Gavin Newsom’s final budget would end homeless grant program, shelters could close
SACBEE, THERESA CLIFT: "California cities may be forced to close homeless shelters next year if the legislature approves Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget.
The $349 billion budget, which Newsom released Friday, would omit a large homelessness grant that cities and counties have relied on each year to address the severe crisis since Newsom took office in 2019."
Defiant independence from the Federal Reserve catches Trump off guard
LAT, MICHAEL WILNER/LAURENCE DARMIENTO/ANA CEBALLOS: "White House officials were caught by surprise when a post appeared Sunday night on the Federal Reserve’s official social media channel, with Jerome Powell, its chairman, delivering a plain and clear message.
President Trump was not only weaponizing the Justice Department to intimidate him, Powell said to the camera, standing before an American flag. This time, he added, it wasn’t going to work."
S.F. CEO council backed by Mayor Lurie revealed one of its projects. Here are the details
CHRONICLE, J.D. MORRIS: "Some of San Francisco’s most influential business figures are providing new details about an effort they started more than nine months ago to help Mayor Daniel Lurie accelerate the city’s anemic economic recovery.
The Partnership for San Francisco, a council of senior executives Lurie convened in March, on Tuesday announced the results of a poll it commissioned to gauge how voters feel about the city’s direction, its business climate and public transportation, among other matters."
‘Radio silence’: Plans to honor a former S.F. mayor are caught up in red tape at City Hall
CHRONICLE, J.K. DINEEN: "A new colleague may soon join the 11 bronze mayoral busts that populate the niches and balconies at San Francisco City Hall, just a month after the bronze bust of the late Mayor Ed Lee was hoisted onto a pedestal near the Polk Street entrance.
And perhaps unsurprising for a politician, this one may have a lot to say."
Clarissa Laguardia: Getting young people engaged in the democratic process (PODCAST)
CAPITOL WEEKLY, STAFF: "We’re joined today by Clarissa Laguardia, Executive Director of the California Center for Civic Participation (CalCenter). CalCenter is a non-profit organization that works to engage young people in the democratic process. Their approach to civic participation centers youth voices, demystifies the process, and equips and connects young people with opportunities to create impactful change in their communities.
Laguardia is passionate about CalCenter’s projects – she knows firsthand the importance of engaging in the political experience. She grew up in El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War and migrated to the United States after high school, speaking no English. She navigated the immigrant experience largely on her own, mastering the language and gaining a profound understanding of the importance of communication. Her background has helped her connect with young people statewide."
The Micheli Minute, January 12, 2026
CAPITOL WEEKLY, STAFF: "Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome."
Building American prosperity from the ground up (OP-ED)
CAPITOL WEEKLY, MIMI WALTERS: "Our nation is on the verge of a construction boom that could unleash unprecedented job creation and economic growth – as long as we aren’t choked off by a lack of labor and critical building materials like cement. Across the U.S., demand for new construction is accelerating, driven by technology, population growth, and the need to modernize aging infrastructure. Cement underpins this progress, providing the strength and durability that modern infrastructure depends on.
Projections show that U.S. data center construction over the next three years will require about 1 million metric tons of cement. The airport market is estimated to consume 2.4 million metric tons of cement by 2040. More construction of energy infrastructure, like LNG terminals and generation systems, will also increase demand. But U.S. cement production declined by 4% last year and our reliance on low-quality, foreign imports continues to inch up. That imbalance between rising demand and shrinking domestic supply should concern anyone who cares about economic growth, supply chain resilience, and America’s global competitiveness."
Will Newsom quickly settle a school facilities lawsuit as Schwarzenegger did?
EDSOURCE, JOHN FENSTERWALD: "Gov. Gavin Newsom faces a decision in his last year as governor similar to one former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faced in his first year two decades ago: How to deal with a lawsuit demanding that the state fix unhealthy and inadequate school facilities?
