ICE raids push workers into the shadows, disrupting the economy
Capital & Main, KATE MORRISSEY: "A San Diego restaurant owner who serves many immigrant customers has seen business plummet. A cleaning woman avoids bringing tools to work to avoid drawing attention to herself. Her husband, a construction worker, has been unemployed for over a month. A California farm had to hire an attorney to protect workers with approved visas from deportation.
California — and other states across the country — rely heavily on the labor of immigrants. Many of those workers are living in fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, making it harder to do their jobs. Experts say this fear is restricting the rights of all workers and hurting the state’s broader economy."
California considers dozens of proposed laws to thwart Trump’s agenda
The Chronicle, SOPHIA BOLLAG/SARA DINATALE/RAHEEM HOSSEINI/SARA LIBBY: "Even as Democrats in Congress have struggled to serve as a check on President Donald Trump in his second term, state lawmakers in liberal California are trying to insulate the state from his policies.
California lawmakers are considering dozens of proposed laws to thwart Trump’s ability to carry out mass deportations, restrict abortion and birth control access and limit LGBTQ rights. Democrats control supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature, meaning they can pass laws much more easily than their counterparts in the federal government."
Why this California city swung toward Trump more than any other
The Chronicle, SARA DINATALE/ASEEM SHUKLA/HARSHA DEVULAPALLI: "The boys are booked and busy.
There’s a head in nearly every seat as the crew of six barbers works through fade after fade."
From Jackson to McKinley: What Trump’s choice of presidential heroes says about his new goals
LAT, WILL WEISSERT: "In his first term, Donald Trump’s favorite president, other than himself, was Andrew Jackson, the self-made populist who relished turning Washington upside down.
Now he’s partial to the unfailingly polite William McKinley, a champion of American expansionism as well as of tariffs — Trump’s favorite second-term policy."
They were convicted of gang crimes. New California Supreme Court rulings trim their sentences
CALMatters, JOE GARCIA/NIGEL DUARA: "The California Supreme Court handed down two decisions last week that could impact decades of sentencing for gang-related offenses and allow thousands of people to petition courts to reexamine their cases.
Both rulings turned on a 2021 law that raised the standard of evidence for proving that someone broke a law as part of “criminal street gang activity.” In different ways, the Supreme Court chose to apply the new standard to past convictions."
(OPINION) On immigration, California Republicans still haven’t learned
LA Times, GEORGE SKELTON: "There are echoes from California Republicans’ disastrous past in their solid support of the Trump administration’s ugly raids targeting Latinos suspected of illegal immigration.
California’s GOP apparently still hasn’t learned. Scaring, insulting and angering people is not an effective recruiting tool. It doesn’t draw them to your side. It drives them into the opposition camp.
Netflix co-founder drops $2 million into Gavin Newsom's redistricting campaign
Politico, JEREMY B. WHITE and CHRISTINE MUI: "Netflix co-founder and Democratic megadonor Reed Hastings has given $2 million to help California redraw its House maps in the latest indication of the campaign’s outsize stakes.
Hastings is a stalwart supporter of Democratic causes and an ally of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has championed the push to counter Texas’ GOP gerrymander with a new map designed to oust California Republicans. He also spent $3 million to help Newsom beat back a recall attempt in 2021."
At Labor Day rallies, speakers decry Trump
LA Times, JULIA WICK and HOWARD BLUME: "Thousands of union members and others participated in marches, rallies and picnics on Labor Day throughout the Los Angeles region and across the country on Monday, decrying actions by the Trump administration that they say weaken unions and harm workers while strengthening and emboldening major corporations and the wealthy.
A White House proclamation Monday said President Trump’s actions are “reversing decades of neglect and finally putting American Workers first” by rewriting tax laws and creating a better economic climate for businesses."
S.F.’s politics have changed. Our algorithm examining the city’s supervisors proves it
The Chronicle, NAMI SUMIDA: "After last year’s elections, there’s been a major shakeup in the coalitions on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. For the first time since 2019, the city’s left-leaning supervisors are outnumbered by a more centrist group that not only has more seats but also consistently votes together.
The Chronicle analyzed data on roll call votes taken on 414 pieces of legislation between January 2020 and August 2025. Using a political science method often used to study congressional voting behavior, we mapped supervisors based on how often they voted with or against one another. Those who align often appear closer on the scale, while those who clash are farther apart. We did a similar analysis of San Francisco supervisors in 2021."
Aaron Peskin has a warning for Daniel Lurie about his S.F. ‘family zoning’ plan
The Chronicle, J.D. MORRIS: "Critics of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s plan to allow tens of thousands of new homes in San Francisco are ramping up their political pressure.
And if detractors — including former Supervisor Aaron Peskin — don’t get their way, San Francisco may see another contentious ballot fight over its housing crisis next year."
New mental health courts haven’t helped as many people as Newsom promised. Here’s why
CALMatters, MARISA KENDALL/JOCELYN WIENER/ERICA YEE: "Gov. Gavin Newsom stepped up to a lectern on a March day three years ago and proposed a new solution to one of the state’s most difficult problems: How to help the thousands of Californians sleeping on the streets while suffering from severe mental illness.
After all, he said, everything the state has done before has failed. One of the state’s prior attempts — a treatment referral program called Laura’s Law – helped just 218 people during the 2018-19 fiscal year, he said."
How California community colleges are using AI to battle financial aid fraud
EdSource, MICHAEL BURKE: "Community colleges in California for years have been fighting a losing battle with fraudsters who have stolen millions of dollars in federal and state financial aid. But now state officials believe they are finally turning a corner thanks to new tools.
The game-changer? Artificial intelligence."
