LAT, HAYLEY SMITH: "The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle environmental protections and roll back nationwide progress toward clean energy disproportionately target California and other blue states, internal documents show.
As early as this week, the Department of Energy may pull funding from hundreds of projects — many of which were bolstered by President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law and are geared toward climate-friendly initiatives such as solar power, heat pumps, battery storage and renewable fuels, according to a leaked list reviewed by The Times."
Dynamic California storm continues with Sierra snow, Bay Area thunderstorms
The Chronicle, ANTHONY EDWARDS: "April weather will pick up where March left off, with heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada and scattered downpours in the Bay Area and Sacramento Valley.
A low-pressure system approaching the Oregon border will continue to spin up showers Tuesday as it crosses into Northern California. These showers will be hit-or-miss, meaning weather conditions will vary from abundant sunshine in one city to downpours just a few miles away. The ever-changing conditions will make for ideal rainbow weather around sunrise and sunset as the low sun angle scatters throw rain showers and breaks in the clouds."
One of California’s biggest reservoirs is about to expand — if it can clear a major hurdle
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "Amid rising concerns about California’s water future, the fifth largest reservoir in the state is primed for expansion.
A coalition of water agencies, from Silicon Valley to Fresno, has agreed to partner with the federal government to raise the 382-foot-tall dam at San Luis Reservoir, the giant holding pool that looms as a small sea along Highway 152 in the hills between Gilroy and Los Banos."
California officials are lobbying for a new Trump windfall: Funds to create shipyards
The Chronicle, JK DINEEN: "President Trump isn’t expected to issue his much-anticipated executive order calling for the revival of the U.S. shipbuilding industry until later this week — an initiative that could be paid for with heavy penalties levied on the China-flagged vessels that dominate cargo shipping.
But that hasn’t stopped California port bosses, property owners and politicians on both sides of the aisle from making the case that their waterfront properties or ports would make the ideal spot to reboot the United States’ long-dormant shipbuilding sector."
Trump’s tariffs reshaped manufacturing in Asia. This time, the ramifications are even broader
LAT, STEPHANIE YANG: "The first time that President Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods in 2018, it set off a scramble among manufacturers who had long relied on China to start looking for other options. The aim was to spur U.S. manufacturing, reduce a trade imbalance and punish China for trade practices Trump said were unfair.
Now, in his second term, Trump has hiked taxes on steel and aluminum imports to 25% and levied new 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico imports, as well as an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods. On March 24, he announced a 25% tariff on auto imports, and with his new plan for “reciprocal” tariffs to be announced Wednesday, other countries probably will be in his crosshairs as well."
A Trump bid for a third term? ‘It could get messy’
LAT, MICHAEL WILNER: "In a private meeting at a global summit in Buenos Aires in 2018, China’s president, Xi Jinping, turned to President Trump and said it was a shame he couldn’t stay in power beyond the two-term limit set by the U.S. Constitution. Trump agreed.
It was just one of several instances in which Trump mused over the prospects of an extra-constitutional reign in the White House."
Newsom says sharing his beliefs on trans athletes wasn’t “some grand design”
LAT, TARYN LUNA: "After weeks of criticism from political allies, Gov. Gavin Newsom explained why he shared his belief that it’s unfair for transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
Newsom, in a recent interview with The Times, said that although he had been deliberating over the issue for years, he didn’t set up the interview with conservative personality Charlie Kirk to express his views and break news on his podcast last month."
CA 120: Is Newsom’s podcast….working?
Capitol Weekly, PAUL MITCHELL: "If we have learned anything over the past several years, it’s that controversy brings eyeballs. And that may have been the plan all along with the This is Gavin Newsom podcast.
By leading with conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk, Newsom created a controversy which got exponentially greater after following up with a sit-down with the ideological architect of Trumpism, Steve Bannon. The attention allowed Newsom to gain large numbers of subscribers and become the most talked about potential 2028 challenger for weeks, and he probably brought more viewers to his interview with Governor Tim Walz and latest with Ezra Klein than if he had started with these more predictable left-friendly guests."
This bill aims to help firefighters with cancer. Getting it passed is just the beginning
KFF Health News, MARK KREIKDLER: "As firefighters battled the catastrophic blazes in Los Angeles County in January, California’s U.S. senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, both Democrats, signed on to legislation with a simple aim: provide federal assistance to first responders diagnosed with service-related cancer.
The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act is considered crucial by its supporters, with climate change fueling an increase in wildfire frequency and firefighting deemed carcinogenic by the World Health Organization. Firefighters have a 14% higher chance of dying from cancer than the general population, according to a 2024 study, and the disease was responsible for 66% of career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from 2002 to 2019."
A chat with Asm. David Tangipa (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Today we welcome Asm. David Tangipa, the freshman Republican legislator from the 8th Assembly District, and at 29, the youngest member of the California Legislature. Tangipa grew up off Watt Avenue in Sacramento, not for from McClellan Air Force Base. The impact that McClellan’s closure had on Tangipa’s friends and neighborhood left a lasting impression – and an awareness that policy decisions affected lives in very real ways. Sports offered a way out of the neighborhood; encouraged by his high school football coach, Frank Negri, Tangipa attended college at Cal State Fresno where he played tight end for the Fresno Bulldogs. Tangipa began working in real estate and got involved involved in Fresno politics, serving as a field representative for Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig. In 2024 he launched a bid for the open 8th District Assembly seat, challenging the favorite, former Congressman George Radanovich. Radanovich led in the Primary, but lost by 7 points in the general.