In 2004, Schwarzenegger, a political novice, moved quickly and, within a half year of becoming governor, settled a lawsuit that his predecessor, Gray Davis, had dragged out in San Francisco County Superior Court for more than three years. The landmark agreement that Schwarzenegger and his aides negotiated in 2004 redefined the state’s oversight over school facility conditions."
Union wants UC to create a legal aid fund to help graduate student workers with visa issues
LAT, FELICIA MELLO: "Graduate student workers are making an unusual request in their contract negotiations with the University of California: a legal fund to help them navigate visa issues.
The ask from United Auto Workers Local 4811, which represents 48,000 teaching assistants, postdocs and researchers at UC, comes amid increased scrutiny of international students by the Trump administration, which has ramped up restrictions on immigrants and foreign visitors."
One student’s drive to attend college in person despite years left in juvenile facilities
EDSOURCE, BETTY MARQUEZ ROSALES: "When Fausto Lopez started skipping class in middle school, his grades slipped, but he still managed to pass science class.
He thought about that years later when asked what college courses he might be interested in. Lopez liked biology, but it wasn’t an option because he was attending school from inside a juvenile facility."
New LAFD chief won’t look into who watered down Palisades fire report
LAT, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN/NOAH GOLDBERG: "After admitting last week that the Los Angeles Fire Department’s after-action report on the Palisades fire was watered down so as not to reflect poorly on top command staff, Fire Chief Jaime Moore said Monday he does not plan to determine who was responsible.
Moore said he is taking a forward-looking approach and not seeking to assign blame for changes to the Oct. 8 report that downplayed the city’s failures in preparing for and responding to the disaster. But he said his predecessor, interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva, ultimately was responsible for releasing the contents of the report."
Before and after: Green returns to Altadena, Pacific Palisades a year after fires
LAT, TERRY CASTLEMAN: "As victims of last January’s firestorm continue to fight to rebuild and recover, the bigger picture may provide a sense of hope. The latest satellite images reveal a healing landscape.
A year after the Eaton and Palisades fires, winter rains have restored green to the landscape in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, charred trees have shown new growth, and structures have begun to take the place of rubble piles."
Mackenzie Scott makes $45 million gift to California nonprofit, its largest ever
CHRONICLE, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has given the Trevor Project, a leading provider of crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth, a $45 million donation, providing a crucial lifeline after the loss of federal funding.
It was the largest single gift in the organization’s history."
Reports: Meta layoffs could hit hundreds in metaverse unit as AI takes priority
CHRONICLE, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Meta is preparing to lay off hundreds of employees in its Reality Labs division this week, as it shifts resources away from the metaverse and toward artificial intelligence, according to a report from the New York Times.
The cuts were expected to affect about 10% of Reality Labs’ roughly 15,000 employees; the final number could be higher, the Times reported. An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday. Reality Labs develops Meta’s virtual reality headsets, augmented reality hardware and its V.R.-based social platform."
After a record year, the Port of Long Beach prepares for growth
LAT, CAROLINE PETROW-COHEN: "Despite a year of trade volatility and unprecedented tariffs, the Port of Long Beach handled a record amount of cargo in 2025 and expects growth to accelerate.
Under the leadership of a new chief executive, Noel Hacegaba, the second-busiest port in the U.S. plans to invest to be ready to double the cargo it processes by 2050. That’s also the year the port is hoping to achieve zero carbon emissions."
Two of California’s largest home insurers to raise rates by 6.9% this year
CHRONICLE, MEGAN FAN MUNCE: "Two of California’s largest home insurers will each raise rates for customers by an average of 6.9% later this year, according to filings with the California Department of Insurance.
CSAA, the AAA-affiliated insurer for northern and central California, will begin implementing the rate increase for nearly 481,800 homeowners starting on March 15."
What is my California landlord required to fix? See state rules for rentals
SACBEE, ANGELA RODRIGUEZ: "When it comes to renting in California, there are several rules that landlords — and tenants — must follow.
