Higher ACA premiums hit as COVID-era subsidies end
THESTREET, ROBERT POWELL: "Higher Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums are now in effect, and for an estimated 20 million Americans, the increase is hitting without the cushion of enhanced federal subsidies."
California waits for a star to emerge in the 2026 race for governor
LAT, SEEMA MEHTA: "In a state that’s home to nearly 40 million people and the fourth largest economy in the world, the race for California governor has been lost in the shadow of President Trump’s combustible return to office and, thus far, the absence of a candidate charismatic enough to break out of the pack.
For the first time in recent history, there is no clear front-runner with less than five months before the June primary election."
Firmness, flattery and phone calls: How Mexico’s president won over Trump
LAT, KATE LINTHICUM/PATRICK J. MCDONNELL: "He has called Colombian President Gustavo Petro “a sick man” and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator.” He once slammed French President Emmanuel Macron as “publicity-seeking,” and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “dishonest and weak.”
President Trump is known for hurling scathing insults at world leaders."
California chief justice steps up monitoring of immigration arrests at courthouses
CALMATTERS, CAYLA MIHALOVICH: "California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero said she is taking a more proactive stance to preserve access to the judicial system as the Trump administration continues to make arrests in courthouses.
At a press conference on Thursday, Guerrero — the high court’s first Latina chief — expressed concern over the “chilling effects” of federal immigration enforcement in California courthouses and said the Judicial Council has been closely monitoring the situation."
Cops have to treat marijuana in your car differently after new California Supreme Court ruling
CALMATTERS, NIGEL DUARA: "When it comes to impaired driving and the state’s open container law, a rolled and ready joint is more like a can of beer in giving police cause to search a car than a few crumbs of marijuana, according to the California Supreme Court.
The court’s reasoning: You can smoke a joint and drink a beer, but loose marijuana isn’t readily consumable."
From kneepads to Grindr, Newsom’s latest Trump-inspired insults have gotten downright sexual
CHRONICLE, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "Donald Trump has been lowering the bar for political insults for more than a decade. He’s called his rivals stupid, insulted women’s bodies, and demeaned entire countries and ethnic communities. At first, Democratic leaders tried to stay above the fray, asserting that they wouldn’t stoop to his level. But then he won the presidency. Twice.
This year, Gov. Gavin Newsom has joined Trump in the mud, arguing that Democrats can’t keep playing by a loftier set of rules. They have to hit him where it hurts, Newsom argues. His social media accounts have shifted in tone, fueling an all-out feud."
Will Mahan’s anti-Newsom rhetoric hurt him in governor’s race? (COLUMN)
CHRONICLE, JOE GAROFOLI: "After spending much of the last year giving the Democratic Party unsolicited tough love on how it handles homelessness, housing and crime, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announced Thursday he is running for governor.
Now, he’s asking Democrats for some love. Awkward."
Possible hierarchy of legislative materials for statutory interpretation purposes (MICHELI FILES)
CAPITOL WEEKLY, CHRIS MICHELI: "After a California judge or justice determines there is ambiguity in a state statute, they will turn to consideration of extrinsic evidence in an effort to ascertain the intent of the Legislature in crafting the statute. What sort of evidence is considered?
For more than one hundred and twenty-five years, California courts have examined evidence of legislative intent in construing state statutes, such as in County of Yolo v. Colgan (1901) 132 Cal. 265). In fact, I believe legislative materials should play a critical role in the judiciary’s consideration in cases of statutory interpretation. And I believe there should be a hierarchy of those materials used by the judicial branch."
CALMATTERS, COLIN LECHER: "The Meta researcher’s tone was alarmed.
“oh my gosh yall IG is a drug,” the user experience specialist allegedly wrote to a colleague, referring to the social media platform Instagram. “We’re basically pushers… We are causing Reward Deficit Disorder bc people are binging on IG so much they can’t feel reward anymore.”"
Policymakers should rethink who benefits from public investment (OP-ED)
CAPITOL WEEKLY, STEVE CONCANNON: "Each year, California invests at least $5 billion in transportation construction through SB 1, and over the next five years the state will receive approximately $41.9 billion in additional federal infrastructure funding. These are huge investment numbers, and it comes at the same time that certain federal contracting rules are shifting. That combination creates a rare opportunity for policymakers to rethink who benefits from public investment.
These dollars support road and bridge projects across the state and sustain hundreds of thousands of construction jobs. The question for policymakers is not whether this investment is necessary. They are. It is whether the benefits of that spending are reaching the people who do the work."
New California bill would put more rules, fines on private ICE detention centers
SACBEE, MELISSA MONTALVO: "A new bill could require private companies to secure a public health license to operate immigration detention centers in the state.
The Private Detention Facility Oversight and Standards Act of 2026 (SB 942) would require private detention facilities to obtain a state license through the State Department of Public Health as a condition of operating in California."
ICE finds targeting violent criminals increasingly fraught in backlash over indiscriminate sweeps
LAT, BRITTNY MEJIA/RUBEN VIVES: "The ICE officers descended on Compton, targeting immigrants convicted of theft, child abuse and selling drugs.
There were no protesters. No whistles alerting targets to the officers’ presence. No face masks. In some cases, residents opened their doors to let the officers inside their homes. One man thanked them for not arresting him in front of his children."
Anti-ICE ‘National Shutdown’ protests planned in L.A. County. Here’s where to find them
LAT, KAREN GARCIA/JAWEED KALEEM/SUHAUNA HUSSAIN/HOWARD BLUME: "Inflamed by the fatal shootings of two protesters and the increasingly aggressive tactics used by federal agents in Minneapolis, activists and protesters are taking part in “ICE Out of Everywhere” demonstrations starting Friday, including several in Los Angeles County.
