‘No way, not possible’: California has a plan for new water rules. Will it save salmon from extinction?
CALMatters's ALASTAIR BLAND: "The Newsom administration is refining a contentious set of proposed rules, years in the making, that would reshape how farms and cities draw water from the Central Valley’s Delta and its rivers. Backed by more than $1 billion in state funds, the rules, if adopted, would require water users to help restore rivers and rebuild depleted Chinook salmon runs.
The administration touts its proposed rules as the starting point of a long-term effort to double Central Valley Chinook populations from historical levels, reaching numbers not seen in at least 75 years. But environmental groups have almost unanimously rejected it, saying it promises environmental gains that will never materialize and jeopardizes the existence of California’s iconic salmon and other fish."
Nancy Pelosi ‘well on the mend’ after successful hip surgery in Germany
The Chronicle's AIDIN VAZIRI: "House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi underwent successful hip replacement surgery in Germany after suffering an injury during a congressional trip to Luxembourg, her spokesperson confirmed Saturday.
Ian Krager, Pelosi’s spokesperson, said in a statement that the former speaker is “well on the mend” and expressed gratitude to the U.S. military staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the medical team at Hospital Kirchberg for their “excellent care and kindness.”"
Trump said he would revoke birthright citizenship. It hasn’t worked in the past
LAT's ANDREA CASTILLO: "President-elect Donald Trump has promised to end the right to citizenship for babies born in the U.S. to undocumented parents shortly after he takes office next month.
In an interview earlier this month with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump said he would attempt to do so through executive action."
Private prison CEOs are thrilled about Trump — and California’s Prop 36
The Chronicle's MOLLY BURKE, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "Private prison executives are celebrating the results of November’s election, with one pointing to the passage of Proposition 36 in California as a possible financial boon.
The California measure to increase punishments for theft and drug crimes will not only grow prison and jail populations, but will also likely result in more people accused of crimes being referred to federal authorities for potential deportation. Along with President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to usher in a wave of mass deportations, industry leaders say the anti-crime crackdown embraced by voters is good for their business."
She went to prison in Varsity Blues admissions scandal. Now she says she was a scapegoat
LAT's HARRIET RYAN, MATT HAMILTON: "When Donna Heinel arrived at the federal prison camp in Victorville last year to serve a six-month sentence for fraud stemming from the Varsity Blues admissions scandal, she resolved to spend the time productively. She walked two miles in the morning, ran three miles in the afternoon and tutored inmates studying for their high school equivalency exams.
No matter how busy she made herself, though, her thoughts always returned to the same question: How had she, a respected University of Southern California administrator, become the criminal companion of morally bankrupt one-percenters and an outcast from the institution she had long revered?"
California new laws for 2025: Cannabis cafes and entertainment zones
CALMatters: "Starting Jan. 1, alcohol and cannabis sales could expand in some parts of California thanks to two new laws that aim to increase central city foot traffic, which has yet to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senate Bill 969, authored by state Sen. Scott Weiner, will let local governments designate “entertainment zones,” where bars and restaurants can sell alcoholic beverages for people to drink on public streets and sidewalks."
Author of federal mental health law has advice for California
EdSource's VANI SANGANERIA: "Mental health has been at the center of former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy’s personal journey to recovery from addiction as well as his public career as a policymaker, author and advocate.
In 2008, while representing Rhode Island in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kennedy was the lead author of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, a federal law that requires health insurance companies to provide equal coverage for mental health and addiction care and general physical health care, such as diabetes or cancer treatment."
El Segundo still stinks. Why can’t L.A. fix the problem two years after huge sewage spill?
LAT's GRACE TOOHEY: "On the worst days, Tamara Kcehowski said, she has thrown up when the stench from Los Angeles’ nearby sewage plant overwhelms her El Segundo apartment. She said her dog, Maggie, has even retched alongside her.
On the not-so-bad days, she says she often deals with a dull headache or burning eyes. Some mornings, she wakes up gagging or coughing."
Here comes the rain again: Monday morning storm to bring foggy, dreary weather to Bay Area
The Chronicle's GREG PORTER: "If you have the option to work remotely, Monday might be the perfect day to take advantage of it.
Monday will be a rather murky day of weather as a cold front slowly traverses the Bay Area. While this front won’t pack the punch of Saturday’s storm system, which brought tornadic activity, heavy rain, and strong winds, it will still make for a challenging morning commute."
Disneyland agrees to state’s largest wage theft settlement of $233 million with its workers
LAT's ANDREW J. CAMPA: "While Friday at Disneyland included winter parades, holiday makeovers for several rides and other seasonal delights, parent Walt Disney Co. was not in as jolly a mood.
The company quietly agreed to settle a wage theft class-action lawsuit for $233 million brought about by Disneyland workers five years earlier."
The Murdoch family feud is straight out of ‘Succession.’ It also holds real-life lessons for your estate
The Chronicle's KATHLEEN PENDER: "For those following the family feud involving Rupert Murdoch and his four oldest children, the focus may have been on what it means for the Murdoch media empire, particularly Fox News. But there’s another big — if less sensational — question at the heart of the drama: When can you change an irrevocable trust?
In a plot twist worthy of the television series “Succession,” which was inspired by the Murdoch family, Rupert is trying to amend an irrevocable trust that gives each of the four children equal voting power in the media empire after his death. Rupert, 93, wants to change the trust to give sole voting control to his oldest son Lachlan, who is more aligned with his father’s right-wing political views than the other three siblings."
California’s newest city has fastest-growing home prices in northern part of state
The Chronicle's CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "Mountain House, the newest city in California, has the fastest-growing home values in the northern part of the state.
The Central Valley city’s sole ZIP code of 95391 saw typical home values surge by a staggering 70% since the pandemic began, from less than $600,000 in February 2020 to more than $1 million in November 2024. That’s the biggest jump of any Northern California ZIP code, according to data from real estate brokerage site Zillow."
Fewer people are living together in the Bay Area — and it's driving up housing demand
The Chronicle's KOTA SUZUKI: "The average Bay Area household is getting smaller. According to experts, that means more housing is required to accommodate a stagnating Bay Area population.
The shrinkage in household size can largely be attributed to young people living solo as well as older empty-nesters. The trend isn’t unique to the Bay Area — both ends of the age spectrum are increasingly opting to live with fewer people, a shift that is undoubtedly impacting the housing market."
$1 million, no convictions: New L.A. D.A. to fire Gascón’s police shootings prosecutor
LAT's JAMES QUEALLY: "Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman says he intends to terminate the contract of a special prosecutor that George Gascón hired to reopen investigations into fatal police shootings, a move that could shake up high-profile cases that involve controversial killings by officers.
The district attorney’s office said in a statement that it will “no longer be using” the services of Lawrence Middleton, a former federal prosecutor who convicted several Los Angeles police officers of violating Rodney King’s civil rights after they were acquitted in state court in the 1991 beating of the Black motorist."
