They want to succeed Newsom as governor. What these California Democrats would do differently
LAT, NICOLE NIXON: "Matt Mahan, the mayor of San José and latest entrant into the jam-packed race for California governor, has in recent years raised his profile outside his Silicon Valley-area city by doing something most other elected Democrats would never: publicly criticize Gov. Gavin Newsom.
With the primary election almost four months away, candidates have already been busy trying to convince Californians that they can lead the state through its biggest challenges, including what they might do differently than Newsom on homelessness, crime and the high cost of living."
Real, fake or overblown? Sorting fact from fiction in fraud allegations surrounding Newsom, California
LAT, MELODY GUTIERREZ/DAKOTA SMITH: "The year opened with President Trump declaring that “the fraud investigation of California has begun,” a move that quickly set off a barrage of allegations from his administration and Republican allies questioning the integrity of state programs and the leadership of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The accusations, amplified across social media and conservative outlets, have pushed California and its Democratic leadership to the center of a broader national political fight over waste, fraud and abuse."
Inside a Minneapolis school where 50% of students are too afraid of ICE to show up
LAT, AMDREA CASTLLO: "For weeks, administrators at this charter high school have arrived an hour before class, grabbed neon vests and walkie-talkies, and headed out into the cold to watch for ICE agents and escort students in.
Lately, fewer than half of the 800 sudents show up."
‘Lucky Luke’ claims ownership of a coastal property he fenced in. Public records tell a different story
CHRONICLE, BROOKE PARK: "The man who has built a massive chain-link fence blocking a walking path to Thornton State Beach in Daly City does not have ownership of all the oceanfront property despite his claims to the contrary, according to an investigation by the Chronicle.
Luke Brugnara, a once-wealthy San Francisco investor known as “Lucky Luke” who was convicted 11 years ago by a federal jury of an $11 million art fraud, said he legally built the fence, which has upset locals who regularly use the trails and prompted an investigation by Daly City officials."
‘Old age is not for sissies.’ Grief therapists explain how to cope with loss as you ag
The Chronicl, ERIN ALLDAY: "Caroline McKinnon knows grief: At 82, she has mourned loved ones and grieved the loss of her youth. She’s a grief therapist too, working in Marin County with older adults who, like herself, may be swimming in sadness from multiple sources.
Grief and aging go hand in hand, and barring a young death, everyone will experience both, eventually. But the kind of grief many older adults experience — from a “multiplicity of losses” when several peers die one after another to mourning the loss of youth, independence or purpose — often catches them off guard."
What winter? Groundhog Day in SoCal is sizzling with no end in sight
LA, STAFF: "While a groundhog in Pennsylvania has predicted six more weeks of winter and cold-stunned iguanas fall from trees in Florida, Southern California is working up a sweat.
A midwinter heat wave has descended on much of the state and is expected to spike temperatures as much as 20 degrees above normal in the coming week."
Quake swarm with magnitude 4.2 tremor rattles Bay Area, seismologists say
SacBee, DON SWEENEY: "A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook the San Ramon area on Monday, Feb. 2, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The 6-mile deep quake hit 2 miles from San Ramon at 7:01 a.m. Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its website. More than 4,000 people — some as far away as Livermore and Oakland — reported feeling the tremor to the agency."
Dense fog triggers 59-vehicle crash, shuts down Hwy 99 in Tulare County, CHP says
SacBee, ANTHONY GALAViZ: "Highway 99 in Tulare County was shut down in both directions Saturday morning following a 59-vehicle fog-related collision.
The closure stretches from Avenue 24 south of Earlimart to three miles south to the Kern County line, affecting both northbound and southbound lanes, authorities said."
California Rep. David Valadao voted for Medi-Cal cuts. Will voters hold it against him?
CalMatters, MAYA C. MILLER: "California Rep. David Valadao has some explaining to do.
Nearly two-thirds of constituents in his Central Valley district — approximately 527,000 Californians — are enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state Medicaid program that provides health care coverage to low-income Americans and those with disabilities. At 64%, Valadao’s district has the highest Medicaid enrollment rate of any Republican seat in the country."
One year after the LA fires, we know what must change
Capitol Weekly, ERIC HORNE: "Just a year ago, Los Angeles watched neighborhoods burn, skies fill with smoke, and families flee with minutes to spare, including members of my own family. As we commemorate the anniversary of this tragic event, many communities are still recovering, landscapes remain visibly scarred, and too many families are still living with the long tail of destruction—financial, emotional, and physical. Yet the most unsettling truth is that, despite the passage of time, the threat of megafires like those we witnessed in Altadena and the Palisades has only intensified.
The past year has made one thing painfully clear: we know what must change to prevent future megafires, and the time to act is now."
Child care in California was already hard to find — the immigration crackdown has made it worse
CalMatters, CAROLYN JONES: "On a recent weekday morning in Los Angeles, a young mother dropped off her 2-year-old and 4-year-old at a child care center located in a neighbor’s home. It was the 2-year-old’s birthday, so she also brought a treat for the staff and kids: a “Cars”-themed red velvet cake, the child’s favorite. Then she went off to her job as an office cleaner. The child care provider never saw her again.
“She was picked up,” said the provider, Adriana, who asked to be identified only by her first name because although she is a legal resident of the U.S. she fears wrongful deportation. She also asked not to name the mother and children. “The kids were saying, ‘Where’s mommy? Where’s mommy?’ It was hard for us providers to explain. It was heartbreaking.”
