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

California Policy and Politics Saturday

30 hurt when car slams into crowd in Hollywood -- A driver smashed into a crowd outside a popular East Hollywood nightclub in the early hours of Saturday, injuring 30 people, including seven critically, before being shot and pulled from the vehicle. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ Angie Orellana Hernandez and Victoria Craw in the New York Times$ -- 07/19/25

Did Border Patrol commit an ‘egregious violation’ in Sacramento immigration arrests? -- Immigration agents potentially violated a federal court order Thursday morning by arresting people in a south Sacramento Home Depot parking lot. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 07/19/25

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI brings on former Sen. Laphonza Butler -- Former Sen. Laphonza Butler is now advising OpenAI, her first known client since the California Democrat left Congress and landed at the global public affairs firm Actum, people familiar with the contract told Politico and the ChatGPT-maker confirmed. Christine Mui Politico -- 07/19/25

After L.A. firestorms and Texas floods, forecasters haunted by warnings not being heard -- Two massive disasters this year — the Texas floods and Los Angeles firestorms — are leading some to grapple with the question of how to get officials and the public to care and take action. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/19/25

Airbnb allowed rampant price gouging following L.A. fires, city attorney lawsuit alleges -- The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has filed a lawsuit against Airbnb, accusing the home-sharing platform of allowing price gouging at more than 2,000 rentals following the January firestorm. Katerina Portela in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/19/25

 

California cannabis companies thought Trump would be an ally. Then the raids happened -- Federal agents arrested hundreds of workers after immigration sweeps at a California cannabis company, stoking fears that President Trump might target the marijuana industry. Alexei Koseff Calmatters -- 07/19/25

 

3 L.A. County sheriff’s deputies killed in explosion ID’d; investigators search Santa Monica apartment -- Three deputies were killed Friday in an explosion at the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Center Training Academy in East L.A., the deadliest incident for the agency in more than 160 years. Richard Winton, Nathan Solis, Hannah Fry, Christopher Buchanan, Connor Sheets and Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/19/25

Santa Monica apartment is focus of probe into blast that killed 3 L.A. County sheriff’s deputies -- Authorities investigating the deadly blast at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training facility are looking into connections to some explosives collected in Santa Monica. Richard Winton and Christopher Buchanan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/19/25

‘Best of the best,’ What we know about the 3 L.A. County sheriff’s detectives killed in explosion -- The fallen lawmen — identified as Dets. Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn — combined to serve the Sheriff’s Department for 74 years. They leave behind grieving colleagues, friends and family, including 16 children among them. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/19/25

Deadly East L.A. blast follows other incidents at sheriff’s training facilities -- Sheriff Robert Luna said the blast at the Biscailuz Training Center in East Los Angeles marked the deadliest day in department history since 1857. But the most recent death at a training facility occurred last year, when a deputy died from burns suffered in a fire that erupted in a shooting range. Matthew Ormseth and Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/19/25

 

Border Patrol’s Sacramento presence brings Trump’s immigration show of force to CA -- The political message was anything but subtle. “The state of California is not a sanctuary state,” Gregory Bovino, a top Border Patrol official, told a Fox News reporter in front of California’s Capitol Thursday. “There is no sanctuary anywhere.” Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 07/19/25

Federal officers arrested a US citizen in Sacramento raid — was it legal? -- Jose Castillo’s arrest by federal Customs and Border Protection agents during an immigration raid at a Home Depot in south Sacramento on Thursday, captured on video by his wife, Andrea, was disturbing: a man running from armed and masked men, finally being pulled to the ground, as his wife screamed in the background that he was a U.S. citizen. Sharon Bernstein in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 07/19/25

Newsom ready to pursue lawsuit against Fox News host despite on-air apology -- The California governor, Gavin Newsom, and Fox News host Jesse Watters have locked into a political tit-for-tat after the network figure admitted to mistakenly claiming that Newsom lied about a phone call with Donald Trump during June’s anti-immigration enforcement protests in the state. Maya Yang The Guardian -- 07/19/25

What’s next for PBS and NPR after Republicans strip funding? -- Ken Burns has made more than 30 documentaries and won multiple Emmys. But without funding from public television, his educational programming such as “The Civil War” and “Baseball” might never have existed, he told “PBS News Hour” in an interview Thursday. Kaitlyn Huamani and Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/19/25

