California’s Medi-Cal shortfall hits $6.2 billion with ‘unprecedented’ cost increases
CALMatters, ANA B. IBARRA: "The hole in California’s Medi-Cal budget seems to be bigger than what state officials reported just last week.
California health care officials told the Legislature on Monday that the state will need another $2.8 billion to be able to pay Medi-Cal providers through the end of the fiscal year."
READ MORE -- Gavin Newsom’s team asks for billions more to support Medi-Cal program -- Sac Bee, STEPHEN HOBBS/LIA RUSSELL
‘Quiet panic’ as national rental assistance program set to run out of cash
CALMatters, BEN CHRISTOPHER: "A $5 billion pot of federal money set aside to help people on the verge of homelessness pay the rent is running out of cash — and no one has a plan to keep the roughly 60,000 renters, more than 15,000 of them in California — from losing their housing after the last dollar is spent.
News of the imminent expiration of the Emergency Housing Voucher program came in a March 6 letter the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sent to local public housing authorities, the agencies that administer federal rental housing assistance programs."
DOGE targets nearly two dozen environmental offices for closure in California
LAT, HAYLEY SMITH: "President Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency plans to terminate lease contracts at nearly two dozen California offices relating to science, agriculture and the environment, according to its federal database.
The planned closures include facilities occupied by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, Forest Service and Geological Survey. The terminations follow massive layoffs at NOAA and significant cuts to scientific research funding across federal agencies in recent weeks."
California bill would restore wetlands protections in wake of Supreme Court ruling
LAT, IAN JAMES: "California lawmakers are proposing legislation that aims to reestablish safeguards for the state’s streams and wetlands in response to a Supreme Court ruling limiting federal clean water regulations.
Supporters say the legislation has taken on heightened urgency as the Trump administration begins to scale back protections for many streams and wetlands, making them vulnerable to pollution and worsening water quality."
Gavin Newsom’s office sending cellphones to CEOs to reach California governor ‘directly’
Sac Bee, LIA RUSSELL: "Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has been sending cellphones to business executives in an effort to maintain relationships with some of California’s most powerful business leaders, according to his office.
His office confirmed Monday night that the governor has been sending phones “on a rolling basis” since November to executives who lead some of the “largest (top-100) California-based companies” with Newsom’s direct phone number programmed into them."
Conservatives dominate podcasts. Will Gavin Newsom succeed where liberals haven’t?
Sac Bee, LIA RUSSELL: "Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new podcast has everyone in politics abuzz, from supporters who were shocked by his remarks on transgender athletes to foes who have seized upon his apparent heel turn as a calculated move to appeal to moderates and distance himself from his liberal brand.
That may be just what the media-savvy governor is looking for as he mulls over a run for president in 2028. He’ll need to appeal to a base beyond his native California and reach potential voters as trust in institutions like legacy media and government remain low. He famously eschews written notes and prefers to rely on his memory and intellect to spar with ideological opponents and deliver speeches, making a long-form podcast an ideal platform for the dyslexic politician."
Claire Conlon: Around the world and back again (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Claire Conlon got her start in the capitol as a legislative aide in 2011, and has held a wide variety of roles since, including Press Secretary for Senate leader Kevin de León and Chief of Staff to Asm. Cottie Petrie-Norris. While building that impressive resume, she did something unusual: she left. In 2017 Conlon left the capitol, the state, and eventually the country, traveling the world for a full year – job title “Vagabond” on her Linkedin. Returning to the state in 2018, she picked up where she had left off. In 2023, she left the capitol again – She is currently the Senior Director of State Government Affairs for Biocom California, where she manages and implements their state legislative policy agenda.
Claire shared stories from her capitol journey and other travels, offers advice for new legislators, and talks about her new role in California’s second largest industry. Plus – Who had the Worst Week in CA Politics?"
Capitol Weekly Insider Survey: Where the Capitol community gets its news
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "During the Arnold Schwarzenegger era, news consumption around the Capitol began to change.
Traditional newspapers had long been the dominant source for news. But then Twitter emerged as a favorite for breaking news, with its immediacy allowing for instant updates on the day’s hearings or budget negotiations or anything else that might be happening right now."
Rep. Kevin Kiley extends time at telephone town hall following flood of calls, constituent protests
Sac Bee, JENAVIEVE HATCH: "Rep. Kevin Kiley set out to reach his far-flung constituents Monday night with a telephone town hall. Instead, many heard a recorded voice telling them the line was full — before hanging up on them.
