Will Trump move to prosecute incoming California Sen. Schiff for investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot?
LAT's ANDREA CASTILLO: "President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday that members of Congress who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection should be imprisoned.
“Honestly, they should go to jail,” Trump said of elected officials who led the investigation, speaking in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”"
A California labor union helped oust a Democrat from the state Capitol. His replacement wants to curb union power.
LAT's MACKENZIE MAYS: "A University of California workers union was successful in its fight to oust an Orange County Democrat from the state Senate after he did not support a bill it backed in the Legislature. But in doing so, the union may have helped elect a Republican who has a history of opposing organized labor.
Democratic Sen. Josh Newman of Fullerton lost reelection after American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 spent more than $1 million supporting candidates to replace him in the primary and later in ads bashing him and tying him to high gas prices and crime."
Laphonza Butler, 1st LGBTQ+ Black U.S. senator, exits office as Democrats question identity politics
LAT's ANDREA CASTILLO, SEEMA MEHTA: "Earlier this year, as Republicans sought to ban books with Black history and LGBTQ+ themes from schools across the country, the nation’s first openly gay Black senator stepped onto the Senate floor and read aloud from some of them.
“Perhaps for some of you here today, I am the face of one of your fears,” Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler said in February, quoting 20th century poet Audre Lorde. “Because I am a Black woman, because I am a lesbian, because I am myself — a Black woman warrior poet doing work — who has come to ask you, are you doing yours?”"
The Micheli Minute, December 9, 2024
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "Lobbyist and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome."
The California governors race is already crowded. Will these heavy hitters jump in?
The Chronicle's SOPHIA BOLLAG: "The impending end of Gavin Newsom’s second term means there’s a rare opportunity on the horizon: a truly open California governor’s race. Not only will there be no incumbent (Newsom will reach his term limit at the end of 2026), there’s also at this point no clear frontrunner the way there was in 2018, when Newsom was elected, or in 2010, when Jerry Brown won an unprecedented second governorship after previously leading the state in the ’70s and ’80s.
A long list of Democratic officials have already declared their candidacy, including former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state schools chief Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former Controller Betty Yee. But there are many other possible candidates who say they are considering a run, or who are seen as likely contenders."
S.F.’s mayor-elect is already facing his first big test — and a short clock to find a solution
The Chronicle's JOE GAROFOLI: "Weeks before he’s sworn into office, San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie is already facing his first test — aside from the city’s $876 million budget deficit. If he plays it right, it could go a long way toward dispelling criticism he faced during the campaign: that he was the most “dangerous” candidate because of his lack of political experience.
About 2,500 hotel workers are on strike at six of the city’s largest hotels. Not only is the 10-week-old strike taking a toll on striking workers — many of whom are struggling to live in an expensive city — but the discord also is not a good look for a tourism-fueled city still trying to convince the world it’s not spiraling into a doom loop."
Marc Benioff's cheerleading for Trump has horrified liberals. In exclusive interview, he defends his stance
The Chronicle's JD MORRIS: "Marc Benioff, the Salesforce tech titan and one of San Francisco’s biggest philanthropists, has become a surprising cheerleader for President-elect Donald Trump since the election, riling liberal residents who have questioned the billionaire's motives for expressing excitement about Trump's second trip to the Oval Office.
In an exclusive interview with the Chronicle, Benioff defended his post-election public statements, which have included fawning social media messages adorned with American flags and heart emojis."
Bay Area Syrian community rallies in S.F. to celebrate Assad’s ouster: ‘Nothing short of a miracle’
The Chronicle's SAM WHITING: "Syrian President Bashar Assad’s flight into exile happened very quickly this weekend — and so did the celebration by the Bay Area’s small population of Syrians on Sunday morning.
Word spread that they would gather at noon in front of San Francisco City Hall to wave flags and sing patriotic songs. They came draped in the green, black and white flag with three red stars flown by Assad’s opponents, and if they didn’t have a flag handy, they stopped off and grabbed materials to make one."
A critical time for CA’s master plan for developmental services (OP-ED)
AMY WESTLING in Capitol Weekly: "As the next Master Plan for Developmental Services Committee meeting convenes on December 11, it’s a critical time to remind policymakers, the administration, key agencies, and stakeholders of the importance of developing and implementing the Master Plan in a way that prioritizes meeting the unique needs of 450,000 Californians with developmental disabilities.
The Master Plan for Developmental Services process was created to leverage historic investments made by the Newsom Administration and the legislature. It aims to achieve equitable access to the Lanterman Act’s entitlement to services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, and looks to ensure that individuals and their families:"
‘You don’t know what’s next.’ International students scramble ahead of Trump inauguration
LAT's JAWEED KALEEM: "As an international student at USC who had not been home for a year, Kevin Lu was excited to return over winter break to see his parents in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.
But with President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration approaching, he changed his mind, choosing to remain in Los Angeles."
How universities are helping student-athletes have a ‘typical’ college experience
EdSource's KELCIE LEE: "College athletes are often in the news because of their achievements on fields or in arenas, or because of the fame resulting from the Supreme Court’s 2021 decision to allow amateur athletes to profit from their names, images and likenesses, or NIL. But what is sometimes overlooked is that these athletes are also trying to get through college.
Division I student athletes at California public universities have all the obligations of their fellow students, along with additional responsibilities to their teams that can feel like a full-time job. The student-athlete who competes at the highest level is typically taking a full load of courses while juggling practices, weight training sessions, travel and the games and competitions themselves."
San Francisco’s wild parrots have found a new home — next to a major city landmark
The Chronicle's PETER HARTLAUB: "San Francisco’s colorful flock of wild parrots have only become more iconic, starring in a movie and last year being named the official animal of San Francisco.
Now they’ve chosen an iconic new home. Recently, the birds moved from the Embarcadero and began roosting in the park adjacent to the Transamerica Pyramid — just as the skyscraper completed a major renovation and is being framed as a symbol of rebirth for the beleaguered post-pandemic downtown."
Why do ladybugs descend on this part of the Bay Area every year? It’s a mystery — and a marvel
The Chronicle's SARAH FELDBERG: "Fall in the Bay Area brings certain distinctive signs. Trees turn golden and shed their leaves. Puppies romp in the windows at Macy’s. And a marvel of entomology descends on the Oakland hills.
Every year, thousands of ladybugs converge on an otherwise unremarkable stretch of trail deep inside Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park. They blanket tree trunks and traverse fence posts. They amble across branches and swarm on leaves. One minute hikers are strolling past bare bushes and logs; a few steps farther and they’re in the midst of a Discovery Channel documentary."
California is offering up to $2,000 for new e-bikes. Here’s how to cash in
The Chronicle's NORA MISHANEC: "Starting this month, a state voucher program is offering eligible Californians up to $2,000 toward the purchase of a new electric bike.
The program, launched by the California Air Resources Board, is an effort to expand access to zero-emissions transportation modes, especially in low-income areas most affected by air pollution."
