Eric Swalwell’s plan for California (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: ""Congressman Eric Swalwell announced last month that he was joining the crowded race to replace California governor Gavin Newsom. The Dublin lawmaker enters a fluid contest with no overwhelming favorite. Recent polling shows Swalwell – along with former house member Katie Porter and Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton – in the 10-15% range, with a small fleet of other candidates struggling to break out of the single digits.
Swalwell has been one of President Trump’s most vocal critics in the House and served as impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment. While that visibility likely increases his favorability with Democratic voters, it comes at a cost: he has been hit with allegations of mortgage and tax fraud by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. Pulte, an ally of President Trump has made similar claims against two other Trump antagonists, New York AG Letitia James and Federal Reserve Board of Governors Member Lisa Cook. Swalwell strongly disputes the allegations and filed a suit against Pulte on November 25. Looking at the polls, the allegations don’t seem to have dented his star with potential Primary voters."
The race to succeed Nancy Pelosi is now a proxy battle for S.F. housing politics
Chronicle, J.D. MORRIS/ALEXEI KOSEFF: "State Sen. Scott Wiener and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan stood side by side, smiling, as they cut a ceremonial red ribbon to mark the debut of a new affordable housing complex on the west side of the city last month.
Days later, however, the building at Geary Boulevard and Sixth Avenue — a former funeral home transformed into 98 apartments for low-income seniors — became a vivid example of a bitter divide between Wiener and Chan that could fuel their dueling campaigns to represent San Francisco in Congress."
Sacramento mayor reflects on first year, plans to run for second term
SacBee, MATHEW MIRANDA: "One year ago, Kevin McCarty became the 57th mayor of Sacramento following a victory by the thinnest of margins.
McCarty, a former state Assemblyman, had spent nearly a year and a half campaigning on homelessness, housing affordability and neighborhood safety. At his Dec. 10, 2024 swearing-in, he reinforced those priorities and said the city had a “long list of issues” to address."
The Micheli Minute, December 8, 2025
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome."
S.F. spends $1.6 billion on nonprofits. Here’s which ones get the most money
Chronicle, HANNA ZAKHARENKO/J.D. MORRIS: "The San Francisco government has substantially boosted the amount of money it spends on nonprofits in recent years. The city spent $1.6 billion on contracts with nonprofits in 2025, roughly 10% of the city’s budget and up from just over $800 million in 2019. That spending primarily funds nonprofits that provide services like health care, addiction treatment, supportive housing and education.
Residents don’t always have an understanding of how that money is spent and which nonprofits provide these services. So in addition to reporting on the reasons for the rise of nonprofit spending, the Chronicle has assembled a database to allow our readers to track which organizations are receiving the most funds. We intend to update this on a yearly basis."
CapRadio received $1.2M insurance settlement related to ex-GM theft allegations
SacBee, ISHANI DESAI: "Capital Public Radio received a $1.2 million insurance settlement as part of a civil case involving its embattled former general manager, accused of stealing from the station to enrich himself, according to the radio station.
The NPR-affiliate, licensed by Sacramento State, filed a civil case in December 2024 accusing former Executive Vice President and General Manager Jun Reina of siphoning at least $900,000 from the station across a 10-year stretch starting when Reina was CFO. He was eventually promoted as COO and CFO before assuming the role of general manager in 2020."
‘Extreme’ cloud bank for 16 days and counting in Central Valley; record-cold December possible
LAT, GRACE TOOHEY: "Across much of Central California, a cluster of stubborn clouds has lingered for more than two weeks, bringing periods of intense fog and unseasonably low temperatures — and officials say the stagnant weather pattern is likely to persist.
The low stratus clouds — which appear to stretch from Bakersfield through Chico and west into the Bay Area — continue to create visibility concerns on roadways and could help foster a record-cool December, said Carlos Molina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford. Temperatures have remained well below average the last few weeks, he said, with highs only in the upper 40s for much of the region, about 10 degrees below average for this time of year."
No more industrial hemp farming in Sutter County? Pot busts may lead to ban
SacBee, JAKE GOODRICK: "What has amounted to a yearslong experiment allowing industrial hemp farming in Sutter County may soon come to an end as county officials consider an outright ban of the crop.
The newly proposed embargo comes after a year of heightened scrutiny over how to regulate and sustain the county’s relatively small industry, followed in recent months by suspected marijuana-related crimes connected to each of the county’s last two licensed growers."
DOE staffers returning to handle discrimination complaint backlog
EdSource, EMMA GALLEGOS: "The Trump administration said it’s temporarily bringing back U.S. Department of Education staffers on administrative leave in order to handle a backlog of discrimination complaints in the Office for Civil Rights, according to the Associated Press.
