Trump withdraws U.S. from 66 international organizations and treaties, including major climate groups
LAT, HAYLEY SMITH: "President Trump on Wednesday withdrew the United States from 66 international organizations and treaties, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
In a presidential memorandum, Trump said it is “contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to” the organizations, which also include groups geared toward education, economic development, cybersecurity and human rights issues, among others. He directed all executive departments and agencies to take steps to “effectuate the withdrawal” of the U.S. from the organizations as soon as possible."
Newsom’s final State of the State speech steeped in rosy view of California, his record as governor
LAT, MELODY GUTIERREZ: "In his final State of the State address, Gov. Gavin Newsom will look to define his legacy by touting California’s economic and policy achievements while casting the state as a counterweight to dysfunction in Washington.
The speech, which he will deliver Thursday morning to lawmakers in the Capitol, highlights economic strength, falling homelessness and expanded education funding, while also offering a glimpse of how Newsom is positioning himself beyond his final year in office."
Larry Page, Larry Ellison move business out as California’s proposed ‘billionaire tax’ looms
CHRONICLE, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Larry Ellison and Larry Page, two of Silicon Valley’s most influential figures, have taken concrete steps to move key business entities out of California as labor groups race to qualify — but have not yet secured — a proposed wealth tax on billionaires for the ballot.
Meanwhile, Nvidia’s chief executive, Jensen Huang, has struck a notably different tone, saying he is “perfectly fine” with the potential levy and plans to remain in the state."
California’s exodus isn’t just billionaires — it’s regular people renting U-Hauls, too
LAT, NILESH CHRISTOPHER: "It isn’t just billionaires leaving California.
Anecdotal data suggest there is also an exodus of regular people who load their belongings into rental trucks and lug them to another state."
Exclusive: West Sacramento mayor joins crowded 6th Congressional District race
SACBEE, LIA RUSSELL: "West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero is running for California’s 6th Congressional District, joining a growing list of contenders hoping to succeed incumbent Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, who is running for the 3rd District.
Guerrero told The Sacramento Bee in an exclusive interview ahead of her Thursday campaign launch that she would draw upon her decades of experience in local government and as a licensed social worker to appeal to voters as the “executive experience” candidate."
California law let a politician avoid jail for child abuse charges. Lawmakers are furious
LAT, MELISSA GOMEZ: "A mental health diversion granted to a former Kern County politician is coming under fire from numerous California lawmakers and child welfare advocates, who say a repeatedly amended state law is allowing an accused child abuser to avoid prosecution and possible jail time.
Zack Scrivner, a former Kern County supervisor, was charged with felony child abuse in February after he was accused of inappropriately touching one of his children in 2024. But because of a Dec. 19 ruling by a judge, he will avoid a trial and instead be funneled into a mental health diversion program — an initiative aimed at helping defendants with mental health disorders get treatment instead of imprisonment for certain crimes."
Lawmaker targets repeat drunk drivers as part of larger push to fix problems exposed by CalMatters
CALMATTERS, LAUREN HEPLER/ROBERT LEWIS: "A coalition of lawmakers is planning a series of bills this Legislative session to fundamentally revamp how California handles dangerous drivers, Assemblymember Nick Schultz of Burbank said this week.
Schultz, a Democrat who chairs the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, released the details of his opening effort on Monday, proposing a law that would increase penalties for repeat drunk drivers."
How Prop 4 funding can best serve California communities (OP-ED)
CALMATTERS, AUDREY SIU: "California voters made a bold choice in approving Proposition 4, a $10 billion climate bond to help us adapt to rising temperatures, worsening wildfires, and climate-driven floods. It will take years to reap the benefits from this bond. But the devil is in the details – the specifics of how funds are dispersed will make or break its success.
$10 billion is simultaneously a lot of money and nowhere near enough to fully prepare our state for the challenges to come. Spending these funds efficiently is critical for reaching Prop 4’s stated goals."
Why does California overpay state workers millions of dollars each year?
SACBEE, WILLIAM MELHADO: "Imagine getting a monthly paycheck, only to be asked to give some of the money back. In California, that’s been an on-and-off reality for state government workers for years.
The state accidentally keeps overpaying employees because its legacy payroll system, which dates back to the 1970s, fails to account for last-minute payroll changes, records obtained by The Sacramento Bee show. When those erroneous payments occur, departments and their employees have to jump through extra hoops to recover those public funds."
