California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Indiscriminate ICE raids in L.A. can resume: What rights do you have? -- In a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday granted an emergency appeal and lifted the judge’s order that barred “roving patrols” from snatching people off Southern California streets based on how they look, what language they speak, what work they do or where they happen to be. It’s unclear what happens next. Immigration raids slowed in L.A. after the ruling but did not stop completely. Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ Sara Libby, Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Adam Liptak in the New York Times$ -- 09/10/25

Did SCOTUS just rewrite the rules on racial profiling? Here’s why advocates are outraged -- “As high school government teachers across the state return to their classrooms, ready to educate our next generation of leaders, we can no longer say the Constitution applies to all,” said Jeff Freitas, president of CFT, a group of 120,000 teachers and school employees. “And for that, our nation mourns.” Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/10/25

Arellano: I’m a U.S. citizen. I’m always going to carry my passport now. Thanks, Supreme Court -- My dad’s passport is among his most valuable possessions, a document that not only establishes that he’s a U.S. citizen but holds the story of his life. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/09/25

Florez: You look Latino. You speak Spanish. You work hard. That’s now probable cause -- When I was a young UCLA constitutional law major, we learned that the Constitution wasn’t just parchment behind glass: It was a living promise, fragile and ferocious, meant to protect the people when power overreached. Dean Florez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/09/25

‘It’s going to get ugly’: L.A. immigrants fear the worst as Supreme Court allows raids to resume -- In a county where one in three residents are immigrants, a sense of anger and dread erupted Monday as noncitizens and their families realized the immigration raids that rocked their lives this summer could become a never-ending nightmare. Brittny Mejia, Rachel Uranga and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/09/25

Bonta ‘disappointed’ by Supreme Court ruling on L.A. immigration raids -- He called indiscriminate tactics used to make immigration arrests a violation of the 4th Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. Connor Sheets and Sandra McDonald in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/10/25

Chinese immigrants were once banned from this Northern California county. Except one -- Historian says Trump immigration raids mirror violent 1800s purges that forcibly expelled Chinese immigrants from Northern California using mob tactics. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/09/25

A Central California farmworker broke no laws. So why did he ask to be deported? -- Yan Garcia-Heredia, a legal asylum-seeker who came to the U.S. in 2023, tried to fight Trump’s migrant detention machine. It broke him. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/10/25

Will California extend cap and trade? Legislative negotiations go down to the wire -- California lawmakers are rushing to extend the state’s landmark cap-and-trade climate program through 2045 amid opposition from unions and industry. Maya C. Miller Calmatters -- 09/09/25

The unlikely superstars of California's gerrymander campaign -- Bitterly divided on the virtues of gerrymandering, the champions and foes of California’s snap redistricting bid can agree on one thing: This is coming from Democrats who control the state. Whether voters love or loathe that fact could swing the outcome. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 09/10/25

Mayor Bass endorses Antonio Villaraigosa for governor -- The two Democratic leaders have known each other for more than 50 years, first meeting as community activists in the 1970s. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/09/25

Another longtime Bay Area House member is getting an intraparty challenge -- Eric Jones, a former venture capitalist who lives in Napa, announced Tuesday that he will challenge a fellow Democrat, Rep. Mike Thompson, 74, who has represented the North Bay in Congress since 1999. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/09/25

California state Senator accuses Sacramento police of retaliation over “egregious” DUI arrest -- A Riverside County lawmaker accused of driving drunk after a car crash, but cleared by a blood test, took the first step Monday toward suing the Sacramento Police Department, saying officers had tarnished her reputation. Laura J. Nelson and Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/10/25

California sues Los Angeles County over ‘inhumane’ conditions in its jail system -- About 14,000 people are housed in L.A.’s jail on a daily basis. The state’s lawsuit said they have been exposed to rats, spoiled meals and no clean water. Cayla Mihalovich Calmatters -- 09/10/25

California counties enter panic mode as Trump-led spending cuts loom -- Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia doesn’t see a way around the most vulnerable residents in his community soon facing longer wait times for food assistance and medical care under President Donald Trump’s budget cuts. Sara DiNatale in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/10/25

