California state employees alarmed by demand to prove their citizenship
CALMATTERS, KHARI JOHNSON: "About 4,000 California Department of Public Health employees have been told they must use a federal verification system to prove they’re U.S. citizens.
Leaders of the agency said in a memo obtained by CalMatters that the verification is necessary to receive federal funding, but employees and unions are resisting the directive."
LAT, KEVIN RECTOR/SEEMA MEHTA: "San José Mayor Matt Mahan announced he is running for California governor Thursday, pitching himself as a pragmatic Democrat who would prioritize state residents’ quality of life over the principled progressivism that has become entrenched in California politics — including on crime, homelessness, housing and affordability.
“I’m jumping in this race because we need a governor who is both a fighter for our values and a fixer of our problems,” said Mahan, one of the state’s most outspoken Democratic critics of departing Gov. Gavin Newsom. “We can fix the biggest problems facing California, and I believe that because we’re making real progress on homelessness, public safety [and] housing supply in San José.”"
Tom Homan says he will scale back federal agents in Minnesota — if they have access to jails
LAT, JENNY JARVIE: "In his first press conference since taking over federal immigration operations in Minnesota after the killing of two U.S. citizens, border policy advisor Tom Homan said operations in the state would wind down if the agents are allowed into the local jails instead.
“The withdrawal of law enforcement resources here is dependent upon cooperation,” Homan said Thursday. “As we see that cooperation happen, then the redeployment will happen.”"
Tom Steyer vows to cut electricity bills by 25%, but experts say the details fall short
CALMATTERS, JEANNE KUANG: "It’s 2026, and “lowering utilities bills” is the new “housing affordability” for Democratic politicians.
In the governor’s race, self-funded billionaire candidate Tom Steyer is declaring he’ll reduce electricity bills by 25%. The environmentalist investor has featured the head-turning figure in ads promising that he’ll “introduce competition” to the electricity market."
Oust Kristi Noem, say Padilla and Schiff. But that’s going to be tough to do
SACBEE, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Sen. Alex Padilla wants Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem impeached. Sen. Adam Schiff wants her to resign.
Neither is a good bet to happen at the moment, but the two California Democrats have joined a growing chorus of senators seeking to oust her."
Immigration arrests quietly surge by 1,500% in San Diego: ‘I feel the temperature rising’
CALMATTERS, WENDY FRY/NATASHA UZCATEGUI-LIGGETT: "While the Trump administration’s immigration blitz hit Midwestern cities like Chicago and Minneapolis, a quieter escalation unfolded in San Diego late last year with agents making thousands of arrests in and around the city.
Government data analyzed by CalMatters show nearly a 1500% increase in arrests for May to October compared to the same time period a year earlier. The arrests occurred in San Diego and Imperial counties, a region the federal government refers to as its San Diego area of responsibility."
California bill would ban ICE agents from jobs in teaching and policing
CHRONICLE, SARA DINATALE: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be disqualified from working in California law enforcement and inside the public school system under a new bill introduced in the Legislature this week.
Specifically, Assembly Bill 1627, by Ávila Farías, D-Martinez, bars any person from the jobs if they were employed by ICE between Sept. 1, 2025, and Jan. 20, 2029, which marks the end of President Donald Trump’s term in office."
Letter to the editor: When federal power turns inward, local silence is not neutral
CAPITOL WEEKLY, JENNY BEAM: "I am writing as a member of this community who is distressed by recent federal immigration enforcement actions and by the silence surrounding local cooperation with them.
I am alarmed that federal enforcement actions under the current immigration operation have resulted in multiple fatal shootings of U.S. citizens, most recently the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renée Good in Minneapolis — incidents documented in video evidence and widely reported in national media. These events raise serious questions about proportionality, oversight, and accountability within agencies entrusted with public safety."
U.S. Commerce Department reportedly plans a San Francisco AI hub
CHRONICLE, ROLAND LI: "The Commerce Department is reportedly planning to establish a new national center for artificial intelligence in San Francisco, according to Bloomberg.
The facility would open in the midst of the nation’s AI epicenter, where industry pioneers like OpenAI and Anthropic are headquartered, potentially capitalizing on access and proximity to key AI executives and researchers amid competition with other nations."
Lights, camera, more action needed to save Hollywood
CAPITOL WEEKLY, LEAH O'TARROW: "In a room full of Hollywood’s elite at this year’s Golden Globes, host Nikki Glasser poked fun at what has been a harsh reality for many in the film and television industry:
“Tonight we’re celebrating the best in TV and film, right here in the heart of Los Angeles, where no TV or film has been made for the past six years.”"
California values children — let’s prove it (OP-ED)
CAPITOL WEEKLY, PETE WELDY: "Protecting children has long been understood as a shared value that rises above politics and party lines. As California leaders begin to debate the upcoming budget, their decisions will test whether the state lives up to that value—determining who gets care, who goes hungry, and who is left to navigate trauma alone.