EPA launches probe into ‘thick, poisonous smoke’ in Northern California -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched an investigation into the illegal pesticides crisis plaguing Siskiyou County after the board of supervisors declared a local state of emergency and requested Gov. Gavin Newsom’s support earlier this month. Jordan Parker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/19/25

Workplace

Agency protecting California’s workers doesn’t have enough people to do its job, audit says -- The audit said understaffing was to blame for many of the agency’s problems, with an overall vacancy rate of 32%, or 289 unfilled positions in the last fiscal year — with that rate much higher in certain district offices. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ Jeanne Kuang Calmatters -- 07/19/25

Bay Area sanitation workers set to return to work Saturday -- Bay Area sanitation workers are set to return to their jobs Saturday after Republic Services and a union reached an agreement Friday, bringing the strike to an end as it entered its second week, according to a statement from Republic Services. Caelyn Pender in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/19/25

Wildfire

L.A. wildfires broke record for costliest in the history of the planet -- Gallagher Re, a global reinsurance firm, estimates that the January fires caused economic losses of $65 billion, including $40 billion of insured damage. That makes the two blazes the “costliest individual wildfire events ever recorded for the (re)insurance industry,” according to the report released Wednesday. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/19/25

Street

Man accused of killing parole agent in Oakland had dodged potential life sentence in recent plea deal -- Bryan Keith Hall was previously charged with attempted murder and assault after an incident in late 2022 when he reportedly stabbed a stranger in the neck. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/19/25

POTUS 47

Inside the Long Friendship Between Trump and Epstein -- For nearly 15 years, the two men socialized together in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla., before a falling out that preceded Mr. Epstein’s first arrest. Alan Feuer and Matthew Goldstein in the New York Times$ -- 07/19/25

How MAGA influencers put pressure on Trump, Bondi over Epstein -- When conservative podcaster Liz Wheeler visited the White House along with other MAGA influencers on Feb. 27, Attorney General Pam Bondi handed her a binder labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1.” Sarah Ellison in the New York Times$ -- 07/19/25

Trump said he ‘never wrote a picture in my life.’ Here are four -- President Donald Trump denied ever creating any drawings when asked about a sketch of a naked woman bearing his name that allegedly was part of a bawdy birthday gift to Jeffrey Epstein more than two decades ago. Jonathan Edwards in the New York Times$ -- 07/19/25

White House to Release $1.3 Billion in Frozen Funds for After-School Programs -- The money will allow federally funded after-school programs to open this school year, preserving a lifeline for working parents. But other federal dollars remain on hold. Sarah Mervosh in the New York Times$ -- 07/19/25

Judge Orders Trump Officials to Restore Funding for Radio Free Europe -- In a stern ruling, the judge rebuked the Trump administration for refusing to disburse funding that Congress had already approved. Minho Kim in the New York Times$ -- 07/19/25

Trump signs order creating new federal worker classification for at-will, political appointees -- Trump signed an executive order on Thursday creating a new classification of federal employees who would be subject to hiring and firing by the president, Schedule G, for employees working on policy, in the latest action by his administration to reshape the federal workforce. Michael Sainato and Rachel Leingang The Guardian -- 07/19/25

Gabbard Claims Obama Administration Tried to Undermine Trump in 2016 -- Democrats denounced a report issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as politically motivated and error-ridden. Julian E. Barnes and David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 07/19/25

Lawmakers Question Whether CBS Canceled Colbert’s Show for Political Reasons -- Paramount, the network’s parent, recently agreed to pay President Trump $16 million to settle his lawsuit over the editing of an interview on the CBS News program “60 Minutes.” Ashley Ahn in the New York Times$ -- 07/19/25

Jon Stewart says he could be next after Stephen Colbert’s show is canceled -- Skydance, the movie studio trying to buy CBS and Comedy Central parent company Paramount, appears eager to rid CBS of “a liberal taint.” Martha Ross in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/19/25

Health insurance through Affordable Care Act faces big premium hikes -- The average consumer could also pay 75 percent more for a marketplace plan, according to a KFF analysis, driven by the expiration of federal subsidies. Paige Winfield Cunningham in the Washington Post$ -- 07/19/25

