California is set for an uneven warmup. Here’s how weather will vary this week
The Chronicle, ANTHONY EDWARDS: "The first full week of April will be the warmest so far this year for much of the Southwest, including parts of California. Some daily records could be threatened in the desert, including Phoenix and Palm Springs, where triple-digit temperatures are possible Wednesday through Friday.
While temperatures in Southern California could soar 20 degrees above April averages, the warmup won’t be equally distributed throughout the state."
Trump threatens more tariffs on China as global markets plunge
LAT, CHRIS MEGERIAN/JOSH BOAK: "President Trump threatened additional tariffs on China on Monday, raising fresh concerns that his drive to rebalance the global economy could lead to a trade war.
Trump’s threat, which he delivered on social media, came after China said it would retaliate against U.S. tariffs announced last week."
Stocks are making wild swings as markets try to assess the potential damage from Trump’s trade war
LAT, ELAINE KURTENBACH/DAVID MCHUGH: "Stocks are sharply swinging down, up, then down again on Wall Street as markets try to assess the potential damage from President Donald Trump’s global trade war.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly erased a morning loss of 1,700 points, shot up more than 800 points, then went back to a loss of 414 points."
U.S. markets swing wildly after false rumor of 90-day pause on Trump tariffs
The Chronicle, SHIRA STEIN: "U.S. stock markets whipsawed wildly Monday morning after false information spread rapidly across social media and news outlets that President Donald Trump was considering a 90-day pause on the sweeping international tariffs his administration implemented last week.
Nasdaq, S&P 500 and the NYSE composite all showed brief but sharp increases at 10:20 EST. The S&P 500 saw an 8% surge at the spread of the misinformation, and then a 3.5% plunge in a matter of seconds, Bloomberg News reported."
California lawmakers ask for millions for Prop. 36. The true cost is still unknown
Sac Bee, KATE WOLFFE: "California lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are seeking hundreds of millions of state dollars to support the implementation of the state’s new theft and drug treatment law.
Proposition 36 went into effect in December after a landslide victory at the ballot box. Among other things, the new law raises the stakes of everyday street crime: instead of misdemeanors for theft and drug crimes, some petty thefts — especially for repeat offenders— can now be felonies, and a third drug offense can yield an option of either a felony or drug treatment. While posters and mailers in support of the measure vowed to “make crime illegal again,” proponents emphasized the treatment portion, claiming it would help address homelessness."
Sacramento interim city manager told employees to expect layoffs, union says
Sac Bee, MATHEW MIRANDA: "Sacramento’s Interim City Manager Leyne Milstein has told city employees they should expect layoffs this year, according to the city’s largest labor union.
Stationary Engineers Local 39, a union representing more than 1,700 city workers, alleged this and others claims in a March 20 letter sent to City Council members. The letter said that Milstein told city employees directly “there will be layoffs,” the city “would not consider temporary furloughs or early retirement incentives” and said there were “no plans to reduce management position only rank and file.”"
Oakland mayor fires chief of staff amid backlash over note referring to Black people as ‘tokens’
The Chronicle, SARAH RAVANI: "Interim Oakland Mayor Kevin Jenkins fired Leigh Hanson, his chief of staff, on Sunday over a note she wrote last year that appeared to refer to Black people as “tokens.”
Hanson, who was previously chief of staff to former Mayor Sheng Thao, stayed on after Thao’s recall in November to help the city close out the sale of its share of the Coliseum to a group of private developers and to assist with the city budget amid its financial woes."
Polling, polling, polling, with Paul Mitchell (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "California political data expert Paul Mitchell joins us to talk about his recent polls that explored public reaction to Governor Gavin Newsom’s This is Gavin Newsom podcast, and the results of the first Capitol Weekly Insiders Survey, which asked how and where the Capitol Community gets its news."
The Micheli Minute, April 7, 2025
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Lobbyist and author Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week in Sacramento."
With hopes for asylum in U.S. dashed, migrants in Tijuana ponder next moves
LAT, ANDREA CASTILLO: "When the Russian man arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border on March 1, he knew he was too late. Still, he held on to hope that even with President Trump in office he could be let into the United States to seek asylum.
Slavik, a 37-year-old engineer, said he fled Russia after being beaten by security forces for supporting the opposing political party. He had hoped to meet U.S. immigration officials to apply for asylum, he said, and has friends willing to sponsor him."
Canadians pull back on travel to California because of Trump: ‘I will miss the desert’
CALMatters, LEVI SUMAGAYSAY: "California tourism could lose billions of dollars because of President Donald Trump’s policies on tariffs, immigration and gender identity, as well as his talk of annexing Canada.
