Scott Wiener changes course, calls war in Gaza ‘genocide’ as House race kicks off
CHRONICLE, DAVID HERNANDEZ: "Sen. Scott Wiener referred to Israel’s war in Gaza as genocide for the first time Sunday, changing course after he got heckled at the first major congressional candidates forum last week. Wiener is one of three top Democratic candidates vying to replace Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.
“I’ve stopped short of calling it genocide, but I can’t anymore,” Wiener wrote, in part, on X. The post was accompanied by a 90-second video clip."
Gavin Newsom forecasts a rosier California budget and banks on AI boom continuing
CALMATTERS, YUE STELLA YU: "Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Friday forecast a “modest shortfall” of $2.9 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, down sharply from previous estimates in a nearly $349 billion budget proposal that relies heavily on continued windfalls from tech and AI stocks.
The governor’s 2026-27 budget proposal projects $9 billion more in revenue than anticipated, banking on the AI-driven economy to last. It’s significantly rosier than the grim outlook by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, which in November projected an $18 billion deficit."
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta opts against running for governor. Again.
LAT, KEVIN RECTOR/SEEMA MEHTA: "California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Sunday that he would not run for California governor, a decision he said was grounded in his belief that his legal efforts combating the Trump administration as the state’s top prosecutor are paramount at this time in history.
“In this moment, my place is here, on the front lines, in the trenches, serving as a bulwark, creating a protection around our state and our people, our values and our progress in the face of these vicious, inhumane, unlawful, cruel attacks from the Trump administration,” Bonta said in an interview Sunday night."
Deadly ICE shooting in Minnesota, affordability stir up California gubernatorial forums
LAT, SEEMA MEHTA/DAKOTA SMITH: "Just days after the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by a federal immigration agent, the Trump administration’s immigration policy was a top focus of California gubernatorial candidates at two forums Saturday in Southern California.
The death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, inflamed the nation’s deep political divide and led to widespread protests in Los Angeles and across the country about President Trump’s combative immigration policies."
Why California is keeping this unusual solar plant running when both Trump and Biden wanted it closed
LAT, HAYLEY SMITH: "The electricity it makes is expensive, its technology has been superseded, and it’s incinerating thousands of birds mid-flight each year. The Trump administration wants to see this unusual power plant closed, and in a rare instance of alignment, the Biden administration did, too.
But the state of California is insisting the Ivanpah power plant in the Mojave Desert stay open for at least 13 more years. It’s an indication of just how much electricity artificial intelligence and data centers are demanding."
PG&E plans to remove century-old California dams. But there’s a new obstacle: Trump
CHRONICLE, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "The Trump administration is following up on its pledge to try to stop the removal of two dams on Northern California’s Eel River, a move that gives farmers and rural residents opposed to the controversial demolition a welcome ally.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins last month filed to intervene in the regulatory proceedings over PG&E’s Potter Valley Project. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is seeking federal approval to retire the hydroelectric enterprise, which comprises the dams in Lake and Mendocino counties, because of the project’s age and high operating costs. Many support the effort as a means of restoring the Eel River and helping struggling salmon runs."
Earthquake swarm resumes in Northern California city. What’s going on?
SACBEE, DON SWEENEY: "A swarm of a half-dozen earthquakes reaching up to magnitude 2.9 rattled San Ramon in California near San Francisco, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
The other quakes in Saturday’s swarm ranged from magnitude 1.2 to 2.8, according to the USGS.'
OpenAI, childrens’ advocates join forces on initiative to protect kids from chatbots
CALMATTERS, KHARI JOHNSON: "Kids safety advocate Common Sense Media and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI joined together today to advance a ballot measure that would amend the California Constitution in order to protect kids from companion chatbots online.
The two previously planned to place competing initiatives before voters, each stipulating that the one that got the most “yes” votes would win. OpenAI’s proposal largely reflected existing law, while the Common Sense measure included new bans on what AI systems children could access."
Will California maintains its edge on clean transportation?
CAPITOL WEEKLY, MICHAEL BERUBE: "California has long defined what clean transportation leadership looks like. But today, that leadership faces a crossroads – and the direction we take will be determined by the upcoming state budget, which will shape whether California maintains its edge or allows global competitors to outpace us.