E.P.A. Says It Will Eliminate Its Scientific Research Arm -- The Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday that it would eliminate its scientific research arm and begin firing hundreds of chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists, after denying for months that it intended to do so. Lisa Friedman and Maxine Joselow in the New York Times$ -- 07/19/25

White House shares diagnosis in rare acknowledgment of Trump’s age -- The White House on Thursday said that President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a mild but chronic illness related to his age — a rare admission from one of the nation’s oldest presidents who has long sought to project vigor. Emily Davies in the Washington Post$ -- 07/19/25

 

California Policy and Politics Friday

Explosive that killed 3 L.A. County sheriff’s deputies was recovered in Santa Monica, source says -- Three deputies were killed Friday in an explosion at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Biscailuz Center Training Academy in East L.A., the deadliest incident for the agency in more than 160 years. Richard Winton, Nathan Solis, Hannah Fry, Christopher Buchanan and Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/18/25

California sues Trump administration over loss of high-speed rail funding -- The lawsuit calls the administration’s actions “arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law, and threatens to wreak significant economic damage on the Central Valley, the State, and the Nation.” Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/17/25

Fox News’ Jesse Watters admits mistake in program claiming Newsom lied about Trump call -- Faced with a $787-million defamation suit filed by the governor, Watters said he misunderstood Newsom’s X post about his communications with the president. Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/18/25

Trump and Bondi want to turn Alcatraz back into a prison. Here’s the poop problem -- Alcatraz does not have its own wastewater treatment plant or water pipes connecting to the mainland. Right now, boats ferry wastewater from the national park’s restrooms to San Francisco, where it enters the municipal sewage system. If the city chose not to accept such a delivery, the federal government could have a serious problem on its hands. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/18/25

Garofoli: Escape from Epstein: Trump officials stage a diversion with Alcatraz visit -- Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum broke two unofficial records during their junket to San Francisco Thursday purportedly to, as Burgum put it, “start the work to renovate and reopen” Alcatraz as a federal prison: Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/18/25

CEQA

From green icon to housing villain: The fall of California’s landmark environmental law -- Democrats pared back one of the state's preeminent policies to restore trust with voters frustrated by the high cost of living. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 07/18/25

Street

California lawmakers are quietly working to roll back criminal justice reforms -- California lawmakers are attempting to claw back reforms their colleagues approved in pursuit of making racial profiling less common, police agencies more transparent and juries more representative. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/18/25

Uvalde school shooter was fueled by Instagram and ‘Call of Duty,’ L.A. lawsuit alleges -- Families from Uvalde, Texas, are traveling to Los Angeles to confront tech giant Meta and “Call of Duty” publisher Activision in court, alleging they market gun violence to young people through video games and social media. Sandra McDonald in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/18/25

‘We are all eating’: Inside California’s secret industry that props up mass shoplifting -- The investigation brought authorities from high end cosmetic stores in the suburbs to dusty flea markets in the valley, to an Oakland lot where suspected shoplifters would pull up in daytime with jumbo garbage bags full of items. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/17/25

Murder and burglary charges filed in shooting of ‘American Idol’ executive and husband -- A 22-year-old man was charged Thursday with killing an “American Idol” music supervisor and her musician husband who walked into their Encino home during a burglary. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/17/25

Can a county fire a sheriff behind closed doors? Advocacy group threatens to sue for access -- The First Amendment Coalition is urging San Mateo County to open to the public its deliberations on removing embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus. Nigel Duara Calmatters -- 07/18/25

ICE

ICE is gaining access to trove of Medicaid records, adding new peril for immigrants -- The Trump administration is forging ahead with a plan that is sure to fuel alarm across California’s immigrant communities: handing over the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients to federal immigration officials who seek to track down people living in the U.S. illegally. Jenny Jarvie and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/18/25

Border Patrol raids in Sacramento intended to send message: ‘No such thing as a sanctuary state’ -- Border Patrol agents raided a Home Depot and other locations in Sacramento on Thursday in what appeared to be a heavily orchestrated operation intended to send a message that the Trump administration would not back down on immigration enforcement, despite legal blockades. Rachel Uranga and Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ Wendy Fry and Sergio Olmos Calmatters -- 07/17/25

