California sues Trump for blocking undocumented immigrants from ‘public benefit’ programs
LA Times, KEVIN RECTOR: "California and a coalition of other liberal-led states sued the Trump administration Monday over new rules barring undocumented immigrants from accessing more than a dozen federally funded “public benefit” programs, arguing the restrictions target working mothers and their children in violation of federal law.
President Trump and others in his administration have defended the restrictions as necessary to protect services for American citizens — including veterans — and reduce incentives for illegal immigration into the country."
Teacher enters crowded race to topple Rep. Ken Calvert, with Barbara Boxer’s blessing
CALMatters, MAYA C. MILLER: "Katherine Aleman, an Inland Empire public-school teacher and part-time chicken farmer, is the latest Democrat to join a crowded field of challengers hoping to unseat 41st Congressional District Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest-serving Republican in California’s congressional delegation.
The race against Calvert, who for more than 30 years has represented Riverside County, will be one of the most closely watched in the nation as Democrats push to retake control of the U.S. House in 2026. The congressman, a Trump loyalist, has been a perpetual white whale for Democrats despite his controversial votes to overturn the results of the 2020 election."
AB 931 preserves trustworthy legal services for immigrants (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, ELIZABETH HERNANDEZ: "The images of ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) splashed across news media in recent weeks are deeply unsettling. When armed, masked vigilantes who are under no obligation to identify themselves start terrorizing workers and blasting their way into citizens’ homes under the guise of “immigration enforcement,” it erodes public trust and invites abuse.
The same is true in the legal profession. When non-lawyers are allowed to profit from or influence legal representation through alternative business systems (ABS), we open the door to a different kind of vigilante justice – one driven by corporate profit, not professional ethics."
A chat with Jennifer Pierre of the State Water Contractors (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "We won’t use that old Mark Twain quote (that he probably never wrote anyway) but fighting over water has been California’s favorite pastime for at least 175 years. If you think norcal/socal baseball rivalries are bitter – try the socal vs. Delta water wars. One of the people tasked with managing that aqua drama is Jennifer Pierre, General Manager for the State Water Contractors – a statewide, non-profit association of the public water agencies that contract with the Department of Water Resources to receive water from the State Water Project. The SWP provides water for 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. A UC Davis alumna with a bachelor’s in environmental biology and conservation, Pierre has 20 years of experience in Delta management and uses that experience to help improve water supply and operations for the SWC. She joined us to talk about challenges of climate change, issues from overpumping groundwater, and if DC and and California can make nice on Water Policy."
3 U.S. Marine brothers faced toughest mission: Getting their dad freed from ICE custody
LAT, NATHAN SOLIS: "Narciso Barranco, an undocumented landscaper in Orange County, instilled a sense of pride for his adopted country in his three American-born sons.
All three boys joined the Marines, which they saw as a sound start for a better life in the United States."
READ MORE -- The Trump regime targets California’s sanctuary status at the expense of the American creed (COMMENTARY) -- CALMatters, ROBERT GREENE; Deaf, mute and terrified: ICE arrests DACA recipient and ships him to Texas -- LAT, BRITTNY MEJIA; Sacramento County residents among the 12 arrested at Home Depot, immigration group confirms -- Sacramento Bee, EMMA HALL
Do California’s sanctuary laws protect immigrants in the second Trump era?
Sacramento Bee, NICOLE NIXON: "Following an immigration operation at a south Sacramento Home Depot last Thursday, a border patrol chief stood in front of the state Capitol with his hands on his holster and challenged both state and local sanctuary policies.
“Sacramento’s not a sanctuary city,” Gregory Bovino, chief patrol agent for the border patrol’s El Centro sector, said during an interview with Fox News after federal agents with Customs and Border Protection arrested 12 people, including one U.S. citizen. “The state of California is not a sanctuary state. There is no sanctuary anywhere.”"
Nine households control 15% of wealth in Silicon Valley as inequality widens
The Guardian, CECILIA NOWELL: "Economic inequality has reached a staggering milestone in Silicon Valley: just nine households hold 15% of the region’s wealth, according to new research from San Jose State University. A mere 0.1% of residents hold 71% of the tech hub’s wealth.
The findings come from the 2025 “Silicon Valley Pain Index”, a report published by SJSU’s Human Rights Institute each year since 2020. The report aims to quantify “structured inequalities” in Silicon Valley, and measures “pain” as “both personal and community distress or suffering”.
Hunter Biden lays into Democrats, Jake Tapper and George Clooney (COMMENTARY)
LAT, LORRAINE ALI: "Hunter Biden finally made news outside the MAGA mediasphere for something that’s usually the work of Fox News and other deep state disseminators: He verbally bashed the Democratic Party, CNN’s Jake Tapper, former Obama aides and even Hollywood’s devastatingly handsome ambassador George Clooney.
President Biden’s son, whose very name inspires a Pavlovian response among right-wing conspiracy theorists, appears to have pulled a page from the opposition’s playbook when during two recent interviews he leaned into grievance politics, repeatedly hurled expletives and condemned those who “did not remain loyal” to his father."
Trump administration releases after school grant money — with a catch
CalMatters, CAROLYN JONES: "California after-school and summer programs will get some of their funding back after the federal government said on Friday that it would restore grants it had previously withheld. But the money is contingent on states complying with Civil Rights laws – a cudgel the White House has used in the past to crack down on diversity efforts.
“It’s a big relief,” said Heather Williams, director of policy and outreach for the California AfterSchool Network. “The funding freeze was very disruptive and there was a level of chaos. We’re hopeful that anyone that canceled or paused programs can jump back in.”