President Trump and Congress have enacted devastating cuts to safety net programs, leaving Governor Newsom and state legislators to grapple with an estimated $18 billion budget gap. Medi-Cal coverage is now at risk for 3.4 million people, with serious consequences for children’s physical and mental health. More than three million families stand to lose some or all of their SNAP (CalFresh) nutrition assistance—about $190 less each month for families already struggling to avoid hunger."
TikTok to settle lawsuit claiming youth addiction to social media
EDSOURCE, VANI SANGANERIA: "TikTok agrees to settle a lawsuit that plaintiff’s attorneys claim it intentionally addicted and harmed children, The Associated Press reported.
The social video platform’s settlement will follow Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., which settled for an undisclosed sum, while major social companies like Instagram’s Meta and YouTube’s Google are headed to a trial. The landmark case, which is in the process of jury selection in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, could determine the outcomes of thousands of similar lawsuits alleging social media harms for children and youth."
Trump administration demands that SJSU apologize for transgender volleyball player
CHRONICLE, BOB EGELKO: "The Trump administration accused San Jose State University on Wednesday of violating sex-discrimination laws by allowing a transgender female to compete on its women’s volleyball team — the same player President Donald Trump falsely claimed to have seen injure an opponent with a high-velocity spike shot.
In line with Trump’s contention that a person’s sex is permanently determined at birth, his Department of Education ordered the university to publicly adopt “biology-based definitions of the words ‘male’ and ‘female’ and acknowledge that the sex of a human — male or female — is unchangeable.”"
Cal State unveils plan for ‘long overdue’ review of campus finances
EDSOURCE, AMY DIPIERRO: "California State University is increasing financial oversight across its 22-campus network after a pair of fiscal crises in the past 18 months led to severe budget cuts and restructuring at two of its campuses.
The increased financial oversight comes at a time when enrollment has dropped at some campuses even as others see gains. Sonoma State canceled academic programs, suspended its NCAA athletics program, and took other measures to close its budget gap. And Cal Maritime merged with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a larger and more stable peer."
UCLA medical school uses a ‘systemically racist approach’ to admissions, DOJ alleges
LAT, JAWEED KALEEM: "The Trump administration on Wednesday sought to join a lawsuit filed in federal court alleging UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine illegally considers race inits admission process.
In documents filed in California’s Central District, the Department of Justice alleges that UCLA’s medical school uses a “systemically racist approach” to admissions that privileges Black and Latino applicants over those who are white and Asian American."
Twin Rivers Unified board revokes troubled adult charter school
EDSOURCE, DIANA LAMBERT: "The Twin Rivers Unified School District board voted Tuesday night to revoke the charter of Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools, which became the poster child for charter school reform last year after a state audit found it had misspent over $180 million.
The adult charter school operates Highlands Community Charter and the California Innovative Career Academy, a virtual school, in the Sacramento region. Students are primarily new immigrants who want to earn a diploma, improve their English language skills, or learn a trade."
Seven Sacramento high schools planning coordinated anti-ICE walkout to Capitol
SACBEE, JENNAH PENDLETON: "Sacramento high school students are planning a district-wide walkout Friday morning, joining a nationwide student effort to protest immigration enforcement following fatal shootings in Minneapolis.
Students plan to walk out of school around 10:30 a.m. Friday and make their way to the John E. Moss Federal Building on Capitol Mall, which holds people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
Land trust buys scenic Bay Area ranch, halting controversial plan for a quarry
CHRONICLE, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "For decades, the storied Sargent Ranch in southern Santa Clara County has piqued the interest of developers, all with big-money dreams of building out one of the South Bay’s largest remaining private rural properties.
This week, however, a Palo Alto-based land trust ended those prospects, purchasing 2,284 acres of the scenic ranch for $23 million and sidelining the most recent proposal for a controversial sand and gravel quarry."
Green Day will open Superbowl LX. Here’s what to know about the Bay Area band
SACBEE, VERONICA FERNANDEZ-ALVARADO: "Green Day, the Bay Area rock band, will open this year’s upcoming NFL game on Sunday, Feb. 8, bringing generations of fans together.
Green Day is joining a lineup of star-studded performers including half-time performer Latin superstar Bad Bunny for Super Bowl LX."
Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken gets roasted in lawsuit. Here’s what they’re claiming
LAT, CLARA HARTER: "Costco’s famed $4.99 rotisserie chicken is under fire in a proposed class action lawsuit claiming that the big box warehouse falsely advertised that its birds were preservative free.
Two California shoppers say Costco mislead customers nationwide by prominently advertising its rotisserie chicken as containing no preservatives, while discreetly listing two added preservatives — sodium phosphate and carrageenan — in fine print in the ingredient list."