What will Merced lose if it’s cut from CA’s Central Valley high-speed rail line? -- For the second time in a decade, the city of Merced is grappling with the possibility that it could be excluded from the California high-speed rail project’s initial operating segment in the Central Valley. Erik Galicia in the Fresno Bee -- 09/09/25

‘I will do it again’. Mom of California overdose victim pledges to keep fighting in Capitol -- After a CalMatters investigation, lawmakers asked Christine Matlock Dougherty to testify on behalf of bills to regulate mental health insurance. They didn’t pass this year. Jocelyn Wiener Calmatters -- 09/09/25

Workplace

Rivian lays off hundreds of employees ahead of the end of EV tax credits -- Rivian laid off about 200 employees as the electric vehicle maker prepares for the end of federal EV tax credits. Cerys Davies in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/09/25

Children’s Hospital LA laying off 439 healthcare workers by late October -- “Due to declining federal and state reimbursements, emerging policy changes affecting funding, and escalating costs of healthcare delivery, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) must take steps to secure the hospital’s long-term viability for millions of children in need of care,” wrote Mamoon Syed, chief people officer with Children’s Hospital in a recent letter filed with the state’s Employment Development Department. Pat Maio in the LA Daily News -- 09/10/25

AI

Thousands descend on S.F. to hear tech luminaries discuss AI booms and energy consumption -- Goldman Sachs used its conference in San Francisco to reiterate that tech data center spending could quadruple by 2030, with energy use growing by 165% Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/10/25

OpenAI Executives Rattled by Campaigns to Derail For-Profit Restructuring -- OpenAI executives are growing concerned that mounting political scrutiny in California could stymie their efforts to become a for-profit company and have discussed a last-ditch option of moving out of the state. Berber Jin in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 09/10/25

An AI-animated film will debut next year. Is this AI’s ‘Toy Story’ moment? -- An animated feature film that uses artificial intelligence tools from OpenAI is expected to debut next year, likely fueling the debate in Hollywood about the role of the technology in filmmaking. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/09/25

COVID

COVID hospitalizations in California double as vaccine access tightens -- California is seeing a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections. Hospitalizations have nearly doubled in the past month, and wastewater data shows “very high” levels of the virus circulating across the state. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/10/25

Water

Trump administration could roll back planned California dam removal -- U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins took to social media over the weekend to express concerns about dam removal on California’s Eel River, even suggesting that the Trump administration may intervene to stop or revise the project. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/10/25

The minuscule mollusks that are wreaking massive damage in the West -- Zebra mussels are now in the upper Colorado River system, and the minuscule mollusks can wreak massive damage. Karin Brulliard in the Washington Post$ -- 09/09/25

Transit

With Bay Area transit funding on ‘life support,’ advocates rally in S.F. for state money -- Elected officials, transportation advocates and concerned residents gathered Monday morning at San Francisco Civic Center to decry the potential loss of a loan from Gov. Gavin Newsom they say would cripple Bay Area transit agencies in the near future. Anna Bauman, Lucy Hodgman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/10/25

Newsom says he’s working on Bay Area transit loan deal — but details being hashed out in secret -- Governor’s office signals that it will work with legislators on deal to avoid a funding gap for transit. But they may have to give him something in return. Kate Talerico in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/10/25

Wildfire

Garnet Fire burns 10,000 acres in a day. Containment lines east of Shaver Lake -- The Garnet Fire continues to grow in the mountains northeast of Fresno. Over the weekend, the fire grew quickly — adding some 10,000 acres on Sunday alone. It crossed Dinkey Creek and moved closer to McKinley Grove in the Sierra National Forrest, threatening hundreds of giant sequoia trees. Joshua Tehee in the Fresno Bee Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 09/10/25

California has a new rule for homes sold in wildfire-prone areas -- Californians selling a home in a wildfire-prone area must now tell buyers what they’ve done to protect their property from blazes. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/09/25

HOV

Electric vehicle access to carpool lanes is ending -- One of California’s longest-running incentives for people to buy electric cars — a program that provides access to carpool lanes regardless of how many people are in their vehicle — is coming to end. The Clean Air Vehicle decal program expires on Sept. 30. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/10/25

Street

A tour of the sound and heat hellscape that is L.A. -- A pioneering study seeks to figure out how a combination of high heat and loud noise impacts the brains and health of L.A. residents. Tyrone Beason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/09/25

