California’s demographic earthquake: Asian immigrants rise, Latinos decline, state transformed
LAT, TERRY CASTLEMAN: "For nearly two decades, more Asians have immigrated to California than Latin Americans.
This trend, which takes into account documented and undocumented arrivals, has reshaped the immigrant experience in California in dramatic ways that are now coming into view."
California weather: Unsettled spring pattern to bring rain showers, thunderstorms, Sierra snow
SF Chronicle's ANTHONY EDWARDS: "California is in for a mixed bag of weather this week, with considerable temperature swings, a couple shots at rain and thunderstorms, and potentially some spring snow in the Sierra Nevada.
The unsettled weather pattern will be promoted by several slow-moving low-pressure systems in proximity to California. During winter, these low-pressure systems can evolve into full-blown storms that cause heavy rain and strong wind. Impacts from weaker springtime systems are less dramatic, enhancing or disturbing the coastal marine layer while simultaneously providing energy for valley and mountain thunderstorms."
Trump’s volatile trade policy creates new problems for California state budget
LAT, TARYN LUNA: "As the stock market plummeted last week, California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas sat at his desk in the state Capitol and predicted that President Trump’s tariffs would “squeeze our economy at every level.”
“This is certainly going to be the most challenging of years when it comes to our budget that I’ve had in my time in the Legislature. There will be some tough choices ahead,” the Democrat from Hollister forewarned. “But again, it’s so difficult to navigate this issue at the moment because of so much uncertainty. Every day is different.”"
Newsom shuns Southern California in public utilities commission appointments
LAT, MELODY PETERSEN: "The five members of the California Public Utilities Commission make hundreds of decisions each year that affect Southern Californians, including determining how much most pay for electricity and natural gas and deciding whether phone companies need to offer landlines.
In the months ahead, the commission will consider raising electric rates in the wake of the devastating Eaton fire. Videos captured the inferno igniting Jan. 7 under one of Southern California Edison’s transmission towers in Eaton Canyon. Edison has asked for an increase of more than 2%, which it said was needed to bolster Wall Street’s view of its financial health after the Los Angeles wildfires."
California lawmakers quietly sideline bills in secretive suspense process
CALMatters, RYAN SABALOW: "In just 24 minutes and without any debate, the most powerful committee in the state Senate last week moved 33 bills from public view into a secretive process that will decide whether the measures live or die.
Two days later, its sister committee in the Assembly moved 82 of its bills in under two minutes to the same secretive, uncertain future."
A chat with Asm. Pilar Schiavo (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Democratic Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo joined us to talk about her legislative priorities, the Los Angeles Fires, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill environmental crisis, and why cuts to the VA are personal for her. And as always, we tell you Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics."
‘The vibe shift is’ real. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie becomes his hometown’s hype man
LAT, HANNAH WILEY: "When Daniel Lurie won election in November as San Francisco’s new mayor, he knew there were daunting challenges ahead: the twin epidemics of homelessness and addiction; a deflated downtown economy; the general sense among locals that a malaise had clouded their colorful city.
Five months later — 100 days into Lurie’s tenure — it’s not as if any of those problems have gone away. And yet, “I love my job,” said Lurie, 48, during a recent interview in his stately City Hall office."
The Micheli Minute, April 14, 2025
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Lobbyist and author Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week in Sacramento."
Bernie Sanders urges Coachella attendees to oppose Trump agenda in surprise appearance
NORA MISHANEC, Chronicle: "U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont made a surprise appearance to address the crowd at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday night.
“The future of what happens in America is dependent on your generation,” Sanders said while introducing indie pop singer Clairo on Saturday night. “We need you to stand up to fight for justice.”
Green Day’s Coachella set ends in fire after pyrotechnic mishap
AIDIN VAZIRI, Chronicle: "Green Day’s explosive Coachella debut turned literal when a pyrotechnic misfire set a palm tree ablaze near the artist compound, sending a jolt of real danger into an already incendiary set.
As the East Bay trio tore through hits including “Holiday,” “Basket Case” and “American Idiot” during its headlining set on the second day of the Southern California festival on Saturday, April 12, a firework veered off course and struck a tree backstage, igniting flames."
Experts Expound: The best and worst jobs in California politics
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Question: What is the best job in California politics, elected or otherwise? Conversely, what is the worst?
“Not too long ago I would have said being one of the CARB Board Members was one of the best jobs in Sacramento. You got paid to think big and make real decisions that in theory impacted the entire world. Now it seems like it has morphed into the worst position. Policymaking is interesting and powerful. Implementation is difficult, tedious, time consuming and doesn’t grab the headlines unless the policies all falls apart.”"
Trump administration restores dementia research it gutted as part of its DEI purge
CALMatters, MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN: "The National Institutes of Health reversed its termination of a $36 million grant to a UC Davis researcher studying dementia, a day after CalMatters wrote about the cancelled grant and the researcher filed an appeal.