Students can’t get into basic college courses, dragging out their time in school
LAT, JOHN MARCUS/SANDRA MCDONALD: "As colleges reopen for the fall, new research has pinpointed a problem keeping students from graduating on time: Classes required for their majors aren’t taught during the semesters they need them, or fill up so quickly that no seats are left.
Colleges and universities manage only about 15% of the time to provide required courses when their students need to take them, according to research by Ad Astra, which provides scheduling software to 550 universities. It’s among the major reasons fewer than half of students graduate on time, raising the cost of a degree in time and money."
California faces dry lightning, wildfire threat as monsoon thunderstorms return
The Chronicle, ANTHONY EDWARDS: "A complex weather pattern along the West Coast underwent a big shift over the weekend. Minor movements in atmospheric pressure and winds had major implications on Bay Area temperatures, which soared above forecasts into the mid-80s to upper 90s along the bay shoreline.
The shifts will continue this week, as the Northern California heat is no longer expected to last as long. Instead, the Golden State faces an increased risk of thunderstorms and wildfire ignitions from dry lightning Monday through Wednesday."
Here’s what’s really going on at the Forest Service as wildfire season ramps up
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "Firefighters battling Central California’s Gifford Fire, the biggest in the state so far this year, are getting some extra help as the U.S. Forest Service brings back former employees who were let go during the Trump administration’s sweeping cutbacks.
But whether enough employees are on the job at this and other wildfires across the nation remains in question. The Forest Service, which oversees the country’s largest wildland firefighting force, is down thousands of people as peak fire season arrives in the West."
This Northern California county is ‘overrun’ with mountain lions. What should be done?
Chronicle, LUCY HODGMAN: "Haley Molzahn remembers the first time she heard a mountain lion’s mating cry. The high-pitched wail can’t be captured in a YouTube video, she said — in person, it sends “an icy feeling down your spine, like you’ve just been put back into the Pleistocene Era and you are not at the top of the food chain.”'
It wasn’t unusual to hear mountain lions when Molzahn was growing up in Foresthill (Placer County). The big cats, which are also called pumas and cougars, are native to the area and roam widely through its forests and foothills. But Molzahn said it was rare for her neighbors to actually lay eyes on a mountain lion unless one ran across their path while they were hiking in the woods. That’s changed in the last few years."
Why is California second best state to work in the US? New ranking explained
Sac Bee, ANGELA RODRIGUEZ: "California is one of the best states to work in the United States, according to a new study by Oxfam America.
The Boston-based nonprofit organization gave the Golden State high marks for its wage policies, worker protections and employees’ rights to organize."
They call themselves ‘trashers.’ Together, they’re cleaning L.A.’s streets — and finding friendship
LAT, DAKOTA SMITH: "The retirees gathered at 8 a.m. near the G Line station in Canoga Park, impossible to miss in their neon yellow vests. They clutched trash bags and surveyed the expanse of trash-filled sidewalks and gutters before them.
Group leader Jill Mather, who walks and talks with the efficiency of a military general, laid out the task ahead: Clean a milelong stretch of Sherman Way."
$54M project investments by West Sacramento includes I Street bridge funding
Sacramento Bee, ISHANI DESAI: "The West Sacramento City Council unanimously approved a budget this month to help construct the aging I Street bridge, new facilities and other capital improvements. The money was appropriated from bond proceeds drawn through California’s first enhanced infrastructure financing district, located in West Sacramento, according to the city. The Public Finance Authority approved in 2017 the funding mechanism, which allows the city to pay off bonds by collecting taxes from a specific area to fund infrastructure projects.
The approval of these projects falls in line with the city’s vision to grow out of Sacramento’s shadow to become a nationwide destination for a Major League Baseball expansion team and attract businesses."
Two Bay Area lottery players just missed $1 billion — but still became millionaires
Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Two Bay Area lottery players narrowly missed the $1 billion Powerball jackpot on Saturday night but still walked away millionaires. The California Lottery announced that tickets sold in Milpitas and Pleasant Hill matched the first five numbers, earning each a prize of $1.16 million.
The winning ticket in Milpitas was purchased at a 7-Eleven on Clearlake Avenue, while the Pleasant Hill ticket came from a Mobil gas station on Oak Park Boulevard."
Bay Area home sales are cooling — but AI-bolstered San Francisco is heating up
Chronicle, CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "The Bay Area housing market is in something of a lull, with sales down slightly this year compared with 2024. But sales in San Francisco are on the rise, a trend real estate agents attribute to the artificial intelligence boom and renewed optimism about the city’s future.
The number of Bay Area homes, including condominiums and co-ops, sold from January to July is down more than 2% from the same period last year, according to data from online real estate brokerage Redfin. But in San Francisco, sales are up 5%, rising from about 2,870 in 2024 to 3,010 in 2025."
SFO close calls: Are near misses on runways more common now? Here’s the data
Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERIA and SRIHARSHA DEVULAPALLI: "Despite recent headlines about close calls on SFO runways, such incidents remain rare, a Chronicle analysis found.
The Chronicle analyzed data on “runway incursions” maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration. For every 100,000 flights out of SFO since 2010, there has been an average of about three runway incursions each year, the Chronicle found. While there is no strong trend, the number so far peaked at about 5.7 incursions per 100,000 flights in 2023 — a year where runway incursions around the country made headlines and prompted the FAA to hold a safety summit."
Burning Man death investigated as homicide after attendee found in ‘pool of blood’
Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "A man was found dead at Burning Man on Saturday night, prompting a homicide investigation involving local and federal authorities, officials said.
At 9:14 p.m. Saturday, as the festival’s iconic “Man” effigy began to burn, a participant flagged down a Pershing County Sheriff’s Office deputy to report a man lying in “a pool of blood,” according to a news release from Sheriff Jerry Allen."
