California Policy and Politics Monday

Supreme Court upholds ‘roving patrols’ for immigration stops in Los Angeles -- The decision is a significant victory for Trump, clearing the way for his oft-promised ‘largest Mass Deportation Operation’ in American history. L.A. and 20 other Southern California municipalities argued that ‘half the population of the Central District’ now meet the government’s criteria for reasonable suspicion. David G. Savage and Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ Lindsay Whitehurst Associated Press -- 09/08/25

CA state Sen. Cervantes files claim, accuses Sacramento Police of retaliation -- A California state senator who was arrested in May for a DUI that was later dismissed has filed a legal complaint against the Sacramento Police Department. Kate Wolffe in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 09/08/25

‘Legendary liberal lion’: Longtime legislator John Burton mourned as major force for California Dems -- With his brother, Rep. Phillip Burton, and college buddy, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Burton was integral to the organization that dominated Democratic politics in San Francisco and the state starting in the 1960s. Dan Morain in the Los Angeles Times$ Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Scott Shafer KQED Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ Alex Traub in the New York Times$ -- 09/08/25

Sebeck: ‘He yelled because he cared’: A former staffer reflects on John Burton’s death -- John Burton once yelled at me so hard my hair moved. That was in 2000, when John was leader of the California state Senate. Dave Sebeck is a longtime Democratic speechwriter and consultant in Sacramento, California, where he served as press secretary for John Burton. -- 09/08/25

Why California's political class is begging Alex Padilla to run for governor -- The senior senator’s flirtation with a bid to succeed Gavin Newsom has riveted California’s political class since Vice President Kamala Harris took a pass, leaving the contest wide open and with a field bereft of any obvious star. Jeremy B. White and Melanie Mason Politico -- 09/08/25

Anthropic backs California bill that could test Newsom on AI -- The ChatGPT rival is backing Scott Wiener’s AI transparency bill after his prior, high-profile effort was vetoed last year. Chase DiFeliciantonio Politico -- 09/08/25

Juggling Congress and Life, She Opted to Freeze Her Eggs -- Representative Sara Jacobs, Democrat of California, said her experience planning for a future pregnancy inspired her to write a bill to expand coverage of fertility treatments. Annie Karni in the New York Times$ -- 09/08/25

Newsom or not? California GOP split on centering him in redistricting campaign -- Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the campaign for Proposition 50 to be a battle between him and President Donald Trump. Republicans say they need to win over voters another way. Alexei Koseff Calmatters -- 09/08/25

‘Absolutely destroy democracy’: Prop. 50 upends California Republican convention -- The theme for their fall convention was “going on the offense” but Proposition 50 has forced California Republicans to throw up multiple emergency defensive fronts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and threatens to further erode the party’s meager electoral success in the state. Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 09/08/25

Santa Monica poised to declare fiscal emergency; payouts to sex abuse victims cited -- The city is mired in a budget crisis and has paid out more than $229 million to settle claims of abuse by a former Santa Monica employee. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/08/25

California counties enter panic mode as Trump-led spending cuts loom -- Counties are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom and their own voters for help as the realities of President Donald Trump’s enormous spending cuts sink in. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/08/25

Another California county is losing its only hospital after feds refuse to step in -- Absent a Hail Mary, Glenn County’s only hospital is set to close its doors in October. Ana B. Ibarra Calmatters -- 09/08/25

Los Angeles schools are taking measures to protect students from ICE raids. Why hasn’t the Bay Area followed suit? -- An expert says Bay Area school districts and schools across the state can and should be doing more. Molly Gibbs, Katie Lauer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/08/25

COVID

How long will California’s COVID surge continue? 5 things to know -- The coronavirus has muscled its way back into headlines in recent weeks amid a summer wave of the illness and growing difficulties in getting the vaccine, as well as efforts by the Trump administration that could make getting inoculated harder for some people. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/08/25

Bay Area sees COVID-19 wave and ‘tremendous confusion’ about vaccines -- With COVID cases surging across California at levels not seen since a year ago, and the fall respiratory virus season approaching, access to vaccines may be more limited. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/08/25

Wildfire

Allegations of mismanagement, overspending in California fire cleanups raised in whistleblower trial -- Current and former state officials alleged mismanagement, overspending and lingering contamination in lucrative debris removal operations following large California wildfires. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/08/25

