California Policy and Politics Sunday

California conservatives mourn Charlie Kirk -- In the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination, vigils continue across California. Rallies planned through Monday include those in Beverly Hills and Moorpark. Andrew Khouri and Paige St. John in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

From Charlie Kirk to Supreme Court backlash, Civil War historians see modern parallels -- A string of recent events — from the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to President Trump’s deployment of troops to U.S. cities — has scholars worried that history is at risk of repeating itself. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

California tied with Louisiana for highest U.S. poverty rate in U.S., think tank reports -- Gov. Gavin Newsom often boasts that California, if it were a country, would have the world’s fourth-largest economy. But despite its wealth, the state has also seen a sharp increase in poverty since the COVID-19 pandemic, and newly released data shows the disparity lingers. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/14/25

Gavin Newsom just tried to fix one of his biggest Achilles' heels -- A sweeping legislative package includes measures to increase oil drilling and control utilities’ wildfire expenses — but even its champions say it could do more to stabilize prices than drive them down long-term. Camille von Kaenel and Alex Nieves Politico -- 09/14/25

How Nancy Pelosi Quietly Shaped California’s Redistricting Fight -- Private meetings and longtime loyalties helped push what began as something of a Democratic bluff into a full-fledged counteroffensive against President Trump. Shane Goldmacher and Laurel Rosenhall in the New York Times$ -- 09/14/25

 

California lawmakers deliver major Democratic climate, housing and labor wins to Newsom -- California leaders wrapped this year’s legislative session Saturday afternoon, prolonged by last-minute backroom deals on climate and energy, sparking deep frustration among some lawmakers. Yue Stella Yu and Jeanne Kuang Calmatters Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 09/14/25

California lawmakers pass measures to expand oil production in Central Valley, restrict offshore drilling -- In a bid to stabilize struggling crude-oil refineries, state lawmakers on Saturday passed a last-minute bill that would allow the construction of 2,000 new oil wells annually in the San Joaquin Valley while further restricting drilling along California’s iconic coastline. Laura J. Nelson and Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

Gavin Newsom gets his big energy deal -- Newsom asked for the bills to address voters' affordability concerns. Camille von Kaenel and Alex Nieves Politico -- 09/14/25

California age verification bill backed by Google, Meta, OpenAI heads to Newsom -- A California bill to check kids’ ages online is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, after it secured rare support from major tech giants, including Google, Meta and Snap. Tyler Katzenberger Politico -- 09/14/25

California lawmakers pass bill to grant priority college admission for descendants of slavery -- State lawmakers on Friday advanced a plan that would allow California colleges to offer preferential admission to students who are descended from enslaved people, part of an ongoing effort by Democrats to address the legacy of slavery in the United States. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

Here’s what CA high-speed rail can do with new $1B-a-year promise from state -- The commitment could also determine high-speed rail’s ability to attract private capital, as investors want to see a project with a strong state backstop before putting their money in. Erik Galicia in the Fresno Bee -- 09/14/25

 

Garofoli: A major Democratic group says 2026 candidates should have this one quality -- One clear message Democrats have heard since their electoral debacle in November is that voters want candidates who are fighters. But leaders at Emily’s List, the 40-year-old fundraising powerhouse that has helped elect nearly 2,000 abortion-rights-supporting women to office, said there’s another big factor voters want in their candidates: people who know what it is like to struggle economically. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/14/25

Lawyers fear 1,000 children from Central America, dozens in California, are at risk of being deported -- They believe the U.S. government is now expanding their list of hundreds of children across the country, which started with children from Guatemala, to include those from Honduras and El Salvador. Lawyers for some children saw their scheduled hearings disappear from the immigration court calendars in recent weeks. Andrea Castillo and Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

California temporarily blocks Trump policy barring some immigrants from food banks, health care, Head Start and more -- California has secured a court order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from barring immigrants living in the country illegally from accessing dozens of federally funded programs, including child care, health care and education services. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 09/14/25

Developer revives long-stalled S.F. megaproject with thousands of homes, offices in mix -- San Francisco’s sluggish economic comeback is gaining traction, and now, another developer is reviving a long-stalled megaproject that was shelved during the pandemic. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/14/25

This Bay Area commute is so bad that people are quitting jobs to escape it -- For 12 years, Chris Moyer lived the harsh calculus of commuting from Brentwood: leave at 4:30 a.m. for Oakland and nap in his office parking lot, or steal a few extra minutes of sleep and risk being late for his 7 a.m. shift. “That’s how much the traffic would stack up,” he said. Connor Letourneau in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/14/25

Bay Area coastal community is reeling as cliffs crumble and the land moves -- Guion lives in Seal Cove, a picturesque neighborhood of around 170 homes perched on Pillar Point Bluff in Moss Beach, just west of the Half Moon Bay airport. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/14/25

‘A cancer on our society’: Toxic social media after Kirk shooting brings calls to log off, put down phones -- The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk set off three days of some of the ugliest and most divisive social media reactions America has seen, leading Utah’s governor on Friday to declare that enough is enough. Karen Garcia, Grace Toohey and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

FBI issues $100,000 reward for allegedly armed protester at Camarillo pot farm raid -- The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of a man believed to have fired a gun at officers during a chaotic immigration sweep at a Camarillo pot farm. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