Trump wants to hire 10,000 new ICE agents. Is that goal doable? -- Past hiring sprees by the Border Patrol have proved challenging. One recruitment push resulted in a wave of high-profile corruption cases. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/18/25

Sacramento’s ‘Good Trouble’ rally draws hundreds, hours after immigration arrests -- In front of the Capitol building about 800 people gathered as part of the nationwide protest against the Trump administration. Called “Good Trouble Lives On,” the demonstration focused focusing on racial justice and voting rights. Amelia Wu in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 07/18/25

‘Good Trouble’ draws hundreds of protesters to downtown San Diego -- It was the largest of several Good Trouble Lives On protests throughout the region, and one of several nationwide. Teri Figueroa, Tammy Murga in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 07/18/25

Justice Department requests lists of all noncitizen inmates being held in California jails -- The Justice Department said it hopes for voluntary cooperation from California counties, but will pursue legal recourse to force compliance if necessary. Kevin Rector and Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ Jakob Rodgers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/17/25

L.A. County sheriff says there’s ‘no choice’ but to honor ICE warrants for jail inmates -- Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Thursday that his department has “no choice” but to turn inmates over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when it receives federal judicial warrants seeking the transfer of inmates in its county jails. Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/17/25

Bird Flu

Immigration crackdown could stymie efforts to fight bird flu outbreak, experts fear -- As authorities brace for a potential resurgence in bird flu cases this fall, infectious disease specialists warn that the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants could hamper efforts to stop the spread of disease. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/18/25

Workplace

Port of Oakland shipments drop dramatically as tariffs spur ‘market recalibration’ in trade -- The Port recorded a 10.1% drop in June over the previous month as Trump’s tariffs cast uncertainty into trade relationships abroad. Chase Hunter in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/18/25

San Francisco AI company lays off 200 after Meta’s multibillion-dollar deal -- Just weeks after Meta invested $14.3 billion into Scale AI and tapped its founder, Alexandr Wang, to lead its new artificial intelligence initiative, the data-labeling startup is cutting roughly 200 full-time employees — about 14% of its staff — and parting ways with 500 contractors worldwide. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/18/25

Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ canceled by CBS, ends May 2026 -- CBS is axing “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in May 2026, the host told an audience at a taping Thursday. The announcement came three days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global, parent company of CBS, settling with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” story. Alicia Rancilio and Andrew Dalton Associated Press -- 07/18/25

California Forever

Billionaire-backed Bay Area city pitches plans for factory hub -- California Forever, the proposed futuristic community backed by billionaire venture capitalists, is now billing itself as a manufacturing center a year after local opposition forced it to withdraw plans to incorporate a new city. John Gittelsohn, Bloomberg in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/18/25

Wildfire

Winds behind fierce California wildfires will change, study finds -- Santa Ana winds have driven some of California’s most devastating wildfires, including the destructive Palisades and Eaton fires that scorched Los Angeles in January. Jack Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 07/18/25

January fire victims face little used mediation in faceoff with insurers -- After receiving more than 1,000 complaints from Jan. 7 fire victims about how insurers are handling their claims, state regulators are considering referring hundreds of the cases to mediation — a little used practice that some consumer advocates fear could hurt policyholders. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/18/25

Altadena’s rough real estate market: Slower sales, lower prices, lottery winner plucking up properties -- Eaton fire victims in Altadena are confronting decisions about whether to rebuild or sell. Prices are falling as available lots fill up the market, agents say. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/18/25

HIV/AIDS

Rep. Garcia of Long Beach asks RFK Jr. to explain targeting of HIV/AIDS funding for cuts -- Garcia asserted that Kennedy has a history of spreading HIV/AIDS misinformation, and questioned whether that had played a role in billions of dollars in cuts to prevention, treatment and research funding. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/17/25

Education

UC tuition hike proposal gets a tepid response and many questions from regents -- University of California regents — confronted with an uncertain financial outlook amid Trump administration cuts, state budget tightening and inflation — had a tepid response and many questions Thursday as they began debate on a proposal to increase tuition and set aside less of that revenue for financial aid. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/17/25

What skills do employers want in college graduates? New UC tool has answers -- So that the UC could better develop its academic programs to prepare students for the changing workforce, the UC created a new data tool to show where tens of thousands of alumni work in California and the skills those employers seek. Mikhail Zinshteyn Calmatters -- 07/17/25