California has reached an inflection point, a reality echoed by a broad coalition of companies, labor groups, ports, and clean transportation organizations that recently urged Governor Newsom to prioritize ZEV funding in the 2026–27 budget. They know the stakes: Momentum is not guaranteed."
‘People aren’t upset enough’: Bay Area protesters unite against Trump, ICE
CHRONICLE, ANNA BAUMAN: "Hundreds of people gathered at the northeast corner of Lake Merritt in Oakland on Sunday afternoon to demonstrate opposition to hard-line immigration enforcement by the Trump administration, including the recent shooting of an unarmed woman in Minneapolis by federal agents.
On the second day of a nationwide weekend of action, drivers honked their horns and a four-member band played music at the corner of Grand and Lake Park avenues, creating a noisy backdrop to a peaceful protest attended by residents flashing hand-made signs such as “Hate will not make us great,” “Shame,” and “ICE out 4 Good.”"
California storms have suddenly shut off. When will rain return?
CHRONICLE, GREG PORTER: "This weekend feels different across the Bay Area. Clouds are in short order and the air is notably dry after weeks of moisture, both signs that for the first time in nearly three weeks, California has shifted into a sustained dry stretch.
It’s a welcome change after a soggy late fall and early winter that brought repeated rounds of rain in November and December, followed by a stubborn stretch of dense tule fog that blanketed the Central and Sacramento valleys for weeks."
Stunning stretch of California coastline opens to public for first time in 100 years
CHRONICLE, GREGORY THOMAS: "A windswept stretch of undeveloped Sonoma coast, privately owned for a century and containing a sandy beach that had been virtually inaccessible to the general public, has opened to visitors with new hiking trails and sensational views.
Just south of Bodega Bay, the Estero Americano Coast Preserve spreads across grassy terraces sandwiched between the Pacific and the snaking Estero Americano tidal estuary — the natural water boundary separating Sonoma and Marin counties. The 547-acre property historically operated as a ranch but was sold in 2015 to a coalition of conservation groups."
Berkeley is mandating home fireproofing — and sparking a backlash in the hills
CHRONICLE, KATE TALERICO: "Last year, as Los Angeles burned, Brent Blackaby looked out the window of his Berkeley hills home and asked: What was to stop the same from happening here?
That month, the City Council member began working with the Berkeley Fire Department on what he saw as an obvious first step, absent state action: a city law requiring homeowners in high-risk areas to create a fire-resistant, 5-foot barrier around their homes, with the goal of stopping flying embers from finding fuel at the edge of a structure — the cause of many houses burning down during wildfires."
These San Francisco neighborhoods have hit record high home prices
CHRONICLE, CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "Shopping around for a San Francisco mansion? Better bring an extra million bucks.
The ultra-luxury San Francisco neighborhoods that make up the city’s seventh Realtor district — a collection of neighborhoods defined by the San Francisco Association of Realtors — saw house prices rise to their highest-ever levels last year, according to a recent report from home brokerage Compass. The median sale price for houses in that district, which includes Pacific Heights, the Marina and Cow Hollow, rose to a whopping $6 million in 2025, up 20% from 2024. That was the fastest surge among any part of the city for which Compass had data."
In pricey Santa Monica neighborhood, a battle rages over supportive housing
LAT, GAVIN J. QUINTON: "It was a scene that left residents of this pricey, palm-lined Santa Monica neighborhood flabbergasted.
Without warning, some 50 strangers had suddenly arrived in vans and were occupying a vacant building on Ocean Avenue the night before Thanksgiving."
‘West Wing’ actor Timothy Busfield accused of child sex abuse in New Mexico
LAT, ALEXANDRIA DEL ROSARIO: "New Mexico authorities have accused Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield, known for series “The West Wing” and “Thirtysomething,” of child sex abuse.
A judge on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the 68-year-old actor on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and a single count of child abuse. The arrest warrant affidavit, reviewed by The Times on Sunday, accuses Busfield of inappropriately touching two child actors, who are brothers, during his tenure on the Fox crime drama “The Cleaning Lady.”"