These nationwide protests come a week after hundreds of Minnesota businesses closed their doors in a statewide strike. “ICE Out of Everywhere” aims to show solidarity with Minnesota and for those who have died in ICE custody, as well as demand an end to federal agents’ raids throughout the U.S."
Coalition seeks LA County sales tax vote to offset federal healthcare funding cuts
CALMATTERS, ANA B. IBARRA: "Facing federal funding cuts that could strip health coverage from hundreds of thousands of Angelenos, clinic leaders, union members and patients gathered in Inglewood Wednesday to boost a stop-gap proposal they want to put in front of voters: a county sales tax to stave off service cuts and keep more sick people from seeking primary care in emergency rooms.
A newly formed coalition, Restore Healthcare for Angelenos, is asking the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to place a five-year, half-cent sales tax measure on the June ballot in Los Angeles County."
Dr. Oz travels to L.A. seeking fraud. Newsom says his findings are ‘baseless and racist allegations’
LAT, CLARA HARTER/RICHARD WINTON: "Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday filed a civil rights complaint against Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, after Oz posted a video accusing Armenian crime groups of carrying out widespread healthcare fraud in Los Angeles.
The video shows Oz being driven around a section of Van Nuys where he says that about $3.5 billion worth of medicare fraud has been perpetrated by hospice and home care businesses, claiming that “it’s run, quite a bit of it, by the Russian Armenian mafia.”"
What does the state superintendent actually do and how might that drastically change?
EDSOURCE, JOHN FENSTERWALD: "The job of the state superintendent of public instruction may be very different a year from now.
Last month, the nonprofit research organization PACE (Policy Analysis for California Education) released a report on school governance that recommended transferring the California Department of Education’s operations from the state superintendent to the governor and the State Board of Education, whose members are appointed by the governor."
California schools struggle with funding and equity amid federal shakeups
EDSOURCE, MALLIKA SESHADRI: "Amid ongoing and impending shakeups in federal and state educational leadership, 2026 is a big year for California schools.
During an EdSource roundtable on Thursday, educational leaders and policy experts discussed how President Donald Trump’s second administration is putting pressure on California schools and students, creating challenges for students, educators, administrators and leaders."
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta give Sac State $50 million for downtown campus
SACBEE, ANNIKA MERRILEES/WILLIAM MELHADO: "Sacramento State is partnering with tech giant Meta to convert excess government buildings into a downtown campus that will include academic facilities and affordable student housing in a district that has struggled to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that Meta, which is based in Menlo Park, will provide $50 million in funding to transform three state buildings on Capitol Mall into mixed-use facilities for California State University, Sacramento’s faculty and students."
How Trump’s new labor board could play role in decertifying St. Hope teacher union
SACBEE, JENNAH PENDLETON: "A teacher pushing to decertify the union within St. Hope Public Schools has asked a federal agency to call for the election despite such actions usually falling under California’s jurisdiction.
At the center of the labor dispute is not just whether the teachers union will continue to cover St. Hope teachers, but whether charter school employees should be considered public or private in the eyes of the law."
San Diego teachers plan first strike in 30 years over issues with staffing and services for special education
Santa Rosa City Schools to lay off staff to avoid state receivership
EDSOURCE, STAFF: "The Santa Rosa City Schools could lay off roughly 100 employees at the end of the school year as it moves to avoid state receivership, a newly released fiscal plan shows, the Press Democrat reported.
The layoffs are expected to impact roles across all campuses, eliminating entire groups of support staff at the elementary and secondary levels with projected savings of $14.2 million year over year — just over 6% of the district’s total budget, the newspaper reported."
Vandenberg Space Force Base is ready to take off. Not everyone is on board
LAT, LAURENCE DARMIENTO: "The rolling grasslands and rocky beaches of Vandenberg Space Force Base, home to more than a dozen at-risk species, easily could pass for a peaceful nature preserve — but that’s an illusion.
The nearly 100,000-acre base was a testing ground in the 1960s for early generation ballistic missiles, and today it’s a launch site for satellites, classified missions and other payloads key to a new type of war: one fought far above the earth."
CHRONICLE, J.K. DINEEN: "A revised proposal aimed at turbocharging the development of San Francisco’s Treasure Island would increase the number of housing units planned for the fast-growing neighborhood by as much 35%, from 8,000 homes to as many as 10,800.
Some 15 years after the Treasure Island redevelopment plan was approved, an amended vision for the island seeks to capitalize on the momentum the neighborhood has seen over the last five years with its eight new waterfront parks, 1,000 new housing units and a ferry terminal from which commuters can get downtown in 10 minutes."
The Super Bowl is going to shut down S.F. roads. This map shows what to avoid
CHRONICLE, RACHEL SWAN: "Attempt to drive up Minna Street toward Yerba Buena Gardens on Friday and you may hit a bulwark of traffic cones and wire mesh fencing. An exasperated worker in a yellow vest may direct you to turn around. Official-looking people with lanyards and clipboards will likely shake their heads and stare.
It all could only mean one thing: Super Bowl LX has arrived to downtown San Francisco, with a week’s worth of events leading up to the big game on Feb. 8. To be sure, this city lacks a football stadium, and it’s difficult to hold a tailgate party on a street lined with bike lanes and parklets. But San Francisco will host a mix of free concerts, fan zones, block parties, NFL player photo opps and exhibits of championship rings."
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles
LAT, JOSEPH SERNA: "Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles, according to an attorney statement posted on Lemon’s social media account Friday morning.
Lemon was taken into custody Thursday night while covering the upcoming Grammy awards on Sunday, the statement said. He was taken into custody for activities earlier this month in Minnesota, according to multiple reports."