‘Like having a hand cut off’: California schools reeling after AmeriCorps cuts -- Trump cut AmeriCorps, laying off over 5,600 of California’s public service workers. Because of a lawsuit, the state’s program can restart, at least temporarily, but schools and disaster relief sites are still reeling from staffing shortages. Adam Echelman and Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 07/18/25

Walters: California is finally adopting phonics, fulfilling a grandmother’s dream -- Marion Joseph died in 2022 and therefore cannot celebrate what at long last is happening in California to improve children’s abysmal levels of reading comprehension. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 07/18/25

Gilead

Foster City drugs giant Gilead to pay $202 million over alleged kickback scheme -- Foster City pharmaceuticals giant Gilead Sciences has agreed to pay a $202 million settlement over allegations in a lawsuit by state and federal authorities that it paid doctors kickbacks, sent them on trips and fed them dinners at fancy restaurants to promote the company’s HIV drugs, used to treat the virus that causes AIDS. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 07/18/25

Also

CalMatters: Holding the state accountable for 10 years, and we’re just getting started -- In our first decade, CalMatters journalism has brought communities together, inspired lawmakers to create a better California and made the state more accountable to Californians. Sisi Wei Calmatters -- 07/18/25

Giant pandas, tiger attacks and the ugly fight to control the San Francisco Zoo -- The San Francisco Zoo, a beloved but crumbling seaside Art Deco treasure, is in trouble and facing controversies that could imperil the planned arrival of two giant pandas from China. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/18/25

The nation’s first Vietnamese American bishop formally takes over San Diego’s diocese -- Michael Pham has already made his mark by defending local immigrants facing deportation. Blake Nelson in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 07/18/25

POTUS 47

Jeffrey Epstein’s Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump -- The leather-bound book was compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell. The president says the letter ‘is a fake thing.’ Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 07/18/25

Trump will sue the WSJ, directs Bondi to unseal Epstein material -- Trump said he had personally warned the Journal’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, and its editor in chief, Emma Tucker, that the letter was “fake,” calling the story “false, malicious, and defamatory.” Irie Sentner Politico Glenn Thrush in the New York Times$ -- 07/17/25

House Republicans Dangle Possible Vote on Epstein Files, After Voter Backlash -- The House Rules Committee laid the groundwork for an eventual vote to call for release of the Epstein files, reflecting Republican uneasiness with the president’s refusal to divulge information from the investigation. Michael Gold in the New York Times$ -- 07/17/25

A Timeline of What We Know About Trump and Epstein -- Donald Trump was friendly for at least 15 years with Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Luke Broadwater in the New York Times$ -- 07/17/25

The Global Risks That Come With the Loss of an Independent Fed -- President Trump’s threat to attempt to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has raised a pressing but potentially unanswerable question: What would the global economy and financial markets look like without an independent U.S. central bank? David Uberti and Justin Lahart in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 07/17/25

Trump is winning in the Supreme Court because its conservatives believe in strong executive power -- The court’s conservative majority has intervened for President Trump in brief orders with no explanation, prompting criticism from Democrats and progressives. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 07/17/25

In the Trump Administration, Watchdogs Are Watching Their Backs -- The president has fired or demoted over 20 inspectors general since he took office. Employees say they are demoralized and reluctant to pursue investigations that could prompt political blowback. Luke Broadwater in the New York Times$ -- 07/17/25

'Final nail:' Trump administration memo could strike fatal blow to wind and solar power -- The Trump administration has been aggressively working to suffocate the wind and solar industry in the United States. Its latest action could do the trick. Zack Colman and Josh Siegel Politico -- 07/18/25

White House shares diagnosis in rare acknowledgment of Trump’s age -- The White House on Thursday said that President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a mild but chronic illness related to his age — a rare admission from one of the nation’s oldest presidents who has long sought to project vigor. Emily Davies in the Washington Post$ -- 07/18/25

Iran bomb damage intel suggests two nuclear sites not ‘obliterated’ -- U.S. officials briefed on the evolving intelligence assessment from Operation “Midnight Hammer” caution that the claim of total destruction may be overstated. Alex Horton and Warren P. Strobel in the Washington Post$ -- 07/18/25