California students with immigrant parents seek financial aid despite deportation risks
CALMatters, MERCY SOSA: "While witnessing a rise in deportations across the country, college-bound high school seniors with immigrant parents in California had to decide this spring whether to submit a federal financial aid application. Their fear: The federal government will use sensitive personal information from the application to identify people in the country who lack legal status. An agreement between the IRS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to share tax information is already in motion.
However, the latest data available from the California Student Aid Commission shows that the number of high school senior applicants from mixed-status families has not decreased as much as some financial aid advocates feared it would. In fact, the number of high school senior applicants with at least one parent lacking legal status has nearly rebounded to the 2023 number after the revised financial aid form last year kept them from being able to apply without parental Social Security numbers for several months."
Most teens, and girls especially, see college as key to jobs and life skills, poll says
LAT, CHEYANNE MUMPHREY/LINLEY SANDERS: "Most American teenagers say it is important to them to graduate from college, with girls especially describing it as a key step for accomplishing their life goals, according to a new poll.
Teenagers also generally are more upbeat than adults on college despite concerns about tuition costs, soaring student loan debt and the politicization of many issues in higher education."
Doctors at Cedars-Sinai develop AI-powered mental health ‘robot’ therapist
LAT, EMILY WOODRUFF: "Misty Williams checks into the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from time to time for treatment of debilitating pain from sickle cell disease, which causes red blood cells to stiffen and block the flow of blood.
After pain medication and hydration are ordered, the 41-year-old Los Angeles resident makes an unusual request: access to a virtual reality headset with an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot that can carry on a dialogue with her."
Is baby getting enough breastmilk? New device helps moms learn
LAT, JENNY GOLD: "A group of university researchers at Northwestern — including a nursing mother — have come up with a way to ease one of the most anxiety-producing dilemmas of early breastfeeding: How much milk is the baby consuming?
The new device — the result of a collaboration between pediatricians and engineers — is a small wireless set of electrodes worn on the mother’s breast that measures the amount of milk expressed during a feeding."
Satellites launching from California could help scientists understand disruptive space weather
LAT, JACK LEE: "Two twin satellites — part of NASA’s TRACERS mission — set to launch tomorrow at Vandenberg Space Force Base will help scientists better understand space weather.
Researchers expect the mission to provide new insights into how charged particles from the sun plow into Earth’s magnetic shield. Such interactions underlie the dazzling northern lights, like the brilliant light shows that swept large swaths of California in 2024."
New network of air pollution monitors launches near Palisades fire
LAT, NIAMH ORDNER: "UCLA researchers have launched 20 new air pollution monitors across northwest Los Angeles County to better understand how much fine ash and coarse dust are being kicked up in the Palisades fire burn area as reconstruction advances. The network stretches from Topanga State Park through Brentwood and Santa Monica, updating every five to ten minutes on an online map.
“We heard clear community needs — real-time data, user-friendly design, and granular neighborhood coverage,” said Yifang Zhu, a professor in the UCLA Department of Environmental Health Sciences and director of the project. Zhu had seen that Caltech had put up a similar network for areas affected by the Eaton fire."
Marina del Rey boat searched in probe of blast that killed 3 L.A. County sheriff’s deputies
LA Times, RICHARD WINTON, HANNAH FRY and CHRISTOPHER BUCHANAN: "The investigation into a deadly explosion that killed three Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad technicians at a training facility continued to expand Monday, with authorities executing a search warrant on a boat docked at Marina del Rey.
Witnesses said more than a dozen police cars swarmed the 13900 block of Marquesas Way on Monday morning with officers interviewing boat owners and evacuating people from the dock."
LAPD undergoes first major leadership shake-up with McDonnell as chief
LAT, LIBOR JANY: "In his first major shake-up since taking over the Los Angeles Police Department in November, Chief Jim McDonnell has given new assignments to more than a dozen officials from the upper ranks.
Faced with ongoing struggles to woo new recruits and uncertainty around his plans to overhaul the LAPD, McDonnell gave the first indications about how he intends to reorganize by elevating three deputy chiefs — Emada Tingirides, Michael Rimkunas and Scott Harrelson — to top positions and resurrecting a long-dormant bureau."
Coins? Cards? Apps? The hell that is paying for parking in L.A.
LAT, DEBORAH NETBURN: "Matt Glaeser had just dropped his kids off at their grandparents’ house for the day when he pulled into a parking spot near Sam’s Bagels on Larchmont Boulevard on his way to work. He tried to feed the meter from a roll of quarters he keeps in his car, but the coin slot was jammed. He reached for his credit card but then noticed the screen said “Pay by app” and showed a QR code.
He tried to scan the QR code with his phone but the screen was so scratched with graffiti it didn’t work. So he sent a text to the number on the “Pay to Park” sticker below the coin slot. After waiting for a minute and wondering if the text went through, he received a text back with a link to a website. He opened the site on his phone and typed in his credit card number and address. But before he completed the payment, the site alerted him that he would have to pay an additional processing fee just to park for 15 minutes."
L.A. Times owner intends to take newspaper public in coming year
LA Times, CLARA HARTER: "The owner of the Los Angeles Times said Monday he would “take the paper public” in the next year. In an interview on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong said the move would allow The Times “to be democratized and allow the public to have ownership of this paper.”
He did not provide specifics about how the deal would work or whether it would involve an initial public offer to sell shares of the company or some other type of investment arrangement."