Visit California, a nonprofit organization that promotes tourism in the Golden State, recently revised its overall visitor spending forecast for this year from $166 billion to $160 billion, saying international travel into California is already beginning to slow. Canada, the second-largest source of international tourism dollars for the state after Mexico, accounted for $3.7 billion of the $26.5 billion foreign travel brought into the state last year, Visit California said."
Can California vets claw back another cat declawing ban? Lawmakers are trying
CALMatters, RYAN SABALOW: "A proposal to ban veterinarians from surgically removing claws from cats seems like it would be an easy sell for California lawmakers, several of whom lovingly describe their pets in their official biography pages.
After all, several U.S. cities, states and more than 30 countries already have banned vets from performing declawing, arguing that it’s cruel and unnecessary. The American Veterinary Medical Association has for at least five years discouraged vets from performing the surgeries."
Trump Administration revokes entry visas for UC Davis international students
Sac Bee, ROSALIO AHUMADA: "The federal government has terminated entry visas for 12 international students and recent graduates at UC Davis, which prevents them from staying in the United States and continuing their studies, Chancellor Gary S. May said Saturday.
The UC Davis students were part of a nationwide crackdown on foreign students carried out over the weekend by the Trump Administration, The Associated Press reported. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security notified the international students that their visas were terminated and ordered them to leave the country immediately."
Caught off-guard, California colleges scramble to determine scope of student visa cancellations
LAT, JAWEED KALEEM: "Confusion and concern ratcheted up at California colleges over the weekend as campus officials indicated they were caught unaware by the Trump administration’s cancellation of dozens of international student visas.
On Sunday, UCLA confirmed that federal authorities last week revoked the visas of 12 community members: six current students and six recent graduates. In a campus message, Chancellor Julio Frenk implied the government had not notified UCLA ahead of time. The issues were found during a “routine audit” of an immigrant student database connected to the Department of Homeland Security, he said. The government had shifted students’ status and canceled their visas from the State Department."
Exclusive: SFUSD superintendent explains district’s ‘many missteps’ with special education students
The Chronicle, JILL TUCKER: "With two months left before summer break, San Francisco schools’ superintendent disclosed what led to the special education fiasco at the start of the school year, which left nearly 200 vulnerable students without their legally mandated teachers and other support staff.
The short answer: “The district prioritized balancing the budget over our students’ needs,” Superintendent Maria Su told the Chronicle, calling it a “stain on the district.”"
Trump administration orders national parks to remain open amid staffing shortages
LAT, HANNAH WILEY: "The Trump administration has issued an order demanding that all national parks remain open amid severe staffing shortages — an action that one conservation group called “reckless and out of touch” as park personnel brace for millions of visitors this summer.
“This order is intended to ensure that all national parks and national historic sites, which are managed by the Department of the Interior ..., remain open and accessible for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people and to ensure that the National Park Service (NPS) will provide the best customer service experience for all visitors,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum wrote in a memo Thursday."
Sutter County may ease hemp farming restrictions. How hazy are long-term plans?
Sac Bee, JAKE GOODRICK: "After enacting a year-long ban on industrial hemp farming in Sutter County, local officials and community members found compromises that may allow some grows to continue during the moratorium.
Sutter County supervisors are expected to discuss and vote on the proposed changes later this month. The ordinance was drafted for consideration at the Thursday, April 3 meeting — moved from Tuesday due to the coinciding ceremony for fallen Marysville officer Osmar Rodarte — but will now wait until later this month to give adequate time for public notice, said Steve Smith, county administrator."
Sacramento’s tepid MLB audition (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, A.G. BLOCK: "Major League Baseball is officially couch-surfing in Sacramento. The sport’s nomads, the Athletics, opened the 2025 season last Monday and now will spend the next three years at Sutter Health Park, pristine home of the Pacific Coast League’s Sacramento River Cats.
The A’s don’t need a room, thanks; the sofa’s fine. They don’t plan to stay."
California landlords may have to provide refrigerators, stoves to renters under proposed bill
LAT, ANDREW J. CAMPA: "Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know:"
Low-income families are fleeing this Bay Area county more than any other
The Chronicle, CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "Three days. That’s all the time Alfredo Alvarado had to find a new home.
He’d spent the past seven years building a life in West Marin. His wife was a chef at a local restaurant. His three children attended local schools. The farm he worked at also provided his housing — which meant that when he got laid off in 2023 — he lost both his job and his home."
One S.F. intersection is seeing a huge jump in public disturbance calls. Here’s what’s going on
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "Catherine Villanueva has lived near 16th and Mission streets for 13 years. While the neighborhood has long struggled with homelessness and open-air drug use, she said conditions have deteriorated lately. Last month, for example, her car was broken into for the first time.
“It’s way worse here,” she said. “They take over the sidewalk, even with police patrolling everyday.”"