White House abandons working plan to stage major military show above San Diego -- The Trump administration has called off its pursuit of a military spectacle in San Diego in early November for the 250th anniversary of the Navy and Marines, after making multiple visits in hopes of staging an air and sea show the president would attend, according to people familiar with the planning. The shift was confirmed by the Navy, which says it is now looking at sites in Florida. Gary Robbins, Jennifer Van Grove and Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 09/14/25

Workplace

Elon Musk’s xAI startup lays off 500 employees in major reorganization -- Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has laid off about one-third of its data annotation team — roughly 500 workers — as the company reorients its approach to training its chatbot, Grok. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/14/25

Water

The dwindling Colorado River can’t wait for states to cut water use, experts say -- The Colorado River’s massive reservoirs are now so depleted that another dry year could send them plunging to dangerously low levels, a group of prominent scholars warns in a new analysis. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

Wildfire

L.A. fires burned their block. For each, the disaster was just beginning -- The Los Angeles wildfires leveled entire neighborhoods, but perhaps nowhere suffered more than west Altadena. This is an account of three families’ grueling recovery — the part of the story most people never see. Reis Thebault, N. Kirkpatrick, Alice Li and Melina Mara in the Washington Post$ -- 09/14/25

Education

These bills could change your child’s school experience. They are not without controversy -- One bill aims to raise lagging reading skills among California children by mandating how schools teach this critical subject. Another seeks to overhaul cafeteria meals by eliminating highly processed foods. A third aims to protect students from being derailed by discrimination. Howard Blume and Jenny Gold in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

Charlie Kirk’s death raises questions on campus safety, free speech among OC students -- Kirk played a central role in shaping a generation of young conservatives, and his death has struck some students particularly hard. Hanna Kang in the Orange County Register$ -- 09/14/25

Delta

California’s famed river delta holds ‘environmental ticking timebombs’ -- The quiet waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta hold a troubling obstacle course. Dozens and possibly hundreds of ships, abandoned in years and decades past, lie rusting in the water — disrupting the flow of marine traffic and posing a threat to shipping lanes if dislodged by the wind. Margaux Bauerlein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/14/25

Street

3 fatal overdoses in L.A. County linked to synthetic supplement sold at gas stations, smoke shops -- Kratom is derived from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia. 7-OH is the psychoactive component of those leaves, which proponents tout as a cure-all for chronic pain, anxiety and opioid-use disorder — as well as an aid to increase alertness and energy. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

Also

Lopez: The immigration raids are crushing L.A.’s fire recovery and California’s economy -- As deportations slow construction, tariffs and trade wars make supplies scarcer and costlier. Six California Republican lawmakers all but begged Trump in June to ease up on the raids, which were hurting businesses. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

Wrestling Over Charlie Kirk’s Legacy and the Divide in America -- Historians say the lessons of this particular time will depend on Americans themselves, and what kind of a nation they want it to be. Elisabeth Bumiller in the New York Times$ -- 09/14/25

Coldplay encourages fans to send love to Charlie Kirk, who called its concerts a ‘waste of time’ -- “For the final time for a few years in London, let’s raise our hands like this, and send love anywhere you wanna send it in the world,” he told the crowd. “You can send this to your brother or your sister. You can send it to the families of people who’ve been going through terrible stuff. You can send it to Charlie Kirk’s family. You can send it to people you disagree with, but you send them love anyway.” Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/14/25

An infamous LAPD scandal, a gang shooting and a 25-year fight to prove a teen innocent -- Convicted of attempted murder for a shooting that occurred when he was 17, Oscar Eagle is now free after raising questions about how his case was handled, including a link to the LAPD’s notorious Rampart corruption scandal. James Queally in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 09/14/25

A popular L.A. sheriff touted reforms in a troubled system. Then a young FBI agent showed up -- Sheriff Lee Baca promised transparency. He’d won praise for an inmate-education program. But stories persisted of violent and corrupt jailers, of an institutional culture that resisted all efforts to root it out. Christopher Goffard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 09/14/25

POTUS 47

In an Era of Deep Polarization, Unity Is Not Trump’s Mission -- President Trump does not subscribe to the traditional notion of being president for all Americans. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 09/14/25

Trump Escalates Attacks on Political Opponents After Charlie Kirk’s Killing -- President Trump and his top advisers are escalating their attacks on their opponents in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing, placing the blame for political violence on Democrats alone and signaling a broad crackdown on critics and left-leaning institutions. Tyler Pager and Nick Corasaniti in the New York Times$ -- 09/14/25

Documents Raise Questions About Fraud Claims Against Fed Governor -- President Trump has sought to oust Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve on grounds that she committed mortgage fraud, by falsifying crucial records to obtain more favorable terms on a home loan. But new documents call that narrative into question. Tony Romm, Ben Casselman and Colby Smith in the New York Times$ -- 09/14/25

Trump faces same economic challenges that cost Harris her White House bid -- The president is seeing rising inflation and sluggish job growth threaten the GOP’s hopes in the 2026 midterm elections. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 09/14/25

On Trump’s hand, it’s not just the bruise. It’s the (apparent) coverup -- A makeup artist who worked on the 2024 ‘The Apprentice’ film critiques the president’s much-discussed hand discoloration. Maura Judkis in the Washington Post$ -- 09/14/25