“Sorry, due to overwhelming demand, we are unable to connect you to your conference at this time,” said the message. “Goodbye.”"
Will Korea’s ‘sensitive’ country designation impair cooperation with the U.S.?
LAT, MAX KIM: "A revelation that the U.S. Department of Energy has designated South Korea as a “sensitive country” — a label reserved for nations deemed to pose a threat to national security or nuclear nonproliferation — has left South Korean officials scrambling for answers.
Questioned by lawmakers during a parliamentary session on March 11, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said the South Korean government had been unaware of the measure, finding out through “unofficial channels” only after local media broke the news a day earlier."
Two Bay Area cities created a program to help undocumented immigrants. It might instead help ICE target them
The Chronicle, KO LYN CHEANG: "Two Bay Area cities that hoped to help undocumented immigrants could be unwittingly putting a target on their backs.
A data privacy advocate has sounded the alarm that a program created by the city of Richmond to give a municipal ID card that could double as a prepaid debit card to residents who lack official identification — primarily, undocumented immigrants and indigent homeless people — may have inadvertently created a way for federal immigration enforcement to target these immigrants for deportation."
Scenes of loss – and resilience – at a Cal State campus facing drastic cuts
EdSource, AMY DIPIERRO: "On the soccer pitch, in the physics classroom and in the office of a trusted professor, students at Sonoma State University are confronting a demoralizing challenge: What happens if my program gets cut?
The Rohnert Park campus, 50 miles north of San Francisco, has announced a contentious proposal to close a $24 million budget deficit by nixing six academic departments entirely, eliminating about two dozen major degree programs and cutting all NCAA Division II sports, among other measures."
Many older people take these vitamins to boost longevity. But it may be time to rethink that
The Chronicle, CATHERINE HO: "For years, conventional wisdom was that older adults should take calcium and vitamin D supplements for bone health and to prevent the risk of falls and fractures.
Calcium is the major mineral in bones, and vitamin D is needed for the body to absorb calcium — leading many supplement manufacturers to package the two together. Both calcium and vitamin D are important for bone and muscle health."
These California coastal cities face heightened flood danger from tsunami, data show
LAT, RONG-GONG LIN II/GRACE TOOHEY: "The risk of damaging flooding from a major tsunami may be greater than many realized along stretches of California’s renowned coastline, state officials say, further reinforcing the need for residents to take note if they live in or visit hazard areas.
The most recent risk assessment, outlined in maps that were published by the California Geological Survey and reviewed by The Times, illustrate the devastation that could result from scenarios considered to be extreme, but realistic. For instance, a large tsunami could flood swaths of Marina del Rey, Long Beach and the nearby dual port complex to an elevation of up to 15 feet above sea level."
Supervisor wants to diagnose why S.F. builds slower than other cities
The Chronicle, J.K. DINEEN: "Over the last six years, a flurry of bills has made it easier and faster to get housing projects approved in California.
Yet San Francisco remains slower than its neighbors when it comes to actually issuing the building permits needed to put shovels in the ground. Supervisor Bilal Mahmood wants to know why that is."
Adults-only hotels are all over California. Are they even legal?
LAT, CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS: "Can hotels legally ban children?
With spring breaks starting momentarily and summer vacations not far away, the question is puzzling a wide scope of California travelers — parents booking their next family vacation as well as adults looking for a child-free escape. And the answer is complicated."
‘They didn’t lift a damn finger’: California crime victim fund ordered to change practices
CALMatters, CAYLA MIHALOVICH: "Ruby Marichalar didn’t have the money to pay for her son’s funeral after he was stabbed to death in September 2012. Like thousands of Californians every year, she turned for help to a state agency that was created to support survivors of crime.
The California Victim Compensation Board collects restitution and provides financial aid for crime recovery expenses such as funeral costs, income loss and mental health services to eligible survivors and their families."
Bay Area airport traffic is down — except to this overseas destination
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "Bay Area airport traffic has suffered. From 2019 to 2024, SFO’s traffic was down more than 10%. OAK’s was down by 21%. And SJC was down by 25%.
Blame the economy. San Jose and Oakland airport officials have attributed the lagging passenger numbers to a decline in business travel after remote meetings became the norm during the pandemic. Before that, top destinations for both of those airports were largely other West Coast cities, which have almost all seen lower passenger numbers at both airports."