California FAIR Plan continues denying smoke damage claims despite court loss and regulatory action -- The state’s home insurer of last resort, the California FAIR Plan Assn., is still rejecting smoke damage claims arising out of the January wildfires in L.A. even after losing a landmark court case in June and being sanctioned by regulators in July. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/08/25

Garnet fire, burning near sequoias, turns ‘dynamic,’ scorches 10,000 more acres -- Firefighters hold the line in the Sierras, protecting communities and a giant sequoia grove amid a day of “dynamic fire activity” from the Garnet Fire. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/08/25

Homeless

State bill to provide safe parking for homeless community college students is in jeopardy -- A state bill that could have established overnight parking programs for homeless students enrolled in California community colleges looks unlikely to pass in the legislative session ending Friday. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/08/25

Education

‘Something can be done about this’: New plan aims to stop sex abuse in California schools -- A new bill would give officials more tools to identify and combat sexual abuse and educate students to better identify the most common signs of grooming behavior. Matt Drange Calmatters -- 09/08/25

California leaders warn schools: English learner rights remain despite Trump rollback -- Schools are still required under federal and state law to help students who don’t speak English to both learn the language and understand the content of their classes. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 09/08/25

Also

David Baltimore, Nobel Prize-winning scientist and former Caltech president, dies at 87 -- His death concludes one of the most illustrious careers in 20th century science. The bearded scientist with the penetrating blue eyes played a role, usually a leading one, in virtually every important national debate over the use and potential misuse of the science of genetic engineering, whether it was gene-splicing and the search for an AIDS vaccine, or the dangers of tinkering with the human genome. John Johnson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/08/25

City buys Griffith Park carousel, where Disney dreamed up a theme park. It could reopen soon -- The Griffith Park carousel — a “crown jewel” of the park, where Walt Disney first dreamed up Disneyland — is getting a new lease on life just in time for its 2026 centennial. The city of Los Angeles’ Recreation and Parks Commission inked a million-dollar deal to buy the historic amusement ride late last month. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/08/25

POTUS 47

Appeals Court Upholds Carroll’s $83 Million Judgment Against Trump -- The judges rejected President Trump’s argument that the Supreme Court’s decision extending presidential immunity should shield him from liability for defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll. Benjamin Weiser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/08/25

How JPMorgan Enabled the Crimes of Jeffrey Epstein -- A Times investigation found that America’s leading bank spent years supporting — and profiting from — the notorious sex offender, ignoring red flags, suspicious activity and concerned executives. David Enrich, Matthew Goldstein and Jessica Silver-Greenberg in the New York Times$ -- 09/08/25

US could be forced to refund ‘about half’ of tariffs if SCOTUS rules against Trump, Bessent says -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged Sunday that the U.S. may have to refund tens of billions of dollars in tariffs imposed since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term if the Supreme Court rules they are illegal. Ari Hawkins Politico -- 09/08/25

Oil Tycoons Bet Big on Trump. It’s Paying Off -- Administration opens land to drilling and moves to roll back environmental restrictions and hobble renewable energy; but crude prices have dropped. Benoît Morenne and Josh Dawsey in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 09/08/25

Trump Is Met With Mostly Boos at U.S. Open as Security Delays a Match -- With the president in attendance at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the men’s final began as hundreds of people were still waiting to go through security screening. David Waldstein in the New York Times$ -- 09/08/25

RFK Jr. says anyone who wants a covid shot can get one. Not these Americans -- Pharmacies and doctors are struggling to adjust to a new regulatory environment for updated coronavirus vaccines that are no longer broadly recommended. David Ovalle and Paige Winfield Cunningham in the Washington Post$ -- 09/08/25

Kennedy, Rejecting Data, Fuels Distrust of His Own Agencies -- By promoting suspicions about the institutions he oversees, critics say Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is jeopardizing public health. He says he is pursuing transparency. Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times$ -- 09/08/25

The world’s greatest mathematician avoided politics. Then Trump cut science funding. -- Terence Tao, often called the “Mozart of Math,” is focused on fundraising after federal research funding to UCLA was suspended. Carolyn Y. Johnson in the Washington Post$ -- 09/08/25

US treasury secretary denies Trump tariffs are tax on Americans -- US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has refused to acknowledge that the sweeping trade tariffs imposed by Donald Trump around the world are taxes on Americans. Maya Yang The Guardian -- 09/08/25