From eviction rules to honoring the terms of a lease, California law sets standards for how rental properties must be managed."
This Bay Area exurb is full of McMansions — and may be the ‘next frontier’ of the housing crisis
CHRONICLE, CONNOR LETOURNEAU: "Vacaville was supposed to be where Guadalupe “Lupe” Lupercio realized his American dream. After living paycheck to paycheck in Los Angeles and San Bruno, the Mexican immigrant retreated to this working-class exurb 55 miles northeast of San Francisco in the mid-1990s for cheaper rent, friendly neighbors and the hope of buying a house someday.
Yet today, Lupercio, 68, is struggling to afford the modest two-bedroom apartment he rents with his wife in southeast Vacaville. With few other low-income housing options in this steadily growing outpost of roughly 103,000 residents, the retired truck driver fears that soaring expenses could force him out of the Bay Area — or worse."
Protester blinded, skull fractured by DHS agent during Santa Ana demonstration, family says
LAT, RUBEN VIVES/ITZEL LUNA: "A young protester narrowly avoided being killed but was left permanently blind after a Department of Homeland Security agent fired a nonlethal round at close range during a Santa Ana protest last week, according to family of the victim.
Jeri Rees said her 21-year-old nephew underwent six hours of surgery and that doctors found shards of plastic, glass and metal embedded in his eyes and around his face, including a metal piece lodged 7 mm from a carotid artery."
Ex-Navy SEAL planned to fire explosives at police at San Diego ‘No Kings’ rally
LAT, CLARA HARTER: "A former Navy SEAL with neo-Nazi beliefs faces up to 10 years in prison after he was convicted of transporting fireworks across state lines with the intent to injure law enforcement at a “No Kings” protest in San Diego, authorities said.
FBI agents found messages on Gregory Vandenberg’s phone indicating he was upset with President Trump because he believed the U.S. government is controlled by Israel and the Jewish people, according to the Department of Justice."
L.A. County women’s jail inmates allege sexual abuse by guards: ‘We’re all broken’
LAT, CONNOR SHEETS: "Both women say it happened in a blind spot in a dark stairwell.
There — out of view of Century Regional Detention Facility’s many security cameras — they claim a jailer sexually assaulted them while they were handcuffed."
If ICE kills in Bay Area, will locals investigate? Oakland case offers stark lesson
CHRONICLE, MEGAN CASSIDY/MICHAEL BARBA: "Four years ago, an FBI agent serving an arrest warrant in Oakland opened fire on his target following a brief confrontation in a smoke shop.
Michael Jonathan Cortez was soon pronounced dead at a hospital, as representatives from the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI descended on the scene."
S.F. residents filed nearly 800,000 complaints in 2025. Here’s what annoyed them most
CHRONICLE, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "Blocked driveways in the Marina. E-scooters on sidewalks in North Beach. And, regrettably, poop on the street in the Tenderloin.
These were the commonest things residents complained about in these neighborhoods, according to a Chronicle analysis of 311 complaints in 2025. The system allows residents to log a wide variety of grievances, from parking issues to noise complaints to defective sidewalks."
Sacramento County sheriffs look for a big 10-4 on $13 million for new radios
SACBEE, EMMA HALL: "The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will evaluate a $13 million rental agreement for the Sheriff’s Office to obtain new radios and accompanying equipment.
The board Tuesday will review an equipment lease agreement and rental payment schedule for the radios, software and miscellaneous equipment. Supervisors approved the intent to lease more than 2,000 APX N70 radios, along with other software and accessories in December."
A ‘world without BART’: Major outages show how bad Bay Area traffic can get
CHRONICLE, RACHEL SWAN: "Ask any Bay Area resident to pick their worst commute of last year, and they might choose between two unexpectedly disastrous Friday mornings.
There was May 9, when a computer glitch forced the system to shut down for hours. An uncannily similar network outage halted trains on Sept. 5, giving the impression that BART is a transit system in constant triage."