California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa dies unexpectedly at the age of 65
CHRONICLE, ALEXEI KOSEFF: "Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Chico Republican who was a vocal advocate for California’s rural north, died unexpectedly at the age of 65, GOP leaders announced Tuesday.
The seventh-term congressman was heavily involved in the recent campaign against Proposition 50, Democrats’ gerrymander of the California congressional map, which LaMalfa warned would sideline voices on water and forestry management issues vital to his agricultural and fire-prone district."
READ MORE -- California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress -- LAT; Rep. Doug LaMalfa, conservative Northern California congressman, dies at 65 -- SAC BEE, DAVID LIGHTMAN
Newsom’s final year in office begins with an $18 billion deficit. How will he address it?
CALMATTERS, YUE STELLA YU: "In 2019, first-year Gov. Gavin Newsom inherited a state flush with cash. With a $21.4 billion budget surplus to play with, an ambitious Newsom invested billions in affordable housing, child care and health care expansion while paying down the state’s debt and shoring up reserves.
The next governor won’t be that lucky."
Gavin Newsom’s legacy: Can he deliver on unmet promises in his final year as governor?
CALMATTERS, JEANNE KUANG: "It’s Gavin Newsom’s final year in office as California governor — and his last chance to use his role as governor to audition for the national stage.
The governor, who will address the Legislature and present his budget proposal this week, has spent the past seven years pushing an ambitious agenda. Now in his final year, numerous interest groups will clamor for him to pass their preferred policies, nix the regulations they fear and protect the programs they favor. How he responds will follow him into his expected presidential primary run."
A look at San Francisco with Joe Eskenazi (podcast)
CAPITOL WEEKLY, STAFF: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie took office one year ago this week after beating incumbent mayor London Breed and several sitting and former SF supervisors in what ended up as a wide open four-way race. Lurie’s first year has largely been seen as a success, with the notable exception of his appointment of former Sunset pet shop owner Beya Alcaraz to a vacant supervisor’s seat – a position she held for less than one Scaramucci."
Charter authorizers urge Gov. Newsom to lead on anti-fraud bill
edsource, kathryn baron: "A coalition representing California charter authorizers has asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to take the lead in shaping the next anti-fraud charter school bill, urging him to include key oversight provisions in his January budget proposal.
The request comes as lawmakers and education stakeholders prepare for another attempt at charter school oversight reform as the state Legislature reconvenes this week."
California tax revenue getting a boost from AI boom — but for how long?
CALMATTERS, LEVI SUMAGAYSAY: ""As California becomes more dependent on tax revenue from the tech industry, its stake in the health of the artificial intelligence industry has grown.
The state is seeing financial benefits from the AI boom, a new analysis by the Legislative Analyst’s Office shows. But the boom raises questions: Will it continue to be accompanied by a decline in tech and other jobs? Is it a bubble?
Ties between California and Venezuela go back more than a century with Chevron
LAT, JACK DOLAN: "Was it a spectacular drug bust? A big, beautiful business opportunity? Both? Whatever you call President Trump’s stunning military intervention in Venezuela over the weekend, one company with deep California ties stands to benefit: Chevron.
That’s because Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves on the planet and Chevron — the international petrol
eum conglomerate with a massive refinery in El Segundo and headquartered, until recently, in San Ramon — is the only foreign oil company that has continued operating in Venezuela through decades of socialist revolution."
This immigrant survived the Eaton fire. Can she also escape Trump’s deportation surge?:
LAT, RUBEN VIVES: "There were no stars in the October sky. No moon that 64-year-old Masuma Khan could see from the narrow window of the California City Immigration Processing Center.
“No planes,” she said, recalling her confinement."
Don’t regulate modern small business tools out of reach (OP-ED)
CAPITOL WEEKLY, CARI ASPAUGH: "Small businesses are the backbone of California’s economy and the lifeblood of our communities—especially during the winter holidays. Across the state, these enterprises drive local economies and keep communities connected during the most important sales season of the year. From coastal towns to the Central Valley and the foothills, small businesses fuel jobs, support local supply chains, and keep communities thriving.
At the California Local Business Connection (CLBC), we work every day to ensure small businesses in every region of the state have the tools they need to grow and succeed—particularly during the winter holidays, when a strong few weeks can determine whether a business finishes the year in the black. That’s why we are concerned about state and federal proposals to impose burdensome regulations on peer-to-peer (P2P) payment platforms—rules that would raise costs and limit access to essential tools for entrepreneurship."
These are the new California laws for the workplace, including changes for bonuses and job postings
CHRONICLE, KATHLEEN PENDER: "More than 20 new California workplace laws take effect this year. Although that’s not as many as in some previous years, “the ones that are notable are really notable,” said employment attorney Joy Rosenquist with Littler Mendelson.
One of the most significant prevents employers from requiring an employee in California to repay them for costs such as retention bonuses, relocation expenses and work-related training programs if the employee leaves the job before an agreed-upon time."
You’re invited: Join the S.F. Chronicle Aging & Longevity Summit with keynote speaker Rick Steves
CHRONICLE, SARAH FELDBERG: "How can we live better longer? That’s the question facing millions of Americans as they look to the future and consider lives stretching into their 80s, 90s and beyond. For many people, growing older isn’t about hitting a number, it’s about enjoying an engaging, rewarding life for as long as possible.
That’s also the goal of the San Francisco Chronicle’s inaugural Aging & Longevity Summit on Feb. 23, in downtown San Francisco, featuring keynote speaker and travel expert Rick Steves."
Flu season surged in U.S. over holidays and already rivals last winter’s harsh epidemic
LAT, MIKE STOBBE: "U.S. flu infections surged over the holidays, and health officials are calling it a severe season that is likely to get worse.
Government data posted Monday — for flu activity through the week of Christmas — showed that by some measures this season already is surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history."
Auto shop class is thriving. Community college students basically fix your car for free
LAT, GENARO MOLINA: "The workers’ uniforms are smudged with stains earned underneath a car, wrench in hand.
Their repair garage teems with an array of inoperable vehicles and twisted metal. One car’s wheels have been removed; another sports a mangled fender."
Rain exits, sunshine slowly returns to the Bay Area
CHRONICLE, GREG PORTER: "The wet period that ended 2025 and lasted into the first few days of 2026 is nearly behind us. Tuesday can be considered a transitional day, with some lingering showers in the morning hours ultimately giving way to some sunshine by the end of the day.
That’s a microcosm for what’s going on with the large scale pattern. The storm over the ocean that brought Monday’s rain is long gone and in its wake, dry air will start to filter in from the northwest."
One of Alcatraz’s most infamous prisoners left The Rock on this day in 1939
sAC BEE, DON SWEENEY: "One of Alcatraz’s most well-known prisoners left the famed island penitentiary in San Francisco Bay for the last time 87 years ago today on Jan. 6, 1939, for medical reasons.
Eight years later, former gangster Al Capone, also known as “Scarface,” would die of his ailments in seclusion at his Florida mansion."
