is down this summer because parents are worried about toxins from the Palisades fire. Daniel Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

Off the Market

Home-sale cancellations see ‘dramatic increase,’ agents say -- With prices leveling off and more homes on the market, buyers now are more likely to walk away from a deal when they hit a snag before closing. As a result, one out of every six Southern California transactions fell apart in May, killing 2,261 home sales, according to Redfin, the online brokerage. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register$ -- 07/02/25

Gas

Controversial California climate rule, which could raise gas prices, takes effect -- California’s revamped Low Carbon Fuel Standard took effect on Tuesday, despite fierce Republican criticism and increasing Democratic trepidation over its potential to raise gas prices. Alejandro Lazo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 07/02/25

Education

California schools are scrambling as Trump administration withholds almost $811 million -- California school districts are short hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grant money they had already budgeted for this year. While Congress approved the funds as part of its 2025 budget, the Trump Administration today refused to release them, sending districts across the country scrambling. Tara García Mathewson and Carolyn Jones Calmatters Diana Lambert, Zaidee Stavely, and Vani Sanganeria EdSource -- 07/02/25

Homeless student counts in California are up. Some say that’s a good thing -- In the latest state enrollment data released, California had 230,443 homeless students — a 9.3% increase from the previous year. Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 07/02/25

Alcatraz

Trump renews plan to reopen Alcatraz, this time with sharks -- In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president described the shuttered penitentiary as a potent symbol in the fight against crime, with sharks lurking. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/02/25

Fresno Diocese

Facing 153 sexual abuse cases, the Fresno Diocese seeks bankruptcy. Critics call it delay tactic -- Fresno church officials said the action will help them avoid insolvency, while victims of abuse and their attorneys excoriated the church for delay tactics they say help the diocese evade justice. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ Melissa Montalvo in the Fresno Bee -- 07/02/25

Workplace

Hundreds of Bay Area tech layoffs jolt TurboTax maker as cuts persist -- Intuit has decided to cut well over 300 jobs in Mountain View and more than 200 jobs in San Diego, according to official WARN notice information that the state Employment Development Department has posted. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/02/25

In a first, California moves toward paying incarcerated firefighters minimum wage -- California sent incarcerated firefighters to battle blazes in Los Angeles this year. It’s moving toward paying them minimum wage for their work in emergencies. Cayla Mihalovich Calmatters -- 07/02/25

Jane Fonda and other celebs demand that Amazon improve conditions for pregnant workers -- Jane Fonda, Cynthia Nixon, Sally Field and several other celebrities are demanding that Amazon address allegations that pregnant warehouse workers are not receiving reasonable accommodations, causing health complications and even miscarriages. Kaitlyn Huamani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

This Job Market Is Weaker Than It Looks -- Even if Thursday’s jobs report comes in strong, a look behind the headline number tells a different story. Justin Lahart in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 07/02/25

San Diego’s NASSCO awarded $72.6 million to help Navy develop submarine tenders -- The Pentagon says it will pay San Diego’s General Dynamics-NASSCO at least $72.6 million to keep developing a new class of submarine tender for the Navy, boosting the shipyard’s already large workforce and possibly diversifying its construction programs. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 07/02/25

Warner Music Group announces $170 million in layoffs as part of larger restructuring plan -- Kyncl said in the memo that the plan to “future-proof” the company includes reducing annual costs by roughly $300 million, with $170 million of that coming from “headcount rightsizing for agility and impact.” The additional $130 million in costs will come from administrative and real estate expenses, he said. Kaitlyn Huamani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

Nordstrom to close Santa Monica store -- Retail giant Nordstrom is closing its sprawling Santa Monica Place store as it restructures its network to try to better target customers who have moved to online shopping. Md Fazlur Rahman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

Street

S.F. Sheriff’s Office sees largest increase in ranks in a decade -- The hires outpaced the number of separations for the first time since fiscal year 2018-19 and, taking into account 46 resignations and retirements, marked the largest gain in the last 10 years. David Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/02/25

Also

As Lake Tahoe storm turned deadly, another boat was in crisis. This is their harrowing story of survival -- The sky darkened over the Johnston family and its guests aboard a luxury ski boat on Lake Tahoe. Within minutes, a cold wind whipped up waves so big they threatened to inundate the craft. The boat's passengers had just finished a leisurely lunch on shore, during a celebratory excursion on a relatively placid day. Now they were in deep trouble. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/02/25

Fireworks facility explodes in Northern California, triggers massive fire and smoke plume -- The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office said the blast occurred in the rural community of Esparto, near County Road 23 and County Road 86A, about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento. The warehouse was still actively burning as of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/02/25

Do you want to cover your cocktail to keep it from getting spiked? California bars must offer lids -- California bars and nightclubs already are required to post conspicuous signs letting customers know that drug-testing kits are available. Now they have to keep a stack of lids handy — one more method for protecting patrons from drinks that have been drugged. Christopher Buchanan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/02/25

POTUS 47

Trump and Republicans Mislead on Policy Bill’s Effect -- Still, some of their most repeated talking points — a warning about vast tax increases if the bill did not pass, a purported elimination of taxes on Social Security and boasts about a record tax cut for average Americans, or insistence that the bill would not balloon the deficit or cut Medicaid — are not accurate. Here’s a fact-check. Linda Qiu in the New York Times$ -- 07/02/25

What the GOP’s tax bill means for your health care -- Here’s a look at how the biggest GOP health proposals on the table could affect Americans. Paige Winfield Cunningham and Yasmeen Abutaleb in the Washington Post$ -- 07/02/25

Paramount to Pay $16 Million to Settle Trump Lawsuit Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview -- The settlement will go to Trump’s future presidential library and will also pay for legal fees. Bradley Olson in the Wall Street Journal$ Benjamin Mullin, Michael M. Grynbaum, Lauren Hirsch and David Enrich in the New York Times$ -- 07/02/25

Trump Said Trade Deals Would Come Easy. Japan Is Proving Him Wrong -- When Japanese officials arrived in Washington in late May, Lutnick and Greer warned them that if the two sides couldn’t work out an agreement soon, the conversations might start shifting from easing the tariffs President Trump had recently imposed toward additional punitive measures, according to people familiar with the matter. Gavin Bade and Brian Schwartz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 07/02/25

Vance’s potential 2028 Democratic rivals want him to be the face of the megabill -- Democrats are rushing to portray Vice President JD Vance as the central figure behind the passage of the GOP’s megabill, with potential 2028 rivals arguing it will come back to haunt the MAGA heir apparent. Cheyanne M. Daniels Politico -- 07/02/25

How Republican E.V. Cuts Could Put U.S. Carmakers Behind China -- President Trump has said his policies will revive auto manufacturing in the United States. But Republican attacks on electric vehicles could do just the opposite, some industry experts say, by surrendering leadership in an emerging technology. Jack Ewing in the New York Times$ -- 07/02/25

Musk vows to start a third party. Funding’s no issue, but there are others -- But his threat this week to start a third major political party has been met with widespread skepticism, as critics pointed to numerous failed bids over decades — including by lesser business titans — to disrupt America’s two-party system. Faiz Siddiqui, Beth Reinhard and Julian Mark in the New York Times$ -- 07/02/25