Back-to-back storms could drench California. Here's how much rain to expect
The Chronicle, GREG PORTER: "It’s not time to put away the rain gear just yet. A stormy pattern is set to return to California over the next week. When it's all said and done, parts of the state will be soaked by several inches of rain, jeopardizing some April rainfall records.
Over the next seven days, the state will see multiple shots at significant spring rainfall. The pattern is so persistent with storm activity that it may be hard to distinguish when one storm system ends and a new one begins."
California food banks brace for funding cuts, and not only from the Trump administration
CALMatters, JEANNE KUANG: "Five years since the COVID-19 pandemic upended the economy and made millions experience hunger for the first time, demand at the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services is still higher than ever.
The number of monthly clients has risen to 310,000, more than double the number of people the food bank served before the pandemic, spokesperson Kevin Buffalino said."
Trump cuts have hit government agencies investigating Elon Musk’s businesses. Here’s a breakdown
LAT, LAURENCE DARMIENTO: "Elon Musk owns the country’s most successful electric car maker in Tesla. His SpaceX rocket company is one of NASA’s biggest contractors, relied upon to service the International Space Station. His social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, dominates public discourse.
Now, after spending more than $200 million to elect Donald Trump to a second term as president, the wealthiest man on earth has ensconced himself in the White House at the president’s side. He is serving as a policy advisor while his Department of Government Efficiency, popularly know as DOGE, scours the federal bureaucracy for $1 trillion in savings."
California Democratic lawmaker exaggerated his record as a police officer
CALMatters, RYAN SABALOW: "Assemblymember Mike Gipson has been a leader on police reform in the state Legislature for more than a decade, frequently citing his background as a Maywood police officer and publicly describing the on-duty murder of his partner.
But the Gardena Democrat has been exaggerating his brief stint as a reserve police officer — and especially his relationship with the fallen officer, John Hoglund, who was gunned down responding to a robbery in 1992."
A new push for more full-time firefighters
Capitol Weekly, ELLIE APPLEBY: "After suffering a disappointing veto last year, supporters of an effort to transition 3000 seasonal firefighters into an all-year-position are back in hope that this year will be different.
Both legislative chambers overwhelmingly endorsed Assembly Bill 2538, which would have required the Department of Human Resources, the State Personnel Board and any other relevant state agencies to ensure Cal Fire the right to employ seasonal firefighters for longer than nine months in a consecutive 12-month period."
Communities are rebuilding after L.A. fires despite lack of soil testing for toxic substances
LAT, TONY BRISCOE: "In Altadena and the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of L.A., reconstruction has begun despite the fact that the soil on affected properties has not been tested for toxic substances.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s controversial decision to forgo soil testing in communities burned in the Eaton and Palisades wildfires sparked pushback Wednesday as California lawmakers questioned whether the practice will prevent residents from knowing if there are toxic substances on the land before rebuilding begins."
L.A. mayor’s text messages provide vivid window into early fire response
LAT, JULIA WICK: "Inside the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, Mayor Karen Bass was attending a reception with local and foreign dignitaries as her phone began to ping.
The first urgent message came from her deputy chief of staff, Celine Cordero."
Tom Girardi underling faces discipline charges over $53-million payout kept secret from clients
LAT, MATT HAMILTON: "Prosecutors at the State Bar of California have filed discipline charges against a former senior attorney with the law firm of disgraced ex-lawyer Tom Girardi. The attorney is accused of concealing details of a $53-million settlement from one of his clients.
The charges against Robert Finnerty, 70, center on his role as the lawyer for Joseph Ruigomez, a Bay Area man who suffered devastating burns across most of his body in the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion."
Deadly, drug-resistant fungus CDC calls ‘urgent threat’ is spreading in hospitals
LAT, CLARA HARTER: "A deadly, drug-resistant fungus that preys on the sick and old is continuing to spread in hospitals and senior care facilities across the country, killing more than 1 in 3 infected.
Candida auris, a type of yeast that can cause life-threatening illness, was first identified in the U.S. in 2016 with 52 infections reported across the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Trump targets California ban on ‘forced outing’ of students’ gender identity to parents
LAT, HOWARD BLUME: "Federal officials have launched an investigation of the California Department of Education for withholding from parents information about changes to their child’s gender identity, setting up a showdown between the state and President Trump, with billions of dollars in federal funding potentially at stake.
