Trump must end National Guard deployment in L.A., judge rules
LAT, JOSEPH SERNA: "A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump Administration must end the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
Federal judge Charles R. Breyer said in his ruling that the guard should be returned to the control of Gov. Gavin Newsom."
The enduring friendship between Toni Atkins and Shirley Weber
Capitol Weekly, ACSAH LEMMA: "When former Senate pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) launched her campaign for governor in early 2024, she had her friend of 20 years introduce her. That friend was Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
A born and raised Virginian, Atkins met Weber in San Diego after moving to the city and starting a job at a community clinic. At the time, Weber was the president of the San Diego Board of Education and had wowed Atkins with a speech she had given during a school luncheon."
Californians are being detained by ICE despite being U.S. citizens. Will it keep happening?
Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "Cary Lopez Alvarado, a U.S. citizen, was nine months pregnant when, according to her lawyers, federal immigration agents seized her in June while she was standing outside a gate on private property in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne. They shoved her onto a parked truck and put shackles under her stomach, her lawyers said.
She told them she was a citizen and that they were on private property, the lawyers said. She phoned local police and asked for help, but no one came, and while she was on the phone, a federal agent asked her, “You wanna get killed?” The lawyers said she was released after several hours."
Former mayor, nonprofits launch ‘Heal Stockton Fund’ as city grapples with grief
SacBee, DARRELL SMITH: "Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs has joined several Central Valley and Stockton advocacy and nonprofit groups to launch a community fund to support residents affected by last month’s mass shooting.
“We’re heartbroken at the tragedy that happened here in Stockton. We came together to figure out how we can ensure that we build the infrastructure to reduce the likelihood of things like this happening,” said Tubbs, who spoke Tuesday with The Bee ahead of the fund’s launch."
Still having insurance problems? Need mental health services? This Altadena group wants to help
LAT, AUGUST BROWN: "The first thing you see when you walk into the Collaboratory in Altadena is a wall of devastation. A floor-to-ceiling map of every lot lost to the Eaton fire in January — 9,413 structures. Each marked with a red dot on a grid of streets that have looked like a charred moonscape for 11 months.
The wall is a harrowing depiction of loss in the Eaton fire. But one turn to the right, and hope kicks back in."
Hunger is squeezing California students — and it could get worse
EdSource, EMMA GALLEGOS: "This has been an especially challenging year for Rosalba Ortega’s family.
It’s been a cold, soggy winter in Bakersfield, and Ortega said her two granddaughters, ages 4 and 7, don’t have warm coats for their walk to school. Rent and food prices have been climbing, and as a farmworker, she’s struggled to find work in the fields. Last month’s delays to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — known in California as CalFresh — hit her grandkids at a time when her family is already struggling to put food on the table."
High school seniors once again getting early Cal Grant eligibility notices
EdSource, DIANA LAMBERT: "The California Student Aid Commission is sending out preliminary notices of Cal Grant eligibility to high school seniors.
The early communication with seniors had not taken place for the past three years because of federal student aid delays, according to the commission."
California farm recalls thousands of eggs after contamination warning
Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "A small, family-run farm in Northern California has recalled more than 1,500 dozen eggs after state officials warned of potential Salmonella contamination.
Vega Farms, based in Dixon, issued the recall on Dec. 5 after routine checks indicated that some eggs may have been exposed during processing."
These wild mushrooms have sickened Californians. Here’s how to forage safely
LAT, SANDRA MCDONALD: "The winter season has brought cold and wet conditions that are perfect for fungi like death cap mushrooms, or Amanita phalloides, to grow in California, experts say, but with that has come a rash of people mistakenly eating them thinking they’re safe.
So far this year, at least 23 people have been sickened by eating death cap mushrooms in California and one person has died."
Bay Area is stuck with gloomy weather. Here’s where to find sun
Chronicle, GREG PORTER: "The Bay Area, Sacramento and the Central Valley have been stuck under a cold, rainless yet relentlessly gray pattern since Thanksgiving. The numbers paint a gloomy picture: A state-run agriculture weather station in Vineyard, just south of Sacramento, has logged less than half the solar energy it recorded last December. And in Fresno, the Yosemite airport has seen only 11 hours of clear skies out of a possible 206 this month.
