California’s primary care shortage persists despite ambitious moves to close gap
BERNARD J. WOLFSON and VANESSA G. SANCHEZ, LA Times: "Sumana Reddy, a primary care physician, struggles on thin financial margins to run Acacia Family Medical Group, the small independent practice she founded 27 years ago in Salinas, a predominantly Latino city in an agricultural valley often called “the salad bowl of the world.”
Reddy can’t match the salaries offered by larger health systems — a difficulty compounded by a widespread shortage of primary care doctors."
Kamala Harris plans scathing critique of Trump in first major speech since leaving office
SEEMA MEHTA, LA Times: "Former Vice President Kamala Harris plans to offer a pointed critique of President Trump and his policies on Wednesday in her first major speech since leaving office.
“She will reflect on the enduring promise of America and issue a call to action in the face of reckless economic policies and the urgent and escalating crisis facing America’s institutions and global leadership,” according to a person with knowledge of Harris’ speech who requested anonymity to speak candidly."
Tribal clash stalls CEQA consultation reform bill
BRIAN JOSEPH and RICH EHISEN, Capitol Weekly: "An intense dispute between federally- and non-federally recognized California Native American tribes over a bill intended to give tribal governments more control over development that encroaches on their sacred lands has convinced the author to pause the measure.
After significant negations over the last few weeks failed to bring the opponents together, Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) turned her proposal, AB 52, into a two-year bill to allow the two sides time to come closer together."
New tiny home project could reshape homeless housing in Sacramento
THERESA J. CLIFT, SAcBee: "Sacramento could be getting its first tiny home village of permanent housing for the homeless. The community would be located at a long-vacant site at the corner of Rio Linda Boulevard and Las Palmas Avenue in North Sacramento. It would include 100 tiny homes for seniors who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
The project became public when it was included a Sacramento City Council agenda the city posted Thursday. The agenda said the council would consider Tuesday applying for a state grant for the project. However the vote could be delayed due to concerns from the neighborhood, said Councilmember Roger Dickinson Friday"
San Francisco is no longer hemorrhaging workers to other cities — with one big exception
ROLAND LI and HANNA ZAKHARENKOI, SF Chronicle: "San Francisco is still losing workers to other tech hubs — and one destination is trumping them all.
The San Francisco metro area, including the East Bay, had a net loss of thousands of jobs to emerging tech hubs like Seattle, Austin, Texas and the much-hyped Miami. But in recent years, San Francisco has been losing fewer workers to those cities as an artificial intelligence boom takes hold and its population begins to recover, according to a Chronicle analysis of Census Bureau data. The data shows the location, industry and characteristics of the worker changing jobs."
What’s really going on in the debate over voter ID requirements?
PHIL WILLON, LA Times: "Between President Trump’s questionable dictates and a proposed 2026 ballot measure, Californians will be hearing a lot about voter ID requirements over the next year.
State voters will need to sift through an onslaught of falsehoods, political theatrics and simplistic arguments as they search for truth, an unfortunate reality in this Orwellian era."
Soaring burglaries in post-fire Altadena rattle residents: ‘Trauma on top of the trauma’
CLARA HARTER, LA Times: "When the smoke of the Eaton fire cleared, residents whose homes were left standing believed they had escaped disaster.
But many are finding that blessing comes with a curse. They are now prime targets for opportunistic thieves who prowl their neighborhoods at night."
Crime victims’ families rally to recall Contra Costa DA as signature-gathering begins
MOLLY BURKE, SF Chronicle: "A group of crime victims’ families gathered outside Oakley City Hall on Saturday evening to help kick off a signature-gathering campaign to recall another California district attorney, Diana Becton of Contra Costa County.
Near tents with tables and petitions, speakers spoke about pushing for safer Contra Costa County communities next to the memorial bench for Alexis Gabe, whose partial remains were found months after she went missing in January 2022 at age 23. Authorities suspected Marshall Curtis Jones, Gabe’s ex-boyfriend, of killing her and disposing of her body across Amador County."
Why did Elon Musk spend nearly $1 million to help elect David Valadao?
DAVID LIGHTMAN, SacBee: "Elon Musk’s America Political Action Committee spent nearly $1 million trying to get Rep. David Valadao re-elected last year.
Democrats say that has left the Hanford Republican eager to support the billionaire, who’s been instrumental in pushing for big government spending cuts."
Two California wine companies are locked in a legal battle over a French word
ESTHER MOBLEY, SF Chronicle: "A legal battle between two Bay Area wine companies hinges in part on a word that may sound esoteric to the general public but is familiar to anyone in the wine industry: négociant.
The French term refers to a merchant who buys grapes or wine and then bottles it under their own label. It’s proven a winning business model for many California entrepreneurs — perhaps none more so than Cameron Hughes, who has made a career out of finding high-quality wine at bargain prices, then rebottling and selling it directly to consumers. He did it first in the early 2000s under an eponymous company, Cameron Hughes Wine, then with a buzzy startup, De Négoce, and recently revealed his plans to launch a third act, the Négociant."
‘Chaos created by uncertainty.’ Tariffs hit a company that lights Hollywood — and Congress
LAURA J. NELSON, LA Times: "For two decades, Jim Sanfilippo has designed high-wattage, specialized LED lights for stadiums, the U.S. House of Representatives and Hollywood film and television productions, including the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace.”
Now the Pasadena small-business owner is bracing for uncertainty as the U.S. confronts its highest average effective tariff rate in nearly a century."
Trump supporters look for disaffected Democrats in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills
LILA SEIDMAN and SEEMA MEHTA, LA Times: "Supporters of President Trump and counter-protesters converged in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills on Sunday in a small but raucous confrontation that included a performance from a pro-Trump punk rock icon and remarks from a disgraced ex-congressman.
At a rally aimed at encouraging voters to leave the Democratic Party, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz portrayed the Republican Party as “patriotic and joyful” while denigrating the opposition as “angry and lonely.”"
