Trump cuts to California National Weather Service leave ‘critical’ holes: ‘It’s unheard of’
LA Times, RONG-GONG LIN II: "Some National Weather Service offices in California are among those hit hardest by meteorologist vacancies, according to new data from an employee union — heightening concerns as the state contends with another potentially devastating fire season and the ongoing threat of extreme weather.
The staffing shortages have forced some offices to outsource overnight operations to neighboring offices or reduce how often they issue forecast products that help keep decision-makers and first responders abreast of potentially hazardous weather conditions."
To counter Texas, Newsom suggests special election to gerrymander California
Chronicle, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday said he’s thinking about calling a special election to gerrymander California’s congressional districts to counter similar efforts in Texas.
Newsom’s comments come after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced plans for the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature to draw new congressional maps in a special legislative session. Texas, like other states, redrew its maps after the 2020 census. New map-drawing normally wouldn’t happen until the next census in 2030 absent a successful lawsuit forcing a state to redo them. But the New York Times has reported Trump’s political advisers are pushing for Texas to redraw its maps ahead of the midterms to be more favorable to Republicans."
One of California’s most vulnerable Republicans just got a new challenger
CalMatters, MAYA C. MILLER: "A moderate Democratic state lawmaker and practicing physician announced Wednesday that she will seek to topple Central Valley Republican Rep. David Valadao next November in a closely watched congressional district that Democrats hope to win on their quest to take back the House.
Dr. Jasmeet Bains, a Bakersfield assemblymember, hopes to harness voter outrage at Valadao’s decision to support President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill, which experts say could strip health insurance from millions of low-income Californians. Nearly 290,000 residents in his own district are at risk of losing coverage, according to the California Budget and Policy Center."
Rats, sewage leaks, no hot water: S.F. landlord sued by city for ‘unsafe living conditions’
Chronicle, J.K. DINEEN: "For nearly a year residents in a Tenderloin apartment building have been forced to live with rat infestations, sewage leaks, and a lack of heat and hot water, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by City Attorney David Chiu.
In the lawsuit Chiu alleges that property owner Charles Kartchner created unsafe living conditions and endangered the health and safety of the tenants in a 10-unit building at 646 Ellis St., which he bought in March of 2024 for $1.15 million."
AI is helping students be more independent, but the isolation could be career poison
CalMatters, TARA GARCIA MATHEWSON: "Students don’t have the same incentives to talk to their professors — or even their classmates — anymore. Chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude have given them a new path to self-sufficiency. Instead of asking a professor for help on a paper topic, students can go to a chatbot. Instead of forming a study group, students can ask AI for help. These chatbots give them quick responses, on their own timeline.
For students juggling school, work and family responsibilities, that ease can seem like a lifesaver. And maybe turning to a chatbot for homework help here and there isn’t such a big deal in isolation. But every time a student decides to ask a question of a chatbot instead of a professor or peer or tutor, that’s one fewer opportunity to build or strengthen a relationship, and the human connections students make on campus are among the most important benefits of college."
Will she or won’t she? The California governor’s race waits on Kamala Harris
LA Times, LAURA J. NELSON and SEMA MEHTA: "The Democrats running for California governor have spent the spring and summer working to win over the powerful donors and interest groups who could help them squeak through a competitive primary election.
But the candidates, and many deep-pocketed Democrats, are still waiting for the decision that will have the biggest impact on the race: whether former Vice President Kamala Harris is running."
Thousands of Californians lost work after LA immigration raids. Citizens did, too
CalMatters, LEVI SUMAGAYSAY: "California saw a 3.1% drop in private-sector employment the week immediately after the Trump administration stepped up its immigration raids in the state, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census data.
UC Merced researchers said the steep drop is second only to the unemployment surge the state experienced during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, and greater than the immediate decline during the Great Recession in 2007 and 2008."
Capitol Spotlight: Dominique Donette
Capitol Weekly, BRIAN JOSEPH: "If anyone could claim a rags-to-riches story, it’s Dominique Donette. The 38-year-old director of government affairs for a reconstituted EdVoice began her life at a disadvantage.
By the time she was 18, her mom had spent 10 years of her life in prison, and she had yo-yoed between her biological family and foster families throughout California and in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington."
OPINION: Newsom threatens Texas over power grab. He’s blowing smoke
LA Times, MARK BARABAK: "Imagine a Washington in which President Trump was held to account. A Washington in which Congress doesn’t roll over like a dog begging for a treat. A Washington that functions the way it’s supposed to, with that whole checks-and-balances thing working.
Enticing, no?
Democrats need to win just three seats in 2026 to seize control of the House and impose some measure of accountability on our rogue-elephant president. That’s something Trump is keenly aware of, which is why he’s pushing Texas to take the extraordinary step of redrawing its congressional boundaries ahead of the midterm election."
$19,000 a year for a longer life? What’s on offer at a luxury Bay Area longevity clinic
Chronicle, CATHERINE HO: "Human Longevity, a medical clinic in South San Francisco’s biotech corridor, feels more like a spa than a doctor’s office.
The floors of the 8,000-square-foot space are sleek and white, the walls bamboo with moss accents. Visitors are referred to as clients, not patients, as they are ushered into private rooms equipped with Wi-Fi, snacks, full bathrooms with showers, and cameras for Zoom meetings — a feature meant to accommodate executives who fly in for the day for multi-hour batteries of tests that can lead to tailored treatments."
Sen. Adam Schiff fires back after Donald Trump says he must be ‘brought to justice’
SacBee, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "The years-long combat between President Donald Trump and Sen. Adam Schiff erupted again Tuesday, with Trump calling Schiff “one of the lowest of the low” and “a dishonest, crooked guy.”
Trump earlier in the day posted on his Truth Social website that “Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division (has) concluded that Adam Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud.”
This key data shows S.F.’s growth remains sluggish — and far worse than rest of the Bay Area
Chronicle, KATHLEEN PENDER: "San Francisco’s assessment roll — the combined assessed value of land, structures and business property that is subject to property tax — grew an anemic 1.8%, to an estimated $353.5 billion, this year, due in part to falling values for office buildings, hotels and some multifamily housing and a deluge of appeals from property owners seeking to lower their tax bills.
San Francisco’s growth rate was by far the lowest for any Bay Area county. It was down from a sluggish 2.2% last year and the lowest growth rate since 2011, according to the city’s preliminary analysis."
Trump Releases About Half of the National Guard Troops in Los Angeles
NY Times, SHAWN HUBLER: "About half of the California National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles are being released, Trump administration officials said on Tuesday, signaling a significant scaling back of a military deployment that began last month to quell demonstrations over immigration raids and that has angered Democratic leaders in California.
The release of about 2,000 members of the Guard’s 79th Infantry Brigade Combat team came as California officials pushed for an end to what the White House had suggested would be a 60-day mobilization. The infantry team was federalized by President Trump and dispatched on June 7 in the wake of chaotic protests, over the objections of California’s governor, who normally controls the state’s National Guard troops."