A letter sent out on Dec. 5 ordered workers back to duty starting Dec. 15, though it’s unclear how many will return. Some workers have since left the department. A federal Department of Education spokesperson confirmed the move while vowing to shrink the size of the department."
Cal State University unions seek notice of federal subpoenas in antisemitism investigation
EdSource, AMY DIPIERRO: "California State University is caught between a federal government eager to investigate alleged antisemitism and employees concerned about privacy.
That dilemma has landed the nation’s largest four-year public university in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where labor unions representing employees around the 22-campus system are waiting to see if they can win the support of a Superior Court judge — or perhaps reach an agreement with CSU itself — to allay members’ fears of harassment and surveillance by the Trump administration."
CSU sees decade-high enrollment surge — but some Bay Area campuses still struggle
Chronicle, NANETTE ASIMOV: "California State University, plagued by shrinking enrollment for most of the last five years, on Monday reported its largest student surge in a decade.
Nearly 10,000 more students enrolled at CSU this fall compared with last, giving a healthy boost to 19 of the university’s 22 campuses, including San Jose State in the Bay Area."
High schools bullying is up, attendance down as ICE raids sow ‘climate of distress,’ study says
LAT, IRIS KWOK/HOWARD BLUME: "High school principals across California and nationwide say raids by Immigration, Customs and Enforcement have provoked a “climate of distress” among immigrant students who have been bullied on campus and whose attendance has dropped, according to a study released Tuesday.
Seventy percent of public high school principals surveyed said students from immigrant families expressed fears for themselves or their families because of ICE crackdowns or political rhetoric related to immigrants, according to the report by researchers at UCLA and UC Riverside."
Sacramento DA is investigating allegations of fraud in NAACP COVID food program
SacBee, JOE RUBIN: "The Sacramento County District Attorney is conducting a criminal investigation into a $2.75 million local NAACP COVID food program in which a county administrator who oversaw the project also profited from it.
The DA began interviewing people after an August Sacramento Bee investigation detailed how Stephanie Hopkins, a program planner with the county’s Department of Human Assistance, was paid by one of the leaders of the Dine-In 2 initiative while also approving the invoices for it. Hopkins also participated in an audit that concluded the program she oversaw improperly allocated federal funds and the county should demand they be refunded."
Earthquake swarms keep rattling the Bay Area. What’s going on?
LAT, RONG-GONG LIN II/SEAN GREENE: "Dozens of small earthquakes have shaken the San Francisco Bay Area over the last month, rattling nerves and raising fears that more seismic events may be on the horizon.
The clusters of earthquakes — the latest of which struck Monday — have all been underneath the East Bay suburb of San Ramon, which is close to the Calaveras fault."
S.F. business tax revenue could jump 11% with tech boom — but city deficit may still hit $1 billion
Chronicle, ROLAND LI: "San Francisco’s business taxes are projected to jump by nearly 11% in the next fiscal year, bolstered by the booming tech industry — but the city’s budget deficit next year could still top $1 billion due to cuts by the Trump administration, according to Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office.
In the next fiscal year beginning in July, the city’s corporate gross receipts tax revenue is expected to rise $1.38 billion, or $91 million higher compared to an earlier estimate. That would be up from $1.23 billion expected in the current fiscal year."
California law turned a four-story site into a 25-story tower. S.F. is scrambling to catch up
Chronicle, LAURA WAXMANN: "San Francisco’s Marina District, known for its affluence and low-rise charm, never planned for a towering skyline. But state housing law did.
That’s the underlying reason developer Align Real Estate can propose a 25-story, 790-unit housing complex in place of the neighborhood’s Safeway store — which is zoned for development of up to four stories. And why, barring a legal surprise or calculation errors, the city will almost certainly have to approve it."
S.F. promised to crack down on RVs a month ago. Here’s how it’s going
Chronicle, LUCY HODGMAN: "Every time Vernon Wayne A’ole II leaves his RV parked in the Bayview, he’s afraid it won’t be there when he gets back.
The 54-year-old San Francisco native has been living in the vehicle since April, when a black mold infestation forced him out of his family home on Bayview hill. Now, A’ole is among hundreds of homeless people throughout the city trying to navigate Mayor Daniel Lurie’s new ban on RV parking since it took effect Nov. 1."
The battle for street parking in L.A.: One man wages war through TikTok requests
LAT, KAREN GARCIA: "Joey Morales’ Ford SUV stopped along a quiet residential street in South L.A., its headlights shining on what would be a perfect parking spot if not for the three orange cones blocking it.
Cones in this part of town carry weight — they’re used not just by public works and construction crews but by locals as de facto gatekeepers blocking vehicles from crossing. With a friend filming him for his growing TikTok following as the “Cone King,” Morales, 31, exited his vehicle in a yellow reflective vest, grabbed the cones and tossed them into his SUV."