Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency
LAT's COLLEEN LONG: "President Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.
The commutations announced Thursday are for people who have served out home confinement sentences for at least one year after they were released. Prisons were uniquely bad for spreading the virus and some inmates were released in part to stop the spread. At one point, 1 in 5 prisoners had COVID-19, according to a tally kept by The Associated Press."
Federal health care dollars are helping to house homeless Californians. Trump could stop that
CALMatters's MARISA KENDALL: "Two years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration unveiled a new plan to help solve the homelessness crisis: It began using health care providers, funded through Medi-Cal, to help people get and stay housed.
Now, with President-Elect Donald Trump about to take office, some health care organizations, homeless service providers and other stakeholders throughout California worry the program may fall apart just as it’s starting to make a difference. It’s one of many potential shake ups they’re bracing for as they prepare for a new federal administration unlikely to see eye to eye with the Golden State on many of its social welfare policies."
Housing crisis, economic woes and Trump: How Canada turned against immigrants
LAT's KATE LINTHICUM: "Canada long sold itself as a beacon for immigrants, who were widely viewed as key to economic growth in a vast nation with a small and rapidly aging workforce.
“Study, work and stay” was the slogan of a government campaign to lure international students, part of a broader push that included recruiting temporary workers and resettling refugees. After President Trump banned travel to the U.S. from several Muslim-majority countries in 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada’s doors were open."
California’s second largest home insurer to begin accepting more new customers
The Chronicle's MEGAN FAN MUNCE: "Farmers Insurance Group, the second largest home insurer in California, plans to begin writing more homeowners policies in anticipation of reforms coming in 2025.
In July 2023, Farmers capped the number of new residential insurance policies it would write at 7,000 a month. Now, it will increase that cap to 9,500 new customers per month, including home, condo owner and home renters policies. This will be the first time since April 2023 that Farmers has accepted new applications for condo and home renters insurance policies, a spokesperson told the Chronicle."
Will filling out student aid form target undocumented parents for Trump’s mass deportations?
CALMatters's MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN: "Incoming president Donald Trump has vowed to deport all of the country’s undocumented residents.
For students who are eyeing college, his presidency represents a potentially brutal Sophie’s Choice if they have undocumented parents: Risk exposing them to a possible immigration dragnet by completing the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, or leave thousands of dollars in cash for school on the table."
The clock is ticking, ethnic studies remains an unfunded mandate; what will Newsom do?
EdSource's JOHN FENSTERWALD: "Three years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation mandating that high schools offer ethnic studies “upon appropriation,” starting in 2025-26.
Now, those two words — upon appropriation — loom large. The deadline to offer a semester of ethnic studies in 2025-26 is only seven months away, and requiring the course for graduation is due to begin with the graduating class of 2029-30."
Three-fourths of Fresno students are eligible for college money but haven’t claimed it
EdSource's STAFF: "Nearly 75% of Fresno County students are eligible for free money for college but haven’t claimed it, KCRA reported.
There’s roughly $84 million up for grabs for Fresno County students to use for college. Advocates say parents can apply online for CalKIDS, a state initiative to help children from low-income families save money for college."
Chico mourns ‘devastating loss’ of historic Bidwell Mansion in early morning fire
The Chronicle's AIDIN VAZIRI: "Chico is grappling with the loss of its beloved Bidwell Mansion, a Northern California landmark that had stood as a symbol of the city’s heritage for more than 150 years.
The mansion, built by Gold Rush figure and city founder John Bidwell and his wife, Annie, was consumed by flames early Wednesday morning, leaving the structure in ruins, according to local authorities."
A chance of rain on the horizon for Los Angeles could help firefighters
LAT's CLARA HARTER: "Light winds, increasing humidity and a chance of rain are forecast to bring relief to Los Angeles on Thursday after dry and windy conditions fueled the spread of the ferocious Franklin fire in Malibu this week.
While that fire continued to smolder on Wednesday afternoon — with 4,000 acres scorched and 7% containment — strong Santa Ana winds subsided, prompting the National Weather Service to cancel its red flag alert for Greater Los Angeles at 1 p.m."
Storms pushing toward Bay Area will bring high surf to beaches, raising coastal flooding risk
The Chronicle's ANTHONY EDWARDS: "Several storms spinning over the Pacific Ocean will push rough seas toward the California coast in the coming days. Those conditions will coincide with the annual king tides, raising the flood risk for Bay Area beaches.
The high surf and coastal flooding risk will begin Thursday and continue through the weekend."
Like Trump, California lawmakers want to end taxes on tips. Does it have a chance?
Sacramento Bee's NICOLE NIXON: "Following in the policy footsteps of both major presidential candidates, some California lawmakers want to end state income taxes on tips.
“Working class Americans are working so hard and they’re having a really hard time making ends meet,” Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, the bill’s author, said in an interview. “They need relief.”"
Why Wells Fargo’s San Francisco downsizing is bad news for California banking
LAT's LAURENCE DARMIENTO: "When news broke last week that Wells Fargo would be selling its longtime San Francisco headquarters and relocating to leased digs down the street, some viewed it as a gentle breakup — letting someone down easy only to eventually hit them with the hard truth.
California’s most prominent financial institution has been intimately tied to the city since its Gold Rush-era founding in 1852. But over the last several decades Wells Fargo has gobbled up rivals, making it the nation’s fourth-largest bank and leaving it with far-flung operations across the country — and an executive team nearly 3,000 miles away."
Is the S.F. Bay Area full of people making millions? This data shows a dramatic trend
The Chronicle's DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "The Bay Area has a far higher share of people making more than $1 million than any other region in the country, a recent analysis of payroll data found.
The report, compiled by payroll company ADP, offers a unique insight into the nation’s paychecks, because, unlike U.S. Census data, which caps the highest reported salaries to protect high earners from being identified, ADP’s research is based on administrative records. Researchers analyzed hundreds of millions of payroll records from July 2023 through June 2024 for metro regions with over a million people and adjusted the data to reflect the full population."
In leaked tape, probation official says L.A. County could defy order to close juvenile hall
LAT's JAMES QUEALLY, REBECCA ELLIS: "A top L.A. County probation official has said the agency won’t obey a state order to vacate Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall this month, potentially setting up a costly showdown between state and county officials and prompting threats of legal action from defense attorneys.
“We’re not moving,” Chief Deputy Probation Officer Kimberly Epps told a group of several dozen probation officers last month, according to a recording provided to The Times. “You’re going to have to put our stuff on the curb.”"
Thrown from his moped by a car fleeing police, one man's death reflects a shocking disparity
The Chronicle's SUSIE NEILSON, JENNIFER GOLLAN: "Trevon Mitchell lay in the parking lot of a soul food joint, his left arm snapped and blood trickling from an ear.
Sirens wailed. A truck exploded in flames. Mitchell had been launched into the air, with some witnesses saying he flew as high as the green traffic light that ushered him into the intersection. Then he slammed onto the pavement, scraping away flesh and muscle, baring his intestines."
California Congressman introduces bill to defund the state’s high-speed rail project
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "As he vowed to do on X, Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Roseville, on Wednesday announced he is introducing legislation to eliminate federal funding for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which seeks to build a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
The line would start with the much more modest route of Merced to Bakersfield."