Tangipa joined us to talk about his path to Sacramento, his extraordinarily short tenure on the Assembly Insurance Committee, and why he – the first Tongan ever to serve in the #caleg – is not part of the AAPI Legislative Caucus."
Democracy in the dark: How California lawmakers are trying to shield themselves from public view
CALMatters, SAMEEA KAMAL/YUE STELLA YU: "At town halls across the nation, including in California, residents have confronted their members of Congress face-to-face to voice their fears and frustrations over Trump administration policies, from cuts to overseas aid to Medicare.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in the state Legislature have introduced about a dozen proposals that would make it harder to confront your local officials at public meetings and would shield more information from the public eye, according to an analysis of CalMatters’ Digital Democracy database."
Exclusive: Ex-Sacramento city manager hired a lawyer, charged taxpayers the fees
Sac Bee, JOE RUBIN: "Former Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan hired a lawyer to help in his negotiations to extend his contract, charged the legal fees to taxpayers and the city has asked him to return the money.
The city’s actions regarding the reimbursement immediately followed The Sacramento Bee’s inquiries about the $3,215 in expenses, which were revealed in documents released March 24 through a Public Records Act request. The city’s acting city manager deemed them personal expenses and ordered Chan to pay them back."
State Farm seeks 39% rate hike for 430,000 Californians who have extra liability insurance
The Chronicle, MALIYA ELLIS: "State Farm General has requested a major rate hike to an insurance program that offers extra liability coverage, which could raise premiums for more than 430,000 policyholders if approved.
The company is seeking to raise rates by 39% for the California Personal Liability Umbrella Program, which provides additional coverage for legal liabilities like steep attorney’s fees from a car accident or damages from a defamation lawsuit. If approved, the requested hike would take effect starting in August and become the second major hike for the umbrella liability program in six months. California regulators approved an earlier 29% rate increase which is impacting customers at their first renewal date following March 1."
Health worker strike at UCSF this week will affect some appointments, shuttles
The Chronicle, CATHERINE HO: "As many as thousands of unionized University of California health care and technical workers are poised to join in a one-day strike Tuesday across all UC campuses and medical centers, including UCSF Parnassus.
The UC-wide strike, led by the University Professional Technical Employees union, UPTE-CWA Local 9119, is slated to last from midnight Monday to 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. It is planned at UCSF Parnassus for 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to UPTE, which represents about 20,000 employees, including physician assistants, optometrists, pharmacists, nurse case managers and mental health workers."
Inside a $17 billion maintenance backlog plaguing California’s universities
CALMatters, VICTORIA MEJICANOS/MATTHEW REAGAN/MERCY SOSA: "Across California’s public university systems, students, faculty and staff are learning and working in aging academic buildings where air conditioning, roofs, plumbing and electrical systems are either deteriorating or not functional. Every year, maintenance costs for University of California and California State University campuses total a combined $1.5 billion.
But those repairs don’t always get made. The unpredictable nature of the state’s budget means there isn’t always enough money to make all the necessary fixes. State revenue has been sporadic, with hundreds of millions some years and no money in others. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2025-26 budget does not include any money for repairs, known as deferred maintenance, or other infrastructure projects."
How schools can help students facing homelessness get to class
EdSource, BETTY MARQUEZ ROSALES: "A quiet place to complete homework, free and stable transportation options, and not immediately being penalized for missed work are among the things that Te’yana Brown said could have helped her as she faced homelessness at different points between elementary and high school.
Instead, Brown spent most mornings trying to figure out how to get to her high school. Sometimes, a family member could drive her the 45 minutes to an hour to school, while on other days she took the bus. She missed so much school at one point that she was deemed chronically absent, meaning she’d missed at least 10% of the school year."
New California law will let more estates avoid probate — but there are better ways
The Chronicle, KATHLEEN PENDER: "Like most states, California lets “small estates” below a certain value pass to a deceased person’s heirs without going through full-blown probate, which is a time consuming and costly court process.
A new California law that takes effect April 1 will significantly increase the value of what’s considered a “small estate,” expanding it to include a primary home worth up to $750,000. That could help many people who don’t have a living trust and live where home prices are lower."
California to spend $239 million to turn San Quentin into Scandinavian-style rehab center
The Chronicle, NORA MISHANEC: "California officials have envisioned a host of sweeping changes for San Quentin State Prison as they attempt to remake the facility into a Scandinavian-style rehabilitation center complete with a farmers market, a podcast production studio and a self-service grocery store.
The renovations are expected to cost California taxpayers $239 million, according to state officials. Construction was on track to finish in January 2026, officials said, with the first incarcerated people set to begin using the revamped facility within months of completion early next year."
Raid or rumor? Reports of immigrations sweeps are warping life in California’s Central Valley
CALMatters, NIGEL DUARA: "Truth be told, there’s a lot of white trucks in Modesto.
White Dodge Rams, white GMC Sierras, white F150s, white Ford Transit vans, white Suburbans, white Silverados, white Chevy Colorados. So many white trucks, all of them American-made: a sure sign of danger to people who read about a January immigration raid 130 miles south and spent the next two months watching for signs of the next one."
Police chief tells CA lawmakers to ‘wake up’ after felon kills Marysville officer
Sac Bee, JAKE GOODRICK: "Marysville’s police chief called on state lawmakers to “wake up” after a convicted felon and sex offender killed a Marysville police officer last week while law enforcement cracked down on a suspected Northern California drug ring with ties to Mexico.
“We’re not going to stop giving up the fight to take (fentanyl) off our streets and make the community safer,” Police Chief Christian Sachs told reporters Monday. “And maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I’ll be completely transparent with you, this starts in our Legislature, and the broken system.”"