So where do you go if you actually want sun and warmth?"
California wildlife officials quietly shift on killing a high-profile predator
LAT, LILA SEIDMAN: "In a move that reverses nearly a decade of practice, California wildlife officials have quietly begun to allow killing mountain lions in order to protect another iconic native — bighorn sheep.
Though limited to the Eastern Sierra — the steep, rugged home of a rare type of the wild sheep — it marks a sea change for California, where legislators and voters have heaped protections on the big, charismatic cats that suffered decades of persecution."
Fed expected to lower interest rates Wednesday. Will CA consumers notice?
SacBee, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "The Federal Reserve plans to announce its latest take on interest rates Wednesday, with financial markets anticipating a small cut.
Whether a reduction will help the slow-moving California economy and give consumers a meaningful boost is questionable."
Hollywood has already faced steep job cuts. The Warner deal could make it worse
LAT, MEG JAMES/SAMANTHA MASUNAGA: "Employment in Hollywood has already been bleak. But with the impending sale of Warner — whether its the whole company to Paramount or the studios, HBO and HBO Max to Netflix — that picture could become even dimmer.
Industry workers fear that a consolidation between two major players in Hollywood could further decrease production and lead to the sweeping job cuts that typically occur after big corporate acquisitions. Many have pointed to the downsizing that followed Walt Disney Co.’s $71-billion purchase in 2019 of much of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox entertainment assets."
READ MORE -- Paramount wants to buy Warner Bros. What to know about hostile takeover bids -- LAT, QUEENIE WONG
Home insurance costs are up 150% in one part of California. This map shows premiums by county
Chronicle, CHRISTIAN LEONARD/SRIHARSHA DEVULAPALLI: "Climate change is making insuring homes more risky — and more expensive. And in neighborhoods where that risk is the greatest, higher insurance costs are starting to eat into property values as well.
That’s the finding from a new working paper by professors from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Wisconsin, who obtained data showing that the median annual insurance premium among California mortgage-payers was $1,700 in 2024, 28% higher than in 2014, after adjusting for inflation."
Muni tax: Some Boomer homeowners get exemptions. But what about Gen Z renters?
Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN: "Roughly a third of homeowners in San Francisco could be exempt from a parcel tax to save Muni, owing to a provision that spares seniors from having to pay.
People over age 65 would not have to chip in the flat fee of $129 for homes under 3,000 square feet, or the incremental charges per square foot for larger homes. The tax is set to go before voters next November. If passed, it would serve as an economic lifeline for the transit system that’s helping fuel San Francisco’s downtown recovery and carrying people — including many older adults — to jobs or doctor’s appointments."
S.F. housing nonprofit fund hits $100 million, promising faster and cheaper affordable homes
Chronicle, J.K. DINEEN: "San Francisco’s Housing Accelerator Fund is picking up velocity.
The nonprofit that has a proven track record of using creative approaches to lower the cost of affordable residential construction, has raised another $50 million for its Bay Area Housing Innovation Fund, bringing total investment to $100 million."
As California prisons face ‘wave’ of sex assault lawsuits, new audit highlights slow discipline
CALMatters, NIGEL DUARA: "Five California correctional officers who were accused of sexually assaulting incarcerated people over the last dozen years remain employed by the state, according to a new audit from the state prisons’ inspector general.
The audit, released last week, is a twice-a-year summary of how the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation addresses complaints about its staff members. Overall, the inspector general found fault with the internal affairs department’s investigations into prison guard misconduct."
Woman delivers baby in Waymo robotaxi en route to San Francisco hospital
Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "A woman en route to a UCSF medical center gave birth inside a Waymo robotaxi on Monday night, marking one of the most unusual — and for the company, most positive — moments yet in San Francisco’s closely watched driverless experiment.
A Waymo spokesperson said the company’s remote Rider Support team detected “unusual activity” in the vehicle during the trip and called the passenger to check on her. Staff also contacted 911, the company said, but the robotaxi reached the hospital before emergency responders."