Also

Lucas: John Burton was more than his persona -- It bugged John Burton when people told him he or some other elected official was a man of his word. “It’s supposed to be a given,” the former Congress member and California political giant, who died on Sunday, would grumble, usually after the person was out of earshot. Greg Lucas Politico -- 09/10/25

Ohman: State Dems bid adieu to John Burton: ‘His influence was immeasurable’ -- “The Burton Operation” — it was never referred to as the “Burton Machine” — spawned major national leaders such as Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Sen. Barbara Boxer, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and former San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. When asked what Burton’s contribution to California political culture was, Brown said, “It’s not matchable, frankly. … His influence was immeasurable.” Jack Ohman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/10/25

Survivor’s island: coyotes seen paddling across deep San Francisco Bay waters -- For nearly a decade, Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay has been home to what the state parks describes as a “budding population” of coyotes. Late last month park workers got a fascinating glimpse at the animal’s journey to the island. Dani Anguiano The Guardian -- 09/10/25

‘Landlocked’ California: Map shows all the public areas made inaccessible by private property -- Thousands of acres of public spaces are only accessible with permission from the private landowners who surround those lands. Emma Stiefel in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/10/25

‘Epic’: California highliners air walk 1,600 feet over ocean near Golden Gate Bridge -- Anyone who sailed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge this weekend likely noticed a bewildering spectacle: A person seemingly air-walking 75 feet above the surf in Kirby Cove. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/10/25

Marilyn Monroe’s L.A. home escapes demolition — again -- This time around, it was rescued by an L.A. Superior Court judge, who rejected a legal challenge from the homeowners claiming the city’s landmark designation violated their right to raze the residence. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/10/25

POTUS 47

In New Book, Think Tank Behind Project 2025 Takes On the Constitution -- With a preface by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and contributions from more than 30 conservative judges, the Heritage Foundation, the influential think tank that has helped shape the Trump administration’s second-term agenda, will soon publish an 800-page, clause-by-clause analysis of the Constitution. Adam Liptak in the New York Times$ -- 09/09/25

Revised figures show U.S. 900,000 fewer jobs than previously estimated -- New numbers released by the Labor Department could boost Trump's argument for Federal Reserve rate cuts. Nick Niedzwiadek Politico Justin Lahart in the Wall Street Journal$ Lauren Kaori Gurley in the Washington Post$ -- 09/09/25

Is Trump’s troop buildup in U.S. cities a declaration of war — or something else? -- Trump’s unprecedented push this summer to deploy military convoys into Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., has left many Americans divided on whether his administration is trying to protect people in Democratic-controlled cities or wage war on them. Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/09/25

Epstein Birthday Letter With Trump’s Signature Revealed -- Lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein’s estate have given Congress a copy of the birthday book put together for the financier’s 50th birthday, which includes a letter with President Trump’s signature that he has said doesn’t exist. Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 09/10/25

See More Pages From Epstein’s 50th Birthday Book -- Letters released by Congress show pages signed by Bill Clinton, Leon Black and Ghislaine Maxwell. Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 09/09/25

For Trump, latest Epstein disclosures bring continued political pain -- The new documents not only contain an image that matches the description of the one Trump has denied drawing but also a new photo bound to generate fresh controversy. In that photo, portions of which are redacted, Epstein is standing next to several others holding an oversize novelty check made out to him for $22,500 with DJTRUMP on the signature line. Matt Viser in the Washington Post$ -- 09/09/25

Trump Loses Bid to Overturn $83 Million Damages Award to E. Jean Carroll -- A federal appeals court on Monday upheld an $83 million defamation award against President Trump, saying his conduct toward advice columnist E. Jean Carroll was extraordinary and unprecedented. Corinne Ramey in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 09/10/25

Trump’s Treasury Secretary Threatens to Punch Housing Official in the Face -- The dust-up, at a members-only club in Georgetown, was not the first time Scott Bessent has shown a hot temper. Maggie Haberman and Shawn McCreesh in the New York Times$ -- 09/10/25

Trump Administration Halts I.R.S. Crackdown on Major Tax Shelters -- The Treasury Department is rolling back efforts to shut down aggressive strategies used by America’s biggest multinational companies and wealthiest people. Jesse Drucker in the New York Times$ -- 09/09/25