The investigation, announced Thursday morning by the U.S. Department of Education, essentially pits a California law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in July — prohibiting schools from automatically notifying families about student gender-identity changes and shielding teachers from retaliation for supporting transgender student rights — against an interpretation of federal law adopted by the Trump administration."
Sue or hold back? The University of California does both as it faces Trump’s wrath
CALMatters, MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN: "The University of California is threading a delicate needle as it navigates the Trump administration’s intensifying scrutiny of how universities operate.
On one front, the UC is fighting President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to campus research funding by joining lawsuits against the administration. On other matters, the university has taken a more muted approach, posting online missives in support of diversity and students in the country without legal authorization, but seemingly unwilling to rankle a White House that is targeting campus policies and practices."
How Covid changed teaching in California: fewer pencils, more technology
EdSource, DIANA LAMBERT: "The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed how students and teachers spend their time in the classroom. Now, instead of writing with paper and pencil, students use computers for most assignments.
Teachers lecture less and spend more time on individualized instruction, social-emotional learning and relationship building."
Rallying CA state workers have a message for Gavin Newsom on return-to-office
Sac Bee, WILLIAM MELHADO/STEPHEN HOBBS: "A protest led by scientists and other state employees Wednesday afternoon wasn’t as loud as one earlier this month. But the 100 or so workers who marched in downtown Sacramento carried the same angry message: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s return to office order needs to be defeated.
“Hell no RTO!” they chanted, as they walked around the California Environmental Protection Agency headquarters."
Bay Area businesses join ‘anti-woke’ marketplace backed by Donald Trump Jr.
The Chronicle, ELENA KADVANY: "Bay Area businesses are beginning to draw attention for their presence on PublicSquare, a fast-growing online marketplace that bills itself as the “anti-woke” Amazon.
Dozens of Bay Area businesses, including restaurants, realtors, law firms and contractors, are listed on PublicSquare, which first launched in 2022, and advertises itself as a site for owners and consumers who “respect traditional American values.” Its marketplace lists products, from “mRNA-vaccine-free meat” and guns to baby diapers for “patriotic” consumers. A business registry promotes establishments that “value life, family, and liberty.” Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, was one of the company’s early investors and sits on PublicSquare’s board."
Tech company reportedly laying off nearly 1,000 workers, including 240 in California
The Chronicle, ROLAND LI: "Block, the Jack Dorsey-led financial tech company, is laying off 931 workers, according to a memo reported by Techcrunch.
The layoffs will affect 240 remote workers in California, according to a state filing viewed by the Chronicle. Affected workers include business analysts, data engineers, designers, lawyers and software engineers."
LASD to retest 4,000 DNA samples after using faulty test kits for 8 months
LAT, KERI BLAKINGER: "In August, a manufacturer of DNA testing kits sent a letter to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department warning officials to stop using certain test kits that had proved prone to giving incomplete results.
The letter eventually landed in front of a civilian employee at the department’s Scientific Services Bureau — but the employee didn’t throw the kits out or send them back, sheriff’s officials said Wednesday."
Will this bill be the end of California’s housing vs environment wars?
CALMatters, BEN CHRISTOPHER: "For years California has been stuck in a recurring fight between legislators who want the state to turbocharge new home construction and legislators determined to defend a landmark environmental protection law.
The final showdown in that long-standing battle may have just arrived."
Bay Area organizers say Tesla protests are bigger than ever as Trump escalates threats
The Chronicle, SHIRA STEIN/MALIYA ELLIS/MOLLY BURKE: "The Trump administration’s escalating threats against demonstrators targeting Tesla dealerships don’t appear to have deterred Bay Area protesters. Some organizers told the Chronicle that attendance and interest have continued to grow despite — or perhaps because of — Trump’s rhetoric.
Some, however, say they’re taking new precautions in response to the administration’s focus on protests against the company, where Musk is CEO."
Dangerous roads in Sacramento could see fast safety improvements after unanimous council vote
Sac Bee, ARIANE LANGE: "The Sacramento City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to staff a team that will rapidly improve infrastructure on targeted sections of dangerous roads — a move that could represent a turning point in the effort to end fatal crashes.
With the council’s approval, the Department of Public Works will begin recruiting and hiring almost immediately for the $4.6 million “quick-build” infrastructure program called the Vision Zero Transportation Safety Team. The new six-person crew will design and implement targeted, low-cost and safety-enhancing features within months. Reporting by The Sacramento Bee has shown that residents often wait years — even decades — for road safety improvements due to the city’s reliance on grant funding."