The National Institutes of Health cancelled the grant last month, following the Trump administration’s ban on federal spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives."
U.S. measles cases surpass 700 with outbreaks in six states. Here’s what to know
LAT, DEVI SHASTRI: "The number of U.S. measles cases topped 700 as of last week, as Indiana joined the growing list of states with active outbreaks, Texas tallied dozens of new cases, and a third measles-related death was made public.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed in a televised Cabinet meeting Thursday that measles cases were plateauing nationally, but the virus continues to spread mostly in people who are unvaccinated, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention redeployed a team to west Texas."
End of federal grants could worsen teacher shortages
EdSource, DIANA LAMBERT: "The abrupt termination of $600 million in federal teacher-training grants by the Trump administration — and the uncertainty that remains while their cancellation is contested in court — have left teacher candidates and university and school district leaders worried about whether the programs they fund can continue.
The Teacher Quality Partnership grant and the Supporting Effective Educator Development grant have been used to help recruit and train teachers for high-needs schools and for hard-to-fill jobs, such as teaching science, special education and math."
Inside Sacramento State’s involvement in CapRadio’s search for a general manager
ISHANI DESAI, SacBee: "Long before questions arose over former Capital Public Radio General Manager Jun Reina’s alleged financial misconduct, the station’s board began to hunt for a new top leader. Reina became the executive vice president and general manager in 2020, after spending more than a decade in chief finance positions.
During his tenure, he oversaw a fraught relocation project to downtown Sacramento filled with delays. Three years later, board members sought to replace him. Reina was free to apply for the position, but the board signaled fresh leadership was needed as the station transitioned to new headquarters at 730 I St. and a performing arts center."
Cement decarbonization: A work in progress (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, KEN JOHNSON/ADAM SWEENEY: "On March 14 the California Air Resource Board (CARB) released its long-awaited Draft SB 596 Cement Strategy, per mandate, to “achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases associated with cement used within the state as soon as possible, but no later than December 31, 2045.”
The 125-page report details a wealth of information on cement markets, technologies, decarbonization options, and emissions accounting, all of which will be foundational to any regulatory framework that is ultimately adopted. But in one significant omission, the report makes no mention of negative-carbon cement, which has the potential (with projected demand growth) to meet most, if not all, of the IPCC’s projected Carbon Dioxide Removal requirement at zero net cost. (See CARB’s 10/20/2022 Workshop Presentations.)"
Blue Origin launches an all-female celebrity crew with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez
LAT, MARCIA DUNN: "Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched his fiancee, Lauren Sanchez, to space Monday with an all-female celebrity crew that included Katy Perry and Gayle King.
It was the latest wave in space tourism, where more of the rich and famous than ever before — or lucky and well-connected — can enter the zero-gravity realm traditionally dominated by professional astronauts."
For California’s largest public union, telework poses challenge — and opportunity
STEPHEN HOBBS and WILLIAM MELHADO, SacBee: "In the middle of February, about 100 members of California’s largest public employee union marched to a Department of Human Resources office.
They were asking the state to award a conditional raise. One month later, roughly ten times as many state workers represented by SEIU Local 1000 and other unions showed up to protest outside the same CalHR building. They were loud, angry and demanding the state take action on a different issue: Rescinding Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new telework policy."
Theaters want you to wait longer to stream movies. Why that probably won’t happen
LAT, SAMAN THA MASUNAGA: "An age-old debate has roared back to the forefront in Hollywood.
The so-called theatrical window has long been a hot topic for studios and movie theater owners. The discussion about how long a film is in movie theaters before it’s available for home viewing ramped up during the pandemic, when some studios dramatically shortened their windows before releasing movies for video on-demand and streaming."
License to Kill
CALMatters, ROBERT LEWIS: "Ivan Dimov was convicted of reckless driving in 2013, after fleeing police in Washington state while his passenger allegedly dumped heroin out the window. Before that, he got six DUIs in California over a six-year period. None of that would keep him off the road.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles reissued him a driver’s license in 2017. The next year, on Christmas Eve, he drove drunk again, running stop signs and a traffic light in midtown Sacramento, going more than 80 mph, court records show. He T-boned another car, killing a 28-year-old man who was going home to feed the cat before heading to his mom’s for the holiday."
This wildly popular section of California’s Highway 1 is poised to reopen by the summer
ANNIE VAINSHTEIN, Chronicle: "A section of Pacific Coast Highway that was closed after a major wildfire is poised to reopen to traffic by the end of May, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Saturday.
Newsom announced he would expedite efforts to clean up a large swath of Highway 1 that was closed after the Palisades Fire, which scorched more than 23,448 acres in Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu."