Stephen Miller finally gets his revenge on L.A.
LA Times, JULIA WICK: "On a palm tree-lined bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, thousands of people rallied against the Trump administration in one of many “No Kings Day” protests around the country last month. Here in Santa Monica, the well-heeled and beachy protesters also had a localized message: America, we’re sorry.
“Santa Monica apologies for Stephen Miller,” a bearded man in a straw hat proclaimed via hand-scrawled poster board."
Los Angeles joins federal immigration case against Trump administration
Politico, NICOLE NORMAN: "Los Angeles and seven nearby cities will join a federal class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration that alleges the federal government is using illegal tactics while conducting sweeping immigration raids across the county.
The case, filed last week last week by immigration and civil rights organizations in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, asks the court to prevent the federal government from using “unlawful tactics to achieve its intended arrest numbers” in Los Angeles, including racial profiling and excessive use of force.
Gavin Newsom swings through South Carolina, where Democrats will play pivotal 2028 nominating role
AP, MEG KINNARD: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday launched a two-day tour of South Carolina, calling on voters across rural areas — some tucked in GOP strongholds — to exercise their “moral authority” in standing up to President Donald Trump and Republicans in next year’s midterm elections.
But more than that, Newsom’s foray into the state, which for years has held one of the earliest voting contests on the Democratic presidential primary calendar, serves as a strong signal that the governor of the most populous state is eyeing a 2028 White House bid."
Why Donald Trump’s legal strategies are working — some of the time
SacBee, SHARON BERNSTEIN: "When President Donald Trump decided last month to send the California National Guard to Los Angeles over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, many political and legal watchers were certain that courts would view the move as illegal, a belief that was quickly shattered when a panel of appellate judges appointed by presidents from both political parties ruled unanimously in Trump’s favor.
But the judges were responding to a carefully crafted argument on the part of Trump administration lawyers that showcased wording in the law governing the deployment of the Guard for federal purposes, as well as a Supreme Court decision from 1827 that gave the president the power to decide when a call-up was required."
Federal arrests in L.A. approach 2,800 since raids began, DHS says
LA Times, MICHAEL WILNER and RACHEL URANGA: "Arrests continue to mount in the aggressive federal operation that began more than a month ago to track down and detain undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles, according to Homeland Security figures released Tuesday.
“DHS and its components’ immigration enforcement operations are ongoing in Los Angeles,” a Homeland Security official said in a statement provided to The Times. “Since operations began in June, ICE and CBP have arrested 2,792 illegal aliens in the L.A. area.”
A week after deadly fireworks blast, families wait for answers
CapRadio, GERARDO ZAVALA and GREG MICEK: "It’s been more than a week since a deadly explosion at a fireworks storage facility rocked the rural Yolo County town of Esparto, killing seven people and triggering an 80-acre wildfire.
As the investigation continues, families of the victims say they’ve been left in the dark.
Jhony Ramos said in Spanish that he lost two sons, Jesus and Jhony Ramos, who were 18 and 22, respectively. He said he felt dead inside because he’s never going to see them again."
UCs could get even more expensive as regents review tuition hike scenarios
Chronicle, NANETTE ASIMOV: "The University of California regents will hear options next week for raising tuition over the next several years and using a smaller share of the proceeds for financial aid — scenarios that are raising concerns among student leaders.
The board will not vote on tuition at the July 16 meeting at UCLA. Instead, UC administrators’ 19-page presentation to the regents will let them ease into the sensitive area of making the university more expensive for many students than it is today."
OPINION: What if the only thing California Democrats can make more affordable is weed?
SacBee, TOM PHILP: "The affordability agenda promised by Sacramento Democrats hasn’t had measurable impacts on the intractable problems of electricity, gasoline, property insurance, or housing, which are all too expensive. So lawmakers are now focusing on something they can achieve.
A bipartisan juggernaut is emerging to hold the line on cannabis taxes. The state’s legal cannabis industry, claiming that it faces its own affordability crisis against the larger illicit industry, is on a roll in Sacramento to reverse an increase in the excise tax that took effect this month. While Democrats and Republicans alike seem to think this is a great idea (one key bill recently passed out of the Assembly with 74 out of 80 possible votes), this new quest for cannabis affordability seems to be forgetting something."
Supreme Court allows Trump to launch mass layoff and restructuring plans
Washington Post, ANN E. MARIMOW: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the Trump administration to launch plans for mass firings and reorganizations at 19 federal agencies and departments while litigation continues.
The justices lifted a lower-court order that temporarily blocked plans to lay off thousands of federal workers, including at the State Department and the Social Security Administration, because the administration did not first consult with Congress."
Potential collision averted at SFO? Apparent miscommunication put planes on crash course
Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Planes at San Francisco International Airport may have come dangerously close to a runway collision last month after what appeared to be a miscommunication from air traffic control, according to audio recordings from the flight tower.
The incident occurred on June 24, when Air Canada Flight 760, an Airbus A220 preparing to depart from runway 1 Right, was cleared by the tower for takeoff."
Trump’s law reshapes federal loans and Pell Grants, impacting California students
EdSource, AMY DIPIERRO and MICHAEL BURKE: "The domestic policy law signed by President Donald Trump will have major implications on how students in California and across the country pay for college, with analysts describing it as the most consequential federal higher education legislation in decades.
The most significant changes will impact access to federal loans and borrower repayment plans. The law also amends Pell Grant eligibility standards, expands qualified expenses for 529 college savings accounts, and is expected to raise the endowment tax on a few private universities, including Stanford."
City of L.A. on pace for lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years
LA Times, LIBOR JANY: "Homicides across Los Angeles fell by more than 20% in the first half of the year, leaving the city on pace to end 2025 with its lowest total for that crime category in nearly 60 years, according to an LAPD tally.
Although violent crime persists in parts of the city, homicides overall in L.A. have dropped to 116 through June 28, the most recent date for which reliable data were available, compared to 152 in the same period last year."
Tax break for electric vehicles is ending. How does that impact California drivers?
SacBee, DAVID LIGHTMAN and NICOLE NIXON: "The tax break of up to $7,500 on new or leased electric vehicles, as well as the $4,000 credit for used EVs, will be gone after Sept. 30. To clean energy advocates in California and around the country, that means consumers will pay more and the environment will suffer.
The credit for used EVs in particular is a “lost opportunity to reduce transportation energy burden and help California families save thousands of dollars in fuel costs,” said Ingrid Malmgren, senior policy director at Plug In America, an education and advocacy nonprofit."
Body scanners? Drug-sniffing dogs? L.A. County wants a contraband crackdown inside juvenile hall
LA Times, REBECCA ELLIS: "Los Angeles County leaders are once again scrambling to stem the flow of illicit drugs into the county’s troubled juvenile halls. After nine people were rushed to the hospital last week following suspected drug exposure at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, county supervisors asked the probation department Tuesday to ramp up their contraband crackdown.
Supervisors voted 4-0 to have the department install “airport-style body scanners” in the two halls, improve the quality of their drug-sniffing dogs and try and cancel their contract with Student Nest, a Fresno-based tutoring company whose employee was recently charged with bringing 170 Xanax pills into Los Padrinos. Supervisor Holly Mitchell abstained from the vote."
A chat with Tribal Affairs Secretary Christina Snider-Ashtari
Capitol Weekly Staff, Podcast: "We’re joined today by Christina Snider-Ashtari, Tribal Affairs Secretary to Governor Gavin Newsom and head of the Governor’s Office of Tribal Affairs. Snider-Ashtari was first appointed to the position in 2018 by Governor Brown and previously served as Executive Secretary of the California Native American Heritage Commission.
We spoke to her about both governors’ approaches to Tribal policy, about the California Truth & Healing Council, and about the deep Native history on Alcatraz, which President Trump has suggested might be returned to use as a federal prison. Plus, Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics?"
According to WARN notices filed with California’s Employment Development Department, the layoffs took effect July 3 and are permanent. The affected employees include two at the company’s headquarters on Cesar Chavez Street in San Francisco, 85 at its Bryant Street location and 14 in Sunnyvale."
Sacramento County workers demand higher wages during single-day strike
SacBee, EMMA HALL: "More than 3,000 Sacramento County workers went on strike Tuesday morning urging the Board of Supervisors to raise employee wages.
County workers from several county divisions, including the Department of Child, Family and Adult Services, filled the chambers and outside of its administrative offices downtown. Represented by United Public Employees, county workers are demanding a 4% to 5% raise to match the growing cost of living in the region, according to previous Bee reporting."
Used car bargains 76% harder to find in Southern California
Press Enterprise, JONATHAN LANSNER: "The odds of finding a deal on a used car in Southern California have slimmed dramatically in the last six years.
My trusty spreadsheet reviewed a study by iSeeCars that examined the sale prices of 3-year-old used cars in 50 U.S. markets and the nation overall. The car listing service compared sales patterns from the first six months of 2025 with the same period in 2019. The report considered bargains to be any vehicle selling for less than $20,000.
Across Southern California, these cheaper used cars accounted for just 13% of sales this year compared with 53% six years earlier, the study shows. That represents a 76% drop in the bargain cars’ market share."