New U.S. food pyramid gets a lot right — but experts say it gets one key thing totally wrong
CHRONICLE, CATHERINE HO: "Federal health and agriculture officials Wednesday released updated dietary guidelines that urge Americans to follow some contradictory or puzzling ideas— prioritizing red meat and doubling the previously recommended amount of daily protein intake — while also keepiSSSng mainstay nutrition advice intact like eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables and limiting sugar, alcohol and highly processed foods.
The guidelines, which are updated every five years by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and U.S. Department of Agriculture, were announced at a news briefing by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has personally espoused many of the tenets included in the updated guidance."
UC sets new record in California student enrollment as it weathers Trump challenges
LAT, JAWEED KALEEM: "The University of California enrolled a record number of Californians in fall 2025, according to data released Thursday, touting the vitality and popularity of a system under attack by the Trump administration and grappling with federal funding cuts and state budget belt-tightening.
More than 301,000 students attended one of UC’s 10 campuses over the fall — the largest number in its history, with a year-over-year increase of 1,686 students. The total included more than 200,000 California resident undergraduates, an increase of 1,796 students."
More Latino students are attending Cal State. But where are the Latino professors?
CALMATTERS, ANGEL CORZO/BRITTANY OCEGUERA: "In the last decade, Latinos in the California State University system have not made up more than 15% of all instructors, even as they made up nearly half of the student body in recent years.
Even at Cal State Los Angeles, where in 2024 a massive 75% of its student population were Latino, only about a quarter of its faculty were, according to Cal State data compiled by CalMatters."
Don’t be fooled by sunshine — the Bay Area’s coldest mornings are ahead
CHRONICLE, GREG PORTER: "Winter is coming. And this is not a reference to the second Game of Thrones spin off due to debut later this month.
A new cold weather advisory is in place for just about all of the Bay Area as morning temperature over the next few days will fall below freezing in some spots and into the 30s and low 40s everywhere else. Winter attire will be a must for the morning commute."
How Californians can use a new state website to block hundreds of data brokers
CALMATTERS, COLIN LECHER/MILES HILTON: "The California Privacy Protection Agency kicked off 2026 by launching a tool that state residents can use to make data brokers delete and stop selling their personal information.
The system, known as the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, or DROP, has been in the works for years, mandated by a 2023 law known as the Delete Act. Under it and previous laws, data brokers must register with the state and enable consumers to tell brokers to stop tracking them and selling their information."
Locals wanted to rebuild Pacific Palisades, Altadena. Then the big investors moved in
LAT, TERRY CASTLEMAN: "Last spring, Realtor Teresa Fuller saw signs that the epic task of rebuilding Altadena could be a local affair, with potential buyers wanting to place a bet on the community’s future.
“Early on, the market was very active. A lot of Altadenans, a lot of La Cañadans, a lot of people wanted to be involved in the rebuild,” said Fuller, a real estate agent in Altadena."
S.F. sees record drop in pedestrian fatalities, bucking statewide trends
CHRONICLE, RACHEL SWAN/HARSHA DEVULAPALLI: "Even as San Francisco’s downtown offices and shopping districts roared back to life last year, officials saw something unexpected on the city’s roads: far fewer traffic deaths.
Crash fatalities dropped by a staggering 142%, from 43 in 2024 to 25 in 2025. The numbers represent the steepest year-over-year decline on record, falling well below the city average of 30 deaths per year, according to the San Francisco Municipal Agency. And the data appears promising across many groups of road users, with pedestrian deaths decreasing from 24 to 17 and bicycle fatalities down from two to one."
Cartier glasses, stabbings and payouts: ‘Dropout’ gangs sow chaos in California prisons
LAT, MATHEW ORMSETH: "Maurice Vasquez dances in his prison cell to blaring rap music, wearing a straw hat and designer glasses.
“Only motherf— in here with these $1,200 Cartier frames,” Vasquez says in a video filmed on a contraband cellphone. In other clips, he displays a thick gold chain — “Tiffany and Company,” he claims — and drinks prison-distilled liquor."
CA High-Speed Rail set big goals for 2026. What to watch in Fresno, Central Valley
SACBEE, ERIK GALICIA: "After dismissing its relationship with the federal government at the close of 2025, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is coming into the new year with a to-do list and plan that could connect the Fresno-Madera area to Gilroy before the train reaches Merced.
Despite losing $4 billion of its unspent federal money last year, the rail authority also scored a big win as California’s Legislature promised the project $20 billion over the next 20 years."