Why California’s fight over ticket fraud has become a proxy war against Ticketmaster and Live Nation
LAT, CERYS DAVIES: "A year ago, Colorado firefighters Rick Balentine and Tim Cottrell were driving trucks carrying donations from Aspen to Los Angeles for victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires.
As they headed west, they planned to stop in Las Vegas and, while there, made a spontaneous decision to see the Eagles’ residency at the Sphere. Balentine and Cottrell bought resale tickets on StubHub for around $400 each. Cottrell used his credit card and received a confirmation email. But once they arrived to the venue, they weren’t allowed in. The seller failed to send the tickets."
Layoffs hit Zuckerberg and Chan’s philanthropy in Silicon Valley
CHRONICLE, AIDIN VAZIRI: "The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is laying off about 70 employees in Redwood City as the philanthropy founded by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan restructures to focus more narrowly on artificial intelligence–driven biomedical research.
The layoffs, confirmed Wednesday by communications director Jane Packer, are part of an ongoing transition as CZI centers its work on Biohub, a network of research institutes aimed at accelerating discoveries in biology and medicine with a stated mission “to cure or prevent all disease.”"
Looking for work in California? See 10 state jobs starting at $16K a month
SACBEE, ANGELA RODRIGUEZ: "California is currently hiring for several high-paying state jobs.
From health care services to veterans affairs, positions are available at multiple state departments, offering salaries starting at $16,000 a month.\"
Silicon Valley is driving users to ditch keyboards and spend hours talking to their tech
LAT, NILESH CHRISTOPHER: "Gavin McNamara has abandoned his keyboard and spends all day talking rather than typing.
He speaks for hours with his computer and phone, sending emails, writing presentations, posting on LinkedIn and even coding through conversations using an AI dictation app from San Francisco startup, Wispr Flow."
After leaving California, one of the country’s largest alcohol distributors is in shambles
CHRONICLE, ESTHER MOBLEY: "One of the nation’s largest alcohol distributors looks to be in shambles, and its plight is revealing larger cracks in our convoluted system for selling wine, beer and spirits.
Last year, the Texas-based Republic National Distributing Co. shook the alcohol industry when it pulled out of California, suddenly leaving more than 2,500 beverage producers without a distributor in the state and more than 1,700 employees without a job. The move came after some of the most powerful alcohol brands — from Fireball to Tito’s to High Noon to Jack Daniel’s — left Republic National for other distributors."
How much money is ‘enough’ in California? Here’s how to decide as your wealth rises
CHRONICLE, JESSICA ROY: "How much money is enough?
In the Wealth Challenge: Next Level series, we’ve talked about ways to grow your income, manage your wealth and protect your financial legacy. Many Americans dream of getting to the point where their credit cards are raking in points instead of racking up balances, and where they can transition from getting out from under debt to truly managing their money and maximizing their returns."
California FAIR Plan continues record growth for homeowner policies
SACBEE, STEPHEN HOBBS: "California’s backup home insurance provider hit another record number of policies before the end of last year, showing that it is still gaining users despite efforts to stem its rapid growth.
The plan, which provides fire coverage to Californians when other companies will not, reached 668,600 policies in December."
New maps show the most detailed demographic data for every S.F. neighborhood
CHRONICLE, SRIHARSHA DEVULAPALLI: "Newly released data from the U.S. census offers a detailed look at how San Francisco’s neighborhoods differ across various key demographics. The data, known as the American Community Survey, is based on responses to over 100 questions asked to about 10% of U.S. residents between 2020 and 2024.
The Chronicle used this data to make seven maps showing how San Francisco’s neighborhoods differ on characteristics like race, income, age, education and vehicle ownership."
LAPD would delete nearly 12 million body camera videos under proposed policy change
LAT, LIBOR JANY: "The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking a policy change that would allow millions of videos collected from officers’ body-worn and dashboard-mounted cameras to be deleted, leaving oversight officials worried that useful footage might be lost in the purge.
In a presentation to the Board of Police Commissioners on Tuesday, the LAPD’s chief information officer, John Furay, detailed new data retention guidelines that would allow certain footage to be destroyed after five years."
LAPD oversight commission overrules chief, says fatal shooting of trans woman was ‘out of policy’
LAT, ANDREW J. CAMPA/LIBOR JANY: "The use of lethal force on a transgender woman who had reported being held against her will inside a Pacoima motel last year was not in line with Los Angeles Police Department policy, the board of police commissioners determined this week.
The department’s civilian oversight panel voted unanimously during Tuesday’s meeting that the shooting that killed 30-year-old Linda Becerra Moran, whose case has galvanized police brutality activists, was “out of policy.” The vote contrasted with LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell’s determination that officers had acted in accordance with policy in a case presented to the department’s force review board in October."